Hi.
So my special kitty has just turned extra special (more on his IBS in a thread coming soon). He was in for a dental, and the vet detected a heart murmur. She made everyone else listen to it to be sure (!), and then did an x-ray. She said Teddy has an enlarged heart and accompanying vasculature (though I don't know whether it's the coronaries or something else - like pulmonary vasculature).
Teddy is a great cat, and since we've brought him back from the brink with his IBS, we're determined to make sure he gets the best care. So, he'll be off to the cardiologist (though the regular vet wants to recheck him first).
I know a lot about cardiac care in humans. I know nothing about it in cats.
For those of you that have been through this before, what should I expect? How do ultrasounds/EKG's work in cats? Is there anesthesia (Teddy's been anesthetized twice and has done just fine)? Are there stress tests for cats? How do cats with enlarged hearts generally do - are they medicated or not? For some reason, I'm not worried about the ultimate diagnosis, just what he's going to have to go through!
I'd love to hear from anyone with info, but particularly people with older cats - Teddy is 10. He takes prednisone to manage his IBS which I'm sure will interfere with other medications, so we'll have to watch for that down the road.
Thanks - I appreciate whatever you can offer.
So my special kitty has just turned extra special (more on his IBS in a thread coming soon). He was in for a dental, and the vet detected a heart murmur. She made everyone else listen to it to be sure (!), and then did an x-ray. She said Teddy has an enlarged heart and accompanying vasculature (though I don't know whether it's the coronaries or something else - like pulmonary vasculature).
Teddy is a great cat, and since we've brought him back from the brink with his IBS, we're determined to make sure he gets the best care. So, he'll be off to the cardiologist (though the regular vet wants to recheck him first).
I know a lot about cardiac care in humans. I know nothing about it in cats.
For those of you that have been through this before, what should I expect? How do ultrasounds/EKG's work in cats? Is there anesthesia (Teddy's been anesthetized twice and has done just fine)? Are there stress tests for cats? How do cats with enlarged hearts generally do - are they medicated or not? For some reason, I'm not worried about the ultimate diagnosis, just what he's going to have to go through!
I'd love to hear from anyone with info, but particularly people with older cats - Teddy is 10. He takes prednisone to manage his IBS which I'm sure will interfere with other medications, so we'll have to watch for that down the road.
Thanks - I appreciate whatever you can offer.