Heart Murmur In Cats And Anesthesia

Lumb and Jones V eterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia.

Heart murmur in cats and anesthesia. What Are The Symptoms Of A Heart Murmur In Cats. The type of surgical procedure will depend on the exact nature of the disease. If the heart murmur is severe enough to cause heart disease such as congestive heart failure then signs such as coughing difficulty breathing rapid breathing or even collapse may be seen.

The presence or absence of a murmur is not a good predictor of heart disease in cats. So basically having a murmur doesnt really mean much. By monitoring your pets heart rate your veterinarian can make anesthetic adjustments quickly.

The anaesthetic risk is increased for patients with cardiac disease even if they are able to compensate. You dont say how severe Rockies heart murmur is but wed imagine its moderate to severe if your vet is worried about his ability to survive anesthesia. There are usually no external symptoms clinical signs of a heart murmur in itself.

Cats with HCM can have normal lives and then as they get older the heart can start to fail. Cat heart murmur medication costs between 200 and 500. Heart murmurs are rare in cats and when they occur in a younger animal they can present significant obstacles to otherwise standard healthcare like spaying and neutering.

The grade of murmur does not necessarily mean heart disease is more or less severe or even present. The murmur may first appear at 6-8 weeks of age and a kitten with an innocent heart murmur will usually outgrow it by about 4-5 months of age. Many practitioners are reluctant to anesthetize patients with a murmur yet not all heart diseases are alike and they certainly do not carry the same risks.

An echocardiogram cardiac ultrasound is a simple non-invasive imaging test that can evaluate your murmur. 1 2 Also of cats that have murmurs and are at risk of heart disease only 18 had cardiac disease. In a study performed in cats with a cardiac murmur but without any clinical symptoms ultrasound examination of the animals revealed that 53 of these cats suffered from heart disease NAKAMURA et al 2011.