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- Apr 7, 2017
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Jack had his check-up after the vet finding he had a heart murmur. The vet I saw was really nice, and very thorough, and didn't sugar coat things. She said she wasn't trying to scare me, but wanted me to be prepared.
Jack has cardiomyopathy, likely from birth. She thinks that his brother Daniel that passed on April 6th probably also had it, but that the lung tumors developed faster than the heart disease, so that was what took him in the end. Jack is going to remain on the Fortekor, 5mg a day, and she wants blood work done in about 5 and a half months to see if his kidney levels have changed at all, to do a CBC and to check for hyperthyroidism. That is mostly a peace of mind thing for me - she doesn't believe he has hyperthyroidism at all but said there was no harm to test for it while they'd already be taking his blood for the other tests.
She suggested I keep Jack on the first grain free diet I had him on, which has slightly less protein than the petcurean go! that I was trying to switch him to. She said that they usually suggest a lower protein diet when issues with the kidneys and liver come up - and while Jack doesn't have liver issues, and only one of his kidney levels was in the "high normal" range, she thought it would be the better choice. Especially since the go! seemed to be giving Jack constipation. So I bought a bag of the Holistic Blend "My Healthy Pet" Turkey and Chicken (even though I'm disappointed there is pea and potato in the first five ingredients) because I don't want to set off issues with his bowels by trying to get him on the go!
I couldn't help but cry in the office because she told me that even with the pills the heart disease is going to continue to get worse, and that cats are wholly unpredictable in regards to how they respond. She said cats with cardiomyopathy aren't going to live to be 19 or 20, and that if Jack gets 2-3 years more then that will be as best as could be hoped for. I am heart broken, even though 2-3 years would bring him to 15 or 16, because there's literally nothing more I can do beyond medicating him.
She said he might eventually need to be on lasix if/when his lungs begin to fill. It's such a horrifying prospect.
She said that I am doing everything right, and everything that I can for him to make him as comfortable as possible for whatever time he has left. There are no words for how gutted I feel right now, because it feels like Jack is just living on borrowed time. I am terrified that his end is going to come from a blood clot and as horrific as it was to watch Daniel die, the blood clot and the pain it causes just fills me with nightmare images that take my breath away. There's no guarantee that he will get one, of course, and the vet even said that just being he has cardiomyopathy does not mean he will develop blood clots, but his risk is increased, and even though the pills are used to help make it easier for the heart to pump blood and stop any stagnant blood from forming clots, it's not a 100% guarantee.
So, rambling and heart brokenness aside, I do have a bit of good news. I picked up a few different cans of wet food today at Pet Valu in the hopes of finding something Jack will eat that I can actually get here as opposed to two hours away. I got a can of the turkey/chicken/duck, turkey and the chicken pate versions of the petformin ultra wet food. I opened the turkey one tonight, and gave some to the three I knew would eat it - because they'll eat ANY wet food - and noticed Jack sniffing around. I didn't think he'd eat it, because he turned his nose up at everything else I tried but once Furgus had eaten his fill, and there was a little left in the dish, I decided to try and see if Jack would eat it. At first, nope, not interested. But when I tossed a few pieces of the dry food in, he actually ate the wet! And left the dry! So I think I might have actually found a wet food that he will eat that I can easily get!
The only thing I was frowning at when I looked at the ingredients is they include red bell peppers. Before I get TOO excited - is that even safe for cats to eat? I mean, I know it's definitely unnecessary, but I'm more concerned about it being safe if I were to use this in a rotation of foods for them.
Jack has cardiomyopathy, likely from birth. She thinks that his brother Daniel that passed on April 6th probably also had it, but that the lung tumors developed faster than the heart disease, so that was what took him in the end. Jack is going to remain on the Fortekor, 5mg a day, and she wants blood work done in about 5 and a half months to see if his kidney levels have changed at all, to do a CBC and to check for hyperthyroidism. That is mostly a peace of mind thing for me - she doesn't believe he has hyperthyroidism at all but said there was no harm to test for it while they'd already be taking his blood for the other tests.
She suggested I keep Jack on the first grain free diet I had him on, which has slightly less protein than the petcurean go! that I was trying to switch him to. She said that they usually suggest a lower protein diet when issues with the kidneys and liver come up - and while Jack doesn't have liver issues, and only one of his kidney levels was in the "high normal" range, she thought it would be the better choice. Especially since the go! seemed to be giving Jack constipation. So I bought a bag of the Holistic Blend "My Healthy Pet" Turkey and Chicken (even though I'm disappointed there is pea and potato in the first five ingredients) because I don't want to set off issues with his bowels by trying to get him on the go!
I couldn't help but cry in the office because she told me that even with the pills the heart disease is going to continue to get worse, and that cats are wholly unpredictable in regards to how they respond. She said cats with cardiomyopathy aren't going to live to be 19 or 20, and that if Jack gets 2-3 years more then that will be as best as could be hoped for. I am heart broken, even though 2-3 years would bring him to 15 or 16, because there's literally nothing more I can do beyond medicating him.
She said he might eventually need to be on lasix if/when his lungs begin to fill. It's such a horrifying prospect.She said that I am doing everything right, and everything that I can for him to make him as comfortable as possible for whatever time he has left. There are no words for how gutted I feel right now, because it feels like Jack is just living on borrowed time. I am terrified that his end is going to come from a blood clot and as horrific as it was to watch Daniel die, the blood clot and the pain it causes just fills me with nightmare images that take my breath away. There's no guarantee that he will get one, of course, and the vet even said that just being he has cardiomyopathy does not mean he will develop blood clots, but his risk is increased, and even though the pills are used to help make it easier for the heart to pump blood and stop any stagnant blood from forming clots, it's not a 100% guarantee.
So, rambling and heart brokenness aside, I do have a bit of good news. I picked up a few different cans of wet food today at Pet Valu in the hopes of finding something Jack will eat that I can actually get here as opposed to two hours away. I got a can of the turkey/chicken/duck, turkey and the chicken pate versions of the petformin ultra wet food. I opened the turkey one tonight, and gave some to the three I knew would eat it - because they'll eat ANY wet food - and noticed Jack sniffing around. I didn't think he'd eat it, because he turned his nose up at everything else I tried but once Furgus had eaten his fill, and there was a little left in the dish, I decided to try and see if Jack would eat it. At first, nope, not interested. But when I tossed a few pieces of the dry food in, he actually ate the wet! And left the dry! So I think I might have actually found a wet food that he will eat that I can easily get!
The only thing I was frowning at when I looked at the ingredients is they include red bell peppers.
Before I get TOO excited - is that even safe for cats to eat? I mean, I know it's definitely unnecessary, but I'm more concerned about it being safe if I were to use this in a rotation of foods for them.
, so let's hope his kidneys don't get any worse 
. 
Daniel 
