Is Grade 3 heart murmur bad for cats?

Is Grade 3 heart murmur bad for cats?

These murmurs are considered soft. Heart murmurs at a grade three are considered moderately loud. This grade is categorized as loud by veterinarians. This level of murmur is what veterinarians refer to as palpable—meaning that it can be felt by placing a hand on the cat’s chest.

How long can a cat live with a Grade 3 heart murmur?

In most cases, the disease will continue to progress over time and heart function will become compromised. Cats that develop heart failure have a guarded prognosis and survival times are usually estimated to be 12 to 18 months after diagnosis.

Is a Grade 3 heart murmur serious?

Grade II murmurs are soft, but your veterinarian can hear them with the help of a stethoscope. Grade III murmurs have a loudness that falls in the middle of grades II and IV. Most murmurs that cause serious problems are at least a grade III. Grade IV murmurs are loud and can be heard on either side of the chest.

What is the life expectancy of a cat with a heart murmur?

It is not unusual for patients to become symptomatic without any suspicion of previous heart disease. Once in congestive heart failure, most cats with HCM have a life expectancy of 6 and 18 months.

What is a Grade 3/4 heart murmur in cats?

These types of murmurs are called “innocent” murmurs. They are soft and usually go away by 14 weeks of age. Loud heart murmurs (Grade 3-4/6 to 6/6) in a new puppy or kitty and soft heart murmurs that persist beyond 14-16 weeks of age should be evaluated by a cardiologist.

What is the treatment for a cat with a heart murmur?

Physiologic heart murmurs do not require any treatment; however, regular monitoring of a cat that has evidence of a physiologic murmur is advised to ensure that no other problems develop.

What is a grade 3 systolic heart murmur?

Grade 3 refers to a murmur that is moderately loud, and grade 4 to a murmur that is very loud. A grade 5 murmur is extremely loud and is audible with one edge of the stethoscope touching the chest wall. A grade 6 murmur is so loud that it is audible with the stethoscope just removed from contact with the chest wall.

Can cat heart murmurs go away?

The murmur may first appear at 6-8 weeks of age, and a kitten with an innocent heart murmur will usually outgrow it by about 4-5 months of age. This type of murmur is benign (not harmful). Some normal adult cats may have an intermittent heart murmur that shows up when their heart rate is increased due to stress.

What is a 3 6 heart murmur in cats?

Loud heart murmurs (Grade 3-4/6 to 6/6) in a new puppy or kitty and soft heart murmurs that persist beyond 14-16 weeks of age should be evaluated by a cardiologist. This may indicate that congenital (present at birth) heart disease is present.

What causes heart murmurs in older cats?

Causes of Heart Murmurs in Cats Hypertension (high blood pressure) Hypoproteinemia (low protein levels in the blood) Hyperthyroidism (excess thyroid hormone) Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (heart walls thicken and restrict blood flow)

What to do if your cat has a heart murmur?

There is no special treatment for heart murmur. If your vet detects heart murmur, your cat should be reexamined in 3 months. The vet will perform an ultrasound and an ECG exam, to determine if there is a cardiac condition causing the murmur.

What does a feline heart murmur sound like?

The murmur is audible as a whooshing or swishing sound that occurs during the normal cycle of the heartbeat. Murmurs are graded on a scale of 1 through 6, based on intensity or loudness. A louder murmur indicates more turbulence, and the loudest is audible in multiple places on the cat.

What is the life expectancy of a cat with heart disease?

Feline hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a dangerous condition that refers to the thickening of the lower chambers, or ventricles, in a cat’s heart. The average life expectancy for a cat that suffers from this disease is under eight hundred days, and it is rare for an affected cat to live longer than four years.

Can you live with a heart murmur?

If you or your child has an innocent heart murmur, you can live a completely normal life. It will not cause you any problems and is not a sign of an issue with your heart. If you have a murmur along with any of the following symptoms, see your doctor: You are very tired.