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- Jan 29, 2019
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I took my cat Patch in to my vet (I've only been seeing them for about a year though) when I noticed her stomach was getting round and tight. She is around thirteen years old, and is generally lethargic and has a sensitive stomach and likes to pee outside the litterbox, but was generally healthy otherwise, including in all the tests we'd gotten her recently (to try to explain her bathroom behavior.)
They took her in to see her while my girlfriend and I waited in the car. My girlfriend was nervous because the last time she took a cat in for a bloated belly, he died the same day. Patch was seeming a little unwell, but not extremely, so I thought it'd likely be something minor and told my girlfriend she wasn't going to die. But when the vet called me to talk about what she was seeing and thinking, it was immediately clear from her tone that she was gently breaking very bad news. Adding an xray to make sure, it was determined Patch's abdomen was full of fluid. The vet said it could either be severe organ issues, or possibly cancer, but her money was on cancer especially with Patch's age. She recommended, if we want, we could get an ultrasound at another place to try to find the root, but it'd likely be hospice care either way, watching for quality of life slippage (chiefly difficulty breathing due to increasing fluid) and deciding when to put her down. She gave her a few weeks to a couple months.
I've made an appointment in two days with another vet for a second opinion, just to make sure. And I made an appointment for an ultrasound, but the closest they had was Jan 12th. Patch has been especially lethargic since she got home, and with little appetite. I'm really scared for her. She means a lot to me and I thought I'd have more time with her.
Is my vet probably right? Is she on her way out? Looking online, I'm seeing stuff suggesting the fluid can be drained surgically, and can also come from treatable conditions... Has anyone here had experience with this symptom?
They took her in to see her while my girlfriend and I waited in the car. My girlfriend was nervous because the last time she took a cat in for a bloated belly, he died the same day. Patch was seeming a little unwell, but not extremely, so I thought it'd likely be something minor and told my girlfriend she wasn't going to die. But when the vet called me to talk about what she was seeing and thinking, it was immediately clear from her tone that she was gently breaking very bad news. Adding an xray to make sure, it was determined Patch's abdomen was full of fluid. The vet said it could either be severe organ issues, or possibly cancer, but her money was on cancer especially with Patch's age. She recommended, if we want, we could get an ultrasound at another place to try to find the root, but it'd likely be hospice care either way, watching for quality of life slippage (chiefly difficulty breathing due to increasing fluid) and deciding when to put her down. She gave her a few weeks to a couple months.
I've made an appointment in two days with another vet for a second opinion, just to make sure. And I made an appointment for an ultrasound, but the closest they had was Jan 12th. Patch has been especially lethargic since she got home, and with little appetite. I'm really scared for her. She means a lot to me and I thought I'd have more time with her.
Is my vet probably right? Is she on her way out? Looking online, I'm seeing stuff suggesting the fluid can be drained surgically, and can also come from treatable conditions... Has anyone here had experience with this symptom?
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