In honor of American Heart Month, Pet Talk recently looked explored heartworm, a potentially life-threatening disease in dogs.
While heartworm does not pose as big a threat to cats, felines are prone to developing heart murmurs and what’s known as cardiomyopathy, the most common form of heart disease in cats.
Cardiomyopathy, or disease of the heart muscle, occurs in about 16 percent of healthy cats, according to one study published in the June 1, 2009, issue of the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association.
It’s often called a ‘silent killer’ because of the fact that cats may exhibit no symptoms of the disease for years.
The Sphynx, Maine Coon and Ragdoll breeds seem especially prone to developing heart disease, says Dr. Kathryn Atkinson, a board-certified veterinary cardiologist at Cardiology Northwest.
Another indication of heart disease – but not always a reliable one – is the presence of a heart murmur.
Of the 103 cats in the study mentioned above, 16 had a heart murmur, and of those, five had cardiomyopathy. A heart murmur is an abnormal extra sound (in addition to the rhythmic “lub” and “dub” sounds). The “murmur” is caused by turbulent blood flow, which can cause clots to form.
Heart murmurs are the most common reason cats and dogs wind up at Atkinson’s Southwest Portland clinic. They could indicate that some kind of heart disease is present, such as cardiomyopathy, or degenerative heart valve disease, which tends to affect dogs.
Cats with cardiomyopathy may not have a heart murmur or other symptoms but can still develop sudden death, breathing problems from congestive heart failure, or a sudden stroke called a saddle thrombus.
Historically, the only way to detect cardiomyopathy has been through an echocardiogram, or heart ultrasound.
There also is now a blood test available that measures production of a peptide hormone that is synthesized and released primarily from the myocardium.
Because heart disease is so difficult to detect, it's a good idea to make sure your pet sees a veterinarian at least once a year in order to detect any abnormalities.
You can also keep your pet's ticker intact by making sure Fido or Fluffy get enough exercise and avoid obesity.