Enlarged heart?

[cbain]

Thanks Patti,
I saw on the internet Savannah cats need more taurine for their health, and I brought it here for a expert opinion, our cats are special and still growing and we are looking out for them, early Casey outside pic. View attachment 15129 lil kitten in a big world very safe enclosure he's very happy here, grows like a weed on rapid grow View attachment 15129

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

It can be said about our breed, although there is no firm proof. What there IS, is one study of some Asian Leopard Cats in a zoo that were shown to need a higher amount of taurine than domestic cats. So from that we extrapolate that exotic cats in general might have a higher requirement for taurine and hence our Savannahs might...

Now, as a supplement it is relatively harmless... the cat will just excrete it if given too much. So adding extra to their meals is not a bad thing to do. And yes, we breeders often supplement with this during pregnancy because taurine deficiency can cause various defects ...

 

[Rafiki]

Taurine also becomes less effective when the meat is frozen so my breeder recommended supplementing even with a proper balance of muscle meat, bone and organ meat is used.

 

[John Campbell]

So sorry to hear this... Sending Thoughts and Lots of Prayers to your Kitty...

 

[Nicaboli]

Thank you all for your information. Mango had the worst time breathing last night....it was so labored and worrisome for me. I'm going to copy all of this information and take it with me to the vet today.

 

[Rafiki]

Trouble breathing? Is this the first time?

 

[Nicaboli]

Hi, Rafiki. Mango has had respiratory issues since we got him in July. But last night was, by far, the worse time with it thus far. You could hear him from another room and to exhale, he had to do it from his mouth. We are taking him to another vet today just for a second opinion since the meds from vet #1 aren't doing anything to help him. Any thoughts?

 

[Rafiki]

Poor little guy. Yes, I would definitely try another vet. Does it seem to be congestion? How is his respiratory rate?

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

I think a PCR Respiratory Panel is in order...but a chance in meds most likely. If one antibiotic is not working within ~3 days (some change not cured) that usually indicates a need to try a different one. In the case of doxycycline though, the bugs it treats sometimes require a longer course of this medication. You would need to have stopped treating with that for a bit before the PCR test for Mycoplasma would be valid though.

You need to also rule out the viral causes of infection although you might simply add Lysine to tackle Herpes as it wouldn't hurt him....

If a kitten's nasal passages are that blocked, my vet has suggested a drop of Neosynephrine before... in just one nostril, alternating nostrils. If they can't breathe through their nose, they often won't eat and with a kitten that usually leads to them going downhill fast :-(

 

[Nicaboli]

Here is the latest. New doc says Mango's heart sounds great. He said he suspects sinus infection because a cat's sinus is not like a human or a dog...he likened it to a car air filter...and some meds don't reach the infected area because of poor blood flow (due to infection). So, he said to stop the doxy and start Mango on prednisolone and clavamox while staying on the metronidazole.

Good news!......he examined Mango's boy parts (with MUCH protest from Mango) and could feel one testicle (the other vet couldn't feel anything at that time) and he seemed hopeful that by 7 months they both will be descended.

All this sounds positive and I hope Mango is on the mend from this point forward.