My best friend Armand, was diagnosed with a very enlarged heart in Jan, 2017. Armand's 17. He mostly hid his symptoms as he considers himself the leader of the pack, but he did cough and sneeze so I took him to the vet where they did an xray and it showed his heart had enlarged. I would greatly appreciate any and all advice on helping him or making his life better, and most especially any holistic meds or herbs. He was given 6 months to live and it's 9 now and I have learned a lot, but never enough. First of all, there is a reason so many of our cats, dogs, and pets are getting enlarged hearts and you will not hear of this in the news or on the net. My vet said almost 80% of pets are getting this and his veterinary college professor just recently told him this and that it was due to the pet food's high heat processing because it was destroying the Taurine. This is easily supplemented with a sprinkle of the powder on top of their food once a day. If your pet has any kind of heart issue, the Japanese have found supplementing with CoQ10 30mg once a day to make a difference. Fluid builds inside around their heart and lungs so water balance is key. I was having to give Armand saline solution (Lactated Ringers) subcutaneously because he kept getting too dehydrated. This was torture for us both but he always perked up and felt so much better afterwards. Then I discovered an amazing thing. I learned pink Himalayan sea salt in your drinking water can stop anxiety attacks. Our bodies need those exact same 84 minerals contained in it which are then aborbed by our cells and helps regulate fluid balance. I started giving it to the cats and Armand never gets dehydrated any more even though he is on Lasix 2X a day and Benazepril, and I was having to do the saline solution every 2 to 3 days. Anyone who has ever had this done by the vet or did it themselves will know what a miracle this pink Himalayan salt water is. He also takes Feline Cardiac Support by Standard Process. I crumble half a pill on top of his food twice a day. This really makes a difference in him that I can see as there was none to be had for a couple of weeks. He still plays a bit, loves to cuddle and be scratched on cheeks, and really enjoys his food. I mix a bit of raw goat milk with his food and when it's his favorite he stops and looks up at me with so much love and gratitude pouring out of his eyes, breaks my heart. I know the blood pressure medicine Benazepril has awful side effects and he has lost most of his fur because of it but he is pulling it out with his teeth in spots too. There has to be something better for helping his heart work better. I used to take him outside on a leash but now he just wants to come back inside. He just doesn't feel up to it. He is also on Azithromycin every day because he has a bad tooth but cannot go under anesthesia. I have been giving him a bit of a probiotic in food too as the antibiotic kills all of his good bacteria. Please help me to help Armand. Any advice would be so much appreciated. I have had cats all of my life, am a nurse, and if anyone has questions I would be most happy to tell you what worked for us. I've dealt with Diabetes and IBD in cats too.
