Nasal Cancer

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MamaKat9

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I am sorry for your loss SDerailed SDerailed . :(

A all4mom2 -
The other problem with all of the runny nose/eye issues is the chapping that occurs on the skin in those areas. I gently dab with a cotton ball soaked in vet approved antimicrobial eye wash, then I dab aquaphor on a q-tip to keep the area from drying and cracking since that could lead to lesions and MAJOR infection which would lead to game over.

In an update on the meds....Sierra did NOT do well with the Depo Medrol (long lasting steroid shot). I had to take her off of the medicam so that the 2 drugs did not compete/interact, so she was 4 days without pain meds. The Vet said that the depo medrol would take care of the pain... NOT a CHANCE. After the shot, she stopped eating. I called the Vet and he told me that maybe it was time since we expect that she will eventually stop eating due to lack of ability to smell her food. I told him NO. Prior to the shot, she was eating very well and behaving normally except for the constant runny eye and nose... (it only affects the left side) so we put her back on the medicam with cerenia... she is eating again, however the episode with a week plus with pain has made her more finicky and cranky. She eats a little less. She still loves her crunchy dental treats, that are like chicken flavored cocoa puffs for cats, so when she needs to be stimulated I give her several. I wouldn't normally give a cat treats for mealtime, but if that is what she wants, who am I to tell her NO. The swelling above her eye has increased, and it is now traveling down her nose and under her eye. BUT... she still cuddles with me, nudges me to rub her head, sleeps on my pillow, follows me around the house etc. I am SHOCKED that she is still with me and maintaining weight. If it weren't for the biopsy indicating cancer, her monthly bloodwork shows a generally healthy cat with only 2 markers on the suspicious side (those that indicate immune issues), all other signs says she currently pretty healthy. It is no wonder that this type of cancer is so hard to diagnose without the biopsy testing. The placement of the cancer makes her a bad candidate for any more intensive cancer therapy and the prognosis with the therapy which would cause her pain and discomfort are not worth it. I am taking it day by day. I count the good days when she eats fine and seems happy with the bad days when she gets finicky and I have to try several different foods to get her to eat. When the bad days out number the good, I know it will be time.
 
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MamaKat9

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My 16-year-old male has presumptive nasal/sinus cancer, as I'm not paying $2k for a diagnostic cat scan when the prognosis is poor and I wouldn't pursue aggressive treatment anyway (he is terrified of the vet). A constant unilateral discharge, constant infection -- for which daily amoxycillin is working so far -- and occasional unilateral nosebleeds. His third eyelid on that side is also always half closed now, so I assume there's some ocular involvement. What were yours' symptoms, and what did you find helpful, if I may ask? This IS very rare disease, and it's hard to find any info on it....
The initial symptoms happened almost a year before her diagnosis. She had constant sinus issues, dripping eye and nose. The swelling started in December of 2020 and the Vet initially treated it as conjunctivitis with eye drops and ointments. Currently, Sierra gets clavamox for infections (4weeks on 2 off), cerenia for upset tummy, proviable for probiotics to take care of the digestive tract since antibiotics kills good microbes too, and Metacam for the pain and swelling. We have tried steroids, but she NEVER did well with them, even as a kitten.

For food, I can occasionally get her to eat dry kibble (we use royal canin urinary due to other cats in the house hold), a dry dental crunchy treat that she always loved, a seafood indoor wet cat food that she always liked. When she is finicky; I give her stage 1 chicken or turkey baby food, tuna and/or juice from canned tuna in water. As a calorie supplement, I give her nutrical (but not often because it is primarily sugar). for symptoms I blot her nose and beneath her eye with a cotton ball soaked in vet approved antimicrobial eye wash. I put aquaphor ointment on the chapped areas around her nose and upper lip. ( try to avoid these actions until absolutely necessary since these actions can cause the chapping that I am trying to avoid)
 

all4mom2

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We, too, spent a lot of time and money at the vet's for "allergies" and repeated sinus infections until that first nosebleed and the concentration of symptoms on only one side made it pretty clear. I feel I've done enough research online to diagnose it without putting BOTH of us through a biopsy, and my current vet agrees. Besides which...he's 16 and has always been sickly, so what will be will be! I just don't want him suffering or to be uncomfortable in the time he has left. I spend a lot of time, including in the middle of the night, picking "scabs" off his nostril (I should clarify that's just hardened snot or pus or blood - whatever's going on at the moment - and not an actual scab; the nostril skin is fine) so he can breathe; basically everything just runs out that side, so what he or I don't keep up with hardens and blocks his nostril. Otherwise, his appetite is good (despite having lost about half his body weight in the past year or so) and, as I say, he still enjoys simple pleasures. Like some of you, I regard this as hospice care and feel very much like a caregiver. The biggest challenge has been and remains controlling infection, because that makes him TRULY miserable! Again, it's hard to believe they're not suffering with this - I know how I hate sinus issues - yet while they still have quality of life, it's hard to pull the plug. Always a difficult call; I personally usually wait until my pets are in pretty dire straits.

For better or worse.
 
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Antonio65

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Hi, I must have missed this thread whe it was first posted, so apologies for being late.
My cat Lola, the one you see in my avatar, had a nose carcinoma, inside on of her nostrils, way up the nose, about half an inch from the nostril opening, invisible from outside and diagnosed with an endoscopy first and confirmed with a hystological test.

She had been sneezing for a while, and three different courses of antibiotics (three antibiotics in three months) didn't do anything, so the vet wanted to have a deeper (in the true meaning of the word) look.

Lola's prognosis was very poor. When the oncologist saw the tests results and visited my cat, she said the cat would have had not longer than 6 months ahead. She was 11, I couldn't believe I was going to lose her that young.
The only possible treatment, the oncologist said, with a limited level of success, was the radiotherapy, but the oncologist advised me against it. She said it would have been way too expensive, it would have been a painful path for me (psychologically and physically) and for my cat that would have suffered like never before just to buy her six more months of life.

Because my cat was my life itself, I didn't listen to the oncologist and opted for the radiotherapy. This was performed at another facility, 230 miles from home, where the staff was very kind and compassionate, but told me same thing, I was just going to start a hard and painful path, with little chances of success.

Well, my cat was treated daily for 4 weeks with radiotherapy.

When she was discharged, one month later, the instructions were to have a CT scan done every three months to check on the mass inside the nose, and... scan after scan the mass was still there, but frozen. Ten CT scans later, it hadn't moved or grown at all.
We had won, and years later my Lola was still with me.
The oncologist and the staff at the facility told me that this was probably the first case in the world of a cat who had survived this carcinoma. But I want to believe many cats can have the same luck, so every time I read or hear of a cat with a similar issue, I can't keep myself from advising the radiotherapy.

Best of luck to your Sierra!
 

silent meowlook

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Hi

Sorry, I didn't have time to read all the replies, so if I have missed something, I am sorry.

I had a friend with a cat with chronic URI signs, who I saw at the cat hospital. We did biopsies and they came back as nasal lymphoma. We also tested for Cryptococcus as that is seen in my area and a starting point for any cat with chronic URI or a bump on the nose. He tested negative for that. The cat was treated with Cerenia, Buprenorphine for pain, Azithromycin as an antibiotic, The real game changer was that we set her up with a nebulizer and she nebulized him for 10 minutes a day with Acetylcysteine, Saline, Dexamethasone, and something else. I can look it up later at work. The medications were put into the nebulizer and the cat was nebulized in the carrier. Later on we added chlorambucil to the medications he was given, and Sub Q fluids with Vitamin B12 and B Complex. He had a good quality of life for about 2 years. We also used Mirtazipine as an appetite stimulant when needed. The nebulizing really helped.

The red flags I saw just quickly reading the posts is of course Medicam. I personally cannot stand that drug for cats as it is hard on the kidneys. It also has a black box warning against using it in cats where I live. I do understand that in other countries, it is labeled for cats, but even so it is only supposed to be used for the maximum of 3 days.

Metacam is an anti-inflammatory. Anti-inflammatory use with steroids (Depo/Dex injection) should not be done due to GI ulcers, bleeding etc. That is in all species, not just cats. I personally hate any anti inflammatory use in cats because I have seen it cause kidney failure before.

If you can see a specialist it would be good. Or even a cat only Veterinarian would be helpful. Or maybe talk to your veterinarian about nebulizing him.

The Clavamox can cause vomiting in cats and is hard on their GI as well. It isn't the best antibiotic for cats, although allot of Veterinarians still prescribe it for them.

I hope something helps your cat have some quality time with you.

I am sorry for what you and he are going through and the loss of his sibling.
 

all4mom2

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Clavamox had a terrible effect on my cat...and on my pocketbook! We use a generic azithromycin that both of us tolerate a lot better. Good to know about the nebulizer; I'll keep that idea in my back pocket if needed. He's been extremely congested over the past couple of days, to the point where I thought I'd have to take him in and try a new antibiotic, but then he sneezed out a rope of snot and pus and seems to feel much better tonight.
 
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Antonio65

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My cat Lola used to have a nebulizer session every morning for 5 years.
It was just saline solution, eucalyptus and propolis, they were vials that I would buy at the local pharmacy. This way I could treat her for a long time without any side effect.
She would just sit on my chair, while I held the mask on her face, and she let me do that thing, every morning for 5 years.

This was necessary because post radiotherapy her mucosa was damaged by the radiations and she had a chronic rhinitis and nose discharge.
During the day I would also wash her nose several times a day, just 2 ml of saline solution in a syringe without needle. I would gently spray that solution up her nostril, and she would sneeze out all she had in it.
She was so happy afterwards, she could smell her food again and breathe better.
 
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MamaKat9

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What does nebulizing a cat entail exactly? I would be curious if this might work for my baby. This saline solution sounds like a good idea also. I will ask my vet about changing the clavamox to azithromycin since the clavamox seems to be less effective these days. I will also ask about alternative pain meds and the apatite stimulant. Thank you for the ideas. I feel that it is up to me to do the research, just as with a regular doctor for humans. None of them want to problem solve or get creative.
 

Antonio65

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What does nebulizing a cat entail exactly? I would be curious if this might work for my baby. This saline solution sounds like a good idea also. I will ask my vet about changing the clavamox to azithromycin since the clavamox seems to be less effective these days. I will also ask about alternative pain meds and the apatite stimulant. Thank you for the ideas. I feel that it is up to me to do the research, just as with a regular doctor for humans. None of them want to problem solve or get creative.
Well, on the practical part of the task, you first need a nebulizer. If you don't have one, get a normal one, with a standard compressor, not the ultrasound ones. From what I know, the latter ones are often ineffective with certain liquid medicines.
Then you need a cat carrier, make sure the door grid has large holes, not one with small holes, and with a comfy blanket in it, another large blaket, large enough to completely envelop the carrier. Some use a plastic sack, one large waste sack might do.
You tie the nebulizer mask on the carrier's grid.
Gently put your cat in the carrier and start the nebulizer with the medicine/saline solution in the container.

Usually a full session takes a bit less than 10 minutes, but it is advisable to keep the cat in the carrier even when the solution is gone and you switch the nebulizer off, so that the cat can breathe some of the "mist" in the carrier for anothe rminute or two, before it completely dissolves.

My cat was good enough to just sit and have the mask on her face, so no carrier was needed, the whole process was much quicker.

When you've finished, wash the small container and the mask with warm water with no soap or else.
Also, you might need to wipe the inner of the carrier with a wet cloth.
 

all4mom2

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I'd think you could just hold the mask over or near the average cat's muzzle, maybe while they're napping. You buy a pet nebulizer on Amazon. However, I can't see mine sitting still for a syringe being poked up his nostril! Has anyone had a nasal flush performed at vet's?
 

SDerailed

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I'd think you could just hold the mask over or near the average cat's muzzle, maybe while they're napping. You buy a pet nebulizer on Amazon. However, I can't see mine sitting still for a syringe being poked up his nostril! Has anyone had a nasal flush performed at vet's?
Both my vets said that they don't like doing nasal flushes if it can be avoided because they don't tolerate it well. I opened not to go that route with my girl.
 

all4mom2

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Don't they have to be anesthetized for a nasal flush? Better to keep the "stuff" from collecting up there in the first place, if that's possible, by preventing secondary infections.

Has anyone experienced third-eyelid closure on the affected side as a symptom?
 

SDerailed

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Don't they have to be anesthetized for a nasal flush? Better to keep the "stuff" from collecting up there in the first place, if that's possible, by preventing secondary infections.

Has anyone experienced third-eyelid closure on the affected side as a symptom?
I don't think they do. But pneumonia was definitely possible with the nasal flush.
 

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Don't they have to be anesthetized for a nasal flush? Better to keep the "stuff" from collecting up there in the first place, if that's possible, by preventing secondary infections.
You can't sedate or anesthetize a cat for flushing their nose, they couldn't react to the flush and could breathe that liquid in, possibly chocking and causing pneumonia.
The cat has to be wide awake.
 

Antonio65

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However, I can't see mine sitting still for a syringe being poked up his nostril! Has anyone had a nasal flush performed at vet's?
It depends on how many times a day the cat needs to be flushed.
In mycase it was several times a day, not less that 10 times a day. So, going to the vet for such a thing would have been impossible!
 

all4mom2

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My vet mentioned the possibility, but made it sound like a one-time thing. And, of course, ANY trip to the vet for any reason is horribly traumatic for my fearful cat and, obviously, expensive. Does your vet sanction your irrigating your cat's sinuses ten times a day?
 

Antonio65

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By "sanction" you mean "approve"?
Well, my vet knew the situation well and didn't say anything about it.
My cat had a chronic condition, she would need this flushing, we also ran several antibiograms to check for bacteria and a suitable antibiotic.
My cat went to the Bridge in March 2017, she needed these flushings for 5 years.
 

all4mom2

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Sounds like you had a good, sympathetic vet! Thanks for sharing your story.
 

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Hi. A nasal flush can only be done under general anesthesia with the patient intubated to avoid aspiration pneumonia.

Nebulizing at home can be done once or twice daily with the medications I mentioned in a previous post. You never want to use any products other than saline or the prescribed medications as essential oils such as eucalyptus, tea tree, menthol and much more are very toxic to cats.

When you nebulize there is a chamber attached to tubing that you put the medications and saline into. The cat goes into a plastic carrier and you put a towel over the carrier leaving the front exposed. Hook up the tubing to the door of the crate and turn the nebulizer on. You should watch the cat for about 10 minutes while you do this. Then turn it off and open the door for the cat to leave. Soak all parts of the nebulizer in dawn dish soap diluted in water and then rinse completely and let air dry until next use.

Never cover the carrier with a plastic bag and never cover the carrier all the way with the towel.

Speak to your Vet about this. When using the Steroid (dexamethasone) this way it has far less side effects. Also you are getting the medication to the areas that need it.
 
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MamaKat9

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I spoke with my Vet and he said that I could use an over the counter saline only nasal spray for congestion for Sierra, sparingly. Apparently we are NOT at the nebulizing stage for Sierra yet, but the idea helped us come up with a plan for my other cat, Einstein who has chronic seasonal asthma. We also decided that a change of antibiotic might be a good idea since the clavamox has become less effective in staving off infection. She is now on Azithromycin for her antibiotic.
 
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