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Our sweet baby River has been losing weight and slowing down. Granted, she's 19+ But still...
I took her to a vet--one of four I used during Molly's terminal illness--and he said he thinks she has bone cancer vs the kidney disease I suspected.
They ran a blood panel but never gave it to me or sent it to me. So I will call them tomorrow, there's no excuse for that. Usually blood work comes back pretty quickly so I don't get the delay, unless the doc got his ego bruised because I took Molly to several vets. None of whom nailed her dx BTW. As I mentioned in the ongoing saga, several months ago I was watching Dr. Pol and a critter--I think a cow but I'm not sure--came in with a nasty red bloody looking eye like Molly's.
"Oh, that's cancer eye." Dr. Pol.
At any rate, bottom line here is the doc prescribed Prednisone and Famotidine. I should have pushed things further while at the vet's but I didn't, because if I even succeed in getting a pill popped into River's throat as the vet folks do, it won't be long before she takes a hike when she sees me starting to get ready to medicate. And I've not had success in popping pills into kitties' throats over the years.
So...does anyone know of a smell-masking gel or something or other I could use to disguise River's meds in her food? And I ask now, why on earth did he not give her an appetite stimulant? One or two other cats were given appetite stimulants.
A google turns up Purina FortiFlora probiotic but that says it's for diarrhea but AFAIK she's pooping OK.
Our poor sweet snuggle baby is shrinking away, I'd like to get her nourished as much as possible. Thanks for any suggestions.
So sorry you are in the "processes" of another beloved cat. My heart always got a little heavy with all my pets when they turned 7 years old, because this is the "peak" age. All my house pets, dogs and cats, passed by 13 except my last one, a Boston Terrier who was just shy of 16.
You are blessed to have River at her ripe old age. Me, I'd wait for the result of the blood work, then discuss options with the Vet. I already know what I would do if she had cancer.....when she reached the "quality of life" marker.
I worked as a receptionist in a vet's office for awhile, I always comforted those who had to put to sleep their beloved dog or cat by telling them it is "the ultimate act of love" to make that decision.
Wishing you wisdom and peace as you come to your decision. Hugs.......
So sorry you are in the "processes" of another beloved cat. My heart always got a little heavy with all my pets when they turned 7 years old, because this is the "peak" age. All my house pets, dogs and cats, passed by 13 except my last one, a Boston Terrier who was just shy of 16.
You are blessed to have River at her ripe old age. Me, I'd wait for the result of the blood work, then discuss options with the Vet. I already know what I would do if she had cancer.....when she reached the "quality of life" marker.
I worked as a receptionist in a vet's office for awhile, I always comforted those who had to put to sleep their beloved dog or cat by telling them it is "the ultimate act of love" to make that decision.
Wishing you wisdom and peace as you come to your decision. Hugs.......
The blood panel is a complete mystery to me because there are very few bar graphs and NO key to any of the various abbreviations. Typically these panels will have explanations/keys because otherwise it might as well be in Greek.
I spoke via email with a vet employee and didn't get much help. I suppose some offices either like to keep these blood panels a mystery to the owners or are just too stupid to understand that various collections of three letters--like various US agencies--are meaningless to most people.
I don't know if an X-ray would have helped in the "I suspect bone cancer" semi-diagnoses.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rene S
You could use Fortiflora. It doesn't have a lot of probiotics from what I've read, and probiotics certainly won't hurt her.
How about a little bit of tuna juice or chicken baby food? Or smash it into a bit of a canned sardine?
What are the bennies of Fortiflora? She doesn't have diarrhea AFAIK. She does pee regularly, I put down pee pee pads because he pee habits changed recently. The minus side is it's weird that she started peeing on rugs, the plus is I can keep pretty good track of her volume and regularity of peeing. Stii, odd.
I haven't tried chicken baby food but I've seen it talked about enough, so I'll give it a shot. Tomorrow I should be able to pick up a scrip of liquid Prednisolone because while it's a breeze for the vet's staff to pop a pill into kitty, for me it's not. For starters I don't have three or four hands.
I'll keep you all posted. Right after River got her Pred and Famotidine doses at the vet, when we got home she came to me, got in my lap, and snoozed for several hours. She hasn't done that in a while, she pretty much isolates in the living room whereas she used to sleep with me and snuggle all night.
Our sweet baby River has been losing weight and slowing down. Granted, she's 19+ But still...
I took her to a vet--one of four I used during Molly's terminal illness--and he said he thinks she has bone cancer vs the kidney disease I suspected.
They ran a blood panel but never gave it to me or sent it to me. So I will call them tomorrow, there's no excuse for that. Usually blood work comes back pretty quickly so I don't get the delay, unless the doc got his ego bruised because I took Molly to several vets. None of whom nailed her dx BTW. As I mentioned in the ongoing saga, several months ago I was watching Dr. Pol and a critter--I think a cow but I'm not sure--came in with a nasty red bloody looking eye like Molly's.
"Oh, that's cancer eye." Dr. Pol.
At any rate, bottom line here is the doc prescribed Prednisone and Famotidine. I should have pushed things further while at the vet's but I didn't, because if I even succeed in getting a pill popped into River's throat as the vet folks do, it won't be long before she takes a hike when she sees me starting to get ready to medicate. And I've not had success in popping pills into kitties' throats over the years.
So...does anyone know of a smell-masking gel or something or other I could use to disguise River's meds in her food? And I ask now, why on earth did he not give her an appetite stimulant? One or two other cats were given appetite stimulants.
A google turns up Purina FortiFlora probiotic but that says it's for diarrhea but AFAIK she's pooping OK.
Our poor sweet snuggle baby is shrinking away, I'd like to get her nourished as much as possible. Thanks for any suggestions.
This vet does not sound reputable. I’ve never had a vet not contact me either via email or phone to discuss labs and recommendations re: treatment, and the labs have always been straightforward.
And, if it is bone cancer, labs are not going to tell you much—you need to get X-rays (and the vet needs to tell you where he thinks the cancer is in her body).
I also don’t understand the Prednisoe and Famotidine treatment if this is bone cancer. Prednisone is typically used for inflammation caused by an overactive immune system and Famotidine is for GERD. I’m not a vet but I’ve known dogs with bone cancer and they are usually prescribed something for pain management and an appetite stimulant. But maybe it’s different for cats. And, again, I’m not a vet.
If I were in your shoes, I would not treat River with prescription meds until you get a more definitive diagnosis.
Last edited by StarlaJane; 08-15-2023 at 04:22 AM..
This vet does not sound reputable. I’ve never had a vet not contact me either via email or phone to discuss labs and recommendations re: treatment, and the labs have always been straightforward.
And, if it is bone cancer, labs are not going to tell you much—you need to get X-rays (and the vet needs to tell you where he thinks the cancer is in her body).
I also don’t understand the Prednisoe and Famotidine treatment if this is bone cancer. Prednisone is typically used for inflammation caused by an overactive immune system and Famotidine is for GERD. I’m not a vet but I’ve known dogs with bone cancer and they are usually prescribed something for pain management and an appetite stimulant. But maybe it’s different for cats. And, again, I’m not a vet.
If I were in your shoes, I would not treat River with prescription meds until you get a more definitive diagnosis.
There is inflammation associated with cancer. Steroids can help make a pet feel better. However, steroids can also cause stomach irritation, which is the reason for the famotidine.
"Steroids are commonly used in the treatment protocols of the following diseases: Lymphoma, Mast Cell Tumors and Histiocytic Sarcoma. Steroids will also be used to help increase your pets’ appetite and aid in reducing inflammation of various tumor types.
If your pet is on steroid therapy, it is common for them to also be receiving Pepcid (famotidine) or Prilosec (omeprazole) as an aid to prevent any gastrointestinal irritation."
There is inflammation associated with cancer. Steroids can help make a pet feel better. However, steroids can also cause stomach irritation, which is the reason for the famotidine.
"Steroids are commonly used in the treatment protocols of the following diseases: Lymphoma, Mast Cell Tumors and Histiocytic Sarcoma. Steroids will also be used to help increase your pets’ appetite and aid in reducing inflammation of various tumor types.
If your pet is on steroid therapy, it is common for them to also be receiving Pepcid (famotidine) or Prilosec (omeprazole) as an aid to prevent any gastrointestinal irritation."
Thanks, Suzy. Great info, although I see nothing in this ^^^^ explanation that says that steroids are commonly used for bone cancer (ie. osteosarcomas.)
Moreover, I'm still concerned that there are no x-rays confirming the diagnosis of bone cancer.
This vet does not sound reputable. I’ve never had a vet not contact me either via email or phone to discuss labs and recommendations re: treatment, and the labs have always been straightforward.
And, if it is bone cancer, labs are not going to tell you much—you need to get X-rays (and the vet needs to tell you where he thinks the cancer is in her body).
I also don’t understand the Prednisoe and Famotidine treatment if this is bone cancer. Prednisone is typically used for inflammation caused by an overactive immune system and Famotidine is for GERD. I’m not a vet but I’ve known dogs with bone cancer and they are usually prescribed something for pain management and an appetite stimulant. But maybe it’s different for cats. And, again, I’m not a vet.
If I were in your shoes, I would not treat River with prescription meds until you get a more definitive diagnosis.
I have my questions about him and will seek a second opinion. I don't know if he took it personally that I sought another opinion when Molly was her red cancer eye.
This guy had not a clue and gave her eye drops. With 20-20 hindsight I'd say the MINIMUM is biopsy and probably removal and biopsy. She got the biopsy but at age 19 going under again for the removal, she was having trouble. You have to be very very careful with anesthesia at elevated ages.
River did GREAT after one dose of each. We had lap time, she was her old self for a few hours. So the pred had some sort of positive effect.
Quote:
Originally Posted by suzy_q2010
There is inflammation associated with cancer. Steroids can help make a pet feel better. However, steroids can also cause stomach irritation, which is the reason for the famotidine.
"Steroids are commonly used in the treatment protocols of the following diseases: Lymphoma, Mast Cell Tumors and Histiocytic Sarcoma. Steroids will also be used to help increase your pets’ appetite and aid in reducing inflammation of various tumor types.
If your pet is on steroid therapy, it is common for them to also be receiving Pepcid (famotidine) or Prilosec (omeprazole) as an aid to prevent any gastrointestinal irritation."
Thanks for that, suzy_q. River is already leery of me after just one attempt at getting a pill down. The only way she's going to get meds is if I take her to the vet.
Quote:
Originally Posted by StarlaJane
Thanks, Suzy. Great info, although I see nothing in this ^^^^ explanation that says that steroids are commonly used for bone cancer (ie. osteosarcomas.)
Moreover, I'm still concerned that there are no x-rays confirming the diagnosis of bone cancer.
Yes that makes me wonder. I have less and less confidence in this guy, this cries for a second opinion but I fear unless River goes inpatient for a day or two she'll continue to decline because she's not going to let me get meds down her.
She was always very shy, it took 6-8 weeks of jiggling a kitty toy in front of her hideout under the couch before she'd even come out, when we first adopted her.
At the shelter she stayed isolated and hidden and slept all the time. She had four different parasites when we had her poop examined. So she's got history. She lived by a river, hence her name.
Well, I’m glad that the meds are making her feel better—that’s a step in the right direction.
Re: the meds, maybe pill pockets? The extreme solution is to burrito her. But I get it—sometimes, catching them is the hardest part. However, cats aren’t stupid. Hopefully, River will realize the meds are helping her and will get used to the process, which you should make as pleasurable as possible by giving treats (and pets) before and after. That might make it easier for both of you.
Thanks, Suzy. Great info, although I see nothing in this ^^^^ explanation that says that steroids are commonly used for bone cancer (ie. osteosarcomas.)
Moreover, I'm still concerned that there are no x-rays confirming the diagnosis of bone cancer.
The treatment is nonspecific. The kind of cancer does not have to be determined.
The vet is probably weighing the risk of sedation for testing versus the gain of information. If the cat has osteosarcoma then there is really no treatment you would want to consider in view of the pet's age. The steroid may temporarily improve quality of life, though it appears administration is a problem. Injections might be an option.
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