<p>One of our animals has heart disease. My question is about giving him Revolution so he doesn’t get fleas, etc. (Believe me, going outside is what his life has been about. He’s a killer.) </p>
<p>The last 2 times he’s been treated, he’s turned way down, meaning he shows distress and becomes incontinent - or rather, he pees on the bathroom rug, which is not the form of continence we desire. The distress is heavier breathing with body and head rocking motion that indicates fluid buildup in the chest. </p>
<p>If you know anything about cats and heart disease, there isn’t much you can give them unless they’re on the verge of shutdown. The arsenal is really blood pressure meds - which also vasodilate - and diuretic. I’ve learned to watch his breathing and posture. If he sits upright a lot and lies in a straight line without bringing his back legs up, then he has fluid in his chest and he needs more diuretic. Digoxin is toxic for cats, which is too bad. </p>
<p>The last 2x he’s had Revolution he’s required big hits of diuretic. Last time was somewhat of a surprise and I thought he was going to go. Each breath was a little “huh” sound and he needed help getting up on anything to sit. This time I was watching more closely and he seems to be bouncing back again without approaching death. He now has his back legs curled up so the double dose yesterday and extra half pill today seems to be doing it.</p>
<p>Has anyone had this experience? Anyone know of why it may happen? I know Revolution covers heart worm. I’m wondering if we should switch him to a different treatment, maybe Advantage, that covers less but doesn’t (?) hit the heart so much.</p>
<p>It’s weird watching his heart function shift. This cat is on, by my calculation, his 87th life. He was hit by a car when he was little and dragged himself home by his front legs. Not kidding, I found him pulling himself up the driveway, which is very long. He was minutes from dying when he developed stones - always on a Sunday night with cats. He was essentially gone this spring when his brother brought in a virulent disease that just beat him into the floor and which brought out the underlying heart disease. We kept him alive by shooting electrolytes down his throat. Twice since we’ve brought out the shroud for burying him but he keeps coming back. I want to make the process easier for him, so if Revolution is a problem then …</p>
<p>I sure wouldn’t put my pet on a flea med that showed obvious symptoms of distress.
There are other products, and each has a different chemical make-up. If fleas are the problem, I’d try a product that only claims to kill fleas, (not ticks or heartworm). You could also give him a smaller dose at first, to see how he reacts. You definitely need to wait until the current medication has run it’s course, however. Don’t double up.</p>
<p>Do you really need a flea medication? Can you use a topical one instead? I don’t know where you live, but there are areas where heartworm is not an issue.</p>
<p>We lost a cat due to flea medication. Since then, our other cat is kept indoors only. He’s been healthy, and happy. We all started a designated time for each of us to play and stimulate him. No more late night or weekend runs to the local emergency vet clinic. I think we may have helped him pay for his vacation home over the past 10 years! I have seen some homeopathic flea remedies at health stores, not sure if they work. Best of luck.</p>
<p>We had completely indoor (pedigreed cats) in Dallas (we still do, but we aren’t in Dallas). We had a HORRIBLE flea problem. Fleas would come into the house on our shoes. This was pre-Revolution/Advantage etc. We bombed and dipped and sprayed. it was truly awful. The same thing happened to my daughter in Houston with a totally indoor cat.</p>
<p>Here in TN we treat our dog but not the indoor cats and we haven’t seen a flea (fingers crossed).</p>
<p>I would check with the vet on some other treatment that might not affect the heart as much.</p>
<p>With a cat in such ill health, why wouldn’t you put this question to your vet–or better, to a vet specializing in heart issues–rather than to a message board?</p>
<p>I’m asking this board because I want to hear what people think and their experiences and because our vet, though very good and a cat specialist, is not very good at communicating. I intend to ask him but I want to be prepared so I can have a better talk with him. I’ve learned that works better with him. Even if what I learn is wrong, if I can say things to him then I get responses and that pulls more information out of him. He’s shy and I think he’s learned over the decades that people can be nuts about their cats.</p>
<p>BTW, to be clear, we’re amazed the cat is alive. Everyone is, the vet included. We sometimes refer to him as Lazarus. Ridiculously resilient animal. And the cool thing is that he’s more active and alert than he’s been in years. He isn’t play fighting with his brother like he used to love but except for these episodes of near death you’d think he was a little thin but otherwise normal. He’s acting half his age. </p>
<p>I’m just glad he’s bouncing back because he’s really my kid’s cat and she’ll be home for a week. He was barely alive when she left and she had a tear-filled goodbye forever talk with him. If he was heading down, I would have told her not to come home until he was gone.</p>
<p>emeraldkity4, problem is you don’t know if it’s making him ill until it happens twice. Now I’m convinced.</p>
<p>We’re lucky enough to have a branch of the Cornell Vet service nearby–our own all-purpose vet has referred us their for specialized issues. Sometimes, just as with humans, a generalist is not the best option for medical care. Perhaps you should ask your vet for a referral, especially if he’s hard to communicate with.</p>
<p>I hope your cat is doing better. Has your vet recommended a Cat Cardiologist? Depending on where you live, the cardiologist may only do weekly visits to your area.</p>
<p>We have plenty of cat specialists around. My vet does cats only. He brings in a wide variety of experts. To be honest, I’m leery about spending more on a cat whose prognosis is a few months. Cat vets want to test, test, test because their patients are so freaking uncooperative. </p>
<p>The more I’ve researched, the more I’m seeing that not much is described. I’ve been searching medical research literature. Anecdotal reports of a cat dying. The approval process for Revolution had one death, a stray kitten that was treated and died in 8 hours. They note the kitten was ill and under-nourished. I gather there’s evidence that it can be a problem in cats that are compromised but, frankly, it’s really hard to tell with cats because they hide illness so well and it may be the event, like the treatment for fleas, is more of a trigger for an underlying issue than the whole cause. </p>
<p>I know we’re not going to treat him with it again. I’m more trying to understand the issue now.</p>