Hello all,
I first wanted to write in the Crossing the Bridge forum but while our baby is still with us, I decided to write a bit about his experiences with lymphoma for anyone else out there who is going through the same thing with their loved pet and questions their choices.
I hope I can delay his departure for as long as possible but when the time comes, I will create a thread in his memory.
Our orange tabby, Muzzy (born Nov 1998), was diagnosed with renal lymphoma via ultrasound and needle aspiration on Sept 2 2016. I remember the day as it was my birthday. The oncologist also suspected GI lymphoma/IBD as he has had history of vomiting and nausea.
To give a bit of background about him. He was in perfect health for about 13-14 years. After that he started vomiting rather frequently. He was diagnosed with Hyperthyroidism and has been on medication since 2013. Frequent vomiting (although not causing much weight loss due to good appetite) made our vets scratch their heads as they couldn't find anything definitive. His blood was good, chem was good, xrays, ultrasounds looked fine. They attributed it to thyroid and maybe food sensitivity.
In 2015 he had an ultrasound as he lost a bit of weight and vomited a bit more but it didn't show anything irregular. He also had a 30s seizure one time in 2013 caused by computer keyboard noise (it turns out he suffers from Feline Audiogenic Reflex Seizures - he did have 2 more full seizures in 2017 caused by dry food hitting metal bowl, plus many small tremors/twitches daily that lasted about 1-2s)
In 2016, an ultrasound showed bilateral renal masses and thickening of intestinal walls. He was 17 years 9 months old. Otherwise in great shape, we immediately decided on the chemotherapy. We found a great cancer center within an hour drive and scheduled an appointment. It also helped that he was always adventurous, friendly and curious about everything. Everyone was his friend and he liked to travel.
At the cancer center, the oncologists were amazing and after explaining the protocol (weekly rotation of 4 drugs for 8 weeks, then biweekly for another 8 weeks, then monthly, all for total of 6 months) we decided to start in September.
He was on Vincristine, Cyclophosphamide, Doxorubicin, Cytosar and Prednisolone.
His response to the protocol was phenomenal. We had zero side effects, stopped vomiting (still hasn't vomited since!), increased appetite gaining weight from 7.4 to 8.6 lbs in 1.5 months.
His quality of life increased so much (even better than where he was before cancer), and more importantly his kidneys were in the clear on December's ultrasound. Complete remission.
We continued the protocol until April with a substitute of Prednisolone with Dexamethasone as HE had better appetite with the latter.
After April we were prescribed daily dosage of Chlorambucil for maintenance but only got about half way down the bottle as we noticed his tremors/twitches getting much worse while on it to the point where he'd have these mini seizures every time we opened a fridge or a bottle with pills was shaken for example. After we stopped Chlorambucil he seemed to not react to sounds as much. We started again, same story. And maybe it was a coincidence because he's had good and bad days with sounds and maybe discontinuing the drug sped lymphoma out of remission but I cannot turn back the time and our oncologist was okay with setting it aside.
Muzzy was in the clear until late August 2017 when the doctor felt increased lymph node in his intestines. We did an ultrasound in September and decided to restart the same CHOP protocol that worked for him earlier. October started with Vincristine, then Cyclophosphamide and Doxorubicin. We skipped Cytosar as his kidneys were fine.
November was another round of Vincristine and Cyclophosphamide but after that our doctor decided to stop as his blood level dropped and he didn't seem to have a response any more to the drugs.
He got a couple weeks to rest and got appetite stimulant as he was dropping weight again (7.5 lbs). He also got a shot of antibiotic to fight off what looked like nasal congestion and potassium supplement as the value dropped to 2.8. In mid December was Lomustine and L-asparaginase and he did great for about 2.5 weeks, right until Jan 1st 2018.
He ate in the morning and seemed good but by the evening we knew something was wrong. He had no appetite, looked tired, dehydrated and not willing to move.
On Jan 2st, I rushed him to the local vet. He got IV fluids and potassium supplement. He was dehydrated. We brought him back that night and he felt like himself, we had some relief. Next day was at the vet getting more fluids but even with potassium the vet said his was still pretty low (2.8) and didn't seem to feel as good as the prior day.
We brought him back and got sub-q fluids to administer at home when needed. We still had some appetite but we could tell he wasn't really himself any more.
The next few days were a combination of some good and bad days. I contacted the oncologist and we moved up the next appointment as the treatment didn't seem to work. I also felt his right submandibular lymph node enlarged which worried me.
We had one great day on Saturday (Jan 6) after fluids, he ate dry food, some wet food his eyes seemed energetic. But since Saturday he declined. Even with fluids he slowly stopped eating and we had to start him on syringe with a/d food.
He has now dropped down to 7lbs...
Today we were back at the Cancer center trying one more 'hail mary' protocol with him. His red count was very low (only 18%, normally was 23-28) and the doctor suspects that lymphoma moved to his liver.
Because he doesn't seem to respond to most common protocols any more, he received Mustargen and also a written prescription for Marinol (synthetic cannabis) for appetite.
We will syringe feed him and see if he responds to the treatment in the next few days but I am afraid I will have to say a final good bye to my little furry boy.
He is 19 years and 2 months old. And for many years he has been our cuddle buddy. Every night he has slept with us, even now when he doesn't feel well any more. He crawls under the covers to stay warm.
Seeing what he goes through breaks our heart but we are so happy that we decided to undergo chemotherapy even thought he was very old at the time (17 years 9 months). We have had 17 months with him in good health and spirit and even thought I'd like another 5 or 10 I know I will likely not get it.
I hate cancer. Without it, he would likely live longer as his blood work is relatively good.
As I type this message, he is laying down next to me, sleeping today off. He got fluids and 2 syringes of food but has very little energy. We will have at least 1 more night together but I dread making the final arrangements for him. I truly hope he can respond well and at least enjoy another few weeks/months in decent health. But I'm not very optimistic. I also find myself to burst into tears occasionally and cannot help it. He has been my baby.
I hope this message can be useful for someone who is considering chemotherapy for lymphoma, especially for older cats. If we had to do it again, we would in a heartbeat, even thought it has cost us a lot of money. Every day of that 17 extra months was completely worth it.
Please send us some good vibes. We all need it.
Thank you.
Jun 2016:
Jan 2018:
I first wanted to write in the Crossing the Bridge forum but while our baby is still with us, I decided to write a bit about his experiences with lymphoma for anyone else out there who is going through the same thing with their loved pet and questions their choices.
I hope I can delay his departure for as long as possible but when the time comes, I will create a thread in his memory.
Our orange tabby, Muzzy (born Nov 1998), was diagnosed with renal lymphoma via ultrasound and needle aspiration on Sept 2 2016. I remember the day as it was my birthday. The oncologist also suspected GI lymphoma/IBD as he has had history of vomiting and nausea.
To give a bit of background about him. He was in perfect health for about 13-14 years. After that he started vomiting rather frequently. He was diagnosed with Hyperthyroidism and has been on medication since 2013. Frequent vomiting (although not causing much weight loss due to good appetite) made our vets scratch their heads as they couldn't find anything definitive. His blood was good, chem was good, xrays, ultrasounds looked fine. They attributed it to thyroid and maybe food sensitivity.
In 2015 he had an ultrasound as he lost a bit of weight and vomited a bit more but it didn't show anything irregular. He also had a 30s seizure one time in 2013 caused by computer keyboard noise (it turns out he suffers from Feline Audiogenic Reflex Seizures - he did have 2 more full seizures in 2017 caused by dry food hitting metal bowl, plus many small tremors/twitches daily that lasted about 1-2s)
In 2016, an ultrasound showed bilateral renal masses and thickening of intestinal walls. He was 17 years 9 months old. Otherwise in great shape, we immediately decided on the chemotherapy. We found a great cancer center within an hour drive and scheduled an appointment. It also helped that he was always adventurous, friendly and curious about everything. Everyone was his friend and he liked to travel.
At the cancer center, the oncologists were amazing and after explaining the protocol (weekly rotation of 4 drugs for 8 weeks, then biweekly for another 8 weeks, then monthly, all for total of 6 months) we decided to start in September.
He was on Vincristine, Cyclophosphamide, Doxorubicin, Cytosar and Prednisolone.
His response to the protocol was phenomenal. We had zero side effects, stopped vomiting (still hasn't vomited since!), increased appetite gaining weight from 7.4 to 8.6 lbs in 1.5 months.
His quality of life increased so much (even better than where he was before cancer), and more importantly his kidneys were in the clear on December's ultrasound. Complete remission.
We continued the protocol until April with a substitute of Prednisolone with Dexamethasone as HE had better appetite with the latter.
After April we were prescribed daily dosage of Chlorambucil for maintenance but only got about half way down the bottle as we noticed his tremors/twitches getting much worse while on it to the point where he'd have these mini seizures every time we opened a fridge or a bottle with pills was shaken for example. After we stopped Chlorambucil he seemed to not react to sounds as much. We started again, same story. And maybe it was a coincidence because he's had good and bad days with sounds and maybe discontinuing the drug sped lymphoma out of remission but I cannot turn back the time and our oncologist was okay with setting it aside.
Muzzy was in the clear until late August 2017 when the doctor felt increased lymph node in his intestines. We did an ultrasound in September and decided to restart the same CHOP protocol that worked for him earlier. October started with Vincristine, then Cyclophosphamide and Doxorubicin. We skipped Cytosar as his kidneys were fine.
November was another round of Vincristine and Cyclophosphamide but after that our doctor decided to stop as his blood level dropped and he didn't seem to have a response any more to the drugs.
He got a couple weeks to rest and got appetite stimulant as he was dropping weight again (7.5 lbs). He also got a shot of antibiotic to fight off what looked like nasal congestion and potassium supplement as the value dropped to 2.8. In mid December was Lomustine and L-asparaginase and he did great for about 2.5 weeks, right until Jan 1st 2018.
He ate in the morning and seemed good but by the evening we knew something was wrong. He had no appetite, looked tired, dehydrated and not willing to move.
On Jan 2st, I rushed him to the local vet. He got IV fluids and potassium supplement. He was dehydrated. We brought him back that night and he felt like himself, we had some relief. Next day was at the vet getting more fluids but even with potassium the vet said his was still pretty low (2.8) and didn't seem to feel as good as the prior day.
We brought him back and got sub-q fluids to administer at home when needed. We still had some appetite but we could tell he wasn't really himself any more.
The next few days were a combination of some good and bad days. I contacted the oncologist and we moved up the next appointment as the treatment didn't seem to work. I also felt his right submandibular lymph node enlarged which worried me.
We had one great day on Saturday (Jan 6) after fluids, he ate dry food, some wet food his eyes seemed energetic. But since Saturday he declined. Even with fluids he slowly stopped eating and we had to start him on syringe with a/d food.
He has now dropped down to 7lbs...
Today we were back at the Cancer center trying one more 'hail mary' protocol with him. His red count was very low (only 18%, normally was 23-28) and the doctor suspects that lymphoma moved to his liver.
Because he doesn't seem to respond to most common protocols any more, he received Mustargen and also a written prescription for Marinol (synthetic cannabis) for appetite.
We will syringe feed him and see if he responds to the treatment in the next few days but I am afraid I will have to say a final good bye to my little furry boy.
He is 19 years and 2 months old. And for many years he has been our cuddle buddy. Every night he has slept with us, even now when he doesn't feel well any more. He crawls under the covers to stay warm.
Seeing what he goes through breaks our heart but we are so happy that we decided to undergo chemotherapy even thought he was very old at the time (17 years 9 months). We have had 17 months with him in good health and spirit and even thought I'd like another 5 or 10 I know I will likely not get it.
I hate cancer. Without it, he would likely live longer as his blood work is relatively good.
As I type this message, he is laying down next to me, sleeping today off. He got fluids and 2 syringes of food but has very little energy. We will have at least 1 more night together but I dread making the final arrangements for him. I truly hope he can respond well and at least enjoy another few weeks/months in decent health. But I'm not very optimistic. I also find myself to burst into tears occasionally and cannot help it. He has been my baby.
I hope this message can be useful for someone who is considering chemotherapy for lymphoma, especially for older cats. If we had to do it again, we would in a heartbeat, even thought it has cost us a lot of money. Every day of that 17 extra months was completely worth it.
Please send us some good vibes. We all need it.
Thank you.
Jun 2016:
Jan 2018:
I'm so sorry to hear this. I hope you already know that we'll be there for you during this most difficult of times, but it bears repetition.
