Hi All!
I adopted my Maine Coon mix from a shelter a few years ago. He turned 4 years old in June of this year. A couple of months later he started throwing up frequently, which is very unusual for him. I took him to the vet and found out he had ingested a foreign object and required surgery. Throughout the testing during this ordeal, they also discovered he has Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, which I've read is common in his breed. At the time he was discharged from the animal hospital, I tried to get as much information as I could about his condition and prognosis but they weren't able to tell me very much. The vet told me that as of current, his heart is compensating well and they did not think it was necessary to start him on any medications.
I will be taking him back in March for a follow up sonogram to monitor the condition. He has since fully recovered from surgery and is doing really well. In all reality, we would have never known about the heart disease unless he hadn't eaten something he shouldn't have. I know, however, that he will have this for the rest of his life. Does anyone else have a cat with a current milder state of HCM? I'd just like to have a better idea of what I'm dealing with, and of course I'm particularly concerned with how long I can expect him to live, or if there's anything in particular I could be doing to keep him, and his heart, as healthy as possible. He seems perfectly fine and healthy now, but everything I've read about HCM is really scary and I'm worried one day he'll just take a turn for the worst. I would be devastated if anything happened to him, especially now because he's still young, so if anyone else out there is in a similar situation or knows more about this illness and has any suggestions or advice, I would really appreciate your input and support.
Thanks to my fellow cat peeps!
I adopted my Maine Coon mix from a shelter a few years ago. He turned 4 years old in June of this year. A couple of months later he started throwing up frequently, which is very unusual for him. I took him to the vet and found out he had ingested a foreign object and required surgery. Throughout the testing during this ordeal, they also discovered he has Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, which I've read is common in his breed. At the time he was discharged from the animal hospital, I tried to get as much information as I could about his condition and prognosis but they weren't able to tell me very much. The vet told me that as of current, his heart is compensating well and they did not think it was necessary to start him on any medications.
I will be taking him back in March for a follow up sonogram to monitor the condition. He has since fully recovered from surgery and is doing really well. In all reality, we would have never known about the heart disease unless he hadn't eaten something he shouldn't have. I know, however, that he will have this for the rest of his life. Does anyone else have a cat with a current milder state of HCM? I'd just like to have a better idea of what I'm dealing with, and of course I'm particularly concerned with how long I can expect him to live, or if there's anything in particular I could be doing to keep him, and his heart, as healthy as possible. He seems perfectly fine and healthy now, but everything I've read about HCM is really scary and I'm worried one day he'll just take a turn for the worst. I would be devastated if anything happened to him, especially now because he's still young, so if anyone else out there is in a similar situation or knows more about this illness and has any suggestions or advice, I would really appreciate your input and support.
Thanks to my fellow cat peeps!