13 Year Old Calico Diagnosed With Lymphoma(help:()

[kittyprincesss]

well new to this site, been kind of looking for an outlet and people to talk to who understand what im going through...my sweet little 6 pound calico of about 13 years was diagnosed this Monday with Lymphoma in her kidneys and small intestine; doctor did an ultrasound and found that her intestines were thickened throughout, one kidney had a mass in it and the other kidney didnt even look like a kidney anymore...her original blood work showed elevated kidney levels as well as protein and calcium were lower than normal (her protein was about 45 and normal is 75) the doctor suggested either chemo or just trying some liquid prednisole and see how she responds...im quite conflicted because shes still acting her usual self, extremely loving and playful and eats as she normally would and drinks adequte amounts of water. I'm hesitant to start the prednisole because shes been acting SO okay and I dont want to cause any side effects; she hasnt vomited since last Thursday as well; just looking for some input if any of you have had cats with Lymphoma and what you did, I've never had a cat get cancer so I'm quite inexperienced and my heart constantly aches thinking about losing her...shes been my shadow ever since she was born..the thought of losing her rips me in half. I just want to know what I should do. The doctor says its bad but I'm seeing so many things about chemo possibly being a good answer to Lymphoma. I just want more time with her. Shes such a sweet girl. Please, any words of advice or just...support would help. I have no where else to go. Its been devastating for me to deal with.

 

[duckpond]

I am so very sorry for you, and your cat. I don't have any advice as i have never dealt with Lymphoma. I just wanted to offer some moral support, and let you know you and your cat are in my thoughts! Wishing you both the best of luck! Im sure others that have more information will chime in.

 

[alzycat]

I'm so sorry that you are going through this. My 11 year old Yoshi was just recently diagnosed with either IBD or small cell lymphoma, although the vet believes that it is very likely lymphoma. Yoshi's kidneys are deformed as well. I would do chemo in a heartbeat but she isn't a good candidate for it, and my vet said that since it is attacking her kidneys, the chemo will not be able to help long enough since kidney decline is so fast. I'm not sure if that would be the case for your kitty, so maybe you should talk to your vet about this.

Whether or not chemo is successful really depends on a lot of factors. A big one is whether or not the lymphoma is small cell or large cell. Small cell typically has a much better outlook with chemo since it is less aggressive (someone please correct me if I'm wrong!). A lot of cats go into remission and live for years longer! I wish I could do this for my Yoshi.

For the Prednisolone, I have been giving the pill form to Yoshi orally for about 3 weeks now. Her symptoms have improved so much, but she was in horrible condition before starting it (vomiting and diarrhea for months). She is having mostly formed stools now, and she has vomited twice in the past 3 weeks (unfortunately one of those times was tonight), but this is still way better than vomiting every hour like she was. She hasn't been on it long so I can't really speak to the long-term side effects, but so far it is helping her feel better, and that's all I care about.

I think you should talk to your vet about the options for your kitty. If she would be a good candidate for chemo and you can afford it, it really seems to work well for a lot of cats. If chemo isn't an option, then it's all really just about keeping her quality of life high for as long as you can. The Prednisolone helps with this, as well as any anti-nausea meds, B12 injections, and appetite stimulants that you may need for her. With Prednisolone alone, the prognosis for small cell lymphoma is typically around 6 months at the maximum.

I know how much this sucks. Yoshi is my "soulmate kitty" who I have had since I was a little kid. I was devastated when I got the diagnosis, and I'm still trying to understand it, but the bottom line is that I'm her caregiver- just like you are with your kitty. This means that we must take care of them and keep their quality of life high for as long as possible, and when the time comes, it is our duty as their caregivers to end their suffering by giving it ourselves in the form of grief. Lymphoma can be tricky- some days Yoshi seems better than ever, and other days (like today), she seems much worse. If your kitty has lymphoma, she needs some kind of treatment plan so her 'bad days' aren't quite as bad, and she still stays happy. The bottom line is that lymphoma is fatal- if your kitty has it, it will be the thing that eventually takes her from you, as it will be with my Yoshi. The path now is all about caring for her until that time comes.

Again, I'm so sorry that you are going through this. It is a horrible thing for both cat and owner If you ever need someone to talk to or just to relate your experience with, I'm always available

 

[kittyprincesss]

I am so very sorry for you, and your cat. I don't have any advice as i have never dealt with Lymphoma. I just wanted to offer some moral support, and let you know you and your cat are in my thoughts! Wishing you both the best of luck! Im sure others that have more information will chime in.

Thank you so much for your sweet words friend <3

 

[kittyprincesss]

I'm so sorry that you are going through this. My 11 year old Yoshi was just recently diagnosed with either IBD or small cell lymphoma, although the vet believes that it is very likely lymphoma. Yoshi's kidneys are deformed as well. I would do chemo in a heartbeat but she isn't a good candidate for it, and my vet said that since it is attacking her kidneys, the chemo will not be able to help long enough since kidney decline is so fast. I'm not sure if that would be the case for your kitty, so maybe you should talk to your vet about this.

Whether or not chemo is successful really depends on a lot of factors. A big one is whether or not the lymphoma is small cell or large cell. Small cell typically has a much better outlook with chemo since it is less aggressive (someone please correct me if I'm wrong!). A lot of cats go into remission and live for years longer! I wish I could do this for my Yoshi.

For the Prednisolone, I have been giving the pill form to Yoshi orally for about 3 weeks now. Her symptoms have improved so much, but she was in horrible condition before starting it (vomiting and diarrhea for months). She is having mostly formed stools now, and she has vomited twice in the past 3 weeks (unfortunately one of those times was tonight), but this is still way better than vomiting every hour like she was. She hasn't been on it long so I can't really speak to the long-term side effects, but so far it is helping her feel better, and that's all I care about.

I think you should talk to your vet about the options for your kitty. If she would be a good candidate for chemo and you can afford it, it really seems to work well for a lot of cats. If chemo isn't an option, then it's all really just about keeping her quality of life high for as long as you can. The Prednisolone helps with this, as well as any anti-nausea meds, B12 injections, and appetite stimulants that you may need for her. With Prednisolone alone, the prognosis for small cell lymphoma is typically around 6 months at the maximum.

I know how much this sucks. Yoshi is my "soulmate kitty" who I have had since I was a little kid. I was devastated when I got the diagnosis, and I'm still trying to understand it, but the bottom line is that I'm her caregiver- just like you are with your kitty. This means that we must take care of them and keep their quality of life high for as long as possible, and when the time comes, it is our duty as their caregivers to end their suffering by giving it ourselves in the form of grief. Lymphoma can be tricky- some days Yoshi seems better than ever, and other days (like today), she seems much worse. If your kitty has lymphoma, she needs some kind of treatment plan so her 'bad days' aren't quite as bad, and she still stays happy. The bottom line is that lymphoma is fatal- if your kitty has it, it will be the thing that eventually takes her from you, as it will be with my Yoshi. The path now is all about caring for her until that time comes.

Again, I'm so sorry that you are going through this. It is a horrible thing for both cat and owner If you ever need someone to talk to or just to relate your experience with, I'm always available

Wow, i've been having such a hard time with her diagnosis since I havent had anyone around me quite understand it so I really appreciate you sharing your experience with me and I am so sorry as well for you sweet one, Yoshi. I was anxious to start the prednisolone seeing all the awful and scary side effects, especially it potentially causing vomiting because shes always had such a sensitive stomach. I think I will try to contact the vet and see what we can do, the only downside is if I go the route of chemo, the clinic is an hour away and my kitty hates the car I just have this awful sense of guilt if I don't see if theres any way I could help her, and after her ultrasound she was so out of it that I worry of putting her through it again. Thank you for all of your input though, it really helped me feel less alone and gave me a sense of hope in a way, I think that tomorrow morning I will start the pred. since she is already sleeping so sweetly. Do you mind me asking what food you give Yoshi? The vet spoke with me about a hydrolized protein diet being a lot more easier for her to digest (not sure if your vet has informed you of this) Again, I wish you and your baby all the sweet, tender, time you have with her; any good days we get are beautiful.

 

[alzycat]

kittyprincesss What amount of Pred are you supposed to be giving your kitty? You could always ask about starting on a small dose and monitoring to see if she reacts poorly to it. Yoshi right now it getting 2.5mg twice a day, but she will be cut down to 1.25mg twice a day next week.

I definitely know the feeling of guilt that we should try everything possible to help out kitties, but the biggest consideration we have to take is quality of life. Yoshi hates the car too, which really was the only thing that would prevent me from going the chemo route if my vet didn't suggest against it. Your kitty may live longer with chemo, but you need to ask yourself if the stress is worth it for her... it's about quality of life, not quantity. But this is a decision that is completely up to you with the help of your vet. You can always try chemo but if the stress is too much, you could see about stopping. I'm not sure if there are any implications for this- maybe another member could help with these questions? I've also heard of an oral chemotherapy drug called Leukeran that is just a pill that you can give at home. I don't know much about it though, I asked my vet but she is quite young and doesn't have a lot of experience with it. Personally, once Yoshi stops responding to the Pred (which will happen with Lymphoma), I will ask a specialist about Leurkeran as a last resort to keep her with me for a bit longer.

Yoshi does eat a hydrolyzed protein diet! She is eating Royal Canin Gastrointestinal High Energy wet food. It's a prescription food you'd have to get from your vet, or maybe online. It's a pate form in a 5.8oz can. Yoshi loves the taste of it and eats around 1.5 cans a day, sometimes 2 if her appetite is really good. Normally they would just eat 1 can per day, but we're trying to put weight on Yoshi.

Do not apologize for asking any questions, we are here to help you through this difficult time I have met some wonderful people on this site who have helped me tremendously, and I know they'll be able to do the same for you. We're here to help!

 

[kittyprincesss]

alzycat Currently she is on 1mg of it, maybe due to the fact shes only 6 pounds? Not too sure. The vet prescribed that and a recheck in a month for her to get blood drawn and see how her numbers are. The vet is hoping it till reduce the swelling in her intestines. I had hoped it'd be IBD but the doc said it looked more like lymphoma from the ultrasound... Has the food helped quell her vomiting episodes? My other cat has Kidney Disease so they are all eating the Prescription Hills Diet K/D but with Enriquetta (thats her name) being diagnosed with the Lymphoma, we tried a sample of the Royal Canine Renal Diet + Hydrolyzed Protein and she took to it SUPER easy so I'm considering switching over to that one. I'm so happy you happen to be feeding Yoshi a similiar food! Thanks for being so informative, I didn't think anyone would reply so I am thankful. I hope to find friends here as well, the community already seems so sweet from speaking to you.

 

[alzycat]

That's a pretty low does in my opinion! Yoshi was only 6.4 pounds when she started on it too but now she is 7.6 pounds. It's kinda funny that our situations are so similar! I wouldn't worry too much about side effects just yet- really the biggest concern with steroids is long term use, so it will be safe fornow. And even so, keeping her happy for the rest of her life might be worth the side effects in my opinion.. it's better than the alternative. 1mg is a low dose so if she does experience side effects, they shouldn't be too severe. Keep in mind that I'm just speaking from my experience & have no clue if this will be the case with your kitty, but if your vet prescribed it, then it's worth a try.

So you haven't had a biopsy done to confirm the diagnosis? Is that an option for your kitty that you would like to do? If it is, you cannot start the Pred until doing the biopsy because it will mess with the results. This would determine whether it's IBD or Lymphoma- honestly I'm surprised that your vet would let Enriquetta do chemo without a firm diagnosis. My vet said she wouldn't let Yoshi do it without a biopsy first, but since she couldn't do chemo anyways I decided not to do the biopsy.

I would recommend switching over to the royal canin. It has worked wonders for Yoshi & while she still gets sick from time to time, she seems much happier and lively than before! Plus it's important with GI disorders to give them something easy to digest. A lot of people have also had success with raw food if you wanted to explore that with the help of your vet.

Aw thanks for the kind words This really is a great community! Without it I would be lost in dealing with all this. It's a great site to get information while also being able to vent about your cats to other cat lovers (I feel I'm always judged for being so emotional about my cat with other people- but not here).

 

[kittyprincesss]

Oh wow! I assumed from your photo that Yoshi was a lot bigger, haha! There are quite similiar.
Well while she was having her ultrasound, the vet called and asked if I wanted them to try the biopsy, I was hesitant thought because the only spot she could try to take the biopsy would be her intestines; due to the risky factor of a big blood vessel next to her lymphnode that was also inflamed in that region, and the kidneys were too risky of an option too. I was also just extremely distraught from the findings of the ultrasound that I decided against the biopsy, that and it would be an extra 300$ for only a MAYBE result from the needle aspirit. Since the vet said there wasnt a guarantee she could pull cells from the intestines. Unfortunately due to where I live, we only have 3 vets, 2 of them being big corporate vets that treat animals as money bags I take her to a little clinic thats more family oriented, but the vet said it looked very much like Lymphoma. Its just unfortunate that I'm seeing a lot of things about chemo doing wonders for Lymphoma that I'm regretting not doing the biopsy...cause it is true an oncologist wont see her without a biopsy. I also totally relate, I was in complete devastation on Monday when I got the call and the days before hand when she threw up pink/white mucus. She truly is my 'soul kitty' too, thankfully she's been her usual self, yesterday was still a bit off due to the lingering affects of the anesthesia.

 

[alzycat]

That picture is pretty old, she was a much bigger cat back then She's also really fluffy too so it's hard to tell.

Yeah, it's understandable that the biopsy is a risk.. my vet said the same thing regarding the whole issue with the kidneys. If the vet thinks it's unsafe to do a biopsy, I personally would not do it, especially if you trust the vet. My vet is the same one I have taken all my pets to, and all my family's pets, for over 10 years now, so I trust them completely.

How far away are other vets? If you're really struggling with making a decision it may be worth it to seek out a second opinion. You might not even need to bring your kitty- if you could get copies of all the blood work, ultrasound images, and any other tests, you could just bring them to another vet to discuss it. If you really are considering chemo then I would do that. If you decide that chemo is not the option you want to take, a biopsy would be useless in my opinion since the initial treatments for IBD and Lymphoma are similar. With Yoshi, the way we're 'diagnosing' her is by using only the Pred and tapering down the dose over time, and if her symptoms return once we lower the dose, we know that it is most likely Lymphoma. Then from there other decisions can be made, like if you just want to up the dose of the Pred until it's time to say goodbye or try chemo if you can, and if the oncologist will let you without a biopsy. My vet said she would be willing to try chemo drugs, but not the full chemo treatment, for Yoshi if the Pred stops working. What else is there to lose at that point anyway? Maybe if the same thing happens with your kitty, an oncologist would be willing to prescribe at least Leukeran without a biopsy.

It definitely is hard to come to terms with the fact that our pets unfortunately do not live forever. My dog that I had for 11 years passed away VERY unexpectedly and suddenly in April. Her death was the first loss of a childhood pet that I had to endure, and it was absolutely horrible. I feel like it was worse because I had never even considered the possibility of her death before- she was healthy and not too old for her breed so I had never even thought that there would come a day where she would pass on. After that happened, I decided that I needed to start reminding myself that Yoshi is not immortal so that I can be better prepared when her time comes. It's so hard to come to terms with- I've had Yoshi's diagnosis for a few weeks now & I still can't comprehend it some days. But the more prepared you are for the inevitable, the better, in my opinion. As grim as it is, no matter what the final diagnosis is, we will have to say goodbye at some point. All we can do in the mean time is give them the best life possible, and the most love that we can possible give.

 

[Loriloveskitties]

Hi kittyprincesss I'm new here too and I too am dealing with lymphoma in my 9yo baby Spike..it was a devastating blow that I never saw coming or ever considered could happen..but here we are Spike has large cell in his stomach and intestinal walls..after biopsy I opted to try chemo with prednisonole routine..in one day it mAde such a huge improvement..but time will tell..I am so sorry you are going through this too ..you are not alone

 

[Fuchsiaslove]

kittyprincesss

I'm so sorry to hear about your sweet girl. We found out Edgar has large cell lymphoma Jan 2 after he started having symptoms exactly a month ago. He has had 4 weekly treatments of chemo (Madison Wisconsin Protocol) that rotates 3 chemotherapy drugs, Vincristine, Cytoxan, and Adriamycin for 25 weeks spread out over 6 months. He also takes Prednisone, Mirtazapine (appetite stimulant), and Cerenia (anti-nausea). There are good days and not so good days. We are still trying to get the hang of things and we just take it day by day.

Giving pills has been the hardest for me, but things get easier as you adjust. You mentioned diet, Edgar is on a grain free, high protein, high fat diet. I make most of his food, but he sometimes will eat Blue Buffalo, Natural Balance, or AD Science Diet from the vet. I've tried many many brands and he'll eat one on one day and then refuse it later. His favorite, and my go to, is crock pot boiled chicken leg smashed up like baby food with the broth and a half tsp of beef bone marrow.

I hope you guys are doing okay! We're thinking of you and let me know if you have any questions

 

[calico man]

I'm so sorry that you are going through this. My 11 year old Yoshi was just recently diagnosed with either IBD or small cell lymphoma, although the vet believes that it is very likely lymphoma. Yoshi's kidneys are deformed as well. I would do chemo in a heartbeat but she isn't a good candidate for it, and my vet said that since it is attacking her kidneys, the chemo will not be able to help long enough since kidney decline is so fast. I'm not sure if that would be the case for your kitty, so maybe you should talk to your vet about this.

Whether or not chemo is successful really depends on a lot of factors. A big one is whether or not the lymphoma is small cell or large cell. Small cell typically has a much better outlook with chemo since it is less aggressive (someone please correct me if I'm wrong!). A lot of cats go into remission and live for years longer! I wish I could do this for my Yoshi.

For the Prednisolone, I have been giving the pill form to Yoshi orally for about 3 weeks now. Her symptoms have improved so much, but she was in horrible condition before starting it (vomiting and diarrhea for months). She is having mostly formed stools now, and she has vomited twice in the past 3 weeks (unfortunately one of those times was tonight), but this is still way better than vomiting every hour like she was. She hasn't been on it long so I can't really speak to the long-term side effects, but so far it is helping her feel better, and that's all I care about.

I think you should talk to your vet about the options for your kitty. If she would be a good candidate for chemo and you can afford it, it really seems to work well for a lot of cats. If chemo isn't an option, then it's all really just about keeping her quality of life high for as long as you can. The Prednisolone helps with this, as well as any anti-nausea meds, B12 injections, and appetite stimulants that you may need for her. With Prednisolone alone, the prognosis for small cell lymphoma is typically around 6 months at the maximum.

I know how much this sucks. Yoshi is my "soulmate kitty" who I have had since I was a little kid. I was devastated when I got the diagnosis, and I'm still trying to understand it, but the bottom line is that I'm her caregiver- just like you are with your kitty. This means that we must take care of them and keep their quality of life high for as long as possible, and when the time comes, it is our duty as their caregivers to end their suffering by giving it ourselves in the form of grief. Lymphoma can be tricky- some days Yoshi seems better than ever, and other days (like today), she seems much worse. If your kitty has lymphoma, she needs some kind of treatment plan so her 'bad days' aren't quite as bad, and she still stays happy. The bottom line is that lymphoma is fatal- if your kitty has it, it will be the thing that eventually takes her from you, as it will be with my Yoshi. The path now is all about caring for her until that time comes.

Again, I'm so sorry that you are going through this. It is a horrible thing for both cat and owner If you ever need someone to talk to or just to relate your experience with, I'm always available

I'm also giving Prednisolone to Lulu for allergies as she had side effects from taking Atopica. She has stopped biting and scratching but has become very lethargic. Did that happen with Yoshi?

 

[alzycat]

I'm also giving Prednisolone to Lulu for allergies as she had side effects from taking Atopica. She has stopped biting and scratching but has become very lethargic. Did that happen with Yoshi?

Oh wow I haven't been on the site in forever! Just FYI in case anyone on this forum is wondering... Yoshi is doing great. She's 2 months past her expected life span & shows no signs of slowing down

To answer your question, I didn't notice any crazy lethargy with Yoshi, but she was also in very bad condition when we started the Pred so she was already lethargic to begin with. I also give her B12 injections once a month & that supposedly perks them up a lot so I haven't noticed any lethargy issues.

 

[calico man]

Oh wow I haven't been on the site in forever! Just FYI in case anyone on this forum is wondering... Yoshi is doing great. She's 2 months past her expected life span & shows no signs of slowing down

To answer your question, I didn't notice any crazy lethargy with Yoshi, but she was also in very bad condition when we started the Pred so she was already lethargic to begin with. I also give her B12 injections once a month & that supposedly perks them up a lot so I haven't noticed any lethargy issues.

Glad to hear Yoshi is doing well! I'm sure all of your good loving helps!