Heart murmur

[azolivas]

I took our two year old Lila for her annual wellness yesterday afternoon and the doctor discovered a murmur. She ordered an EKG ultrasound and will call me next week to let me know when the mobile tech will be on site.

So of course I find this out at the end of the day on Friday and now guess what has been in my mind since then?

Fortunately Lila has no symptoms or signs of anything other than being the most sweet lovable Sphynx! She is healthy, active , eats a lot, plays a lot , zero lethargy, great teeth, etc.

the doctor said everything else sounds fine respiratory wise and that after we find out more details we can then come up with a plan to manage whatever it turns out to be.

She did share the differences HCM vs DCM and their management/medicafion/lifestyle issues.

Anyone have any advice, guidance or support I could really use it right now. My mind keeps going all over the place.

Thank you in advance!

 

[Catzzzmeow]

Best advice is try to stay calm. Did the vet give you the grade of the murmur? You are doing the best thing in getting a heart scan. That is truly the only way to really see how the heart is functioning etc. Keep in mind some murmurs are simply just murmurs like in humans. Our first Sphynx was diagnosed with a murmur when he was young and he lived a full life to 13 with one. If it is a nefarious murmur, you scanning early and catching it quickly can help immensely. They can watch, scan and look at any progression. Please keep us updated. Many of us have experience with heart issues in our Sphynx and we all support one another. @azolivas

 

[kauna]

Best advice is not to worry too much and take one step at a time. You are getting the testing done and that’s the first step. Hopefully it is benign and nothing to worry about but if it is something more catching it early is good too.

I have a girl that has a murmur and has an extra tendon in her heart and there is nothing for us to do. Now I also have a boy who was just diagnosed with early hcm we monitor him and do periodic echocardiograms for follow up. He is scheduled for his second scan in September and we will see what happens and if he’s progressing and needs medication.

My first sphynx was diagnosed with Hcm and mild heart failure when she was first diagnosed at age 5. We were lucky enough to get a few more years with her which was awesome.

I know it can be tough but we are here for you as many of us have been through this process. Please keep us posted!

 

[Annejo12]

My kitty was diagnosed with a heart murmur at around the two year mark. She is now eight years old and was diagnosed with HCM at about 7.5 years. She will be going for another echocardiogram in a few months. As horrible as this is to receive this news, you are doing everything you can for your kitty. After the initial shock of HCM I have learned to just enjoy every day with my kitty, trust my vet, and do the best I can with her care. There is also the added bonus of the support in this group. It sounds like you have a vet you trust and that is a big thing.

 

[Toa and Ross]

Sending positive vibes!

 

[nudebea]

Try not to dwell on the worst case scenarios , although it may be a way our minds try to prepare us, it can also cause a lot of anxiety and take away your enjoyment of your little one who is otherwise a happy contented girl. You have done the best thing by her , getting the vets opinion and whatever may happen in the future this will put you in a good position to monitor and manage , if necessary, any changes . I know every case can be different , but when we took our girl Kiwi for her health check when she was very young, she was also diagnosed with a murmur. It has never progressed and she is now 11 yrs old. Keep us updated and hoping for good news to give you peace of mind

 

[azolivas]

Thank you everyone for the replies! I feel so much more at ease knowing that I am not alone! The vet has not called yet to schedule the test so I will just continue to wait and spoil my Lila with love! Thank you again!!!!!

 

[azolivas]

Update: She is scheduled for Tuesday August 26 with a check in at 1pm and the procedure at 2pm.

They did tell me to have her fast 12 hours ahead which I feel horrible doing as she loves to eat and is going to be confused as to why I’m letting her sister eat and not her! They said even though she is not being put to sleep they want an empty stomach in case she vomits/defecates from nervousness.

Thank you again for the support!

 

[Yoda mom]

@azolivas , all paws are family. I too know the initial shock of being told a murmur detected.

good job getting sweet Lila scheduled on the 26th. I know the feeling guilty fasting my babies when they go for tests to err on the side of caution. Lila will surely enjoy when she gets home to snack away and lots of cuddles.

My Tobylove had a slight murmur at age 11 mos old. cats can also have stress related murmurs when at the vet. Tobylove's flwup vet visit no murmur. He lived a full happy life running on his cat wheel everyday. He did not need meds until he was 11 1/2 yrs old. He as still active cuddly and playful for 12 yrs.

My Yodaman had a grade 2 murmur at 2 yrs old. Also lived full happy active life for a decade, no meds.

** Remember, our babies have no idea what vets tell us or what reports say. they only love our love and live in the moment.

*another tip, it easy to go down the dr google rabbit hole. every kitty is different . I have personally found many post only when there are issues not when everything is going great non eventful.

*Trust your vet. Your vet knows your baby best. we all support each other on our sphynx life journey. We here for you.

Please keep us updated on the scan. Kudos to you for being a great sphynx parent. Hugs and positive vibe head smooches to you and Lila.

 

[azolivas]

@azolivas , all paws are family. I too know the initial shock of being told a murmur detected.

good job getting sweet Lila scheduled on the 26th. I know the feeling guilty fasting my babies when they go for tests to err on the side of caution. Lila will surely enjoy when she gets home to snack away and lots of cuddles.

My Tobylove had a slight murmur at age 11 mos old. cats can also have stress related murmurs when at the vet. Tobylove's flwup vet visit no murmur. He lived a full happy life running on his cat wheel everyday. He did not need meds until he was 11 1/2 yrs old. He as still active cuddly and playful for 12 yrs.

My Yodaman had a grade 2 murmur at 2 yrs old. Also lived full happy active life for a decade, no meds.

** Remember, our babies have no idea what vets tell us or what reports say. they only love our love and live in the moment.

*another tip, it easy to go down the dr google rabbit hole. every kitty is different . I have personally found many post only when there are issues not when everything is going great non eventful.

*Trust your vet. Your vet knows your baby best. we all support each other on our sphynx life journey. We here for you.

Please keep us updated on the scan. Kudos to you for being a great sphynx parent. Hugs and positive vibe head smooches to you and Lila.

Thank you so much! The worst part for me right now is not allowing her to eat for 12 hours! She loves to eat!! Thank you again! Until tomorrow!

 

[nudebea]

Hope everything goes well today

 

[azolivas]

Hope everything goes well today

Thank you! I appreciate the support!

 

[Toa and Ross]

Sending positive vibes!

 

[azolivas]

Well it’s over! Took all of 20 minutes! Dropped her off at 1pm and waited in the parking lot as I didn’t want to leave her. Got the call at 2:20pm and actually saw the mobile tech leaving with all of his equipment as I was walking in. Now we wait for the results which they said could be by Thursday. They said she did well. She is home now, ate and is now playing with her sister! Thank you for your comments and support!

 

[Yoda mom]

@azolivas , thank you for the update. awh, Lila was a good girl. such a sweetie
all paws crossed for good news results. hugs n positive vibe head smooches to your sweeties.

 

[nudebea]

Glad to hear that its over and she did so well

 

[Catzzzmeow]

I know it is a stressful. Glad she did well.


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[Toa and Ross]

Glad she did well! What a brave girl!

 

[azolivas]

Thank you for the support!!!

I have not yet received a call about the results. They said Thursday or Friday and now I’m nervous. I tend to overthink things and in my mind I imagine they haven’t called yet because it’s worse than they thought and they need more time to prepare the bad news delivery. I know that is probably not the case but still I worry. Long holiday weekend doesn’t help either!

Thank you again for the comments and support! Hope next time to return with news!

Have a great holiday weekend!

 

[tuffysmommy]

My experience is that if its really bad news you leave with a prescription and/or recheck date. That is just my experience, of course. If it is a mobile tech, they usually have to upload to their system and have the cardiologist sign off on results. If the tech is like me, being off premises, it is often hard to hold in your head when its a holiday weekend. Give Lila some extra loving and the weekend will be over for you soon. Lair prayers!!

 

[azolivas]

No update yet and now I’m getting worried. I called and left a voicemail yesterday and emailed the office. Nothing. Tomorrow I will stop my way home from work and see as I don’t want to go into the weekend still not knowing. Thank you again for your support.

 

[Catzzzmeow]

No update yet and now I’m getting worried. I called and left a voicemail yesterday and emailed the office. Nothing. Tomorrow I will stop my way home from work and see as I don’t want to go into the weekend still not knowing. Thank you again for your support.

Yeah, I think it is great you are going in person to get answers. This has been a bit too long to be waiting.

 

[azolivas]

Yeah, I think it is great you are going in person to get answers. This has been a bit too long to be waiting

 

[azolivas]

Good news!

She has a Thickened Moderator Band and nothing to worry about. The way the doctor explained it was that there was extra pieces when the heart was being molded together. They are sending me the report but said everything else in the test looked great and all fluids were moving around the way they were supposed to.

Thank you again for the support! It’s great to be with people who care!

 

[Catzzzmeow]

Great news!!!!!


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