Alternates to conventional lymphoma therapy.

[s106300]

Have a 14 year old male DSH that apparently has lymphoma based on several veterinary visits, including second opinion. He is very frail and has gone down to 8 pounds. Has “lost” his purr. Still grooms and stretches but little appetite. Still sleeps with me at night. Loves to sleep in sun spots. On Prednisone; chemo not an option as we are full time RVers and providing virus issues lessen, will be on the road in 4 weeks. Giving him 2 ml of CBD oil at least 2 times per day. Any other alternative solutions out there?

 

[havecats]

I'm so sorry to hear of your kitty's diagnosis of lymphoma. Is it intestinal lymphoma? I had a male kitty years ago that had intestinal lymphoma and was treated for it by a specialist who mixed conventional medicine with supplements. He was put on Leukeran and Prednisone and was receiving supplements as well. There are natural protocols that use herbs, mushrooms, etc. if you can find a practitioner that has had success in treating cancer with unconventional methods. My cat was 11 years old at the time of his diagnosis and the treatment extended his life by three years which I was really grateful for. Also, I found out that for whatever reason, cats can handle the chemo pretty well. Some think they don't have as much trouble with nausea. My cat was tired but he never threw up and his appetite was fine. I was administering the leukeran with gloves on in pill form. Can't remember exactly what the schedule for him was. It seemed like it was on and off for a period of time with visits every so often to check his bloodwork. At one point we had to rush to the regular vet because he had a complication from the treatment - I think it was anemia which can be an issue when their on chemo but we were able to treat that at home with injections of methylcobalamin. But he did go into remission and was doing pretty well until the end when his kidneys started to go. Does your current vet have any recommendations for a vet that can treat with more unconventional methods? There may be more options for you than you think. I'm so sorry to hear you are dealing with this. Praying you are able to find a good vet that can offer the best treatment available for your beloved kitty.

 

[s106300]

Problem is we are not in area with our normal vet (Anacortes, WA); currently in AZ where we have been volunteering at a National Monument, now closed. I went to 2 vets in the area, the first who insisted he had stage II kidney disease with the sole indicator being that his creatinine was 2.2. He was treated with saline and an appetite stimulant, neither of which worked. I sincerely doubted the kidney disease diagnosis and consulted with the WA vet who concurred and suggested lymphoma as a possibility. Then I went to another vet, an acupuncture specialist, who I hoped would give a second opinion and help boost his immune system. That person literally fell asleep while reviewing his blood work and had a terrible palsy in both hands which nixed the whole idea of Accupuncture! Left me with only a concurring opinion that it was not kidney disease and some reference to Lymphoma but no treatment either. Finally 3rd vet diagnosed either Lymphoma or inflammatory bowel disease. I nixed biopsy option because he is currently so frail; vet put him on Prilosec and Prednisone along with the CBD oil to continue. Some improvement in the last few days but not significant.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

OK, so we are not certain that he has Lymphoma, and there is a reasonable chance that he actually does have IBD, yes? May I ask what you are feeding him? Reason I ask is that food can cause huge issues with IBD cats, so if you are feeding him dry food, or any food with lots of grains, if you can get him off grains (or carbs in general), you may see more of a change for the better. BTW, Pred is something that is also used to treat IBD. Here is a link to a website specifically for IBD: IBDKitties – Helping Save Lives…One Paw at a Time

Best of luck to you, both for your little man, AND for returning to Washington during these tumultuous times!

 

[havecats]

Is there an update on your kitty? How is he doing?