Could the vets have known?

Question

Last year my cat died of a heart attack due to an enlarged heart, but in 2004 she had been ran over and she had a broken back. Wouldn't the X-rays have told the vets she had an enlarged heart or can this develop over time?

Answer 1

Heart enlargement develops over time, and 4 years is a long time in the life of a cat.  There may have been no sign of an enlarged heart at that time.  Blood clots, which often form in an enlarged heart, don't give any warning before they strike.  Also, what view you take on an x-ray depends on what you're looking for.  A view to evaluate the heart is taken differently than a view to look at the spine.

Answer 2

I don't think that the vets could have seen her heart. I think they only see bones.  

Answer 3

no, they don't always know and that particular defect is hard to detect without very specific and expensive tests. I am very sorry for your loss.

Answer 4

It can develop quite rapidly, with no warning..

Answer 5

yes because there would have been a lrger black space where her heart in than useual

Answer 6

The heart can form a hemorrhage at any time, and an aneurysm can occur, especially after any shock or stress, even after such a long interval of time.

There probably wasn't any way for your vet to know if any medical risk to the heart, or any other organ, would/could occur.

Your cat presumably had a wonderful life, with a devoted owner, so I shouldn't  worry about the 'end' of your cats life, just remember the special time and relationship you had with him/her, whilst you were together.

Caramac x

Answer 7

Chances are it was a complication of the accident. The signs of heart failure in kitties is about same in humans, and vets would've picked up on the edema aspect (especially at the time of the accident).

X-Rays would've just shown things like pleural effusion (fluid in the lungs that is a by product of an enlarged heart -- why CHF and CRF kitties are given Lasix [same heart meds used in humans are used with cats] to help control the water in the lungs and free body spaces).

If the signs weren't seen then, kitty more than likely either was beginning to have heart failure, or the accident created it. There's no blood panel to detect heart failure itself (the main diagnostic in pet medicine), and like in humans, it's often a silent killer.