Apricot Update
My vet called earlier this morning. The news isn't awful. :) Apricot's heart does show mild changes and she has arrhythmia. So... she's going in for an EKG on Thursday, to find out where the arrhythmia is originating from in her heart. Her blood pressure also needs to be checked, as her heart rate is high at 180-190, and should be 170 for a healthy cat.
The treatment is 1/4 tablet of Atenolol per day. My vet said she would see about giving me up to 5 months' worth of it because that will lower costs for me, since there is a prescription fee for this drug.
Apricot will need to go back for tests about four weeks after starting the Atenolol to see if she has stabilized. She'll need to have another blood test then, as well, to see if her liver enzymes are back to normal (she's been on antibiotics since last week to treat that, two more weeks to go!). She can't go under anesthetic to have her resorptive lesions removed until the vet knows she is stable enough not to have a higher-than-normal risk of complications.
Meanwhile, Apricot seems to be her normal, affectionate little self. So... keeping my fingers crossed for her. The prognosis is good; we seem to have caught the problem early.
The treatment is 1/4 tablet of Atenolol per day. My vet said she would see about giving me up to 5 months' worth of it because that will lower costs for me, since there is a prescription fee for this drug.
Apricot will need to go back for tests about four weeks after starting the Atenolol to see if she has stabilized. She'll need to have another blood test then, as well, to see if her liver enzymes are back to normal (she's been on antibiotics since last week to treat that, two more weeks to go!). She can't go under anesthetic to have her resorptive lesions removed until the vet knows she is stable enough not to have a higher-than-normal risk of complications.
Meanwhile, Apricot seems to be her normal, affectionate little self. So... keeping my fingers crossed for her. The prognosis is good; we seem to have caught the problem early.