Yumosh's heart :(

[dodo]

Yumosh is spayed today. Although they used only isoflorane as an anasthetic, the vet told us that her heart rate was 125 that is very very low (normally it should be around 200). She also told that this was probably because her heart muscles are weak & suggested us to monitor her carefully !

She doesn't have anything wrong with her right now; no panting etc. But does it mean that she'll have a short life ??

I don't want her to die early !! She is the sweetest, gentlest cat of all !

I know that Maine Coons can have heart problems although not very frequently. Although Yumosh isn't a pure bred (her mom was abandoned when she was pregnant; doesn't have any papers at least!), I wonder if she could have this in her genes. The vet will look for the results of Yumosh's other littermates & mother (since she knows the lady we adopted Yumosh from)...

I am going to do some internet search right now, but I appreciate your experiences about heart problems (if you had any).

I am really sad

.. I don't want her to die

 

[studio224]

Dodo,

what did excatly did the vet say? Maybe by monitoring her you will be able to help her live a long life? Maybe she can take some medications?

Don't give up hope! Surely there are things that you can do to help her... And keep us posted.

Anne-Claire

 

[sandie]

Did the vet think it was a genetic problem with the heart or did the surgery trigger the reaction? Surgery (anestesia) can do some pretty goofy things.

 

[dodo]

The vet will check if Yumosh's mother & littermates (all or some) had the same thing. If they had, it might be a genetic problem. If none of them had anything like this, then it's probably just Yumosh..She also said that there is nothing to do now since she doesn't have any symptoms, like panting, getting tired easily etc.

I am glad that we had bloodwork done on her. I believe that the vet (actually it's a place called Animal Trustees of Austin, a place like humane societies) saw that we want to be on the safe side since we had blodwork done (noone who goes there has it done I guess), and so she decided to use only isoflorane gas for Yumosh only ! (Actually she is nicer & more caring than Yumosh's regular vet !) If Yumosh didn't have bloodwork, the vet wouldn't use only gas, but the old fashioned anesthetic through the vein & Yumosh could have died because of this !! And I would have felt guilty for the rest of my life

( Cause her regular vet does it with only gas & we didn't choose them )

I wonder if we can do something to make her heart muscles stronger ?? Vitamins, minerals etc. maybe ?? I'll search about it..

We'll of course watch her carefully ! I hope she will live like a regular, healthy kitty.

 

[sandie]

Hmmm...well cardiomyopothy is usually diagnosed with an EKG to be sure. Maine Coons usually have hypertrophic cardiomyopothy. The vets I have had experience with will treat a known case with a few different drugs. They start treatment before any of the symptoms begin. I will do some research on the homeopathic treatment for you.

 

[dodo]

Sandie, after you talked about homeopathic treatments I checked my books & found some plants, extracts etc. But how can I find these things in USA ?? (I have never heard of their names !) There are some stores which sell stuff like Rescue Remedy etc. Should I be looking for them in these stores ??

I learned that ultrasonography is the best way to tell if the cat has some kind of a heart disease. I think the first think I should do should be to get her to a vet & get her ultrasonography taken.

The heart disease where the heart has weak heart muscles is called dilated cardiomyopathy & as far as I learned it's caused by taurin deficiency, which is very rarely seen in today's cats. Yumosh is fed by Eukanuba, so there can't be any taurin deficiency in consumption. I don't know if there is a possibility of that, but maybe she can't metabolize taurin & use it ??

 

[sandie]

I havn't really heard of any cases of not being able to absorb taurine. I have heard that although the commercial foods meet the requiremnts, its a good idea to suppliment with 60 to 80 milligrams of taurine daily per each 10 pounds of body weight.
Most of these things you can find at a local health and nutrition store. They usually have quite a few in the malls or you can check with GNC.
A book you may want to look at is veterinarians guide to natural remedies for cats. Its by Martin Zucker. I keep it around just incase I want to look something up. It has a bunch of good info. I bought it at barnes and noble.

 

[dodo]

I looked for taurine this weekend but couldn't find it in the vitamins aisle of a grocery store. Do people also consume taurine & can I find it in a vitamin store or should I ask the vet ??

I started giving her magnesium in little amounts. I have learned that it is good for cardiovascular health. But I don't know how much I should give her & in what mg. Sandie, do you know anything about it ?

Yumosh's vet doesn't have an ultrasonography machine so we have to get an appointmet before & they will call a specialized person who will bring his/her ultrasonography thing ! They told us that it will be 185 $. Do you think that it's in normal ranges ?

I want to take her to a Cat (only) Vet/Hospital, so will look for one.

 

[sandie]

From what I understand, magnesium can cause crystals in the urunary tract. I am not sure of what dose they are talking about for heart problems. The only ones I know of for cardiomyopothy are taurine, vit E and, CoQ10. Most of these can be found at GNC nutrition stores. You wont find alot at supermarkets. You can look to see what nutrition stores are near you.

 

[billie]

Dodo, it's not that I have any andive to offer, I just wanted to say that I'll be thinking about Yumosh (it means soft, doesn't it)and hoping she's OK. Please keep us posted on this.
Lots of love your way

 

[vjoy]

Dodo,

I am new to owning a cat, and don't know much yet, but I am so sorry you are going through this with your kitty...I send you love and prayers.

Yumosh

 

[dodo]

Yes Billie, how did you know that Yumosh means soft ?

Her fur is very soft like silk, so that's why we named her Yumosh.

Thanks Billie & Vjoy

 

[dodo]

I have found a great site about animal cardiology. It's mainly for veterinary students & practioners, but I thought it would be useful to put it in to my Favorites & use it as a reference whenever I need.

http://www.ovcnet.uoguelph.ca/ClinSt...gy/welcome.htm

 

[us cats]

I was reading your message about Yumosh. There is a Cat Hospital in Houston. Here is the info if your interested. All Cats Vet--- Dr. Cindy Rigoni...9119 Stella Link...Houston, TX.713-664-2287. I have heard a lot of good things about her. Good Luck & God Bless

 

[sfell]

Seda,

How is Yumosh doing? I have been so worried about her and think of you two constantly! Have you found a place that can provide her medical care? If not you might try a local veterinary school (like Texas A&M) they do fabulous work at a very reasonable price. I know first hand because we took one of our dogs to Texas A&M Veterinary School for major orthopedic surgery. Let us know how the two of you are doing. Take care!

 

[sunlion]

Dodo,

I have had very good luck finding unusual items at Whole Foods. I used to go to Bread and Circus in Boston but they got bought by Whole Foods, and I know that is a chain here in Dallas. If they don't have stuff on their shelves, they have been very good about special orders for me. So if you can't find what you want at GNC, you might try them out. They have a website, too, though I'm not on my own computer so I don't have the link right to hand.

I'm so sorry your baby is having a difficulty.

 

[jojo]

Dodo,

Dani and I send our collective prayers that your Yumosh lives a long and joyful life. Even though I've had Dani for so short a time, I'm not sure I could face the pain of knowing I might lose my companion. My heart is with you. God Bless.

 

[dodo]

Sunlion thanks

I found taurine last week in Whole Foods in deed

They really have lots of supplements & unusual stuff as you said. (I really love the place

)

Today we talked about Yumosh with her regular vet. Actually she doesn't have a regular vet. We take our cats to PetSmart's vet. The one in this PetSmart is called Banfield Hospital & they have got several vets. working. Today there was a new vet & he told us that a heart rate of 125 isn't a very critical number to worry about. He said that he would worry if her heart rate was 70 or less. So he didn't find ultrasound necessary at this time. He said that they could take ECG & X-ray to be sure of. So that will be our route for now.

Thanks for your concerns everyone

 

[missycat]

Did the vet recommend the ultrasound? Missy had one because fluid buildup in the chest cavity can be caused by cardiomyopathy, but her heart is fine. We still don't know what's causing the fluid problem, and she goes back in tomorrow for a chest x-ray to see if it has come back yet.

In a way, it's kind of good that Yumosh has been seen by several different vets - I think there's less of a chance of a misdiagnosis that way. It also gives you a different perspective, but then can make it hard to make a decision about treatment if the vets' opinions differ.

Missy, Boo, and I send hugs and good wishes to Yumosh and you.