5 year old DSH cat

Discussion

When circulating blood volume is reduced through blood loss, dehydration, or shock, the cardiac and vascular structures in the thorax can appear small on radiographs. In this case, the heart is small, giving the appearance of “lifting” from the sternum. The shape of the heart is also often more angular and less rounded than usual. The pulmonary vessels, aorta, and caudal vena cava are small. The reduced pulmonary circulation also makes the lungs appear more lucent. In this case, the hepatic lipidosis was the primary disease with secondary dehydration.