I am mad as heck....Petsmart sold my daughter a cat ($90.00) with a serious hear murmur, a respiratory infect. and pink-eye. She got the cat days ago and noticed it sneezing and it's eyes crusty...then sneezing spread to her other 2 other healthy cats. So the vet told them tonight the cat has a serious heart murmur - of course she will not take it back and I wouldn't want her to...but I think they should at least pay the vet bill. Now she will have to treat all 3 animals.
Anyone know about the long-term thing with a heart murmur...the vet said it is very loud and they want to do more tests sometime, the cat is about 4.
Heart murmur....
Re: Heart murmur....
Mompaws,
I'm so sorry to hear this. My Smokey was diagnosed with a Grade IV heart murmur back in September. He is now taking Cardizem 30 mg. per day and is much improved. He had an ultrasound, EKG testing, full blood panel, etc done. He is doing well now but I do take his health one day at a time. He will get EKG & thyroid testing done 3-4 times per year and ultrasounds every 6 monyhs-one year.
Murmurs can be caused by several factors, sometimes it's just stress and it disappears or hperthyroidism or genetics or heartworm.
IMO--the more diagnostic testing you can get done, the better. It is expensive but definitely improves the prognosis. And the vet knows how to treat it.
Please let us know how everything goes.
Lisa
I'm so sorry to hear this. My Smokey was diagnosed with a Grade IV heart murmur back in September. He is now taking Cardizem 30 mg. per day and is much improved. He had an ultrasound, EKG testing, full blood panel, etc done. He is doing well now but I do take his health one day at a time. He will get EKG & thyroid testing done 3-4 times per year and ultrasounds every 6 monyhs-one year.
Murmurs can be caused by several factors, sometimes it's just stress and it disappears or hperthyroidism or genetics or heartworm.
IMO--the more diagnostic testing you can get done, the better. It is expensive but definitely improves the prognosis. And the vet knows how to treat it.
Please let us know how everything goes.
Lisa
Lisa, Angel Smokey and little Caz
Re: Heart murmur....
Thanks, Lisa- passed along info to my daughter. Unfortunately her other 2 cats (brothers) also have heart trouble.
Re: Heart murmur....
Mompaws, I agree with Lisa...opt for all testing available. You need to know the grade, and rule out associated congestive heart failure. The sooner it is detected and the grade diagnosed, the sooner you'll know if it only requires monitorization or to start treatment with medications. In a 4-year-old, it's hard to say, it may only require your daughter to monitor with frequent check-ups (more often than your normal annual checkup, she will want followup x-rays plus bloodwork to monitor other organ function as well)
Not sure what kind of recourse you can get from petsmart, as I'm sure they worked with shelter or rescue volunteers to get the pets adopted. Won't hurt to call them and find out what their policies are on illness and vet bills. Unfortunately, upper respiratory infections are common amoung shelters, rescues and adoption centers, for this reason it is always best to get the newly adopted pet thoroughly examined by the owner's own vet (as your daughter did)
Not sure what kind of recourse you can get from petsmart, as I'm sure they worked with shelter or rescue volunteers to get the pets adopted. Won't hurt to call them and find out what their policies are on illness and vet bills. Unfortunately, upper respiratory infections are common amoung shelters, rescues and adoption centers, for this reason it is always best to get the newly adopted pet thoroughly examined by the owner's own vet (as your daughter did)
..........Traci