Hi, I have a 9 year old cat who had a back issue in Oct. 2017 and was treated with some pain pills and fully recovered within a week. On the X-ray taken of her back the radiologist noted a concerning large heart that was 3 spaces wide. The vet made us more concerned about the enlarged heart than anything else, although my cat had no symptoms of heart disease whatsoever. And at that time strongly recommended an ultrasound. I did not have the funds to get the ultrasound but took my cat back to the vet in Feb. 2017 for her annual exam and shots. My cat was perfectly healthy but yet again I was strongly encouraged to get an ultrasound for my cats enlarged heart. I was told not to wait any longer and that it’s a silent killer, etc. and that they really needed to see what the inside of her large heart looked like. So today I took my cat to a specialist and paid $450 for an ultrasound which the specialist essentially said she didn’t even need - her heart wasn’t even large! It wasn’t even on the large side of normal. And needless to say, everything in side her regular sized heart was normal. I was shocked. I called her vet and they took zero responsibility for what the specialist suggested was a poor X-ray or less likely possibly an error by the radiologist who read it. The vet was so rude to me and insisted that my cat had a large heart because the radiologist’s report said so. I suggested there was an error on their part in taking the X-ray and instead of admitting any error on their part I was told that I should be grateful that my cat’s $450 test came back favorable. The vet was so rude and I am so frustrated that I was told as a fact that my cat’s heart was enlarged and pressured to get a test to see what the inside looked like and then I find out the heart isn’t large at all. I was sent to get a test that wasn’t needed because there was no large heart anyway. The vet refuses to admit anything could’ve been amiss with their X-ray. I’m supposed to speak with the owner tomorrow and would love your thoughts. Clearly something went wrong in the large heart diagnosis as it isn’t a large heart. Now I’m stuck with a $450 bill that was unnecessary to begin with and the vet takes zero accountability for their incorrect diagnosis of a large heart. It seems the likely error is in the X-ray? Additionally at my cat’s annual exam done 4 months after the incidental enlarged heart finding and absolutely no symptoms, wouldn’t it have been appropriate for the doctor to do another X-ray instead of pressure me to get an ultrasound?

My cat is 15 and has been coughing and often times throwing up because the “attack” makes her neauseous. We had blood work and x-rays done. The blood work was fine with exception of corona virus present and her x-Ray showed an enlarged heart. Her vet put her on a daily Enalapril (2.5mg) and every other day Prednisone (5mg). She’s been receiving the meds for almost a month with no improvement. I called today and the vet gave me the number of a specialist. Unfortunately the consultation is $200 and if we need an ecg an additional $500 plus any meds that may be required. I’m currently a student and don’t have nearly a grand to spend. Any recommendations? It’s heartbreaking to watch her struggle to breathe. I should also add that her appetite seems unaffected and while she usually lays around she does still spaz out and play from time to time.

my foster kitten (now a foster failure) was diagnosed 5 months ago with HCM, after an ER trip due to white gums and breathing dificulties, vet said he was in CHF and X-ray showed enlarged heart, and fluid in lungs. ER recommended euthanasia but I brought home on furemoside. Regular vet confirmed enlarged and severe murmur, added enalapril and gave prognosis of 3-6 months. My question is-its been nearly 6 months and my boy is thriving. Has absolutely no symptoms, is very energetic, eats well, etc., now I'm wondering could they be wrong since he is doing so well, or is he just responding extremely well to his meds? Should I consult another vet or specialist?

Our adopted Cat Nino is around 15 years old and has been diagnosed with an enlarged heart and ventricular arrhythmia by a cat cardiologist using an Echocardiogram and ECG. The cat cardiologist gave him a poor prognosis and put him on Lasix and Benazepril to help forestall Congestive Heart Failure. In the beginning we were able to give him the drugs through his food, then he quit eating so we gave him the pills crushed in water with a syringe in his mouth for a while. But he is so terrified of this, that he almost died about a month ago after the dose (he struggles so against the syringe). So we stopped that and now give him Lasix subcutaneously which he bears fairly well. However, the cardiologist tells us there is no version of the ACE Inhibitor for sub-cutaneous injection like the Lasix. Of late he has reduced eating so much we are worried he is starving himself to death. We can sometimes get him to eat a bit, but no matter what food we offer (including all his favorites and treats) he won't eat more than a few mouthfuls. So here is my question. Is there any alternative to an ACE Inhibitor we can give him sub-cutaneously? And what would happen if we took one of his remaining Benazeprils and crushed it up super fine, mixed it in sterile water and injected it under his skin like the Lasix? Also, I have some Nitro-glycerin pills from a heart incident I had a year or so ago, and I was wondering if I could possibly scratch off a few grains of that to give him?

My husband and I have raised Jasper and his littermates from the moment they were born. Jasper is my special boy, very sweet, huge personality. He had a lot of spunk and fight from only a few days old, chewing on fingers and running around and wrastling his siblings. At a few months old he started to show signs of distress when he got anxious, we had him seen and got an all clear. Later he and his siblings got shots and spayed/neautered We moved, and his condition got worse. Crazy energy, speratic, heavy breathing, panting tongue out like a dog. He seemed anxious and scared. Very chatty. I stayed up with him all night. Tragically, my sisters cat died suddenly of this enlarged heart with the same symptoms. I knew something was wrong, when we had taken him to our new vet they immediately could tell something was off. After having xrays sent to radiology, they confirmed it was enlarged heart. We were referred to cardiology... but cannot afford the bill. Both my husband and i recently got laid off, are living with parents and expecting a child while finishing school. My husband graduates in july but i fear we will be too late... For now, we do everything we can to make him comfortable whenever one of his spells hit. He gets the finest food we can afford (and sometimes the kind we cant afford) the most attention, warmest blankets and longest grooming sessions... I check on him every night... to make sure he is still breathing... i am heartbroken... is there truly nothing more I can do? The specialist say no..not without forking up 3,000 we dont have... we cant get financial aid, n we don't have enough credit to get those care cards... one of the hospitals even offer payment plans... wtf is wrong with these people...