Lymphoma - How To Tell If It's Time? :(

[mybabyleo]

Hi everyone,
I just came across this website when looking for information about lymphoma for my beautiful kitty, Leo. Leo will be turning 8 years old on 16 December 2018 and was diagnosed with intestinal (GI) lymphoma about 4 weeks ago. The vet said I could get further testing to diagnose whether it was the small cell or large cell lymphoma or I could just try him on chlorambucil (leukeran) and prednisolone and see if there was improvement, in which case it would most likely be the small cell kind and Leo could possibly have 1-2 years left. He seemed to perk up on the medication and begin eating again but still not himself, wouldn't leave my room (which is very unlike him) and not coming to the door when I got home. As of about 5 days ago his appetite has diminished again, he is hardly moving just staying in the one spot and seems uncomfortable just by the way he's moving and lying. He's vomited twice over the past 3 days. I called the vet and he said by the sounds of it, it's the large cell lymphoma (prognosis is 4-6 weeks from diagnosis) and that I should think about putting Leo to sleep possibly this week.
I am at such a loss as to what to do. I've had my baby boy since he was 6 weeks old from the pound and he is my best mate, child and soulmate. I don't want to prolong his life for him to be in pain and suffer, but I don't want to take his life away when I still hold onto the hope that he may improve and he's still so young. I know no one can give me the answer but I think just need some support from some fellow cat lovers and if anyone has been in a similar situation. Any thoughts are much appreciated. Thank you for listening.

 

[kitty chew]

Hello there. So sorry to hear that. I know exactly what you are going through, as I lost my last adopted cat to the same thing. He was like my child also. I never want to see any animal suffer in any way. I would put him to sleep, but that's just my opinion. I asked the vet to put my last cat to sleep, and she refused for weeks, later admitting it was a mistake, and that he was suffering. I have never felt so bad. I want to think of the good times with my pets, with no suffering, knowing I gave them the best life possible. I'm sure you have given Leo a great, happy life. Just think of him.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi, I am so sorry about Leo. Is he still on leukeran and prednisolone? If he is not, could he be put back on them again to see if it would improve things again? If he is on them, could the doses be increased? Are there other meds that could be tried? The only reason I am asking is because there is no definitive proof of what type of lymphoma he has. And, the difference between 4-6 weeks and 1-2 years is quite significant.

Do a search on this site for intestinal or GI lymphoma and see what posts you come up with - you could at least reach out to others who have posted about this and have the chance to talk to more people who have first hand experience.

 

[Twinks113]

Our 15-year-old cat developed intestinal GI lymphoma and was diagnosed in July of this year. She was on prednisone and metronidazole and was doing very well. And then one day we noticed that she didn't come running for her treats in the morning. She was asleep in my son's room under his loft bed on a blanket he had down there. We chalked it up to a fluke, but she stayed there for most of the day. This continued on into the next day and I realized that she was not eating or really drinking. I took her in and we discovered that she was severely anemic and also not producing new red blood cells. Her body temperature had gone down to 98 and her behavior in not wanting to be around or really bothered, not eating or drinking all pointed to her telling us that it was time. She knew it, she was acting accordingly, and we just had to accept that and do what needed to be done. That was 3 weeks ago. It was so hard to let her go but our vet said if we took her home to let her die naturally it would have been very painful and uncomfortable for her. If there had been anything at all we could have done for her we would have moved heaven and earth to do it. But sometimes we just have to listen to what they are telling us, no matter how it breaks our hearts. (((((((HUGS)))))) to you.

 

[mybabyleo]

Thank you so much for your responses. I'm sorry to hear about your losses kitty chew and Twinks113
FeebysOwner thanks for the tip, I will have a search. Yes he's still on both the prednisolone and leukeran. I asked the vet about upping the dosage but he said at this stage if it's not doing anything there's not much point. The prednisolone is at least supposed to help him feel a little better until the end but I think the lymphoma is winning at this stage. As part of the disease he also has about a baseball size mass in his abdomen so I can't imagine how uncomfortable it is for him. He's drinking a little bit of water this morning and lapped up some of the juice from the tuna I've given him but otherwise is very lethargic and not moving. He's acting like he was when he first got sick 4 weeks ago and I knew something was wrong... that's when he started the preds and I noticed an improvement but seems to have gone downhill. I've taken the day off work and am going to monitor him today and see how we go. Thank you all for sharing your support, advice and experiences x