WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.600 --> 00:00:01.280 Love Babe. 2 00:00:02.240 --> 00:00:03.600 This is pet Life Radio. 3 00:00:04.040 --> 00:00:08.000 Let's Talk pets. 4 00:00:24.000 --> 00:00:27.399 Hello, cat lovers, Welcome to catatun I'm your show host 5 00:00:27.519 --> 00:00:31.519 Michelle Burne and I have a great show be today 6 00:00:31.879 --> 00:00:34.320 because it deals with the health of our cats, and 7 00:00:34.359 --> 00:00:37.320 what's more important than that. So stay tuned and we'll 8 00:00:37.359 --> 00:00:38.000 be right back. 9 00:00:42.079 --> 00:00:46.000 You know the expression cats have nine lives? Well, what 10 00:00:46.079 --> 00:00:48.880 if you can give them one more? But give them ten? 11 00:00:48.960 --> 00:00:52.200 Movement is on a mission to help give cats an 12 00:00:52.240 --> 00:00:56.920 extra life. How with spae and neoter spain or nootering 13 00:00:57.000 --> 00:01:00.799 your cat helps them live a longer, healthier life and 14 00:01:01.240 --> 00:01:05.480 it helps control free rolling cat populations too. Learn more 15 00:01:05.560 --> 00:01:09.120 about the benefits of spae and neuter and meet Scooter, 16 00:01:09.560 --> 00:01:13.519 the neutered cat at give them ten dot org. That's 17 00:01:13.560 --> 00:01:16.439 give them ten dot org. 18 00:01:18.640 --> 00:01:32.120 Let's talk pets on Petlifradio dot com. 19 00:01:32.280 --> 00:01:35.840 Welcome back everyone. I'd like to welcome doctor Heather Davis. 20 00:01:36.079 --> 00:01:39.319 She is a DVM and she is the director of 21 00:01:39.439 --> 00:01:44.519 Clinical Affairs and Veterinary Services for Pegasus. And Pegasus is 22 00:01:44.799 --> 00:01:48.599 a company that is under PBI Gordon which they're the 23 00:01:48.640 --> 00:01:53.879 maker of lots of wonderful medications for your cats. So 24 00:01:54.239 --> 00:01:56.079 welcome doctor Heather to the show. 25 00:01:56.239 --> 00:01:58.239 Thank you, Michelle for such a warm welcome. I'm looking 26 00:01:58.280 --> 00:01:59.560 forward to talking with you today. 27 00:01:59.680 --> 00:02:02.959 So we talked about a bit about your company, but 28 00:02:03.079 --> 00:02:07.040 we're really going to focus on something that is pretty common, 29 00:02:07.200 --> 00:02:10.159 more common than you would think, in cats, and that's 30 00:02:10.439 --> 00:02:13.639 HCM hypertrophic cardiomipathy. 31 00:02:13.919 --> 00:02:21.240 Yeah, very good, hypert it's a mouthful, I know. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Unfortunately, 32 00:02:21.479 --> 00:02:23.759 you're right, affects a lot of cats. About one in 33 00:02:23.919 --> 00:02:27.960 seven cats has the disease. And what's really been kind 34 00:02:27.960 --> 00:02:31.360 of said and frustrating for veterinarians is this disease is 35 00:02:31.840 --> 00:02:36.400 known as the silent killer in you know, our feline patients, 36 00:02:36.439 --> 00:02:40.280 and it's because the cats don't present with anything wrong 37 00:02:40.319 --> 00:02:43.639 with them until the disease is so far progressed that 38 00:02:43.680 --> 00:02:46.919 the cats are actually having pretty serious side effects and 39 00:02:47.039 --> 00:02:50.479 so getting the cat seen and looked at early on 40 00:02:50.639 --> 00:02:51.520 is so important. 41 00:02:51.800 --> 00:02:54.879 Okay, what would you say as to why this is 42 00:02:55.159 --> 00:02:58.919 so common in cats, more common than we would imagine. 43 00:02:59.120 --> 00:03:02.199 So that's a and there's a couple of different factors 44 00:03:02.759 --> 00:03:06.080 the disease process. In some of the breeds like rag 45 00:03:06.159 --> 00:03:09.439 dolls and sphinx and main coon. We know that there 46 00:03:09.520 --> 00:03:13.080 is a genetic link to the disease process. But we 47 00:03:13.159 --> 00:03:16.639 also know that there's other populations of our feline kitties 48 00:03:16.680 --> 00:03:19.879 that something is wrong with their heart muscle, and so 49 00:03:20.000 --> 00:03:22.680 that heart muscle tends to just start working in a 50 00:03:22.800 --> 00:03:26.159 really kind of abnormal way. It works too hard, actually, 51 00:03:26.639 --> 00:03:30.479 and the muscle itself gets pretty stiff and enlarges. And 52 00:03:30.520 --> 00:03:33.719 when it does that, it causes the left side of 53 00:03:33.759 --> 00:03:36.800 the heart, the muscle to get thicker. And then when 54 00:03:36.840 --> 00:03:39.960 it gets thicker, it takes up space in the left ventricle, 55 00:03:40.120 --> 00:03:43.439 and so it decreases the heart's ability to fill and 56 00:03:43.479 --> 00:03:46.199 then ultimately pump blood out to the rest of the 57 00:03:46.199 --> 00:03:46.879 cat's body. 58 00:03:47.280 --> 00:03:50.520 Okay, and of course it's heart disease for people. You 59 00:03:50.599 --> 00:03:54.879 think of heart disease, and yes, there's certain physical, you know, 60 00:03:55.000 --> 00:03:58.719 features to your body and genetics, but stress and I 61 00:03:58.759 --> 00:04:02.360 wouldn't associate heart disease with cats because I mean, they're 62 00:04:02.360 --> 00:04:06.080 the most chill creatures around, right, They sleep like eighteen 63 00:04:06.120 --> 00:04:09.400 hours a day and they're pretty mallow. So you think 64 00:04:09.479 --> 00:04:13.319 of heart disease and go, whoa, But it's genetic, So 65 00:04:13.879 --> 00:04:16.800 would you say it's more genetic than not? 66 00:04:17.279 --> 00:04:20.040 We do know right now, as you know, medicine is 67 00:04:20.040 --> 00:04:22.639 always evolving, right, and so what we've been able to 68 00:04:22.639 --> 00:04:26.680 tell in those specific breeds there's a genetic component to it, 69 00:04:27.000 --> 00:04:29.360 and we're in the process of identifying it better so 70 00:04:29.399 --> 00:04:32.680 that we can diagnose it in these cats as far 71 00:04:32.680 --> 00:04:35.800 as that genetic component a little bit easier and faster, 72 00:04:36.399 --> 00:04:39.360 But in the rest of the population it can be 73 00:04:39.600 --> 00:04:42.839 an abnormality of this the heart muscle itself. And you're 74 00:04:42.920 --> 00:04:45.879 right is the fact is that because you know kitties, 75 00:04:46.199 --> 00:04:48.680 they sleep all day, or they're more relaxed, or they 76 00:04:48.720 --> 00:04:52.120 hide away, and it's harder for them, the pet parents 77 00:04:52.160 --> 00:04:55.639 to detect if there is something wrong with their kitties, 78 00:04:56.000 --> 00:04:59.480 which makes it even more complicated with this disease process. 79 00:05:00.120 --> 00:05:02.800 Okay, thanks, and you hit on something else and we 80 00:05:02.879 --> 00:05:06.759 talk about this. I've talked about this pretty frequently on Catitude, 81 00:05:06.759 --> 00:05:09.839 but it's it's one of those things you can not 82 00:05:10.199 --> 00:05:14.639 tell cat parents enough. Cats are stoic creatures. I experienced 83 00:05:14.639 --> 00:05:17.560 this with Dennis when he had crystals in his urine, 84 00:05:18.079 --> 00:05:21.160 very different to what we're talking about here, but I 85 00:05:21.160 --> 00:05:23.959 didn't know how bad off he was until he started 86 00:05:24.000 --> 00:05:27.160 to make this like a like an owl like sound, 87 00:05:27.240 --> 00:05:31.160 like not like a meal, Like, how can I like 88 00:05:31.240 --> 00:05:34.199 blown around? It was a weird sound. So he rained, 89 00:05:34.519 --> 00:05:37.800 but one place wanted to put him down and I said, no, 90 00:05:37.879 --> 00:05:40.120 we're not doing that, and so I went to the vet. 91 00:05:40.199 --> 00:05:42.959 It was like Saturday after or Sunday afternoon or something, 92 00:05:43.639 --> 00:05:45.839 and so then I went to the vet Monday and 93 00:05:46.319 --> 00:05:48.839 he had to have surgery this whole thing, but I 94 00:05:49.000 --> 00:05:52.480 wasn't even aware. So what is your view on that? 95 00:05:52.560 --> 00:05:55.279 Because it's really hard to tell when our cats aren't 96 00:05:55.279 --> 00:05:57.600 doing well. So what do you use as to pet 97 00:05:57.680 --> 00:06:00.279 parents Because a lot of times you're like, yeah, they're fine, 98 00:06:00.279 --> 00:06:02.160 they don't nip to go the doctor. You know, it's 99 00:06:02.160 --> 00:06:02.639 a seed to that. 100 00:06:03.000 --> 00:06:05.040 So one of the easiest things that a pet parent 101 00:06:05.079 --> 00:06:08.399 can do is well their kitty is sleeping, is to 102 00:06:08.439 --> 00:06:11.560 count the number of breasts that their kitty is taking 103 00:06:11.920 --> 00:06:15.040 and to time it. And what we're looking for is 104 00:06:15.399 --> 00:06:19.600 a normal a cat should breathe while they're sleeping thirty times. 105 00:06:19.680 --> 00:06:23.759 Let anything less than thirty is a normal resting breath rate. 106 00:06:24.360 --> 00:06:26.399 And if they do that, then they can kind of 107 00:06:26.439 --> 00:06:29.279 track whether or not it's abnormal. So if you're a 108 00:06:29.319 --> 00:06:31.240 kitty is sleeping and you count the number of breasts 109 00:06:31.240 --> 00:06:34.480 they take in a minute, and if it's greater than thirty, 110 00:06:34.879 --> 00:06:36.800 then they should definitely take their kiddy into the vat 111 00:06:36.879 --> 00:06:39.000 and get it looked at. That's something that we have 112 00:06:39.160 --> 00:06:42.079 learned over the last few years is HCM has become 113 00:06:42.759 --> 00:06:46.199 more popular as far as getting the genetic tests and 114 00:06:46.240 --> 00:06:50.279 finding what diagnostics will help confirm the disease. But what 115 00:06:50.319 --> 00:06:53.279 the pet parent really can do is count the breasts 116 00:06:53.279 --> 00:06:55.720 while they're sleeping and keep track of it, because those 117 00:06:55.720 --> 00:06:58.199 are good indications that there might be something going on. 118 00:06:58.680 --> 00:07:02.480 That is fantastic stick information. I've never heard that a 119 00:07:02.519 --> 00:07:05.680 bread test to check their heart. So do you find 120 00:07:06.040 --> 00:07:10.199 in your experience that there's challenges out there because there's 121 00:07:10.279 --> 00:07:14.639 so much information with the Internet, and then there's talimed, 122 00:07:14.720 --> 00:07:19.720 which this is nothing against talamed, but there's so many 123 00:07:20.120 --> 00:07:23.319 opportunities for pet parents to get wrong information. 124 00:07:23.759 --> 00:07:24.399 So do you do? 125 00:07:24.800 --> 00:07:26.560 Yeah? Do you see these all the time? I would 126 00:07:26.560 --> 00:07:29.120 find it if I was a veterinarian pretty discouraging, just 127 00:07:29.160 --> 00:07:31.839 because people would come in and self Like people self 128 00:07:31.879 --> 00:07:35.439 diagnose themselves. They're probably doing that for their cats. 129 00:07:35.040 --> 00:07:38.279 Right, So sometimes I feel like my work associate is 130 00:07:38.319 --> 00:07:42.079 doctor Google, and I think that that we have to 131 00:07:42.079 --> 00:07:45.000 be very careful with that and with this particular disease. 132 00:07:45.720 --> 00:07:48.279 If a pet parent were to say, notice that their 133 00:07:48.399 --> 00:07:51.360 cat was breathing greater than thirty breasts per minute, the 134 00:07:51.399 --> 00:07:53.639 best thing they can do is go into the veterinary 135 00:07:53.639 --> 00:07:56.839 And we can't stress that enough because that veterinarian. One 136 00:07:56.839 --> 00:07:59.639 of the other steps that the veterinarian needs to take 137 00:07:59.680 --> 00:08:01.560 in or to be able to diagnose it, is to 138 00:08:01.600 --> 00:08:04.879 listen to the kitty's heart. Kitties, like you said, you know, 139 00:08:04.920 --> 00:08:08.560 are they're very stoic and they're quiet. They're also very 140 00:08:08.680 --> 00:08:10.920 variable when they go places as far as what kind 141 00:08:10.920 --> 00:08:13.879 of physical exam findings that they will have, and so 142 00:08:14.079 --> 00:08:15.759 you really want to get them into the clinic to 143 00:08:15.800 --> 00:08:18.680 allow that veterinarian to do a couple of things. Number One, 144 00:08:18.720 --> 00:08:20.560 listen to their heart, and they're going to listen to 145 00:08:20.560 --> 00:08:24.000 see if there's a heart murmur. This particular disease has 146 00:08:24.040 --> 00:08:27.319 a particular murmur that's very very common that a veterinarian 147 00:08:27.360 --> 00:08:28.759 can hear, and so you want to be able to 148 00:08:28.759 --> 00:08:31.480 hear it. But also the veterinarian needs to get some 149 00:08:31.519 --> 00:08:34.000 blood work, and that way, there's a lot of things 150 00:08:34.000 --> 00:08:35.679 that can be checked off the list. I'm sure when 151 00:08:35.720 --> 00:08:38.120 your kitty was sick they ran blood work on it 152 00:08:38.159 --> 00:08:40.679 as well, just to double check it. And so getting 153 00:08:40.960 --> 00:08:43.440 into the clinic to allow a veterinarian to really do 154 00:08:43.480 --> 00:08:46.519 a very thorough physical exam, to be able to you know, 155 00:08:46.600 --> 00:08:49.320 start working through some of the diagnostics is important. 156 00:08:49.720 --> 00:08:54.159 Yeah, so it seems so. So what happens to you know, 157 00:08:54.399 --> 00:08:58.200 what can the parent expect if they did the bread test, 158 00:08:58.360 --> 00:09:02.600 they took their pat too the terinarian and they unfortunately 159 00:09:02.919 --> 00:09:08.120 get the diagnosis that their cat has HCM. Is it treatable? Livable? 160 00:09:08.440 --> 00:09:10.840 Is it like, oh, it's It's not the end of 161 00:09:10.840 --> 00:09:14.279 the world, right, Hopefully their cat can be treated. Do 162 00:09:14.399 --> 00:09:15.320 they need surgery? 163 00:09:15.840 --> 00:09:19.639 So I think right now it is so important, especially 164 00:09:19.639 --> 00:09:22.679 with the breath tests, knowing about it and advocating for it. 165 00:09:22.759 --> 00:09:25.600 Is getting the cats into the veterinarian as early as 166 00:09:25.639 --> 00:09:29.639 possible in this disease process. That way, when the veterinarian 167 00:09:29.759 --> 00:09:32.120 the cat cut does come in, they can start, you know, 168 00:09:32.159 --> 00:09:35.879 they can get blood work and evaluate the overall body 169 00:09:35.960 --> 00:09:39.399 system of the cat. This particular diagnosis sometimes is not 170 00:09:39.639 --> 00:09:42.960 super straightforward, and so they have to Veterinarians will have 171 00:09:43.039 --> 00:09:46.360 to rule out other causes that can you know, almost 172 00:09:46.440 --> 00:09:51.120 act like this disease, and so working through those different diagnostics, 173 00:09:51.200 --> 00:09:54.799 you know, getting the blood work, taking a chest X ray. Ultimately, 174 00:09:54.960 --> 00:09:58.840 you know, depending on how it is presenting, getting an echocardiogram, 175 00:09:59.000 --> 00:10:01.960 which is an ultrasound to the heart is the definitive 176 00:10:01.960 --> 00:10:04.919 way to be able to diagnose it. And if you've 177 00:10:05.000 --> 00:10:09.240 diagnosed it early, then it allows the veterinarian to make 178 00:10:09.519 --> 00:10:12.360 choices as far as medications that can help the cat 179 00:10:13.200 --> 00:10:17.039 and hopefully you know, facilitate prolonging the disease process and 180 00:10:17.080 --> 00:10:21.320 intervening there earlier. Unfortunately, you know, because the cats are 181 00:10:21.360 --> 00:10:24.919 stoic and they're not going to probably relay those clinical 182 00:10:24.960 --> 00:10:28.240 signs that there is a problem. What's been an issue 183 00:10:28.360 --> 00:10:31.759 in veterinary medicine is that a pet parent will leave 184 00:10:31.799 --> 00:10:34.039 for work one day and then when they come home, 185 00:10:34.279 --> 00:10:36.480 then the kitty is really really sick and they don't 186 00:10:36.519 --> 00:10:39.600 know why. So really getting in and having those screening 187 00:10:39.879 --> 00:10:43.720 veterinary appointments where the doctor can get a baseline and 188 00:10:43.759 --> 00:10:46.080 to get an idea and intervene early as key. 189 00:10:46.399 --> 00:10:48.240 Okay, good to Now we're going to take a short 190 00:10:48.279 --> 00:10:49.360 break and we'll be right. 191 00:10:49.240 --> 00:10:54.799 Back, real people, real stories. 192 00:10:55.000 --> 00:10:58.200 Our lim dog have helouted this one problem. The chemotherapy 193 00:10:58.279 --> 00:11:01.679 lasted for six months, started to developing more lymph nose, 194 00:11:01.799 --> 00:11:04.279 so I thought I'd just try carnivora. The lymph nose 195 00:11:04.320 --> 00:11:06.320 started to go down. Then I took him into the 196 00:11:06.399 --> 00:11:08.080 vet to him checked out and then there was no 197 00:11:08.200 --> 00:11:09.240 signs at all inside. 198 00:11:09.320 --> 00:11:11.639 My cat had issues that developed in his height. And 199 00:11:11.720 --> 00:11:14.200 three months later my ven airing said let's go ahead 200 00:11:14.240 --> 00:11:16.960 and remove the eye. I heard the carnivor on advertising, 201 00:11:17.200 --> 00:11:18.840 so I said, you know what, I'm going to order 202 00:11:18.879 --> 00:11:21.360 this product. They did the procedure, they did all the 203 00:11:21.360 --> 00:11:23.200 death and they said, I don't know what you did 204 00:11:23.600 --> 00:11:25.519 this product they had eye. 205 00:11:25.840 --> 00:11:27.080 I've got a labrador. 206 00:11:27.320 --> 00:11:29.840 You could hardly lift yourself up off the door. The 207 00:11:29.879 --> 00:11:31.279 treatment was chemotherapy. 208 00:11:31.519 --> 00:11:33.879 That's when I said this could be the ticket. About 209 00:11:33.960 --> 00:11:36.919 three weeks you could tell she was very alert. She 210 00:11:37.039 --> 00:11:38.480 was going on buy my lock and. 211 00:11:38.639 --> 00:11:40.440 She is just like crime again. 212 00:11:40.720 --> 00:11:43.639 Well eight six six eight three six eight seven three 213 00:11:43.720 --> 00:11:46.799 five that's eight six six eight three six eight seven 214 00:11:46.879 --> 00:11:47.399 three five. 215 00:11:47.759 --> 00:11:49.600 Or visit carnivore dot com. 216 00:11:49.720 --> 00:11:52.879 That's c A R N I v r A dot com. 217 00:11:53.080 --> 00:11:57.080 Use promo code pet Life at checkout for fifteen percent 218 00:11:57.240 --> 00:12:00.360 off your order at Carnivora dot com. 219 00:12:01.159 --> 00:12:05.320 Let's talk past Let's Life Radio Headline Radio. 220 00:12:05.519 --> 00:12:18.440 Pet Live Radio dot com. 221 00:12:18.600 --> 00:12:23.720 Welcome back everyone. We're talking to doctor Heather about HCM, 222 00:12:23.759 --> 00:12:28.759 which is hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in cats, which is more common 223 00:12:28.759 --> 00:12:32.879 than you would think, so doctor Heather, So let's say 224 00:12:33.000 --> 00:12:35.919 we took our cat to that did the testing and 225 00:12:36.120 --> 00:12:39.200 found out unfortunately the cat has HCM and it was 226 00:12:39.240 --> 00:12:44.000 caught early enough. What should the pet parent expect to do? 227 00:12:44.159 --> 00:12:47.399 Is it just treat with medicine. You usually got a 228 00:12:47.480 --> 00:12:50.759 diagnosis about heart disease and it's shocking. 229 00:12:51.279 --> 00:12:54.840 So you're right, it is shocking. And up until recently, 230 00:12:55.279 --> 00:12:58.840 there wasn't a treatment option for these kiddies. What was 231 00:12:58.879 --> 00:13:02.639 available for treatment and were products that treated in the 232 00:13:02.720 --> 00:13:05.360 kitties when they got more sick and the heart disease 233 00:13:05.480 --> 00:13:09.799 became more aggressive and the kitties were more compromised. And 234 00:13:09.879 --> 00:13:12.200 recently in the last few months that a product has 235 00:13:12.200 --> 00:13:15.360 been improved that allows them a veterinarian an opportunity to 236 00:13:15.360 --> 00:13:18.919 intervene earlier to be able to actually treat it or 237 00:13:18.960 --> 00:13:23.000 manage the disease process. So that is, veterinary medicine is progressing. 238 00:13:23.320 --> 00:13:26.399 But again, getting them in there to be screened early 239 00:13:26.440 --> 00:13:31.559 on allows that opportunity for a product that is designed 240 00:13:31.559 --> 00:13:34.600 to help manage the disease to have at time to 241 00:13:34.919 --> 00:13:38.559 be active and not just rely on the disease progression 242 00:13:38.559 --> 00:13:41.720 and then maintaining the animal's quality of life due to 243 00:13:42.360 --> 00:13:44.080 a really sad disease. 244 00:13:44.519 --> 00:13:48.159 Okay, thank you. Let's talk a little about how medication 245 00:13:48.279 --> 00:13:52.799 is progressing inveterinary medicine. You mentioned that there was a 246 00:13:53.240 --> 00:13:57.120 newer medication approved for HCM. You know, for people, there's 247 00:13:57.159 --> 00:13:59.919 a lot of clinical testing trials and all of it. 248 00:14:00.639 --> 00:14:04.399 How are clinical childs set up for cats? Just kind 249 00:14:04.399 --> 00:14:06.440 of a basic because I'm curious. 250 00:14:06.720 --> 00:14:09.799 Sure, So, I think the first thing that pet parents 251 00:14:09.799 --> 00:14:13.639 should know is that when a drug product says on 252 00:14:13.720 --> 00:14:16.320 a carton or on a bottle that it's been approved 253 00:14:16.360 --> 00:14:20.960 by the FDA, it means that that manufacturer has gone 254 00:14:21.000 --> 00:14:25.480 through the same rigorous standards to prove both safety and 255 00:14:25.679 --> 00:14:30.080 efficacy as a human drug does in order to get 256 00:14:30.559 --> 00:14:33.600 FDA approval. And so some people think that, oh, I 257 00:14:33.639 --> 00:14:36.399 bet you, animal drugs aren't held to the same standard 258 00:14:36.799 --> 00:14:40.840 as say, big pharmaceutical or human pharmaceutical companies are held 259 00:14:40.879 --> 00:14:42.799 to in order to make drugs for humans, and that's 260 00:14:42.840 --> 00:14:47.399 not true. It's the same rigorous standards, and so companies 261 00:14:47.480 --> 00:14:50.720 like the company I work for, we're held accountable to 262 00:14:50.840 --> 00:14:54.440 buy the agency to make sure that the product that 263 00:14:54.480 --> 00:14:57.519 we develop is not only going to work in the pets, 264 00:14:57.559 --> 00:15:00.279 but it's going to be absorbed how as support to 265 00:15:00.320 --> 00:15:03.279 be in order to treat and manage a disease, but 266 00:15:03.360 --> 00:15:06.039 it's also going to be safe for use. And I 267 00:15:06.080 --> 00:15:09.159 think that's very, very important for pet parents that when 268 00:15:09.200 --> 00:15:11.840 you do have a sick animal like kitties that have 269 00:15:12.120 --> 00:15:15.960 hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and you're going to medicate them, you want 270 00:15:16.000 --> 00:15:18.399 them to be on a product that you know is 271 00:15:18.440 --> 00:15:20.600 going to be safe and will help them. 272 00:15:20.879 --> 00:15:26.000 Of course, what are your thoughts on alternative medicine for cats? 273 00:15:26.559 --> 00:15:30.200 So I think that alternative medicine you mean as far 274 00:15:30.240 --> 00:15:35.399 as like laser therapy or acupuncture. Is that what you're asking? 275 00:15:35.799 --> 00:15:40.720 Yes, And I've had all kinds of things, herbs, smelling herbs, 276 00:15:41.000 --> 00:15:43.480 even chocolate therapy for cats. 277 00:15:43.960 --> 00:15:44.120 Right. 278 00:15:44.159 --> 00:15:46.360 I think it's a great question. And I think multimodal 279 00:15:46.399 --> 00:15:51.120 therapy is always something as practitioners we should consider because 280 00:15:51.759 --> 00:15:55.799 I say, kitties are very complex animals. There's a lot 281 00:15:55.840 --> 00:15:59.759 of different things that you know, bringing all aspects of 282 00:16:00.039 --> 00:16:03.600 treatment I think is important. What I do think though, 283 00:16:03.600 --> 00:16:06.519 we have to keep in mind is sometimes those herbs 284 00:16:07.080 --> 00:16:11.679 can interact with traditional medicine. And so if your pet 285 00:16:11.720 --> 00:16:15.200 parent is administering an herb to a kitty for treatment, 286 00:16:15.279 --> 00:16:18.200 for that multimodal therapy, it's so important to let your 287 00:16:18.279 --> 00:16:21.399 veterinarian know that you are administering that because they can 288 00:16:21.440 --> 00:16:23.720 do a search and make sure that there's not going 289 00:16:23.799 --> 00:16:26.600 to be any interactions because even if it is an herb, 290 00:16:26.679 --> 00:16:30.600 sometimes they can alter how other products are absorbed. And 291 00:16:30.639 --> 00:16:33.639 so just letting them know, hey, this is part of 292 00:16:33.679 --> 00:16:36.399 my at home treatment plan, so that the vets can 293 00:16:36.440 --> 00:16:39.759 double check that it's not going to negatively impact a 294 00:16:39.840 --> 00:16:40.960 traditional medicine. 295 00:16:41.159 --> 00:16:43.279 That's a great answer. And I was thinking of something 296 00:16:43.320 --> 00:16:47.440 that's very popular these days is CBD oil for pets. 297 00:16:47.840 --> 00:16:51.159 Yeah, and I think with CBD oil, as with anything, 298 00:16:51.559 --> 00:16:54.200 we always have to be really careful because if products 299 00:16:54.240 --> 00:16:58.120 that are not manufactured in facilities or that are compounded, 300 00:16:58.440 --> 00:17:00.960 they're not held to the same standard as products that 301 00:17:01.000 --> 00:17:04.680 are regulated by the FDA. You know drug companies like 302 00:17:04.720 --> 00:17:07.319 the company I work for, Human drug for companies or 303 00:17:07.640 --> 00:17:10.759 people that manufacture out of facilities that are regulated by 304 00:17:10.839 --> 00:17:13.960 an agency. It means that that agency comes in and 305 00:17:14.000 --> 00:17:17.240 regularly and they checked your work. They make sure that 306 00:17:17.359 --> 00:17:20.279 there's nothing harmful that's in your product, that you have 307 00:17:20.440 --> 00:17:22.920 tests that are in place that make sure that nothing 308 00:17:22.960 --> 00:17:26.640 harmful is getting into the products that are being administered 309 00:17:26.680 --> 00:17:29.759 to any of the animals. But also to make sure 310 00:17:29.799 --> 00:17:31.839 that when you pick up a tablet or you pick 311 00:17:31.920 --> 00:17:34.599 up an oil, that when you look at the label 312 00:17:34.640 --> 00:17:37.000 and it says in each drop of oil or in 313 00:17:37.079 --> 00:17:40.240 each tablet, there's this much product, be it a drug 314 00:17:40.400 --> 00:17:43.519 or an oil, that there is actually that much product available. 315 00:17:43.599 --> 00:17:47.160 Because you know, when your animal is sick, you want 316 00:17:47.160 --> 00:17:49.960 to make sure that the medication, be it herbal supplements 317 00:17:50.079 --> 00:17:52.519 or if it's a drugs, that it is that you 318 00:17:52.599 --> 00:17:55.400 are administering the amount that is supposed to be there 319 00:17:55.720 --> 00:17:58.559 and without being held to standards. It's just it's hard 320 00:17:58.599 --> 00:18:02.440 for hard to say that that's that's true. And when 321 00:18:02.480 --> 00:18:05.480 your pet is as a bad disease such as HCM, 322 00:18:05.599 --> 00:18:07.200 you don't want to take that chance. 323 00:18:07.119 --> 00:18:12.200 Right misdiagnosed or miss calculating dosage. Yeah, exactly so with 324 00:18:12.319 --> 00:18:15.799 the HCM. So let's say you know your cat's diagnosed. 325 00:18:16.279 --> 00:18:18.519 It's not the end of the world. It was caught early, 326 00:18:19.200 --> 00:18:23.160 your cat can go on medication. What is the life 327 00:18:23.319 --> 00:18:27.319 of the cat after the diagnosis? I'm treated? So how 328 00:18:27.319 --> 00:18:28.480 does the life change? 329 00:18:28.839 --> 00:18:31.200 I wish I had a better answer for you. Each 330 00:18:31.279 --> 00:18:34.839 cat is dependent on itself as far as number one, 331 00:18:34.920 --> 00:18:38.160 when in its disease process was it diagnosed. The earlier 332 00:18:38.440 --> 00:18:41.279 you can catch it and intervene, the better, But that 333 00:18:41.440 --> 00:18:46.079 how aggressively that disease progresses is each cat's own journey. 334 00:18:46.079 --> 00:18:48.759 And unfortunately, now that we know what to look for 335 00:18:48.839 --> 00:18:51.720 and we know what to be on on guard for 336 00:18:51.880 --> 00:18:54.799 and what to evaluate, it will help us, as it 337 00:18:54.880 --> 00:18:57.519 veterinary medicine, to be able to give you a better answer. 338 00:18:57.799 --> 00:19:00.359 But unfortunately, right now all we can say is that 339 00:19:00.599 --> 00:19:03.759 early intervention, early screening is one of the best things 340 00:19:03.759 --> 00:19:07.440 that you can do as far as to hopefully slow 341 00:19:07.519 --> 00:19:12.160 that progress. But that cat's own body is going to 342 00:19:12.200 --> 00:19:14.599 determine the rate in which that disease gets. 343 00:19:14.319 --> 00:19:17.279 Worse, right, And no, two cats are like no. 344 00:19:17.400 --> 00:19:18.440 Two cats are like no. 345 00:19:18.799 --> 00:19:23.000 Okay, So, doctor Heather, what would you tell our listening 346 00:19:23.039 --> 00:19:27.000 audience as far as how they should be proactive and 347 00:19:27.079 --> 00:19:31.440 taking care of their cats, help and watching medications and 348 00:19:31.480 --> 00:19:32.039 so forth. 349 00:19:32.279 --> 00:19:35.599 So I think in reference to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, what I 350 00:19:35.640 --> 00:19:39.200 would recommend her listeners would be the next time your 351 00:19:39.240 --> 00:19:42.519 kiddies asleep on your lap, is set a timer. Check 352 00:19:42.559 --> 00:19:45.039 it's a sleeping breath rate, and what you want to 353 00:19:45.079 --> 00:19:48.160 see is anything less than thirty. If it's over thirty. 354 00:19:48.359 --> 00:19:51.319 The next morning is ring your veterinarian, give them a call, 355 00:19:51.400 --> 00:19:52.880 let them know that you want to get them into 356 00:19:52.920 --> 00:19:55.480 the office and have them screened and have a good 357 00:19:55.480 --> 00:19:58.799 physical exam going on. And I think the other thing 358 00:19:58.839 --> 00:20:02.599 that I would say is when your kiddies are sick 359 00:20:02.839 --> 00:20:05.440 and if there is a problem, if it's heart disease 360 00:20:05.519 --> 00:20:09.319 or not, is so important to be aware as far 361 00:20:09.319 --> 00:20:12.079 as what you're giving them. Communicate with you or veterinarian. 362 00:20:12.119 --> 00:20:15.599 If you're using multimodel therapy. But when you're buying products 363 00:20:15.599 --> 00:20:18.839 and you're using it using products that are FDA approved 364 00:20:18.839 --> 00:20:22.799 and come from manufacturers that are held to the standards 365 00:20:23.119 --> 00:20:25.920 that are required in order to get drugs approved, is 366 00:20:26.000 --> 00:20:29.279 really very very important for the safety and efficacy of 367 00:20:29.319 --> 00:20:31.119 the product and your animal doctor. 368 00:20:31.160 --> 00:20:33.680 Heather, thank you so much. You've given us some great 369 00:20:34.000 --> 00:20:38.680 information on HCM. So here's something I'd like to ask, 370 00:20:38.759 --> 00:20:42.640 as you know you're practicing veterinarian, what are some of 371 00:20:42.759 --> 00:20:46.640 your peeves when you are in the office. This is 372 00:20:46.720 --> 00:20:49.799 your chance to vent that drive you crazy that pet 373 00:20:49.839 --> 00:20:50.400 parents do. 374 00:20:50.839 --> 00:20:53.519 I guess the doctor google thing is probably I think 375 00:20:53.519 --> 00:20:57.000 most veterinarians would probably answer that because we always brace 376 00:20:57.079 --> 00:20:59.559 for impact when pet parents say that, but we know 377 00:20:59.599 --> 00:21:01.960 it's the reality. Right. We live in a digital age 378 00:21:01.960 --> 00:21:05.519 where everybody is googling, and I guess what I would 379 00:21:05.519 --> 00:21:09.079 always say is, you know, if you're googling something and 380 00:21:09.160 --> 00:21:11.519 you're trying to diagnose something on your own, you know 381 00:21:11.559 --> 00:21:13.839 you want to make sure it's a reliable source, but 382 00:21:14.000 --> 00:21:15.920 just don't go with the first thing that comes up 383 00:21:15.960 --> 00:21:19.240 on that engine search. And if you have questions, take 384 00:21:19.279 --> 00:21:22.000 them to your veterinarians. Yes, that we might cringe a 385 00:21:22.000 --> 00:21:23.759 little bit when you say that, but I would much 386 00:21:23.839 --> 00:21:27.279 rather you ask me the question then, or go on 387 00:21:27.319 --> 00:21:29.640 your own and we can work through a problem together. 388 00:21:29.680 --> 00:21:32.079 And I think across the board, most veterinarians would say 389 00:21:32.160 --> 00:21:34.720 that is I'd rather you ask, but I do cringe 390 00:21:34.759 --> 00:21:36.559 a little bit because it means that you've done probably 391 00:21:36.559 --> 00:21:39.559 a lot of hard investigative work and I'm going to 392 00:21:39.640 --> 00:21:43.480 have to probably change that narrative a little bit potentially. 393 00:21:43.519 --> 00:21:45.599 But then there's other ones that come in with great sources. 394 00:21:45.640 --> 00:21:48.440 So that's probably my biggest pet peeve is. 395 00:21:48.400 --> 00:21:52.480 That, okay, anything in particular other than that that pet 396 00:21:52.519 --> 00:21:55.599 parents do that you're just like, oh geez, Because I 397 00:21:55.680 --> 00:21:57.680 wonder from the veterinary point of view, if you ever 398 00:21:57.720 --> 00:22:00.599 go and you know, see new patient or someone's coming 399 00:22:00.640 --> 00:22:02.720 in and you're like, oh, I cannot believe this. 400 00:22:03.240 --> 00:22:05.160 So this is gonna sound funny. And this is probably 401 00:22:05.240 --> 00:22:08.119