Question:
Our 13-year-old cat has recently been diagnosed with a heart condition. His heart is three times the normal size and has a clot.He is on a daily regimen of Digoxin and twice-daily doses of Enalapril and Furosemide. Every other day, we give him one-quarter of a low-dose aspirin tablet.Although he remains his sweet self, he does not eat very well and has lost weight. I've switched him from Innova to California Natural dry food because he seems to like it better. He also likes Innova and California canned food. He'll eat some cooked chicken and fish, but will pick out any veggies.Several years ago, he was diagnosed and treated for hyperthyroidism with radioactive therapy.I have two questions: Is it possible that the radioactive treatment may have damaged his heart? Do you have any holistic suggestions for helping his heart condition and keeping him comfortable?As mentioned above, his appetite is not very good. Our dog gets homemade diets, but the cats have never been very interested in anything other than the m
May 25, 2008
Answer:
Your veterinarian is on the right track with regard to the medicines, but a low-sodium diet is called for, and I would try to wean your cat off any dry food, which is high in cereals. Your cat should not be on a protein-restricted diet, but rather a low-salt, quality-protein diet that includes cooked and chopped chicken hearts, liver and cooked egg whites.Some types of feline cardiomyopathy -- which is what your cat has -- can be congenital in origin or linked to thyroid disease or taurine deficiency. Highly processed pet foods were deficient in this essential amino acid until it was discovered that this deficiency caused heart enlargement and blindness in cats. Manufacturers that add a synthetic supplement have ostensibly fixed the problem. Giving your cat whatever raw meat he will accept would be helpful in this regard. Many feline vet specialists recommend adding a feline supplement like Platinum Performance Feline Wellness Formula.
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