Purrs In Our Hearts - Cat Forum UK
Cat Health & Behaviour => Health & Behaviour General => Topic started by: heather sullivan on May 20, 2017, 17:50:45 PM
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We noticed that Moses has been breathing very heavily for the last week so took him to the vets on Tuesday. He has always had a heart murmur. He is around 18-19. Vet said he had fluid on his chest so he was kept in and sedated had x-rays done and he had pleural effusion (fluid on his lungs). Vet said its not good. But they drained 200 mls of fluid off and re-xrayed and it looked better, tho he still had a bit of fluid left on one side they couldn't get. They couldn't see any tumours there but said the fluid was Chyle which is a sort white lymph fluid. He said he was 95% sure it was heart failure and he could either be pts or try some meds on him. He came home with antibiotics (just in case it was an infection), frusemide and Fortekor. His breathing seemed better when he came home but he still is breathing very heavily. He is eating well and taking his meds ok in rolled up grated cheese. He has to go back early next week for a check up and possibly have more fluid drained. Sadly he is only insured for accidents so don't think I can claim (was just under £500 so far). Has anyone else had a cat with this, should the meds have made him breathe better by now or does it take a while? Poor old Moses :(
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Sorry to hear about Moses - I have no experience of heart failure but others on here do. Fingers crossed for him
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Frusemide is your best bet. You simply have to concentrate on getting rid of the fluid although allow him to drink as much as he wants. He will pee a lot which is the best thing that can happen.
He needs to be able to breathe. Think long and hard Heather as to whether you want to put him through all this at his age.
Boris was only 5 years old so I threw everything at him. It doesn't get much more serious that fluid around or in the lungs
:hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug:
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he always has drunk a lot but he is peeing and drinking a lot still. He isn't doing open mouth breathing or coughing, is eating well but just breathing hard, like when they purr his sides are heaving. His face looks bright, too. Did you have Boris's fluid drained off? my vet did say he might need to drain some more off...... he is also only on 1 frusemide a day, 1/2 in morning and 1/2 evening. I remember years ago my old cat had heart problems and i am sure he was on about 2 frusemide a day??
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Oh Heather. I am sorry to hear this. :hug: Sending you much love.
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Boris suffered from Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) which caused Chronic Heart Failure (CHF). He had a blood test last August that confirmed the condition. He initially presented with slightly laboured breathing and had slowed up which was due to a small amount of fluid outside his lungs (pleural effusion). Within a few months the x rays showed fluid within his lungs (pulmonary Edema)
I resisted having fluid drained due to the dangers of the procedure, dangers of sedating and stress of vet visits (although Boris was calm enough to allow x rays without sedation) and relied on meds; mainly frusemide in varying doses depending on how difficult his breathing was. The tabs come in 20mg which I split into 1/2 and 1/4. From googling, it looks like they also come in 40mg. I kept a detailed record of dosage and can see that it ranged from 20mg to 27mg per day but on one occasion I gave 35mg responding to "coughing, uncomfortable and head hanging". He was much better after a big wee. I recall the vet referring to his prescription bible and showing me exactly what it said about dosage to help me understand better. He was so helpful throughout. Had a number of telephone consultations to cut down the vet visits.
Boris was also on Hypercard and Aspirin (he wouldn't tolerate my suggestion of Clopidogrel as too bitter tasting) . Meds were given 3 times a day at 8 hourly intervals and I spent virtually every waking minute for 4 months worrying that he may get a blood clot and be in pain. It was awful but he seemed well quite a bit of the time; just slower and slept a good deal. Had to keep him separated from the others too overnight to ensure he didn't get over excited.
I kept a record of his weight and breathing rate, videoing him and then replaying it to count and recount to ensure I had got it right as often I would be panicking about increasing the frusemide but vet was clear that stress and sedation were dangerous for my beautiful boy. He never got as far as open mouth breathing (which is extreme emergency requiring immediate oxygen therapy) but his nostrils flared on one occasion which required oxygen therapy overnight and he did develop an occasional cough. The cough is less common in cats than dogs.
The evening we found him was following a vet visit in the morning. He had been off his food for a few days and x ray showed little fluid so we thought likely potassium too low and vet gave him a tiny dose. He perked up hugely during the day and we went out for just over an hour early evening. It was such a shock. He looked peaceful and I can only hope it was quick.
I so understand what you are going through :'( :'( :'( It was such a lonely horrible time; hoping for a miracle whilst researching latest developments when my head was clear enough. I send both you and Moses by very best wishes :hug: :hug:
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BTW Heather, the reason I gave Frusemide three times a day was that Hypercard is best given 3 times a day. You should also bear in mind the dosage of frusemide depends on weight and Boris was just over 4kgs to begin with (increased to 4.8kgs at one point when there was some slow tail wagging - yes my notes were that comprehensive).
I remember panicking once about "what if he went below minimum weight of 4kgs". Vet said to ignore that as often a cat will put weight on due to the accumulating fluid and in any event Frusemide really is the best diuretic and any side effects have to be weighed against the far more serious effect of a cat not being able to breath comfortably.
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SENDING MOSES THE VERYBEST OF WISHES AND HOPE ROSELLAS ADVICE HELPS :hug: :hug: :hug:
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Moses frusemide is 20 mgs tablets so he has 1/2 am and 1/2 pm. Vet never mentioned to up dose at all. Moses has been out in the garden all day, enjoying the sunshine, yesterday he just sat in the bathroom all day didnt venture out at all. He is eating really well. ONly way I can get tablets in him is to roll them into a ball of cheese which he loves!! Vet never mentioned HC but I did have a cat with that years ago, he had a heart attack at 7 and lived to 18. Havoc his name was as he was the Frank Spencer of cats, very accident prone :naughty: He used to have the fluid drained off his chest every few months, and that was nearly 20 years ago. Its nice to see Moses out today and feeling a bit better, but his breathing is still pretty laboured but I don't think it is as bad as last week.....
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Sending best wishes to Moses xx
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SO GOOD TO HEAR MOSES HAD A GOOD DAY :hug: :hug:
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HOW IS MOSES DOING :hug:
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Moses is still plodding along. Had another 20 mls of sticky fluid drained out of his lungs last week and also on a new diuretic medication along with his frusemide and heart tablets. He is eating really well, but in this hot weather just crashed out, as is Silvie my other cat. He goes back for check up in 10 days. THey said he could go any time and his breathing is quite laboured depending on what position he sits in and how hot it is, but he still runs in and out when its dinner time, so hopefully he will be around for a while yet. Thanks for asking :Luv:
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LOVE TO MOSES :hug: :hug: :hug:
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SO GLAD HE IS EATING WELL AND HOPING THE NEW MEDS WILL REALLY HELP.
THINKING OF YOU BOTH :hug:
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Thinking of you both, Heather. :hug: :hug:
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Thanks for the update, am sending you both lots of love :hug:
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Moses says thank you :Luv:
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Fingers crossed for his new meds
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hOW IS mOSES DOING hEATHER :hug:
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He was meant to go to the vets yesterday but we cancelled appointment as it was too hot and didn't want to stress him out, he was panting quite heavily so I brought him indoors and shut him in bathroom where it was cooler. We are going to vets tomorrow at 430pm and hopefully will be cooler. He is still breathing quite heavily and hasn't really eaten much today, or yesterday, just nibbled but it maybe as it has been so hot. My other cat Silvie hasn't eaten much either. Will see if he eats anything overnight. Weird thing is he has been sleeping in his litter tray for the last 10 days. We have another one he can use, but he seems to like it....... tried blankets, fluffy jumpers all he will do is go back in his litter tray. Will update again tomorrow after vet trip. Thank you for asking :Luv:
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Good luck with the vet visit
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Hope it goes well at the vets, it's lots cooler here today
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Wishing Moses the best for vet trip :care: :care: Maybe low potassium (due to diuretics) affecting his appetite?
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Very sad news. Moses collapsed this morning with open mouth breathing. Rushed him to vets, they drained nearly 200 mls of fluid off his lungs. He is also in kidney failure. After long discussion with vet we decided the best thing is for him to put to sleep. They think he has a chest tumour. RIP Moses the Devil Cat we will miss you. And then half an hour ago I had to rush Silvie to the vet as she was panting hard, open mouth breathing. (She goes to a different vet). She has a high temperature and pulse and is staying in for observation. If temp doesnt go down she will be on antibiotics. What an awful day :( :(
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Oh Heather. I'm so very sorry.
My heart goes out to you.
Rest in peace, Moses Baby. You're so precious.
I'm sending every possible good wish for Sylvie, and hoping that her temperature subsides. A truly awful day indeed. :hug: :hug:
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oh heather I'm so sorry about moses :hug: hope Sylvie perks up soon, what a lot to deal with in one day
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I'm so sorry about moses :hug:
Hope sylvie recovers quickly, what an awful day for you :hug: :hug:
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What a truly dreadful day Heather :hug: :hug: :hug:
RIP lovely Moses :'( :'(
Sending every possible good wish for Sylvie :hug: :hug: :hug:
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Thanks everyone :Luv:
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I'm so very sorry Moses lost his battle Heather, RIP little one.
I do hope that Sylvie is OK, it's never an easy time, but a lot harder for you :hug:
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Silvie is home, heart rate and temp are nearly normal. Meant to keep her in tonight but she is just sitting out in the garden. Vet doesn't know what caused it, ?heatstroke. I did give her a frontline flea treatment last night at midnight but they said it would have shown up before then. Very strange. But got to ring them back in the morning to let them know how she is. Been a horrible year, lost Tabby in March and now Moses in June :'( At least they did have long happy lives though making it to nearly 22 and nearly 19.
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Aww, what a dreadful year. Glad Sylvie seems fine
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So sorry Heather :hug:
Tabby and Moses reunited :hug: :hug: :hug:
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I'm so sorry to hear about Moses, Heather :hug: RIP Moses. There will be a Purrs party on the bridge today. Wonderful ages but it doesn't make it any easier when you lose them.
Glad Silvie is back home and that she seems fine now.
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Heather, how terrible for you. :care: :care: :care: You made the right decision, even though it is such a hard one, you did the best you could for Moses. :hug: :hug: :hug:
R.I.P. Moses, go and play with Tabby on The Bridge. :Luv: :RIP: