Ask the Vet: Feline Heart Disease by Kristel Weaver, MPVM, DVM

When cats are sick they hide their illness.  This makes a veterinarian’s job challenging and sick cats may go undetected at home by their owners.  Sometimes the only indication that a cat has a problem is that they are not following their normal routine.   You may have an idea that your cat has a heart problem if your veterinarian hears an abnormal beat or rhythm during a regular physical exam, but sometimes there are no indications that there is a problem until your kitty is really sick.

How do I know if my cat has heart disease at home?

Cats with heart disease can be asymptomatic depending on the severity of their heart problem.  Cats in heart failure (fluid overflowing in or around the lungs) may be lethargic, breath faster than normal or breath with their mouth open.  You may hear crackle noises or coughing, see a bluish color to their footpads, or see them collapse.  A blood clot can become lodged in the aorta causing cats to become paralyzed in their back legs.  These cats are painful, unable to walk and have cold toes.

How is heart disease diagnosed?

Your veterinarian may hear a murmur or abnormal rhythm on physical exam if your cat has heart disease.  Some cats have heart problems with a normal sounding heart and some murmurs are benign.  If your veterinarian suspects advanced heart problems, he or she will likely recommend tests such as x-rays, an echocardiogram (ultrasound of the heart), ECG, check blood pressure, and check their thyroid value.

What causes cats to have heart failure?

Like dogs, cats can have congenital or acquired heart disease.  Congenital problems are usually diagnosed in kittens and are fairly rare.  The most common acquired heart problem in a cat is hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, HCM.  Cats with HCM have thickened heart walls so there less space for blood to fill the chambers of the heart.  Since less blood fills the heart, each pump is less effective at pushing blood to the rest of the body.  We don’t know exactly why cats get HCM but genetics play a role.   HCM can also be secondary to high blood pressure or hyperthyroidism.  There are other forms of heart disease in cats that are less common such as dilated or restrictive cardiomyopathy.

How is a cat in heart failure treated?

An asymptomatic cat with a heart murmur is typically monitored at annual or biannual veterinary visits.  If your cat is having problems breathing they should see a veterinary right away.  Stress makes a cat in heart failure much worse, so sometimes diagnostics are delayed when a cat first arrives at a veterinary hospital to allow them to calm down from the car ride.  Some clinics have quiet oxygen cages, for your cat to relax and breath better.  Once a diagnosis of heart failure has been made, cats may be treated with a procedure to remove fluid from the space around their lungs and given medications to decrease fluid buildup and improve the heart rate and rhythm.  Some cats are put on aspirin to prevent clots and a low sodium diet is recommended.

If your cat seems to be acting off or is breathing harder than normal, bring them in to your veterinarian to be checked out!

Dr. Kristel Weaver is a graduate of the Veterinary School at the University of California, Davis where she received both a DVM and a Master’s of Preventative Veterinary Medicine (MPVM).  She has been at Bishop Ranch Veterinary Center & Urgent Care in San Ramon since 2007.  She currently lives in Oakland with her husband and their daughter, Hayley. If you have questions you would like Dr. Weaver to answer for future articles, please email info@webvets.com

Ask the Vet – Canine Heart Disease by Kristel Weaver, DVM, MPVM

Did you know that dogs don’t get clogged arteries and heart attacks like humans?  If only we knew why, we could make millions in pharmaceuticals!  Even though dogs don’t have heart attacks, heart disease is still a common problem.

Think about the heart as a pump.  Its job is to pump blood to the lungs and body twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.  It can’t take a break and sometimes has very high demands put on it, like during exercise.

What types of heart problems do dogs have?

Heart disease is either congenital (present at birth) or acquired.  Acquired heart disease develops sometime throughout life, often as a senior, and is typically due to genetics rather than diet with one exception: some dogs develop dilated cardiomyopathy from eating diets deficient in taurine.  Taurine is an amino acid that is supplemented in all major commercial dog foods.

Here is a brief summary the common forms of heart disease in dogs:

Congenital heart disease
PDA – When a vessel doesn’t close properly after the puppy is born and blood goes the wrong direction.  

Septal defects – When there is a hole in the wall of the heart between chambers.

Aortic or pulmonic stenosis – When the exit pathways for blood leaving the heart are narrower than they should be.

Acquired heart disease

Valvular disease – A leak occurs because a valve didn’t close properly.

Dilated cardiomyopathy – When the heart walls are stretched thin like a balloon.

Arrhythmias – An irregular heart beat.

Pericardial disease – When fluid builds up in the sac around the heart.

Heartworm disease – Worms in the heart cause a blockage of normal blood flow.

How do I know if my dog has heart disease?

Heart disease can have no visible symptoms but your veterinarian may hear a murmur or abnormal rhythm on physical exam.  When severe enough, heart disease leads to difficulty breathing, blue or grey gums, coughing, weakness or fainting episodes.  If your veterinarian suspects heart problems he or she will probably discuss doing tests such as chest x-rays, and electrocardiogram or an echocardiogram (ultrasound of the heart).

How is heart disease treated?

Treatment is based on the underlying problem and either involves giving medications or performing a procedure.  A low sodium diet is recommended for most types of heart disease.  Medical treatment consists of diuretics (to dry up fluid that has overflowed the system), anti-arrhythmic medications or other medications.   Procedures or surgeries for heart disease are less common and performed by a cardiologist or surgeon.  These include placing a stent, coil, balloon dilation, placing a pacemaker and open chest surgery.

Some forms of heart disease are regularly treated and managed by veterinarians in general practice.  For more complex heart problems there are board specialized cardiologists who practice at specialty hospitals or veterinary universities. 

Next month I’ll talk about heart disease in cats, because of course, they have their own set of problems!

Dr. Kristel Weaver is a graduate of the Veterinary School at the University of California, Davis where she received both a DVM and a Master’s of Preventative Veterinary Medicine (MPVM).  She has been at Bishop Ranch Veterinary Center & Urgent Care in San Ramon since 2007.  She currently lives in Oakland with her husband and their daughter, Hayley. If you have questions you would like Dr. Weaver to answer for future articles, please email info@webvets.com