My cat has CHF and is panting. Is this end-stage heart failure?

Oh no. Poor kitty. Blood pressure can be affected by either of these conditions, but is impossible to say for sure without getting her blood pressure checked. This is a tough one, because there are so many possible causes for her weakness and slow breathing, but I would have to assume that her underlying heart condition may be the culprit here. Saddle thrombus is also a big concern with cats that have underling heart disease, and can lead to sudden paralysis of the hindlegs, with vocalization (moaning). I know you don't trust the other vets in the area, but it may be worthwhile at least taking her in to see if her blood pressure is indeed the problem. Getting some bloodwork analysis on her may also be indicated, depending on her physical exam findings. We have to keep mind too, that unfortunately CHF patients can only be helped with medication for oh so long, because it does not cure the underlying problem. I hope that Brancinia is going to be ok, but its best to take her in immediately. Waiting for your preferred vet in this situation may be more detrimental to her overall wellbeing than taking her in to determine her current status. I wish you all the best with your furry friend. Take care.

Hello and thank you for another question. The heart scan detected a hole between the ventricles, which is causing the blood from the two ventricles to mix. This is a condition Fuji was born with. Fortunately, there are no signs of heart failure on the scan, which means that the heart is coping well at the moment. Complete cure means closing the defect with surgery. It is possible in human medicine, I doubt it is a viable option for cats, maybe it is available at some universities in USA. In my opinion, the best way to go would be doing another heart scan when Fuji is about 12-14 months old. That will show if the disease is progressing or not and a decision about treatment can be made then. For now, I don't think there is any treatment that would make any significant difference for Fuji.

I am sorry Snow is having this issue. You can contact your vet to see if any adjustments can be made to the current medications as far as dosing is concerned but short of that, no, there really isn't anything else you can do. It sounds like she is being treated appropriately. Best wishes.

Chronic sinusitis can be permanent but there are many potential options to try to minimise and improve symptoms. Steam therapy, extended courses of antibiotics such as doxycycline, mucolytics to loosen the discharge and interferon can all help to improve progress but treatment is likely to be required for relapses. Euthanasia is a very valid option is such cases as the condition is very distressing when they are struggling to breathe in particular

I would be very concerned for cardiac disease or infectious disease (pneumonia) based on those radiographs. With a temperature of 35 C (95 F) that is absolutely an emergency situation. You can see panting with cardiac disease when pulmonary edema begins to develop, which is when fluid is present within the lung tissue and does not allow for adequate gas exchange to occur. I recognize that this was posted 3 days ago, but if Sasi has not been re-evaluated by her veterinarian she needs to be ASAP to determine a treatment plan and if further diagnostics are indicated (echocardiogram, airway wash, etc.).

The elevated respiration and fainting may indicate that the meds are not controlling the heart failure well at this time. The movement you are seeing with the heartbeat may be related to the murmur getting more intense, or possibly due to an arrhythmia. Without evaluating the medical history and examining Heidi it's difficult to tell. I recommend having her evaluated by your vet sometime soon. Your vet should be able to help explain what's going on and may want to prescribe additional treatment. Heart failure is often a progressive disease, so it's expected that medications will change as the disease progresses. If Heidi is otherwise seeming happy, then I don't think you are being selfish by continuing treatment. I think it's worth consulting with your vet and seeing if anymore can be done to keep her from breathing hard and fainting. I hope that helps and Heidi gets better soon.

When you are unable to control Chewy’s symptoms with medication then it will probably be time to let him go. It sounds as if he is doing well for now. If he stops wanting to eat, has trouble with minimal exercise, or coughs constantly, these are signs that his disease is not well controlled. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.