Congestive heart failure (CHF) in cats is fluid build-up in or around the lungs because a diseased heart can no longer keep filling pressures normal. Almost every case is caused by a cardiomyopathy, most often hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), and many cats show no signs until they arrive in severe respiratory distress. The NAVLE expects you to stabilize the cat before you image it, to know when to drain the chest, and to dose furosemide and clopidogrel correctly.
Key facts
Congestive heart failure at a glance- Species and system: cat; cardiovascular (left-sided failure presents as respiratory disease).
- Cause: cardiomyopathy, mostly HCM (estimated prevalence about 15% of cats, up to 29% in older cats); also restrictive, dilated and arrhythmogenic forms. Hyperthyroidism and hypertension can mimic or worsen HCM.
- Classic presentation: middle-aged to older cat with sudden tachypnea and labored breathing, often hypothermic, with a gallop sound; owners may have noticed nothing beforehand.
- Feline twist: left-sided failure in cats causes pulmonary edema, pleural effusion or both.
- Key drugs: furosemide for every cat in CHF; clopidogrel 18.75 mg/cat once daily when the left atrium is moderately to severely enlarged.
- Complication to know: arterial thromboembolism (ATE).
- Zoonotic or reportable: neither.
What's inside
12 sections in the full guide- Key facts
- How the NAVLE tests this
- Cause and pathophysiology
- Clinical signs
- Diagnosis
- Differential diagnoses
- Treatment and management
- Prevention, control and public health
- Prognosis
- Quick review
- Test yourself
- References
The full guide also has 5 tables, 3 figures, 3 self-test questions and 16 references, available to NAVLE members.
Read the full study guide
The full guide is part of every NAVLE plan, with diagnosis and treatment tables, figures, a quick review and self-test questions. Start a free trial to try the question bank, or log in if you are already a member.