03/09/2022
Winston, an extremely handsome 1.5-year-old British Shorthair cat, is the love of his mom’s life...and we can totally see why! He is as sweet and affectionate as he is handsome. Winston was referred to us by Dr. Quigley of PAWS-Potomac Animal Wellness Services to evaluate a soft, intermittent heart murmur that was noted during Winston’s first kitten exam in November 2020.
After seeing Stephanie Savino, DVM, Residency Trained in Cardiology for an exam and echocardiogram, we were saddened to find that Winston has a congenital cardiac defect- a large atrial septal defect (ASD).
An ASD occurs because of abnormal development of the structure that separates the left and right atria (called the interatrial septum), during fetal development. With a large-sized defect, there is significant left to right shunting of blood, resulting in volume overload and cardiac enlargement. The shunting also increases pulmonary blood flow and, over time, can result in pulmonary hypertension (high blood pressure in the lungs). The long-term prognosis for Winston is unknown at this time, although we do worry about onset of pulmonary hypertension or development of right-sided congestive heart failure at a young age given the large size of the defect.
We will continue to monitor Winston closely and adjust therapy as indicated based on follow-up echocardiography, at-home monitoring for clinical signs, and with the help of PAWS-Potomac Animal Wellness Services with periodic exams and labs. We are hopeful that Winston will do well with treatment, and that we can maintain his good quality of life!
CVCA Springfield is located inside Regional Veterinary Referral Center.
