Arterial Thromboembolism is a disorder of
the heart and blood of cats. It is one of several complications that
occur in cats with heart damage. Blood clots (thrombi) may occur
within the heart and travel through the bloodstream until they become lodged.
A common site for a clot to lodge is toward the rear of the body, where
the aorta divides to supply blood to the rear legs. The blood supply
to one or both legs can be greatly reduced by a lodged clot, depending
on where the clot is. Rear leg lameness, pain and cool rear legs
are common signs.
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Initial treatment is aimed at improving
circulation to the rear limbs. Blood tests and radiographs (x-rays)
are used to asses and monitor the disorder during treatment. If the
condition fails to improve, surgical removal of the blood clot is necessary.
This requires general anesthesia.
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Autoimmune
Hemolytic Anemia .
General Information:
Your pet’s immune system provides the ability
to resist and recover from disease and injury. This defense system
regulates production of antibodies that aid in destruction of disease agents,
such as bacteria and viruses.
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In autoimmune hemolytic anemia, this defense
system goes astray and attacks the animal’s own body and red blood cells,
causing severe, life-threatening anemia. While such disruption of
the immune system may be caused by infection, cancer, or other diseases,
in many cases the cause is unknown. Certain drug reactions may cause
autoimmune hemolytic anemia. In newborns, the disease may result
from antibodies found in the first milk (colostrum) of the mother.
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Autoimmune hemolytic anemia is a serious,
life-threatening disease. In many cases, immediate blood transfusions
are needed. Less severe cases are treated with a variety of medications.
In some patients, surgical removal of the spleen or treatment with anti-cancer
drugs is necessary. Various laboratory tests are necessary to diagnose
the condition and monitor the response to treatment. Relapses are
common.
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Notify your veterinarian if any
of the following occur:
Your pet seems short of breath or weak.
Your pet’s gums and tongue seem pale.
Your pet’s stool or urine are dark or blood-tinged.
Your pet has nosebleeds or hemorrhages of
the gums, eyes or skin.
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Autoimmune
Thrombocytopenia .
General Information:
Your pet’s natural body defense system is
essential for good health. A part of this system produces antibodies
that destroy disease-causing organisms. In autoimmune thrombocytopenia,
the defense system produces antibodies that attack the animal’s own platelets
(blood cells necessary for blood clotting). The result is hemorrhage
in various parts of the body.
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Why these antibodies are formed is not
fully understood, but we do know that sometimes the process is triggered
by infections or tumors. In other instances, a cause cannot be found.
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Autoimmune thrombocytopenia is a life-threatening
disease. Hospitalization is often necessary during the early treatment
period. Various laboratory tests are needed to monitor the response
to treatment. Blood transfusions are necessary in some cases.
Some animals require treatment with large doses of very potent drugs.
Often there are side effects from the various drugs used to treat this
disease.
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Notify your veterinarian if any
of the following occur:
Your pet seems weak or depressed or refuses
to eat.
Your pet’s gums bleed or seem pale.
Your pet seems short of breath.
Your pet has blood in the stool or urine.
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Congestive
Heart Failure
General Information:
Chronic congestive heart failure occurs when
the heart does not pump enough blood to meet normal body needs.
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Pets with congestive heart failure tire
easily, are short of breath, and cough deeply, due to poor circulation
through the lungs. They may actually lose weight, but the abdomen
becomes enlarged due to fluid accumulation. The legs may also be
swollen and puffy. Often these patients faint or collapse after excitement
or exertion, and the tongue appears bluish-gray.
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Congestive heart failure can result from
heart-valve disease, heartworm infection, or heart defects present at birth.
Though congestive heart failure cannot be cured, many patients can live
a comfortable life with proper medical management.
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Treatment is aimed at removing accumulated
fluids, improving the heart’s pumping efficiency, and decreasing the heart’s
workload. Radiographs (x-rays) and electrocardiograms (EKG) are used
to diagnose the condition and monitor the response to treatment.
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Notify your veterinarian if any
of the following occur:
Your pet coughs.
Your pet passes out or has seizures.
Your pet vomits or has diarrhea.
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Endocarditis
General Information:
Endocarditis is an inflammation of the lining
of the heart and/or the valves of the heart. Usually it is caused
by an infection in another part of the body, such as teeth, tonsils, anal
sacs or kidneys. This infection reaches the heart through the bloodstream.
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Endocarditis is a serious disease and
may cause death. Blood clots may develop and further complicate an
already serious condition.
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Treatment for endocarditis is designed
to eliminate infection. The severity of the condition and involvement
of the other parts of the body dictate whether hospitalization is necessary
and the type of treatment used. Extensive laboratory tests, including
blood cultures, are used to diagnose the condition and assess the response
to treatment. Chest radiographs (x-rays) and other cardiac tests
may be required.
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Notify your veterinarian if any
of the following occur:
Your pet develops a limp.
Your pet is bleeding or blood appears in the
urine or feces.
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Heartworm
Disease
General Information:
Heartworm disease is becoming more common
in many parts of the United States. It is caused by the heartworm,
Dirofilaria immitis. This parasite lives in the right side of the
dog’s heart and the nearby large vessels (pulmonary arteries). The
female worm produces large numbers of microscopic, immature heartworms
that circulate in the blood. These immature worms (microfilariae)
are taken up with the blood by a mosquito feeding on an infected dog.
After living in the mosquito for 10-14 days, the microfilariae can infect
another dog that the mosquito feeds on. The feeding mosquito deposits
infective microfilariae on the skin of another dog, and these enter the
body through the mosquito bite wound. The microfilariae eventually
travel to the heart where they develop into adult heartworms. The
adult heartworms produce new microfilariae within 3 months. It takes
at least 190 days from the time the dog is bitten by an infected mosquito
until a dog becomes a new source of infective microfilariae.
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Most cases of heartworm are diagnosed
by finding the microfilariae in the blood. Sometimes, however, no
microfilariae are found in the blood (occult heartworm disease).
These cases are diagnosed by a combination of blood tests and chest radiographs
(x-rays).
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Failure to treat heartworm disease may
result in heart failure and/or serious disease of the liver and kidneys.
Untreated heartworm disease is usually fatal.
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Treatment for heartworms consists of 2
phases: destruction of the adult heartworms, followed by elimination of
microfialriae from the blood. Before treatment, a thorough physical
examination, including blood tests, chest radiographs (x-rays) and electrocardiogram
(EKG), is advised. An underlying liver or kidney disease is usually
treated first.
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Prevention:
Highly effective medication is available to
prevent heartworm disease. Mosquito control is certainly helpful
but should never be the sole means of protection.
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Preventive Medication:
1. Diethylcarbamazine:
This drug has been available for many years for heartworm prevention, and
it should be given daily starting 30 days before exposure to mosquitoes
and continued for 60 days after the last mosquito exposure. In addition
to heartworm prevention, the drug also prevents intestinal infection with
roundworms (ascarids). Diethylcarbamazine is also available in combination
with other drugs to prevent heartworm, roundworm, and hookworm infections.
2. Ivermectin:
This drug was recently approved for treatment of heartworm infection.
Ivermectin is available in tablet form. Its main advantage is that
it only needs to be given once monthly. At the approved dose, the
drug does not prevent roundworms or other parasites. Because the
drug kills microfilariae acquired during the previous 30 days, administration
should start within about 30 days after the first exposure to mosquitoes
and end within 30 days after the last exposure to mosquitoes.
3. In geographic
areas where mosquitoes are present throughout the year, dogs must be treated
year round to prevent heartworm infection.
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Mosquito Control:
Screen outdoor kennels, especially in areas
where heartworm is prevalent.
Keep your pet indoors during the early morning
and evening hours when mosquitoes are most active.
Electronic insect killers can be positioned
near kennels. Premise sprays are available for treatment of the environment.
Mosquito repellents can be used for short
periods of exposure. Be sure your pet does not lick off the repellent.
Notify your veterinarian if any
of the following occur:
Your pet refuses to eat or seems depressed.
Your pet has diarrhea or is vomiting or seems
in pain.
Your pet coughs frequently or has trouble
breathing.
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Hypertrophic
Cardiomyopathy in Cats .
General Information:
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is an abnormal
thickening (hypertrophy) of the heart muscle in cats. It is unknown
whether the condition has a single cause or is due to a number of factors.
Suggested causes include viral infections, an allergic reaction ("self-allergy"),
toxins, and the lack of the nutrient taurine.
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Thickening of the heart muscle causes
both improper filling and impaired pumping action, as well as abnormal
heart rhythm. These changes result in difficult breathing, fluid
accumulation in the lungs, blood clots, and sudden death. In mild
cases, lethargy and a poor appetite may be the only signs in the early
stages.
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Male and female cats of any age may be
affected, but the disease is most common in middle-aged males.
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Notify your veterinarian if any
of the following occur:
Your pet cannot use its back legs or is in
pain.
Your pet develops a cough.
Your pet refuses to eat.
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Patent
Ductus Arteriosus
General Information:
The developing fetus within the womb does
not use its own lungs to mix blood and oxygen. Instead, it receives
oxygen-rich blood from its mother through placental circulation.
A blood vessel (the ductus arteriosus) in the unborn fetus bypasses the
lungs to send blood to the rest of the body. Only a small amount
of fetal blood flows through the lungs.
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Normally, the ductus arteriosus closes
within hours of birth. In some animals, the bypass does not close,
and blood continues to bypass the lungs and not pick up oxygen. A
human infant with patent ductus arteriosus is called a "blue baby."
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This defect occurs more in poodles, collies,
pomeranians, and Shetland sheepdogs than other breeds. Many affected
pups die of heart failure within the first few weeks of life, but most
pets that live to 8 weeks of age survive to adulthood. When the bypass
is small, the dog may live a normal life without ever showing any ill effects.
Patent ductus arteriosus also occurs in cats.
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Surgical closure is the only means of
correcting patent ductus arteriosus. Medical therapy helps stabilize
animals in heart failure only for short periods.
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Notify your veterinarian if any
of the following occur:
Your pet refuses to eat or is depressed.
Your pet coughs or has trouble breathing.
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Pulmonic
Stenosis
General Information:
Pulmonic stenosis is a narrowing or partial
obstruction of the pulmonary artery, valve or area of the heart adjacent
to the valve, that impairs blood flow from the right side of the heart
to the lungs. As a result, less blood reaches the lungs, and the
heart must pump harder to get blood to the lungs to pick up fresh oxygen.
If the narrowing is sever, heart failure may occur because the heart itself
is not receiving enough oxygen.
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Most young dogs with pulmonic stenosis
appear healthy, but as they age, difficult breathing, tiring on exercise
and fainting may occur. As the condition worsens, signs of heart
failure, such as swelling of the abdomen and legs, may develop. Other
signs, such as difficult breathing, weakness and fainting, become more
noticeable.
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Pulmonic stenosis usually causes heart
failure before the dog reaches 3 years of age, but some dogs live a normal
life if the stenosis is mild.
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In some cases, surgical correction of
the stenosis is possible. In most instances, treatment is aimed at
controlling signs of illness and prolonging life with medical and dietary
treatment. Radiographs (x-rays), electrocardiograms (EKG) and laboratory
tests are necessary to diagnose the condition and evaluate the response
to treatment.
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Notify your veterinarian if any
of the following occur:
