This is a very difficult time for me. Murchie my beloved cat who I discussed on here a few months ago is nearly 16 years old and has pancreatitis. He is a high risk for general anesthesia (had serious issues in the past so for most of our lives we have been lucky enough to not have to put him through this again) and is compromised and this makes me worry about how he would recover after surgery too. He had bleeding in his ear and some growth inside his ear in the canal - in the end despite his general anesthesia risk, he had to have a biopsy and he has cancer (squamous cell carcinoma). We got him through the biopsy ok but it is a short surgery and even then it was not all smooth sailing. Murchie is also very very neurotic to a large degree at vet clinics and I've always used at-home vets with him whenever possible.
Both of our options now are not very good for various reasons. It is a horrible situation.
(i) To attempt surgery which even if the surgeon deems he is an acceptable candidate, involved total ear ablation surgery (complete removal or ear canal). And I could lose him very dramatically on the operating table or in a difficult aftermath/recovery given his general anesthetic risk and weaker body constitution overall (he has had various health issue his entire life). If things go badly, his last moments on the planet would be in anxiety at the vet clinic or suffering at home. This upsets me. But if he is a good candidate and ear ablation goes well, it is possible to have a very good prognosis. And of course no one can tell me how things will turn out.
(ii) To do nothing other than palliative style care showering him with love and attention and comfort, and when things get bad enough, to let him pass peacefully with at-home vet.
Of course, no one can tell me what to do. But first I have to learn more about ear ablation surgery, so I know if this is even something that I would consider for him. I need to hear the reality of the operation (the surgeon can also tell me about this) but mainly from people on here, I need to find out the reality of the pain and recovery afterwards. I have heard that it is a very painful surgery and this concerns me - not sure if it would be fair to put him through this. While I will give my cats every fighting chance to live and spare no expense, I don't want to cause any pain/suffering if it is just too much to expect the kitty to go through. So please tell me about the realities of ear ablation surgery.
Thank you.
Both of our options now are not very good for various reasons. It is a horrible situation.
(i) To attempt surgery which even if the surgeon deems he is an acceptable candidate, involved total ear ablation surgery (complete removal or ear canal). And I could lose him very dramatically on the operating table or in a difficult aftermath/recovery given his general anesthetic risk and weaker body constitution overall (he has had various health issue his entire life). If things go badly, his last moments on the planet would be in anxiety at the vet clinic or suffering at home. This upsets me. But if he is a good candidate and ear ablation goes well, it is possible to have a very good prognosis. And of course no one can tell me how things will turn out.
(ii) To do nothing other than palliative style care showering him with love and attention and comfort, and when things get bad enough, to let him pass peacefully with at-home vet.
Of course, no one can tell me what to do. But first I have to learn more about ear ablation surgery, so I know if this is even something that I would consider for him. I need to hear the reality of the operation (the surgeon can also tell me about this) but mainly from people on here, I need to find out the reality of the pain and recovery afterwards. I have heard that it is a very painful surgery and this concerns me - not sure if it would be fair to put him through this. While I will give my cats every fighting chance to live and spare no expense, I don't want to cause any pain/suffering if it is just too much to expect the kitty to go through. So please tell me about the realities of ear ablation surgery.
Thank you.