Kaize my Tuxedo
I was all excited! I had met the staff of the Animal Emergency Treatment Center of Grayslake at the Family Pet Expo at Arlington Race track this past?March. They needed Dogs & Cats as blood donors for their blood bank. What are the Requirements?
CATS:
*Greater than 10 pounds, 1-7 years of age, current on vaccinations and Feline Leukemia/Feline Immunodeficiency Virus negative, indoor only, in good health, no history of breeding or previous blood transfusions, and must have a good disposition.
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My 4 year old cat Kaize is the ideal candidate for it! She is just as sweet & social as can be. ?She is 4 years old & in purrfect health! ?I figured it was a great way to ?Give Back? & help out other peoples pets. ?So I signed her up for the program.
?How Do We Thank You?
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Our blood donors are heroes and deserve special treatment!? They receive the following:
- $25 credit towards AETC hospital services for each donation
- ID tag and?bandana?letting everyone know he/she is a blood donor
- Annual screening bloodwork?until retirement at our expense
- Complete physical examination?and RBC count at each donation
- Blood products at no charge for the donor?s lifetime
- All the?cookies?and?hugs?your pet can handle
- Most importantly, the satisfaction that you and your pet are?saving lives with each donation!
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At our first scheduled visit Kaize was to get a physical exam, blood typed & blood screen panel done. ?The technicican came into the exam room, explained how the screening process works, gave me a hand out on it with information & took Kaize in back. ?She returned about 10 minutes later with Kaize and told me she has Type ?A? blood. There is Type ?A? (Common), Type ?B? (less common) & Type ?AB? (rare). ?However, Kaize didn?t pass the physical exam portion because the technician told me they heard a 2/6 grade heart murmur. The only way she can continue the screen process & be allowed in the donor program is if she is screened & cleared by a cardiologist which I?d have to pay for.
I love my cats to death ? they are my kids. I?d do anything for them & only want the best for them. But thanks to my medical training I know that this news is nothing to panic or freak out about. ?I never saw or even met the veterinarian who supposedly heard the murmur. I?ve seen it first hand ?where one vet hears something & another doesn?t. I?m not about to run out & spend in upwards of $500+ to have her referred & seen by a cardiologist so she can be cleared to be a blood donor for a clinic that is 45 minutes away based on the opinion of a vet I never saw or met!
Kaize was just seen by her vet in April for her annual exam & vaccinations. She was given the all clear. So I made an appointment to have my vet see her & get their opinion. I?m willing to bet even if they do hear something they are going to just keep an eye on it & monitor it themselves. As she is only 4 years old & asymptomatic. If my vet recommends Kaize see a cardiologist I will make an appointment with one. So much for trying to do a good deed huh? LOL
So the following morning I?called AETC to find out of a report of last nights exam & findings will be sent to my vet. I was told they talked to the technician and a report was not written & nothing was typed up because it was found upon physical exam & the screening didn?t go any further. But they could give me the details over the phone. REALLY!? Free or not an animal is in your clinic, gets blood typed & has a physical exam but you don?t put in a report or type anything into your system about your findings?!
A heart murmur is an abnormal heart sound caused by the vibration of turbulent blood flow. Normally, blood flow is laminar and very quiet. Having a heart murmur is not itself an illness or disease. It is a characterization given to an abnormal sound heard upon auscultation over the region of the heart. Cats of any age, breed or gender can be born with or later develop heart murmurs. Many affected cats show no outward signs of having heart murmurs. In fact, most murmurs are detected incidentally during routine veterinary check-ups. When heart murmurs do accompany clinical signs, generally there is something more serious going on with the animal?s heart and the murmur is a consequence of ? not a cause of ? that underlying condition.
Murmurs are a clinical finding that cannot be ?prevented? or even ?treated? in the normal sense of those terms. The underlying cause of the murmur must be found. Many heart murmurs will never require medical or surgical management, even if they are very pronounced. Minor murmurs can often be managed with exercise and/or dietary change. Surgical procedures may be available for cats with more serious heart conditions causing their murmurs, although presently surgery is more commonly done in dogs.
I?m very interested to see what my veterinarian has to say about all of this when we see him Saturday July 7th!
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