Heart Murmur In Cats And Anesthesia

Prevalence of cardiomyopathy in apparently healthy cats.

Heart murmur in cats and anesthesia. Some normal adult cats may have an intermittent heart murmur that shows. Cat heart murmur medication costs between 200 and 500. This type of murmur is benign not harmful.

A veterinarian cannot tell the cause of the heart murmur just by listening to the heart. It is caused by turbulent blood flow and high velocity. The murmur may first appear at 6-8 weeks of age and a kitten with an innocent heart murmur will usually outgrow it by about 4-5 months of age.

A leaky valve or dysfunctional large vessel will mean that there is usually backflow of blood which means that the output of the heart is decreased and the heart will need to work harder to move the same amount of blood than a normal heart. The grade of murmur does not necessarily mean heart disease is more or less severe or even present. More if there is more complication.

For bradycardic or hypotensive cats heart rate and blood pressure support during deep sedation or anesthesia may be necessary. The prognosis depends on the cause of the heart murmur. Many practitioners are reluctant to anesthetize patients with a murmur yet not all heart diseases are alike and they certainly do not carry the same risks.

Cats Protection will only refer a cat to a specialist if classed as grade 5 or 6. Heart murmurs are most commonly a result of a compromised heart valve. Yes certain heart conditions do increase the risk of general anesthesia.

If the heart murmur is severe enough to cause heart disease such as congestive heart failure then signs such as coughing difficulty breathing rapid breathing or even collapse may be seen. This type of murmur is benign not harmful. The ultrasonographer will tell us if this murmur is serious or not.