| Medical Information for Pet Owners |
As a service to our clients and visitors to our site, every few weeks we will post medical information that we feel would be useful and interesting to pet owners. Over a period of time you will be able to search our archives for pertinent medical information. However, we must state that we assume no liability for information obtained from this section as there is no substitute for having your pet examined by a veterinarian. For additional medical information on-line, you may want to visit the Pet Health links listed in the Internet Resources section of our site.
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Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
(Current Topic)
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) is one of the most common form of heart disease in cats. Whereas humans commonly suffer from cornorary artery disease and dogs suffer from diseases of the heart valves, cats most commonly suffer from diseases of the heart muscle itself.
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| What is Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy? |
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) is where the heart muscle becomes greatly thickened and loses its ability to contract and expand properly. |
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| What are the symptoms of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy? |
Symptoms of HCM include one or more of the following: labored breathing, rapid respiratory rate, weight loss, appetite loss, lethargy, and weakness or paralysis in the rear legs due to blood clots forming in the main arteries. Note: Cats with sudden rear leg weakness may be a clinical emergency. Please take your cat to your veterinarian immediately for treatment. |
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| Are any breeds or age of cats more likely to develop Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy than others? |
According to the Book "Your Aging Cat" by Kim Campbell Thornton and John Hamil, DVM, Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy primarily affects male cats that are less than 5 to 6 years old, especially Persian and Maine Coon cats. However, cats of all breeds and as young as 8 months and as old as 16 years have developed it. |
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| What causes Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy? |
Althought HCM is considered an acquired heart disease, in many cases, an underlying cause cannot be found. However, it can develop when a cat has one or more of the following conditions: chronic high blood pressure or overactive thyroid (hyperthroidism). |
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| How is Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy diagnosed? |
Labored breathing, rapid respiratory rate, weight loss, appetite loss, lethargy, and weakness or paralysis in the rear legs may cause the owner or veterinarian to suspect this form of heart disease. Diagnostic aids such as echocardiography, electrocardiography, or X-rays may be used to help confirm this. An echocardiogram with Doppler imaging provides the most conclusive way of confirming the disease. Echocardiography allows your veterinarian to measure the thickness of the heart walls, the functioning of the valves, and the heart's ability to contract, as well as the chamber size. Other diagnostic tests may include hemoglobin percentage and blood counts. It may also be necessary to test for hyperthyroidism and systemic hypertension.
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| How is Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy treated? |
If the underlying cause for HCM, such as an overactive thyroid, can be identified, then drug therapy may help provide long term management of the problem. However, since the cause is unknown in many cases, drug treatment in addition to anticoagulants to try to keep blot clots from forming may become part of the cat's daily regimen. Depending on your cat's symptoms and the extent of the disease, your veterinarian may prescribe one or more of the following:
- Calcium channel blockers and beta blockers: Useful for cats in heart failure and prior to heart failure.
- ACE inhibitors (e.g. captopril, enalapril): Beneficial for long term management of heart failure in cats.
- Aspirin or similar medications: Aspirin may be used to reduce the possibility of blood clots. However, due to the strong possibility of poisioning from aspirin in cats it is extremely important that this be administered under a veterinarian's supervision and at the prescribed dosages.
- Diuretics: Because a build up of fluid in the chest cavity may occur as a result of this disease, either fluid withdrawal or diuretics may be prescribed. Diuretics help eliminate sodium and water but also eliminate useful water-soluble nutrients such as B vitamins, potassium, calcium, chloride, or magnesium. However, your veterinarian can suggest a diet or supplement to help replace these lost nutrients.
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| Where can I obtain more information? |
Your veterinarian can be one of your best sources of information. In addition, the cardiology group (Dr. Mark Kittleson and associates) at the University of California at Davis have been studying cardiomyopathy in Maine Coon cats and the Morris Animal Foundation has funded research in this area. The Winn Foundation may also be funding research in this area. The following web sites may provide you with more information:
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