Suzanne Cunningham, DVM, assistant professor of cardiology at Tufts, does a nice job in this article of helping cat owners understand and identify potential feline heart disease. She reminds readers that heartworm disease is diagnosed in about 10 percent of cats these days. It should be considered as a threat to feline health, especially where hot, damp climates encourage proliferation of mosquitoes that spread the disease.
Source: Catnip, December 2015, page 9
The most commonly diagnosed acquired cardiac conditions, however, are diseases of the heart muscle termed cardiomyopathies, which are rarely seen in kittens but are commonly diagnosed in mature cats. Cardiomyopathies are characterized by structural abnormalities in the muscle enclosing one or both ventricles, with the affected chamber — depending on the specific type of cardiomyopathy — taking on a thickened, dilated, or scarred appearance.
Also see: Litter Box Lessons Revisited, page 3 and When Our Cats Grieve, page 7.
INSIGHTS: Sales representatives are often asked by veterinary hospital customers for information that can be put on the hospital’s website. These articles are worthy of this consideration.