----- Original Message ----- From: Tad Burnett To: [email protected] Sent: Wednesday, September 13, 2006 3:52 PM Subject: Re: Diane - heart murmurs and pilling
>Yes... Heart murmurs seem to go along with something being off in a blood work up count... >I have seen it along with kidney failure... Hi Tad, Anemia is common cause of murmurs in cats with FeLV and CRF. Anemia decreases blood viscosity. As packed cell volume (PCV)decreases, blood becomes more like water, making it easier for turbulence to develop. Stroke volume also increases in anemic cats to compensate for the loss of oxygen-carrying units (red blood cells). The combination of the decreased viscosity and the increased stroke volume (increased velocity) can easily produce a heart murmur. These types of murmurs usually dissapear when the anemia is corrected. Most important murmurs are at least grade III, I & IIs are often found in normal cats. Its almost impossible to tell the difference between an innocent and a functional murmur without additional testing. Joe
