Delayed Diagnosis?

[Mylittlepony]

Does anyone know how quickly bowel cancer would manifest into incurable and then immediate euthansia. I ask because I knew my cat wasnt well, wasnt going in the litter box and saw the vet at the end of Dec. She sedated him and did an enema and he came home. Still not right so at the beginning of Jan she did blood tests and said that his thyroid was causing constipation so next day did thyroid op. Then his blood showed a drop in T4 so he got meds for hypothyroid. Still not right so took him in again for sedation and she said she felt a lump. Next day did op and discovered untreatable cancer, the end, I couldnt let him suffer. I am so upset that he suffered because the diagnosis was delayed and something could have been done earlier.

 

[duckpond]

I am so sorry for the loss of your cat! I think diagnosing with cats is much like with people, sometimes it may take a bit to figure it all out. I am no expert, but the order in which your vet addressed the constipation issues seems about right to me. You did the right thing by taking him to the vet, and i dont know as he was suffering in this time, you would have known i think. My thoughts are with you!

 

[Antonio65]

Don't tell me about delayed diagnoses

My cat risked her life once for a wrong then delayed diagnosis, but she died some months to a cancer for another delayed diagnosis. And it happened the same thing a few years earlier!

I told some vets that my cats suffered from many diseases, but the most severe illness that she had was the CDD, Chronic Delayed Diagnosis.
They didn't say a word, just looked down at their shoes!

 

[Mylittlepony]

Yes, CDD is how it seems. They did the exact same procedure, as they did Dec 29, on Feb 5 when she discovered inoperable cancer. I cant believe, the growth she told me she discovered in Feb was not there in Dec. The outcome would have been the same then but I could have saved my cat weeks of misery. He was being treated for thyroid as if that was the cause of all of his woes, all she kept saying was well thyroid caused constipation while prescribing more meds.

 

[denice]

I am so sorry. Intestinal issues of all types are common in cats and can be very hard to diagnose. Constipation is one of the things that is common in cats, it can have many causes and sometimes no cause. It is possible that the growth was big enough to feel in February and not the end of December. An ultrasound in December probably would have picked up the growth or at least inflammation in December but an ultrasound normally isn't done with a one off episode of constipation. I don't know anything about hyperthyroidism in cats but it could well be that it would also explain the symptoms that your cat was having.

 

[Mylittlepony]

After taking him for the constipation problem a few times with no success, he had the operation to remove his thyroid on Jan 6, I feel she should have investigated it properly at this point.