My cat died suddenly from heart disease. Was it secondary or primary?

Question

Hello, my cat died recently of heart disease. I am just wondering if it was secondary and to what? She was negative for hypothyroidism. What else can cause it as a secondary disease. She was well one day and then ill very suddenly. She dies within 3 weeks despite treatment. I am wondering about her bald ears. Could this have been a sign of some sort of Cushingoid problem underlying or something? Just happened so quickly I'm trying to understand why. Pet's info: Cat | British Shorthair | Female | spayed

Kevin Sanada, DVM · Accepted Answer

I'm very sorry to hear about poor Kim! When is comes to secondary heart disease, it's usually hyperthyroidism, or kidney disease that lead to heart failure. However, I would not be suspicious of a secondary heart disease from what you've described. Secondary heart disease tends to arise more slowly; where a primary disorder is more likely to happen suddenly. There are many primary conditions like tumors, infections, valve defects, artery defects and pericardial effusion that could have caused this. The only way to find the specific cause is for a veterinarian, or veterinary pathologist to examine Kim's body. This is often more fruitful when the body is examined sooner rather than later; so if possible, I recommend requesting this from your veterinarian to get some more answers. The hair loss on the ears would be unrelated to any condition causing heart disease and I would not be suspicious of Cushing's (very rare in cats and does not cause this specific hair loss). The bald ears are actually a common finding with cats and is usually not associated with any diseases. I hope that helps, and again, I'm very sorry for your loss.

My cat died suddenly from heart disease. Was it secondary or primary?

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