d heart failure. (read here) Veterinarians here are particularly suspicious that Chagas disease might be involved when a young dog that is negative for heartworms suddenly shows signs of heart failure. Besides keeping brush and leaf litter out of our dog’s outdoor environment I keep a 4% deltamethrin-impregnated flea/tick collar on our Labrador retriever, Maxx, (Scalibor®/Salvo® ) because that particular long-acting insecticide is thought to repel kissing bugs. (read here) If the new isoxazoline flea and tick collars might be an alternative is unknown. Read about those newer prescription flea and tick collars here . In humans, benznidazole is the only FDA-approved treatment for Chagas disease. But it is unlikely to be effective in dogs (or humans) once Chagas-related heart issues have begun.
I mentioned earlier that this problem was at one time more common due to a deficiency in the sulfamino acid, taurine in commercial cat foods – offal , slaughter house waste, grains or substitute carbohydrates are considerably cheaper than high quality meat. Mass pet food manufacturers tend to go with the cheapest ingredients. What goes into the product you buy is never what you see in the beautiful photos on the can or bag. Once veterinary nutritionists employed by the manufacturers knew that cats needed more taurine in their diet, all major brands of cat food have adequate taurine levels. Instead of better quality, they added cheaper synthesized taurine instead. (read here) Taurine deficiency in cats often caused their heart muscle to loose strength. Cats with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy usually loose weight and eventually have difficulty breathing. Blood clots often formed in the hearts of these cats and then move to other parts of their body. These clots often lodge in the cat’s lumbar area where the aorta divides to service each hind leg. In this disease the walls of the heart thicken, leading to inefficient pumping of blood. Blood pressure rises and fluid accumulates in the lungs. Eventually the chambers of the heart enlarge and abnormal heart rhythms occur. Signs of this disease are labored breathing, rapid heart rate, heart murmurs, weakness, collapse and death. Rare heart valvular disease, hyperthyroidism and asthma can mimic hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Veterinarians diagnose this disease with x-rays, electrocardiograms (EKG = ECG) and cardiac ultrasound. It is possible that cat’s with liver issues might require more taurine to compensate for their liver’s reduced abilities to process taurine. (read here)
Veterinarians treat hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in cats with lower salt diets, diuretics, blood thinners, and medications such as diltiazem and atenolol to stabilize your cat’s blood pressure and heart rate. Do not give aspirin to your cat without veterinary supervision – cats do not handle aspirin well. NEVER give them Tylenol. Their might be a breakthrough in treating this problem. Read about that here.
Feline Dilated Cardiomyopathy
A second, genetic form of cardiomyopathy occurs in Siamese, Burmese and Abyssinian cats. Veterinarians treat this condition with the same medications that increase heart efficiency and decrease pooled fluid within the lungs. We also give them drugs to reestablish their normal heart rhythm. Many veterinarians suggest a taurine supplement for any heart condition in cats. Taurine might be beneficial and there is certainly no harm in giving it in reasonable amounts. A similar heart disease can also occur secondary to an over-active thyroid gland (hyperthyroidism). Cats with this and the previous problem generally do not live very long despite therapy.
Restrictive Cardiomyopathy Of Cats:
In this condition localized scarring of the cat’s heart muscle prevents normal heart beat. This eventually leads to an enlarged, weak heart and congestive heart failure with signs in some ways similar to what veterinarians see in dogs. Signs of the disease are poor appetite, weight loss and difficult respiration . Sometimes blood clots that cause paralysis of the limbs occur as well. X-rays, EKG and ultrasound all 