Feeling down today (breed concerns) :-(

[SphynxCatIggy]

It's been a long road with my beloved Iggy. He's had chronic eye and dental issues for nearly his whole life (5 years). He's been such a trooper during it all and a resilient little delight, and he's absolutely the light of my life.

In 2024, he was finally correctly diagnosed with severe stomatitis and had three surgeries to remove almost all his teeth. It was awful, but we got through it.

He's also had chronic, seemingly never-ending eye issues, which we have also now gotten to the bottom of by seeing a specialist who said he has a rare condition where all 4 of his tear ducts are sealed shut! He's a strange boy. Fortunately, we can medicate him for it.

But on the way out, the specialist vet casually mentioned that while doing the exam she heard a "gallop" in Iggy's heart and to have my regular vet re-listen on our next visit because maybe he was just nervous.

I didn't really take it in at the time, but now that we're home, I'm ngl, I'm starting to spiral. A gallop is not a good sound in a sphynx. Every time a vet has ever checked his heart, they say it's good, which is always a huge relief. And now this. I just contacted the vet to see whether I should have him seen over it right away, but I'm tired and stressed now, boss.

I thought we were resolving his issues, and he would finally get some time to chill and be his healthy, spunky self, but now I'm freaking out over HCM. I'm so devastated by the thought, and nobody in my life fully understands.

His teeth and eyes have cost well over 10k so far, which I don't give a shit about so long as he's healthy, but now I feel like I need to scramble for at least another grand for an echo, just so I can potentially learn more horrible news.

Between my precious Iggy and my previous English bulldog Winston, I'm feeling like I don't want to do pure breeds anymore, despite their being some of the most special personalities in the world. It's just too stressful and heartbreaking. Seeing all the HCM cases on here tears my heart apart, and I'm anxious all the time.

Thanks to anybody who actually read this. I'd love to read any encouraging stories as I'm down in the dumps right now. Iggy is the sweetest soul you could imagine, and I can't stop crying at the thought of him suffering more. Being a pet owner is really rough sometimes.

 

[Catzzzmeow]

Have been blessed with this breed for 24 years and have felt ever up and down along the way…no matter how devastating, i just moved forward ….it is a pace. Hang in there.


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[Yoda mom]

@SphynxCatIggy , awh , I read every heartfelt word . (((hugs))) and head smooches to Iggy and Winston. They have the bestest mum, love, and care. Iggy is such a little trooper. You most certainly have been thru alot together. Glad you you to the bottom of issues and now have drops for his eyes. I personally have never heard of all sealed eye ducts. poor baby, He is a warrior. I can imagine the emotional and financial toll on the journey with surgeries, specialists, meds. You are an incredible mum.

I share in the medical journey with my crew especially over the past decade. It seems like always something and feels like I can't catch a break.
all purebreds too.(sphynx cats with HCM, CHF, Cancer, diabetic rottie, epileptic rottie at the same time,then both non curable degenerative myelopathy . Then my Aussie last yr suddenly gains his wings from aggressive no cure Hemangiosarcoma/liver stomach cancer tumors,bleed.
then this past december . my bengal cat has blood work and 2 days later gained her wings. I know stress beyond measure Everyday I wonder what is next. then I walk my 20 yr old black cat rescued at 2 and never a vet visit for an issue and pearly white teeth.

I know when I opened my heart to sphynx and purebreed cats and dogs adoptees over 40 yrs, there are sometimes medical things they are prone to. no matter what, they give us soo much ten fold in return with their love, uniqueness and personalities I would not miss for anything in this world.

You are not alone. We are here for you .

I take deep breathes , and power over those what I call "speed bumps" of life one at a time. At the end of the day we have done the best we can. On this journey I have learned to live in the moment like they do. I remind myself everyday that they only know our love and live in the moment and every moment a precious gift.

Sharing my experience with 11 yr old Tobylove in 2024. I brought him in right away next day to my vet when he coughed a few seconds apart twice at night. My vet heard a gallop heart rhythm. She had another vet come in the exam room to take a listen to confirm. She also detected gallop rhythm.
they suggested an echogram. My boy would not handle the 2+hr ride each way, and they were booked up. they said I could do a mobile echocardiogram that a cardiologist rotates weekly, and yes, same 1k+ estimate. There are HCM clinics avail in some areas by reputable clinics for $250. Non in my area soon. Sooo. this is what I did after talking to my vet about my boys medical history and age:

*******My long time vet said she could do in office that day a chest xray of heart and lungs and for an extra $150 she would send the xray to cardiologist to review along with her findings. She said she would call him and do a no charge consult. She did. For my Tobylove , The cardiologist and my vet consulted.
The cardiologist gave my vet the suggested heart med, anti clot meds, and diuretics for his lungs. I did flwup bloodwork in a couple of weeks to check his kidneys and how meds affecting his kidneys . **. I learned how to count his respiration rate. *** and monitored it. your vet can easily explain how to count it. I wrote it down on a calendar to monitor

* savings tip for blood work I do on my cats and dogs: from the vet tech I learned from years ago for me to always ask for a "senior panel" bloodwork. with the office visit here it is $265, or $245 if I dont do the stool check. The senior panel bloodwork also includes T4 thyroid, urine test and fecal if want the fecal. have 30 days to drop off the fecal or urine if you want to free catch at home. they will do a "cystocentesis" draw of urine as part of test if they can feel a full bladder. otherwise, they sent me home with a free Idexx urine collection kit. comes with some zorb litter and a capped plunger to catch a sample and drop off in those 30 days"

So, Tobylove was prescribed the heart meds, anti clot meds, diuretics for his lungs. when his respirations increased I contacted my vet. She called the cardiologist and he gave instructions for increase of some of the meds. Tobylove took his pills like a little warrior. You would never know he had gallop heart rhythm. He played ate and even walked on his catwheel daily. I told my vet I would let him do what he loves best. so I let him enjoy his catwheel for brief slow 10 second strolls and it made him happy. I would straddle him on the bed and give his pills telling him they are his " strong boy pills"
the only way you could tell he had stuff going on was the 2 second cough 2-3xs at night.. and argh the growing cancerous lump on the side of his face.
Tobylove took his meds like a champ. I made sure I gave them exactly as instructed and times, counted his respiration rate daily am and just before bed and monitored during the day and got in a routine. I gave him a big head smooch, told him he did not come with a timestamp and that he is a strong boy. he promptly gave me kisses. we lived every day to the fullest, such a little warrior.

I would call your vet and see if you can bring him in tomorrow for a listen to his heart and then go from there. one thing at a time . again, my vet had another vet in office listen to my Tobylove's heart. for my boys specific case I did the chest xray sent to cardiologist option. My boy had agressive cancer and I told her I was not going to do the echo and preferred the chest xray and medication route. on revisit she said I could do an echo. we had a heart to heart chat about my boys age, aggressive cancer, and his heart.

**if you read this far, ((hugs))) and I hope it helps. message me anytime for ear to listen.

I take deep breaths and power thru those speed bumps in life with my crew with the support of my vet, care, support and understanding of this special family here.

Please please know you are not alone. No one in my family understood my journey with my pups or my sphynx or bengal.
The lair family does. You are not alone. we gotcha Team Iggy and WInston. all paws are family.

hugs and positive vibe head smooches, please keep us updated.

sharing, my vet when she listens to the heart said sometimes they can have stress related murmurs and on recheck ok. happened with my other sphynx yrs ago. vet also told me that listening and grading murmurs is subjective to the vet listening to the heart sounds.

 

[kauna]

After 10 yrs with this breed you just go with the flow. My first sphynx had asthma, allergies and eventually Hcm she lived until she was 7 after 2 years of treatment for Hcm and mild CHF her kidneys could no longer tolerate the medication for her heart and she was in kidney failure.
Now my adopted duo both now seniors Dolly has eye scarring from previous ulcers and Otis was diagnosed with HCM a year ago. He is doing just fine and you’d never know. We just take it day by day and love him and his quirks.

 

[SphynxCatIggy]

@SphynxCatIggy , awh , I read every heartfelt word . (((hugs))) and head smooches to Iggy and Winston. They have the bestest mum, love, and care. Iggy is such a little trooper. You most certainly have been thru alot together. Glad you you to the bottom of issues and now have drops for his eyes. I personally have never heard of all sealed eye ducts. poor baby, He is a warrior. I can imagine the emotional and financial toll on the journey with surgeries, specialists, meds. You are an incredible mum.

I share in the medical journey with my crew especially over the past decade. It seems like always something and feels like I can't catch a break.
all purebreds too.(sphynx cats with HCM, CHF, Cancer, diabetic rottie, epileptic rottie at the same time,then both non curable degenerative myelopathy . Then my Aussie last yr suddenly gains his wings from aggressive no cure Hemangiosarcoma/liver stomach cancer tumors,bleed.
then this past december . my bengal cat has blood work and 2 days later gained her wings. I know stress beyond measure Everyday I wonder what is next. then I walk my 20 yr old black cat rescued at 2 and never a vet visit for an issue and pearly white teeth.

I know when I opened my heart to sphynx and purebreed cats and dogs adoptees over 40 yrs, there are sometimes medical things they are prone to. no matter what, they give us soo much ten fold in return with their love, uniqueness and personalities I would not miss for anything in this world.

You are not alone. We are here for you .

I take deep breathes , and power over those what I call "speed bumps" of life one at a time. At the end of the day we have done the best we can. On this journey I have learned to live in the moment like they do. I remind myself everyday that they only know our love and live in the moment and every moment a precious gift.

Sharing my experience with 11 yr old Tobylove in 2024. I brought him in right away next day to my vet when he coughed a few seconds apart twice at night. My vet heard a gallop heart rhythm. She had another vet come in the exam room to take a listen to confirm. She also detected gallop rhythm.
they suggested an echogram. My boy would not handle the 2+hr ride each way, and they were booked up. they said I could do a mobile echocardiogram that a cardiologist rotates weekly, and yes, same 1k+ estimate. There are HCM clinics avail in some areas by reputable clinics for $250. Non in my area soon. Sooo. this is what I did after talking to my vet about my boys medical history and age:

*******My long time vet said she could do in office that day a chest xray of heart and lungs and for an extra $150 she would send the xray to cardiologist to review along with her findings. She said she would call him and do a no charge consult. She did. For my Tobylove , The cardiologist and my vet consulted.
The cardiologist gave my vet the suggested heart med, anti clot meds, and diuretics for his lungs. I did flwup bloodwork in a couple of weeks to check his kidneys and how meds affecting his kidneys . **. I learned how to count his respiration rate. *** and monitored it. your vet can easily explain how to count it. I wrote it down on a calendar to monitor

* savings tip for blood work I do on my cats and dogs: from the vet tech I learned from years ago for me to always ask for a "senior panel" bloodwork. with the office visit here it is $265, or $245 if I dont do the stool check. The senior panel bloodwork also includes T4 thyroid, urine test and fecal if want the fecal. have 30 days to drop off the fecal or urine if you want to free catch at home. they will do a "cystocentesis" draw of urine as part of test if they can feel a full bladder. otherwise, they sent me home with a free Idexx urine collection kit. comes with some zorb litter and a capped plunger to catch a sample and drop off in those 30 days"

So, Tobylove was prescribed the heart meds, anti clot meds, diuretics for his lungs. when his respirations increased I contacted my vet. She called the cardiologist and he gave instructions for increase of some of the meds. Tobylove took his pills like a little warrior. You would never know he had gallop heart rhythm. He played ate and even walked on his catwheel daily. I told my vet I would let him do what he loves best. so I let him enjoy his catwheel for brief slow 10 second strolls and it made him happy. I would straddle him on the bed and give his pills telling him they are his " strong boy pills"
the only way you could tell he had stuff going on was the 2 second cough 2-3xs at night.. and argh the growing cancerous lump on the side of his face.
Tobylove took his meds like a champ. I made sure I gave them exactly as instructed and times, counted his respiration rate daily am and just before bed and monitored during the day and got in a routine. I gave him a big head smooch, told him he did not come with a timestamp and that he is a strong boy. he promptly gave me kisses. we lived every day to the fullest, such a little warrior.

I would call your vet and see if you can bring him in tomorrow for a listen to his heart and then go from there. one thing at a time . again, my vet had another vet in office listen to my Tobylove's heart. for my boys specific case I did the chest xray sent to cardiologist option. My boy had agressive cancer and I told her I was not going to do the echo and preferred the chest xray and medication route. on revisit she said I could do an echo. we had a heart to heart chat about my boys age, aggressive cancer, and his heart.

**if you read this far, ((hugs))) and I hope it helps. message me anytime for ear to listen.

I take deep breaths and power thru those speed bumps in life with my crew with the support of my vet, care, support and understanding of this special family here.

Please please know you are not alone. No one in my family understood my journey with my pups or my sphynx or bengal.
The lair family does. You are not alone. we gotcha Team Iggy and WInston. all paws are family.

hugs and positive vibe head smooches, please keep us updated.

sharing, my vet when she listens to the heart said sometimes they can have stress related murmurs and on recheck ok. happened with my other sphynx yrs ago. vet also told me that listening and grading murmurs is subjective to the vet listening to the heart sounds.

Thank you so very much for taking the time to write this lovely reply. It is really helping to heal my heart and create a plan of action.

I will re read and update with any new info going into tomorrow. Finally going to rest my weary soul for the night next to Iggy and take this all in again in the fresh light of day. Thanks again for your kindness. I really needed it today<3

 

[Yoda mom]

@SphynxCatIggy , hugs, goodnight, snuggle tight with sweet Iggy. all paws crossed for tomorrow's vet visit. hugs n head smooches, keep us updated , all paws are famlly. you know we are here for Team Iggy and WIlson.

 

[nudebea]

Sending you and little Iggy lots of positive hugs, I can understand how you feel, just when we think we have got over that hard hill, there's another one on the horizon to climb when we feel wiped out. Just know you're not alone , it can be hard for other people to really relate to how we feel if they haven't had similar experiences but on this site , sometimes sadly, many have walked in similar shoes" .
My Kiwi girl(who turned 12 yesterday ) has had most of her teeth removed due to a condition called FORLS, nothing we could have done to prevent it , the only way to treat it was extractions, she also has a recurrent (probably) herpes related infection in her eye. We lost her half brother , Wilson to HCM in 2023, so it has been a rollercoaster of emotions , and at times exhausting.
That said the love , which brings the highs and lows has been worth it. Every funny movement, warm sweaty sphynx hugs and very little quirk which makes them so very special, we don't know what the future has In store , but try to live in the moment . You will find the strength you need

 

[Toa and Ross]

Sending you and Iggy hugs and love.