Heart Arrhythmia

[rkymtnhi62]

Today I got my F6 spay. She is 5 months old. The vet told me the surgery went fine and I pick her up in a couple of hours.
However she told me there was 5 instances of heart Arrhythmia during her surgery. She said while it happens from time to time this was enough to speak to me about, and since she knows I lost mainecoon cat earlier this year to CHF, she said I should probably consult a cardiologist. I phoned and they said depending on if an ultrasound is done or electrocardiogram the cost could be $475.
I called the breeder and they said I am responsible for that, and that if there is a health issue they would take the cat back and give me another. UGH....we LOVE this cat!! The breeder said that it is not uncommon in Savannah's, especially kittens to notice this.
I have no idea if that is true or not.
Do I take her in or not? Is this very unusual?
Lastly, having never had a Savannah before, there is difference in behavior of course. I notice she breathes harder, also I have had some instances where it scared me, she has fallen so deep asleep she is limp and I see her eye whites, but I was told that was deep REM sleep. Have never had this before.
Thanks for any thoughts or help you can offer.
Sue

 

[NikkiA]

Today I got my F6 spay. She is 5 months old. The vet told me the surgery went fine and I pick her up in a couple of hours.
However she told me there was 5 instances of heart Arrhythmia during her surgery. She said while it happens from time to time this was enough to speak to me about, and since she knows I lost mainecoon cat earlier this year to CHF, she said I should probably consult a cardiologist. I phoned and they said depending on if an ultrasound is done or electrocardiogram the cost could be $475.
I called the breeder and they said I am responsible for that, and that if there is a health issue they would take the cat back and give me another. UGH....we LOVE this cat!! The breeder said that it is not uncommon in Savannah's, especially kittens to notice this.
I have no idea if that is true or not.
Do I take her in or not? Is this very unusual?
Lastly, having never had a Savannah before, there is difference in behavior of course. I notice she breathes harder, also I have had some instances where it scared me, she has fallen so deep asleep she is limp and I see her eye whites, but I was told that was deep REM sleep. Have never had this before.
Thanks for any thoughts or help you can offer.
Sue

I'm sorry to hear this Sue.
To start with, if your vet recommended you consult a cardiologist, I certainly would.
I can't really speak to what is and isn't normal for a SV vs. a DSH, as I've only ever had SV's, but I don't think my boys breathe any harder than any other cat.
Sending you hugs and good thoughts.

 

[WitchyWoman]

Sue...for your peace of mind, you should consider seeing the cardiologist.

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

It is not normal for Savannahs to have heart disease, any more than it is common for the domestic shorthair. BUT HCM (hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, the most common form of kitty heart disease) is the most common cause of cat death after car accidents...so heart disease IS common in cats.

I most definitely would recommend taking your cat to a board-certified cardiology vet! With careful management they can live years... my 7 year old Brit was recently diagnosed with HCM, he will now need ultrasounds every 6 months to monitor his disease and medications added when needed.

 

[Patti]

Well, first of all there are many different types of arrythmias, so it would be important to know what kind of arrythmia your kitty was having, as that could influence his prognosis. I suppose every kitty, just like every human has an occasional irregular heart beat, it doesn't necessarily mean that anything is wrong. However if the vet felt it occurred frequently enough to comment on it then I would want it evaluated further. As Brigitte suggested I would see a board certified cardiology veterinarian (if one is available in your area) and discuss with him/her what the best test(s) would be to further work her up.

 

[Patti]

Brigitte I'm very sorry to hear about Georgie, hopefully he will continue to have a long and happy life!

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

Brigitte I'm very sorry to hear about Georgie, hopefully he will continue to have a long and happy life!

Thanks, Patti!

So far it is not significant enough to warrant medication, so hoping it continues to progress slowly and we get many more years out of him. Zari and Lila would be devastated to lose him...as of course would we :-(