My 9 year-old neutered tom, Tron, is sick. I noticed earlier this week that he was lethargic and not really eating much. Thursday night I caught him staring into the middle distance with his inner eyelids halfway up and I knew something was wrong. I looked at his gums and they were incredibly pale, especially compared to our other cat's gums. He acted a little perkier Friday morning but I came home to check on him at lunchtime. He was hanging out in the same spot he'd been hanging out all week and his gums were still pale, so I called the vet. They wanted to see him right away to do some bloodwork to see what was wrong.
I got him into the vet where he had to be sedated (like always, he fights like a wild thing at the vet
) for them to do a blood draw. The blood tests showed he was anemic, had a low platelet count, and his amyloids were high. (His were 1689, an acceptable range appears to be 300-1100.) The vet also suggested an x-ray. The x-ray showed a walnut-sized mass in his abdomen and the vet strongly recommended that I take Tron to a specialist where he could have an ultrasound and more complex tests could be run. After some fast talking (and a lot of tears) over the phone to my husband, he agreed and I rushed to the specialist. The specialist did the ultrasound and said that the mass was actually Tron's spleen which was about double its normal size. He said that they could run three tests: one for parasites, one for FeLV/FIV, and a test on cells they took from Tron's spleen. Tron is indoor-only. He has tested negative for FeLV in 2002 and was most recently vacc'ed for it in 2009. So far we have only done the parasite test, which came back negative. The vet gave me doxycycline and prednisone and sent me home with the option of running more tests later if we wanted. Right now he is alert but staying quiet. His appetite has returned and he is grooming himself like he would normally. He hasn't had a bowel movement but he also hasn't eaten much this week until today so I am trying to be patient.
The good news we got is his weight is consistent and his thyroid looks fine. His coat is in good shape as well.
I am very worried and very sad. This is new territory for my husband and I. We are working hard to balance his quality of life, his quantity of life, and our budgetary concerns. As in, we don't want to spend thousands on vet bills when the vet scares him and makes him miserable and he has to be sedated. (We have tried multiple vets, and he panics and lashes out at each and every one.) The remaining tests are fairly expensive, as well. If someone with a crystal ball could tell me what to do, I'd be so thrilled. If we spent $200 more on a test and it meant we got a few more years with our buddy, I'd do it in a heartbeat. My husband is not as conflicted. He loves Tron but is not as willing to fork over a few hundred more dollars on tests that may not tell us much.
I guess I'm looking for advice, guidance, similar stories, whatever. I have spent enough time crying, playing guessing games, and beating myself up over the last few days so I'm reaching out for some support.
I got him into the vet where he had to be sedated (like always, he fights like a wild thing at the vet
The good news we got is his weight is consistent and his thyroid looks fine. His coat is in good shape as well.
I am very worried and very sad. This is new territory for my husband and I. We are working hard to balance his quality of life, his quantity of life, and our budgetary concerns. As in, we don't want to spend thousands on vet bills when the vet scares him and makes him miserable and he has to be sedated. (We have tried multiple vets, and he panics and lashes out at each and every one.) The remaining tests are fairly expensive, as well. If someone with a crystal ball could tell me what to do, I'd be so thrilled. If we spent $200 more on a test and it meant we got a few more years with our buddy, I'd do it in a heartbeat. My husband is not as conflicted. He loves Tron but is not as willing to fork over a few hundred more dollars on tests that may not tell us much.
I guess I'm looking for advice, guidance, similar stories, whatever. I have spent enough time crying, playing guessing games, and beating myself up over the last few days so I'm reaching out for some support.