DR elmore what doess the doctor say about Thatch's heart murmur? Has is stayed the same or have there been changes? I am wondering if having the expensive echocardiogram is necessary, desirable yes, but maybe not absolutely necessary. If I recall correctly Thatch hasn't shown symptoms of a heart problem aside from the murmur.
I posted this after the first echocardiogram on Jan. 25, 2018:
Thatch and I have returned from the vet and we've learned the results of his his echocardiogram: a problem with the muscle controlling the left ventricle of his heart, which is already too thick and will continue to affect his blood flow. He will be on a daily medication for the remainder of his life to slow the heart rate to slow down the muscle's thickening, eventually closing down the ventricle.
I have no idea what this means for his mortality or its longevity, but a part of me died today. I will love him, care for him, and pray to God that he has a long and healthy life.
His disease is Hypertrophic Obstructive Cardiomyopathy, and he needs an echocardiogram yearly to check its progress.
Thanks for repeating this. I gather then that the sound of the heart murmur doesn't tell much about the progress.
I understand wanting to do a yearly echocardiogram to check his progress, however, as they are extremely expensive I would have questions before doing this. I know you are concerned/fear you are killing him by not getting this done. If his condition has gotten worse, though it might not have as he isn't symptomatic, is there something they can do about it? Would the current medication change? Is the stress of doing the test, which can stress the heart, worth the outcome?
Please indulge my questions. In my 53 years of having multiple pets, as you are experiencing, knowing what is best for them is often a difficult to make may it be financial or for other reasons. The truly biggest regrets I have are from when I permitted treatments that turned out to be unnecessary and painful to the pet. Sometimes you just don't know like when we agreed to major dental work for Sherlock and then he got cancer. That I don't regret as there was no way to know. Oh, but the many we did out of fear & guilt
We learned to think about what the vet was suggesting, thinking of it as if money wasn't an option even if it was, and then looking at the value of what tests or treatment were suggested.
I am not saying this isn't needed, just that I that maybe it isn't as urgent as you think and to give yourself a break. My advice stands for all future medical care decisions, not just this one. We stress & worry about them and it weighs down our hearts.
