Liz Bode

Hi Scott,

This is interesting and I do love VetCompass and SAVSNET papers, such powerful data. To play devil’s advocate here though I do think we need to be cautious when interpreting survival data from either a first opinion point of view or referral. Survival in either world is determined by the bias that is inherent in these populations, namely perhaps clients in primary care are more financially restricted/ less likely to pursue further test/ more realistic and so will choose euthanasia earlier than in a referral setting where perhaps money is less of a problem/ owners go to extraordinary lengths to pursue treatment etc. Unlike in our medical compatriots where data on survival is more reliable because they do not (until recently at least) have the option of euthanasia. Therefore, can we really interpret survival data accurately from this population? Food for thought, still a terrible disease with a truly poor survival time!

Liz

Replying to scott@vtx-cpd.com 12/06/2025 - 14:01

Not yet…There are studies being talked about in cats though so who knows – will be a while until any truly robust data comes out with a a’cool’ name 😉

Hi Scott,

Such interesting drugs! I haven’t anything to add to the DM chat but I do think these drugs are going to be really useful in the management of heart failure. They have already shown significant advantages in people with both systolic and diastolic heart failure (or heart failure with reduced ejection fraction and heart failure with preserved rejection fraction). The first studies showed these drugs, which were looking at their use in people with DM, reduced the CV risk of death overall. Since then studies have shown that they reduce CV death in patients with HF but no DM!!! So watch this space – a drug that we can add in to furosemide with hopefully good effects (unlike ACE inhibitors which might not do a great deal!)…of course we need the studies in veterinary medicine to support their use first.

Liz

Replying to Jen Rowland 14/05/2025 - 22:22

Hi Jen,

This is the paper:

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/vec.13224

So, when I said they do well – they are weaned off the ventilator successfully but obviously have CHF so their long term survival isn’t necessarily good, but probably no worse than many cats with CHF!

Let us know what you think 🙂

Liz

Replying to scott@vtx-cpd.com 02/05/2025 - 17:03

Hi Hayley,

thanks for the question. This is certainly something that made sense physiologically. In terms of diltiazem (like beta blockers) slowing the heart rate down, allowing coronary perfusion and reducing myocardial ischaemia. Sadly, there is no evidence that either help cats with HCM or HOCM. Also, the only licensed formulation in the UK is modified release and so needs giving TID, which for most cat owners is completely impractical. So, for those reasons (lack of evidence and impractical) we no longer advise it is used in cats. We also don’t give beta blockers, other than to cats with severe HOCM (>4m/s LVOT velocity) and there is even then no evidence that beta blockers in that scenario are beneficial!!

Hope that helps

Liz

Replying to scott@vtx-cpd.com 19/04/2025 - 14:09

Haha! it must have corrected it, should have said dorso-caudal! sorry