Can Heart Murmurs in Cats be reversed?

[ChristineO]

1. Your pet's name - Blazer
2. Approximate age - 8 years
3. Sex - Male
4. Neutering status - Neutered
5. Breed - Taby
6. Approximate weight 9.8 lbs
7. What's their BEAM (behavior, energy, appetite, mood) - Not great lately, definitely not himself, not eating, not as happy and playful as usual
8. Diet - Weruva canned food
9. Vaccination history / exposure to toxins, other medication - Some vaccinations - rabies and some others when he was younger, have passed on vaccines other than rabies lately since he is mostly an indoor cat (he goes out in screened in porch and once in a while I walk him on a harness in our fenced in yard). I have definitely tried to minimize toxins for them as this is how we live our lives (no pesticides in yards, no toxic cleaning products, air purifiers etc)
10. Primary problem, when it began and if there was anything else happening around that time - Have noticed that Blazer wasn't eating well for a while. He used to have a great appetite and looked forward to meals. For about the past 6 - 8 weeks, his appetite has definitely been off. I took him and my other cat (Sailor, 8 year old female) to the vet for check ups about 5 - 6 weeks ago, told the vet that both cats were not eating as well as they used to. We did labs, blood and urine, vet called and said all labs looked great. Since that appt, both cats are still not eating well but Blazer has lost weight (almost a pound, he was 10.5 and is now 9.8). I kept wondering what it could be if his labs looked great. Thought maybe he was bored with his same food. So I switched. Would mostly lick the gravy. Then, started noticing that he was retreating a lot and going off on his own, which I realize for a cat that usually loves to be around people is a problem and possible sign that they do not feel well. I then brought stool samples for both cats to the vet and found out they have some Round worm. When I spoke with the vet about this he told me that this is probably not the issue as to why Blazer is not eating and losing weight. He thought there is more likely something more serious going on. When we looked at his labs from his check up, his Creatinine was slightly elevated (his was 2.6, top of the normal range is 2.4). So we were concerned about kidneys (I was very unhappy that vet did not tell me this earlier). Brought Blazer back in to repeat blood work and upon examination they found that he has a heart murmur now. He did not have a heart murmur 5 weeks ago! We repeated blood tests and just got those results today. Vet says from the labs his kidneys appear to be fine, Creatinine is now 2.2). We are now seeing cardiologist for a heart scan this week and an ultrasound to check his intestines. Another possibility is a behavior issue between Blazer and Sailor. They are from separate litters and have been together in our home for 8 years, but there does appear to be territorial issues between the two of them, mostly initiated by Sailor. So it's possible that Blazer is super stressed out from this situation. We are working on and hopefully ruling out physical issues this week and then will need to work on this possible behavioral issue. One concern right now is Blazer's heart murmur...how could he have developed a heart murmur in the last 5 - 6 weeks. Since he hasn't been eating I assume he got depleted. Can the heart murmur get reversed if we re-mineralize him and get the right nutrients back into his system? Also, if this is a behavioral issue, how likely is it to resolve this issue without having to give up one of the cats?
11. Is the condition better or worse from exercise, heat, cold, time of day, certain foods, emotional upset, being touched, excitement, etc? It's been progressively worse for past 6 - 8 weeks

@Dr. Jeff, @Dr. Christina , @Dr. Sara

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Hey Christine! I'm sorry to hear about Blazer's health challenges.

The good news is that he is a young kitty with lots of natural vitality and healing ability and there are easy and fun ways to stimulate it to self-correct (once obstacles to healing are removed).

You have helped him to do so already by having minimized toxin/vaccine exposure and having fed the premium Weruva food. Those are both wonderful ways to help him maintain and regain balance. Good work!

An effective way to help him further is to start introducing some fresh food into his diet (like chicken, beef, lamb, eggs, etc.).

You also may want to start playing the "Hunt for Treats" game with little bits of freeze dried heart to help him even more.

A good place to start learning more about this vitality and balance method is in the Holistic Fun-damentals member resource and the article below:

The Happiness Protocol in Your Pet's Life

At HA! we are committed to much more than helping pets become dis-ease free. We promote restoring and maintaining vitality, balance, energy, & happiness.

www.holisticactions.com

 

[Dr. Jean Hofve]

Hi Christine!

With cats, heart murmurs can be hard to detect. So it could have been there for quite some time.

Stress can indeed cause murmurs and arrhythmias, though it's usually the stress in the moment (being at the vet's office!). OTOH, it's possible that he was volume depleted due to dehydration when they checked him this time, which can cause an apparent murmur.

Many murmurs are "innocent," that is, they aren't harmful. But with a persistent murmur, you need to know the cause, which you are doing with the cardio exam and echocardiography. Then you'll know whether, or how, to treat it.

With strife between the cats, this can be resolved. The first thing is to separate them as you work on the problem. Basically, you need to pretend that they never met and you are introducing them for the first time. Here's how: Cat-to-Cat Introductions | Little Big Cat This will help them "reset" their relationship on a new and better footing.

Play therapy will also be helpful for both cats; for Sailor to get some of that aggressive energy out safely, and for Blazer to feel more confident in his territory. (Of course, make sure Blazer's heart is okay before any vigorous exercise!)

Good luck, please keep us posted!