Wanted to let everyone know that Peter is finally going in for his ultrasound tomorrow morning. It was originally scheduled for earlier this month, but based on recommendations from a friend who has three cats with heart disease, a discussion with my vet and support from here, I rescheduled the appointment with an internist who specializes in feline cardiology.
So, I wanted to request more vibes and prayers for my sweet boy. We need to have the ultrasound done to pin down what's causing his murmur, but I hate putting him through this. He's going to be so scared.
The good thing is that I'll be able to stay with him during the procedure and we'll have the results right away.
I'll post an update as soon as we get home tomorrow. Thanks, everyone!
Prayers for Peter. Much sends purr vibes to him. She knows all about ultrasounds because we had a scare about her kidney. She says Peter should find a nice sunspot afterwards because they will shave his tummy and it can be a little drafty.
, who is at the bridge, has a cardiac ultra sound done when he was 15.
The specialist really knew how to handle him....
He took Mew into a dim room, put Mew on his lap, calmed him down, then did the ultrasound.
Normally Mew was a terror when it came to doctors, but he was calm as could be on that doctors lap.
I hope that sweet Peter has a similar experience and you finally get answers.
that things go well. Mouse had an ultrasound before the exploratory surgery. she had no problem at all - just laid there & meowed at me. the vet let me stand with her while he did the ultrasound.
We got home a little bit ago, so here's the news - as suspected, Peter does have HCM. The good news is that it's very mild at this point, and because he's young and we caught it early it's treatable (there's no cure) and he has every chance at a long, happy life. He'll need to take 1/2 a baby aspirin twice a week to keep his blood thin, and a low dosage of a beta blocker daily to regulate his blood pressure and prevent blood clots. This is mostly preventative for now.
Obviously, I was hoping he didn't have HCM, but I'm mostly just relieved to know what we're dealing with. The internist also recommended keeping Peter on a good quality food and keeping his stress level low. I thought this was kind of ironic because around our house Peter doesn't really have any stress, he causes it by how much he picks on the girls!
Thanks so much to all of you for the vibes and prayers.
They mean more than I can say and helped Peter and his worried meowmy stay calm. My sweet boy was so brave!
I was able to hold him during the ultrasound and it didn't take long at all.
He's currently under the bed, and seems pretty relaxed, so I'm going to leave him be and head into work. He'll get plenty of loving and some treats when I get home.
Thought of something else. This experience has really taught me how important it is to have a vet you trust and can communicate with. Also, I found a great online support group for cats with heart disease in case anyone ever needs it.
Eileen...
You are an aware, loving Mommy who got Peter to a knowledgeable doctor before to much damage was done by his HCM.
The outlook sounds very positive.
Please keep us updated about how he does on his new treatment plan.