I’ll get right to it: Andy has a heart murmur. It’s a new development, one we need to examine a bit more to determine what happens next.
Monday the 24th at 8:30 AM, Andy and I will return to his veterinarian for measurement of his blood pressure, some X-rays, an ECG, and possibly an ultrasound. I’ll stay with him for the first part, maybe stick around till it’s all done. What the first part of the tests reveals will determine all that. He may have to take medicine for it or not, another thing to be determined
That noted, I easily caught Andy for today’s appointment. He was asleep in the dryer, his favorite hidey hole for heavy sleeping. He hasn’t made a peep before when put in the carrier, but today he made upset sounds more like Dougy usually makes: He was not happy!
Andy weighed in at 10.4 pounds (4.7 kilos), which is a bit heavier than last time, but still a good weight for him.
His teeth are great! A long time ago, he had to have one of those tiny incisors on the bottom removed because it was rubbing against the canine above it. You can’t tell he had one removed. Crowded and crooked teeth aren’t all that unusual in Persians. Had we left the incisor in, it eventually would’ve worn a spot on the inside of the canine, a more critical tooth.
Poor Andy! Today he wanted back in the carrier! I think he was a bit frightened, something not typical for him.
Ms. Veterinarian Technician calmed and reassured poor Andy. He needed all the calming we could give him. After she put him back down on the examination table, I stroked his back and scratched his ears just the way he likes it. He calmed down between our “treatments”.
I kid you not, I am concerned. Though Andy and Dougy both went through some horrific health issues as kittens, things’ve been relatively routine since. Teeth issues for Andy; eye issues for Dougy. Both required a little extra care, but nothing too extreme to assure the boys are comfortable, happy, and healthy.
I remind myself that my mother, who died just weeks short of her 99th birthday, also had a heart murmur. She was very athletic most of her life, and the murmur caused her no problems other than it was just there, something to track “just in case….”
Monday the 24th, the day I take Andy back in for the tests, would’ve been Mom’s 100th birthday. No connection, but sometimes there are odd coincidences that cause you to pause.
