My Pet World: Heart disease a bigger issue for cats than previously thought
The effects of heart disease in cats can be more devastating than veterinarians previously thought.
Based on his studies, veterinary cardiologist Dr. Philip Fox, of the Animal Medical Center in New York City, says that cats diagnosed with feline hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) face a 1-in-5 chance of developing either heart failure or blood clots, both of which can be fatal.
"It's a real eye opener," Fox said.
With funding from the non-profits Winn Feline Foundation and the Morris Animal Foundation, Fox enlisted veterinary colleagues from 20 countries to follow over 1,700 individual cats, from 2005 to 2012. Each cat was tracked for five years following an initial definitive diagnosis of HCM.
"To my knowledge, this has been the largest and most comprehensive study ever to investigate any cat disease," Fox said. He revealed the results of the study at the 36th Annual Winn Feline Foundation Symposium, held June 26 at the Sheraton New Orleans.
Having published many papers in his 30-year career, Fox says these findings are particularly important.
"For the first time, we understand the magnitude of the problem, which is more than I would have anticipated it would be," he noted.
The news is especially bad for cats with HCM who will suffer a blood clot, or develop an aortic thromboembolism when a clot breaks loose from the heart and becomes lodged at the end of the aorta, causing the blood flow to the hind legs to stop. Cats suffering from aortic thromboembolism suddenly become paralyzed on their hind legs or have difficulty walking, and typically suffer from agonizing pain.
"Survival of cats that throw a blood clot to the rear legs is very poor," Fox says. "When this happens, the majority of these animals die or are euthanized due to medical complications of this condition, or due to the painful state it induces."
Cats diagnosed with HCM who later suffer from heart failure may actually have a better outcome than those who develop blood clots. At least there is some hope with proper treatment.
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