Should we have spotted our cat’s failing heart? Pampered Pets
OUR VET DAVID GRANT WORKS HIS MAGIC
QOur 10-year-old cat has been diagnosed with heart failure, due to his heart muscle being too thick. We were shocked as he hadn’t shown signs before suddenly having breathing difficulties. Have you come across this? This is a disease called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), where the heart chambers become thin, allowing them to dilate, also occurs. There are two other less common myopathies.
As cats spend a lot of time relaxing and not doing much exercise, it is difficult to pick up early signs of heart failure, compared to dogs. In cats early signs could include heart murmurs, changes in heart rhythm or an increased heart rate. These are all easy to miss.
Sometimes a vet will detect problems during a routine check-up, before clinical signs have had a chance to develop. Some cats seem to be able to live with heart disease and never show signs.
Problems often come on suddenly with panting, forced respiration and complete lethargy. Unlike in dogs, coughing does not usually occur with feline heart failure.
Another life-threatening complication with cardiac myopathies is the development of a thrombus in one of the heart chambers, which may detach and cause a blockage in the aorta, often where it divides to supply the hind legs.
The most useful diagnostic test is an ultrasound examination, as it allows the interior of the heart to be seen, so it differentiates between the types. There are several drug treatments that improve heart function and prolong life.
AQMy four-year-old Staffordshire bull terrier has been diagnosed with an allergic skin disease called atopy. Pills keep the itching under control all year round but I have been told there is no permanent cure. Is this common?
Atopy is indeed a common problem affecting around 10 to 20 per cent of dogs. Any dog can be affected, but it is more prevalent in pedigree dogs. Itching is the main sign, typically affecting the face, ears, feet and abdomen.
Canine atopy was first described in veterinary literature in 1941 yet, in spite of a huge research effort, we are still waiting for a definitive cure.
But there is now a better understanding of the problem and new ways of controlling the symptoms, particularly the unpleasant itchiness.
Atopy is an allergic response to environmental allergens, most notably pollens and house dust mites, but potentially many others.
In this respect it has some similarities with hay fever in people.
In susceptible dogs, however, the allergens enter the body due to inherited defects in the skin barrier, resulting in the immune system mounting an allergic response.
Research has resulted in a number of strategies to improve the quality of life of affected dogs.
Drugs can interrupt the itch pathway in various ways. An injection of a monoclonal antibody blocks the itch signal in nerves, and hyposensitisation injections alter the immune response in some dogs. There are also topical products that aim to improve the skin barrier. Combinations of treatments are often required for good control.
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