My new cat has an enlarged heart and murmur. How can I help him?

Hi there! We have an article about heart murmurs in cats that may help answer some of your questions: https://www.petcoach.co/article/heart-murmurs-in-cats-what-you-should-know/ Further testing with your vet, as well as a recheck in a few weeks to see if the murmur has changed can help you both better figure out the cause and see if anything needs to be done to try and help. Life expectancy varies greatly on what's causing the murmur to begin with, and if there are any other health issues complicating it.

Hi, I would not reconsider the adoption just based on the heart murmur. He will need regular check ups and medication should he become unwell but if he is stable he might continue to be so for years before treatment is started. Hope this helps !

Hi there, and thank you for posting this question about Winston. There are many different causes of respiratory noises in cats such as feline asthma, heart worm disease, lung worm, and nasopharyngeal polyps, among others. As a general practitioner myself, regular veterinarians are very capable of diagnosing many of these problems. However, if you will be at the internist I would suggest that you bring this up with them because it is possible (although less likely) that it could be associated with the heart disease. At least having a conversation with the internist about the problem would be a good place to start. Then you can bring that information back to your primary veterinarian and you can begin a work up from there. Best of luck and I hope you find an answer soon. Thank you for using Pet Coach.

This would need to be discussed with the treating vet but such a significant heart murmur will require ongoing management and lifelong medication which is not inexpensive. It is likely to have an impact on both overall life expectancy and exercise intolerance, the underlying heart disease cannot be cured and symptomatic treatment aims to reduce the severity of the symptoms and slow down progression. If finance (or a very active lifestyle) is a concern then you should think very carefully before adopting such a dog.

Bonus would need a cardiac exam including ultrasound to determine the cause of her heart murmur and possible prognosis or treatment. Heart murmurs can because by defects with in the heart itself, pulmonary hypertension, or patent ductus arteriosus among other things. In a cat there is no way to determine what is causing the murmur without doing imaging of the heart. Each potential cause may have a different treatment or prognosis. Cost for an exam and cardiac work up can vary by region and also individual veterinary clinic. There may also be a difference in fees based on whether the exam was performed by a general practitioner or a veterinary cardiologist. I would recommend starting with a local general practitioner veterinarian for physical exam and wellness assessment. From there they can make recommendations as to your next step or possible referral if recommended. I would strongly recommend trying to prevent her from becoming pregnant again until you know her heart condition, as pregnancy and labor can severely stress the heart. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

There is not much to be done for a heart murmur in a cat. Regular checkups with a vet will hopefully be able to catch early heart failure when medications can be started. You can also talk to your vet about the cause of the heart murmur and talk to them about possible medications that can be started now in hopes of delaying heart failure. It sounds like the medications that Susie is on are a good start for IBD. Other things that can commonly help are probiotics, immune stimulants like antioxidants and acupuncture, hypoallergenic food diet, Feliway, and steroids. Without intestinal biopsies, IBD is nearly identical to intestinal lymphoma. Here are some helpful articles: http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=3650 http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=598

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! A grade 4 heart murmur is loud for such a young dog. He should have a chest X-ray, heart worm test and an echocardiogram (ultrasound of the heart) with a cardiologist to diagnosis what is causing the heart murmur. Then you can be provided a prognosis and treatment plan. These tests can be expensive. X-rays cost over $100 and the echocardiogram costs around $4-500. Medications cost depends on what his diagnosis is as does life expectancy. I would see if the rescue can get these done for you prior to adoption. Good luck!