Sudden health issues (fluid in lungs, enlarged heart)

[shorin0723]

Completely new to this thread and forum however I wanted to drop in and say thank you for the insights and hope. We have a 10 year old Siamese and Ragdoll mix that exhibited the exact same symptoms that you posted about almost a year ago that started early this week.

He had pleural effusion and pleural edema and an enlarged left atrium. They drained over 200ccs of fluid from his chest and placed him on diuretics to combat the pleural edema. The cardiologist confirmed late Thursday that he indeed had an enlarged heart. He's on a combination of Furosemide, Clopidogrel, spironolactone, pimobendan, and enoxaparin to help with his heart and pleural edema.

His resting rate seems to be back down to 30 BPM and he's been affectionate as ever. We're following up with blood work this week to see how his body is handling the new medication and adjusting as needed.

Thinking about your cat and here's to a better week for the both of them.

 

[BluOnyx]

I meant to update this. His limp is gone and everything is stable. He was still showing heavy fluttering in his chest and while the vet said it would not make a difference, I opted to put added taurine back in his food. Sure enough, his fluttering is no where near as severe. Doctors can get things wrong I suppose.

I also switched him to 30 mg of CoQ10 over the ubiquinol as he doesn't want it in his food anymore. So I have to give it to him with his other vitamin wrapped in meat. He doesn't like it but he tolerates it fine.

His resting rate seems to be back down to 30 BPM and he's been affectionate as ever. We're following up with blood work this week to see how his body is handling the new medication and adjusting as needed.

Thinking about your cat and here's to a better week for the both of them.

I hope your kitty is doing better

 

[fionasmom]

Thank you so much for updating us and for letting us know that your kitty is doing so much better!

 

[shorin0723]

I meant to update this. His limp is gone and everything is stable. He was still showing heavy fluttering in his chest and while the vet said it would not make a difference, I opted to put added taurine back in his food. Sure enough, his fluttering is no where near as severe. Doctors can get things wrong I suppose.

I also switched him to 30 mg of CoQ10 over the ubiquinol as he doesn't want it in his food anymore. So I have to give it to him with his other vitamin wrapped in meat. He doesn't like it but he tolerates it fine.


I hope your kitty is doing better

Glad to see you post that your little one is doing better. We've noticed that the diuretics he doesn't seem to want to get up and go to the water bowls within the first hour or two but will drink a lot if water is placed in front of him. He also grazes food more versus just eating when he's hungry which seems odd given the preference behavior with the water.

Our boy is doing much better. Our cardiologist has him on Lasix, Plavix, Enoxaparin, Pimobendan and Spironolactone to help with his condition. We moved him onto kidney food 8 months prior to his CHF episode due to some higher values and the leading theory from the cardiologist is that it's related to the pea content in the food. There are some published studies showing possible correlations between DCM in dogs and pea content in their diet as well as a smaller subset with cats linked below:

Investigation of diets associated with dilated cardiomyopathy in dogs using foodomics analysis - Scientific Reports

Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a disease of the heart muscle that affects both humans and dogs. Certain canine diets have been associated with DCM, but the diet-disease link is unexplained, and novel methods are needed to elucidate mechanisms. We conducted metabolomic profiling of 9 diets...

www.nature.com

Dilated cardiomyopathy in cats: survey of veterinary cardiologists and retrospective evaluation of a possible association with diet

The objectives were to conduct a survey of cardiologists on their recent experiences with cats that have dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and to retrospectively review individual cases of feline DCM.Part one: A survey was distributed to cardiologists with ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

We're continuing to try and isolate the variables but his kidney diet was one variable that is unique to him and was heavy in pea protein.

On his last check up, he was doing much better and the S3 and S4 was not present, his veins near the heart were no longer dilated, and his kidney values were in normal condition which is paradoxical to the amount of heart medication he's on. His heart however is still very much enlarged but the smoke swirl is much less due to the blood thinners. His percentiles for Fractal Shortening are still very much poor but the combination of medication seems to have the pleural effusion and pleural edema under control for the time being. Prior to the increase in medication we did supplement Taurine as we were told that while cat food does have taurine added, excess is not shown to be detrimental. He did seem to perk up quite a bit with the taurine supplement prior to the medication increase which has been noticeably helpful as well.

Cheers to your boy's recovery journey and much love to him!

 

[BluOnyx]

Glad to see you post that your little one is doing better. We've noticed that the diuretics he doesn't seem to want to get up and go to the water bowls within the first hour or two but will drink a lot if water is placed in front of him. He also grazes food more versus just eating when he's hungry which seems odd given the preference behavior with the water.

Our boy is doing much better. Our cardiologist has him on Lasix, Plavix, Enoxaparin, Pimobendan and Spironolactone to help with his condition. We moved him onto kidney food 8 months prior to his CHF episode due to some higher values and the leading theory from the cardiologist is that it's related to the pea content in the food. There are some published studies showing possible correlations between DCM in dogs and pea content in their diet as well as a smaller subset with cats linked below:

Investigation of diets associated with dilated cardiomyopathy in dogs using foodomics analysis - Scientific Reports

Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a disease of the heart muscle that affects both humans and dogs. Certain canine diets have been associated with DCM, but the diet-disease link is unexplained, and novel methods are needed to elucidate mechanisms. We conducted metabolomic profiling of 9 diets...

www.nature.com

Dilated cardiomyopathy in cats: survey of veterinary cardiologists and retrospective evaluation of a possible association with diet

The objectives were to conduct a survey of cardiologists on their recent experiences with cats that have dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and to retrospectively review individual cases of feline DCM.Part one: A survey was distributed to cardiologists with ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

We're continuing to try and isolate the variables but his kidney diet was one variable that is unique to him and was heavy in pea protein.

On his last check up, he was doing much better and the S3 and S4 was not present, his veins near the heart were no longer dilated, and his kidney values were in normal condition which is paradoxical to the amount of heart medication he's on. His heart however is still very much enlarged but the smoke swirl is much less due to the blood thinners. His percentiles for Fractal Shortening are still very much poor but the combination of medication seems to have the pleural effusion and pleural edema under control for the time being. Prior to the increase in medication we did supplement Taurine as we were told that while cat food does have taurine added, excess is not shown to be detrimental. He did seem to perk up quite a bit with the taurine supplement prior to the medication increase which has been noticeably helpful as well.

Cheers to your boy's recovery journey and much love to him!

I read similar, grain-free not being healthy for cats or dogs because of the added filler. They replaced wheat and rice with things like peas and beans which are not good for cats. It is quite hard to find food without this stuff now, especially with dry food. I hope you continue to see improvements or at least he remains stable. I know how stressful this can all be.

Our boy has no issue with drinking water and drinks tons now since his meds were upgraded to something stronger. We give him spring water, the same that I drink. He will not drink tap. None of our cats like it. It is fine by me though as I will not drink it either, I can't expect them to enjoy it. Not sure if it makes any difference but I feel like spring is likely the "best" water for cats and dogs as it is closest to nature while being clean. If you don't already, maybe try offering him spring water and see if he enjoys it more?

 

[IzzysfureverMom]

It is genetic heart failure. He isn't in any pain and will have to be managed. He could have months left, or years. They don't know but it is far along. My heart is breaking. One of my cats is very close to him and like me, he hasn't wanted to eat. I don't know what to do with myself right now.

I ordered some ubiquinol and he has medications he will need to be on. I tried to find something with stem cells to help but I can't find anything in my area. I feel helpless.

So sorry you are both going through this.

 

[BluOnyx]

He had his breakfast this morning. Seemed perfectly fine. About 30 minutes later I found him in one of his napping spots, he had passed away. I didn't think it would happen so suddenly. I was not prepared for this. My heart is aching. I thought for sure he at least had a few more years because he was responding well to the medication. I didn't hear anything. I think his heart may have just stopped. What hurts the most right now is that I didn't know my final moments with him would be this morning. I would have hugged him, pet him more, showed him how much I loved him.

I knew he was not going to live forever. I also knew his life was going to be cut short because of this. I just wasn't ready for it to happen so suddenly. He went from being perfectly fine enjoying his breakfast, to gone.

I just hope it was not painful for him. He was the sweetest cat I have ever known. He loved everyone he met.

I was already planning to get him a new cat tree for his birthday next month. I feel like part of me died.

 

[IzzysfureverMom]

I am so sorry for your sudden loss of your sweet boy. He is at peace now and knows how much you loved an adored him.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I am so sorry. I, too, hope he passed peacefully. The fact that he was eating just a bit before that seems to me that it was quick and sudden and very likely he did not suffer.

 

[shorin0723]

He had his breakfast this morning. Seemed perfectly fine. About 30 minutes later I found him in one of his napping spots, he had passed away. I didn't think it would happen so suddenly. I was not prepared for this. My heart is aching. I thought for sure he at least had a few more years because he was responding well to the medication. I didn't hear anything. I think his heart may have just stopped. What hurts the most right now is that I didn't know my final moments with him would be this morning. I would have hugged him, pet him more, showed him how much I loved him.

I knew he was not going to live forever. I also knew his life was going to be cut short because of this. I just wasn't ready for it to happen so suddenly. He went from being perfectly fine enjoying his breakfast, to gone.

I just hope it was not painful for him. He was the sweetest cat I have ever known. He loved everyone he met.

I was already planning to get him a new cat tree for his birthday next month. I feel like part of me died.

I'm sorry for your loss. He was loved and he knew that till the very end. If he was suffering he no longer is and even if he was it was momentary in a place that he felt safe, loved, and at peace. You went well above and beyond for his care and that has had an impact on my family as well.

Much love from my family to yours.

 

[BluOnyx]

I'm sorry for your loss. He was loved and he knew that till the very end. If he was suffering he no longer is and even if he was it was momentary in a place that he felt safe, loved, and at peace. You went well above and beyond for his care and that has had an impact on my family as well.

Much love from my family to yours.

I hope you have many years left with your boy and I am glad me sharing about mine has helped you in any way.

 

[iPappy]

I am so sorry. What a terrible shock to you.
If he enjoyed his breakfast and went napping in his favorite spot, my guess is he fell asleep and gently slipped away. I had a cat who passed away like that, but the few days beforehand he was quiet and not himself.
It's a blessing when they do not suffer, but this definitely happened much to soon for him and you. I am deeply sorry for your loss.

 

[BluOnyx]

I am so sorry. What a terrible shock to you.
If he enjoyed his breakfast and went napping in his favorite spot, my guess is he fell asleep and gently slipped away. I had a cat who passed away like that, but the few days beforehand he was quiet and not himself.
It's a blessing when they do not suffer, but this definitely happened much to soon for him and you. I am deeply sorry for your loss.

I just feel like I didn't get the chance to say goodbye is all. I figured I would have time before it was coming. I am glad he went on his own and didn't have to suffer but it still hurts.

 

[silent meowlook]

I am so sorry. He went on his own terms, in a spot he liked with a full belly. It was quick and painless. He just went to sleep knowing he was loved. You can’t ask for more than that. Had you known you would have been sad. That would have stressed him. This way everything was as it should be. I am so sorry for your loss. I know it is so hard.

 

[fionasmom]

He went from being perfectly fine enjoying his breakfast, to gone.

I am so sorry for your loss and understand what a shock it is as I have had two cats pass away unexpectedly at home. The suddeness does make his worse as you were not able to allow him to transition as you had always thought that you would. I hope that you can take some comfort in the fact that he did have a good meal, a full tummy, was at home with someone he loved, and just went to sleep.

 

[BluOnyx]

I am so sorry for your loss and understand what a shock it is as I have had two cats pass away unexpectedly at home. The suddeness does make his worse as you were not able to allow him to transition as you had always thought that you would. I hope that you can take some comfort in the fact that he did have a good meal, a full tummy, was at home with someone he loved, and just went to sleep.

I am really hoping he did go in his sleep and was not scared or anything.

My grandfather had heart troubles and died in his sleep. They believe his heart just stopped so he didn't feel anything.

 

[fionasmom]

I am really hoping he did go in his sleep and was not scared or anything.

Your description really does sound as if he just went to sleep. The fact that he seemed comfortable and ate breakfast shows that he felt well enough to do those things.

 

[Meowmee]

He had his breakfast this morning. Seemed perfectly fine. About 30 minutes later I found him in one of his napping spots, he had passed away. I didn't think it would happen so suddenly. I was not prepared for this. My heart is aching. I thought for sure he at least had a few more years because he was responding well to the medication. I didn't hear anything. I think his heart may have just stopped. What hurts the most right now is that I didn't know my final moments with him would be this morning. I would have hugged him, pet him more, showed him how much I loved him.

I knew he was not going to live forever. I also knew his life was going to be cut short because of this. I just wasn't ready for it to happen so suddenly. He went from being perfectly fine enjoying his breakfast, to gone.

I just hope it was not painful for him. He was the sweetest cat I have ever known. He loved everyone he met.

I was already planning to get him a new cat tree for his birthday next month. I feel like part of me died.

I am so sorry

I know it doesn’t feel like it now but maybe on some level it is better it happened that way peacefully. Because he didn’t suffer a lot etc. he knew that you loved him and he went to sleep. It’s still tremendously hard for you. Run free sweet boy and watch over your mom

 

[iPappy]

I just feel like I didn't get the chance to say goodbye is all. I figured I would have time before it was coming. I am glad he went on his own and didn't have to suffer but it still hurts.

Absolutely it hurts, very badly. I was grateful that my cat passed in his sleep, with no struggling or anything of the sort. It was peaceful, as though he fell asleep and quietly just passed away without realizing it. But it is still painful for the ones he left behind.

 

[BluOnyx]

Is it normal for the other cats to be indifferent about it?

I made sure they knew he had passed. They both came and sniffed him and then just carried on like normal. The last cat I had that passed was not close with any of the other cats but these ones spent a lot of time with him and they would all snuggle and clean each other.

I expected at least the one that grew up with him from a young kitten that was his little buddy to be upset but there is really no difference in his behavior.