Flow Veterinary Cardiology

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Flow Veterinary Cardiology

Flow Veterinary Cardiology provides a Advanced Practitioner led Small Animal Cardiology referral service for dogs and cats. Our service is based in Co. Cork.

27/05/2025

Feline arterial thromboembolism (FATE) is a devastating condition which occurs in cats secondary to underlying heart disease. The development of a large, poorly functional left atrium makes cats prone to developing blood clots, which if dislodged, travel through the body and occlude (block) blood vessels, most commonly those supplying the hindlimbs (caudal aorta & femoral arteries), and sometimes one of the forelimbs (brachial artery).

❔So how do we recognise this condition in our feline patients? Clinical signs include:
😱Acute loss of limb use (caudal aorta Vs brachial artery)
😱Intense pain, which causes vocalisation, tachypnoea and tachycardia in response.

The affected limb(s) will be:
☹️Cold
☹️Pulseless
☹️Have cyanotic (blueish/purpleish) paw pads & nail beds - spot the difference between a normal and FATE affected limb in the pictures of this post!!

👀 approximately 65% of FATE patients will present also being in congestive heart failure (think tachypnoea, dyspnoea and perhaps even a paradoxical breathing pattern if a pleural effusion is present due to the CHF)

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08/03/2024

Do you feel confident detecting puppy murmurs on auscultation?

🧭Locating the point of maximal intensity of a murmur (where it sounds loudest) will help you to narrow down your list of differentials of congenital heart disease - a very helpful skill to master! 🤓

🩺Thorough auscultation of both sides of the chest, at the base and apex, is essential for detecting these murmurs.

🎯This is easier said than done, a sniffing, wriggling, excited puppy is a noisy moving target! My top tip is to auscultate wriggly pups held up in your arms - this helps to limit their movement and can improve the quality of your auscultation in these cases ✅

❤️ It is most important not to forget to listen high up in the left axilla (armpit), where we would expect to hear the continuous machinery like murmur of a PDA; a condition where prompt diagnosis and management with either surgical or interventional occlusion is critical to ensure a good outcome for the patient.

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28/02/2024

🩺 Do you feel confident grading murmurs following auscultation?

🤓 Murmurs are usually graded 1-6 depending on intensity and the presence or absence of a thrill, however the simpler approach of grading murmurs as soft, moderate, loud or thrilling is perhaps an easier and less stressful approach to grading murmurs in general practice.

😅 I find that many vets seem to worry about the accuracy of their murmur grading when speaking to colleagues or referring a case for cardiac work up. But really there is no need to worry - most cardiologists are happy with an indication of whether the murmur is loud or soft and an indication of where you feel the murmur is heard at its loudest (point of maximal intensity) ie. the left or right chest. Deciding whether the murmur is loudest at the base or apex is the cherry on top and completes the description of your auscultation.

👂Remember that there is a degree of subjectivity in interpreting auscultation, leading to a slight variation in grading between colleagues, which is to be expected and not a cause for concern. So don’t worry if your ears hear things a grade differently to a colleague - the important thing is to be consistent within your own auscultation.

25/02/2024

🧐Are you comfortable characterising murmurs you have heard on auscultation?

✅Detecting whether a murmur is systolic, diastolic or continuous is important as this provides information which will help you to form a differential diagnosis list and assist you in formulating a sensible diagnostic plan.

❤️The vast majority of murmurs you will auscultate will be systolic, with diastolic murmurs being reasonably rare. Continuous murmurs are especially important not to miss, as the most common differential is a patent ductus arteriosus (PDA); a condition in puppies where prompt diagnosis and management is critical.

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Welcome to Flow Veterinary Referrals

Flow Referrals Ireland is a veterinary cardiology referral service for pets based in Millstreet, Co. Cork.

Established by Veterinary Cardiologist Jane Pigott, an RCVS Advanced Practitioner in Veterinary Cardiology.

Jane and the cardiology nursing team are looking forward to welcoming you and your pets to Millstreet. At Flow Referrals we pride ourselves on providing an excellent referral service to pet owners.

Pet Owners: Please contact your primary care family veterinarian to obtain a referral to visit our cardiologist. We’ll work closely with your vet every step of the way, and after consultation and treatment your general practice vet will provide continued care. You may be concerned that your pet needs to see a cardiologist - But don’t worry, your pet is in the perfect place to get the right treatment.