Kevin Toman, DVMFounder, Helping Pets Live Longer · Veterinary Longevity Specialist

Rapamycin for Cats with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM)

6 Jul 2024 · 2 min

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1:41

In this concise monologue, Dr. Kevin Toman, the "Longevity Vet" with 38 years of veterinary experience, presents rapamycin as a major advancement in feline medicine. He explains that recent research shows rapamycin can halt or significantly slow the progression of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), a previously fatal heart disease in cats. He contextualizes rapamycin as the most extensively studied longevity drug, noting its ability to extend lifespan by up to 15% across mammalian species, reduce the severity of feline stomatitis, and its ongoing investigation for chronic kidney disease benefits. Dr. Toman urges owners of older cats, especially those with cardiac issues, to consider rapamycin as part of their therapeutic regimen and offers his contact information for further guidance.

Chapters

Hey you guys, I'm the Longevity Vet, but you can call me Kevin, and today we're going to talk about one of the single biggest advances in feline medicine that I have seen in the 38 years that I've been in veterinary practice. It's a drug called rapamycin, and here's why it's such a big deal. Because rapamycin was shown in a recent study to minimize or sometimes even stop the progression of a fatal heart disease in our cats known as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, or HCM. Why is this such a big deal? Because up until now, a diagnosis of HCM was a death sentence for our kitties. Here's a little backstory on rapamycin. It's the single most widely studied longevity drug in the world and has been shown to increase lifespan by up to 15% in every mammal species studied to date. It's been shown to also help to reduce the severity of feline stomatitis, which is an excruciatingly painful disease that some cats develop in their mouths. And it's also under study right now at 3 different veterinary schools for its benefits in chronic kidney disease with our cats. If you have an older cat, especially one with cardiac disease, you should very well consider rapamycin as part of their therapy. It might make a big difference for them. If you have any questions about Rapamycin or any other component of helping your pet age gracefully, please let me know. You can reach me at Dr. Kevin Toman Toman at Helping Pets Live Longer, and I will be happy to help you. Have a great week.