Does my cat need cardiologist?
Hi all,
I had a visit at my old Banfield before I moved away back in December. Been seeing them for years and no issues, great staff. They’ve never mentioned or heard a heart murmur. Recently, I took my 6 year old cat to a Banfield near where I live now for an office visit about a month ago. They said she had a grade 2 heart murmur and needed dental cleaning, but recommended seeing a cardiologist first. I said that’s odd, she was just seen in December, no issues. They said well it can develop overtime, and she seemed very stressed. I said yes, she always has those symptoms at the vet, she drools and shakes and is absolutely terrified no matter how much I try to calm or sedate her with pet-safe melatonin.
I decided to schedule the dental cleaning anyway, thinking it was a fluke. Well they called and told me it’s a grade 3 heart murmur, and that we can try giving her a sedation shot to see if it goes away. I said fine let’s try that. They call me later and say it’s grade 4 now. What? Why the inconsistency? That’s suspicious, is it not, especially after giving a calming shot? I said whatever let me take her home I’ll just get a 2nd opinion elsewhere, since she’s never had issues before. She’s not in pain, her breathing is normal at home, she’s playful she’s cuddly she meows for attention, absolutely nothing abnormal. Just wanted to get ahead of her teeth but apparently now I can’t.
I’m thinking of driving an hour away back to my hometown to the old Banfield and get a 2nd opinion. Is that something I should do? I can’t afford a vet office visit that isn’t Banfield. And does anyone have similar stories with heart murmur consistencies? I’m not even sure if she has one but I wasn’t going to take the risk of anesthesia because these vets sounded completely incompetent.