Shocking News From Vet

[LotsOfFur]

Fingers crossed and vibes for both you and Morty! No matter what the outcome, your friends at TCS are here to support and you both!

 

[white shadow]

Hi unigeezer !

I've been through a cancer journey with one of my cats.

I'll tell you what I have learned from my 10+ years experience of learning from and using online feline health resources. There are general discussion forums like this, but there are also specialized online communities for almost every feline health disease/condition. Cancer - or the possibility of cancer - is no exception.

For the past 18 years there has been a specialized online group of people whose sole focus is the health management of cats who have/may have cancer....over 3000 people are/have been members. There's a huge collection of information and experience within that group that's available for access.

IF I were in your position, I'd also be presenting Morty's situation to those folks.

Here's where you'll find them: For people whose cats (may) have cancer - Yahoo Groups

(Just a word of advice...I'd suggest that you get a new separate email addy for this group - email is their operating platform (old school) and that will help you manage the info flow from a very busy community.)

I'm hoping that may help you both.

 

[MizLizzie]

Don't let me get your hopes up. But. My cat sitter got the "large, likely hopeless abdominal tumor" diagnosis from an excellent cat vet, but when they went it, it was a huge, nasty healed-over access from -- they think -- a deep, old bite wound she never noticed. Again, not to get your hopes up. But trust your gut in looking further. This vet was the best vet in town, and still is. But sometimes it's just hard to tell. Good luck.

 

[DreamerRose]

Wishing you the best tomorrow with the second vet. I think you've made the best decision, and you will get some more answers to your doubts. Paws crossed.

 

[unigeezer]

Just got back from the new vet, and she basically didn't want to do an FNA, which she said should be done only with an ultrasound (which the facility does not have) to make sure exactly where the mass is, or she'd be going in "blind" and might result in a negative result if it missed the mass. I then asked about an endoscopy to actually "see" what the mass is. She explained that the probe could not go far enough to see what's in the stomach. So she took blood and urine sample to run a full panel. Results in about 5 days. She also palpated Morty's belly and surrounding areas and there wasn't so much as a peep from him. She only said that there "might" be a mass but couldn't really tell from palpation, while the previous vet said that Morty let out an audible whimper when palpating, which is why she did the [unrecorded] ultrasound. I was in the room less than 2 feet from Morty and didn't hear a thing. Also, this new vet said that it's normal procedure to shave the area to be scanned but last vet did not shave Morty's belly and scanned him through his thick fur! New vet said that would reduce accuracy of test.

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

Sounds like a good vet. It's true, that shaving the area on the animal prior to an ultrasound is the expected thing to do.

 

[unigeezer]

This is Morty on his wheel just yesterday, almost a week after the last vet "diagnosed" a large abdominal tumor. Morty has zero symptoms, playful, lovable and sociable as ever. If I hadn't taken him to the last vet, you'd never know there was any problem. Not saying her diagnosis was/is wrong, but vets are human and can make mistakes. I read this today:

"It is not uncommon to find “masses” within the organs being examined by ultrasound although many of these turn out to be normal changes that occur as patients age. It cannot always be determined by ultrasound alone if the mass is benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancer). The doctor will look at your pet’s medical history and current concern, as well as the entire ultrasound exam to make a diagnosis and recommendations for further tests."

 

[DreamerRose]

I'm so glad you got a second opinion. Morty looks so healthy walking on his wheel. I hope the blood panels come back OK, and nothing is wrong with him.

 

[darkhorse321]

Just a side note--most ultrasounds are NOT recorded depending on what is being ultrasounded. My mom's Persian had to go to a heart specialist due to a grade 4 murmur in her heart. They, being a specialist, always recorded ultrasounds for the reason that they could then go over it with you and show you what was going on. Mom's kitty never showed a single sign of heart disease until the end, and mom was not well so her beautiful, loving kitty hid it from her...until it caught up with her
I'm pretty sure though they did buzz her chest hair to ultrasound it though---she was a fluffy cat

 

[unigeezer]

Just got off the phone with the Vet. She said Morty's blood panel was "REALLY GOOD"! Of course, that doesn't mean he doesn't have cancer (stomach tumor) but it's still great news! Out of 40 items listed on the Blood panel result, only 3 were slightly out of range, but the vet said those were not cause for concern, and at almost 17, his numbers were outstanding! She did say that having a specialist do a second ultrasound (and this time SHAVING Morty's belly!) could help to confirm whether he has cancer, a hairball, or nothing at all! Main issue for me is cost vs. affordability at this point, and that I hate putting Morty through more testing. She then said that i could just bring morty back to her in a couple weeks or so, and have her palpate to see if the 'mass' has grown, gotten smaller, or disappeared.

 

[tabbytom]

That's great to hear!

 

[arouetta]

That is awesome!

I think this new vet is going to do very well. Since she might have felt something, is there going to be any follow-up? Or is it more of a "let's wait until the next well visit appointment"?

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

That's great to hear! View attachment 187392

.....- I love that smiley! It's just the right smiley for certain occasions! -


So glad to hear Morty's blood work looked good!

 

[unigeezer]

I really want to have Morty's teeth cleaned and all that calcified tarter removed. The vets always recommend a "pre-op' blood test to make sure they can handle the anesthesia, and since his panel was so good, do you think it would be safe, even though he *might* have a stomach tumor? I know that bacteria from tarter getting into a cat's bloodstream can cause a myriad of health issues, or worse, so it's a tough decision to make. At his age i worry that something bad may happen during the procedure.

 

[foxxycat]

I hate to be a debbie downer but that first vet sounds like a not nice vet. First if all they havr the abilities to record ultrasound. Second they would have to shave the area. Third it sounds like they just write off your cat without any defined answeres. I would if you want find a Good radiologist and get a seperate ultrasound done in four weeks. Since the second vet didn't find anything and blood work didn't show high WBC to indicate infection or inflammation then I'd not be too sure about this cancer diagnosis.

I really hope it's just a fluke and your baby lives a long life. From the video he looks bright alert and responsive. Also it's possible he had poop in his belly and yelped from palpation then...did he do a doodoo after he got home that night?

I'd keep an open mind and just watch for any changes in behavior. Usually you will see them sleep in odd places or not be around people. All my sick terminal kitties hid and sleep alone in the dark somewhere. I am really sorry that they have sent you on a wild goose chase. I'd definitely seek a new vet. Sometimes reviews lie. They could have paid people to put glowing reviews.

 

[DreamerRose]

I'm so glad the blood panel turned out well. Your concern about the teeth cleaning is understandable, but in view of the good blood results, I'm leaning towards having it done. I lost one cat with bad teeth because the bad vet I had didn't suggest it.

 

[arouetta]

even though he *might* have a stomach tumor?

Yes, he might have a stomach tumor. Just like you might be sitting there with colon cancer or melanoma. The absolutely only thing you know at this point is his bloodwork is exceptional and the vet wasn't even sure she felt something, much less what it was or where it could be located. There is a huge amount of possibilities, most perfectly benign. The first vet did a scare job on you, and yes it's going to take a long time to get over that scare. Your emotions are engaged, I remember how it was to initially hear the words "possible cancer", but take a deep breath and look at the facts. There's no recording of the ultrasound. The cat wasn't shaved. Are you even sure an ultrasound was even done? Did you see it actually occur? Was Morty's belly all gooped up after? The second vet saw absolutely zero discomfort. You yourself said you heard nothing during the first exam that the vet supposedly heard him whimper in pain.

And as far as what that possible mass could be, it would have to be pretty small for the second vet to be totally unsure that it even exists. Certainly not a huge abdominal tumor. Heck, that could probably be ruled out via x-ray because something huge would be pushing organs aside. So what else could it be, and be small enough that the second vet wasn't even sure it existed? Huge hairball? Gas? Constipation? He ate far too much before the appointment? A passing infection that caused a lymph node to swell that his immune system beat before it got so bad as to need antibiotics? Cyst? Calcium deposit or scar tissue from a long healed over abscess? Fibroid tumor? Lipoma? A different adenoma? That's a decent sized list that an ordinary layperson like me could think of, can you imagine what a veterinarian could come up with for benign possibilities?

Sometimes reviews lie. They could have paid people to put glowing reviews.

This. People are paid all the time to put up glowing reviews on Yelp and other ratings sites. And as asked earlier, how positive are you that an ultrasound was even done?

Stick with the second vet, definitely. If you ever question the second vet, don't go back to the original, find a third, but I don't think you're going to be needing one. And as far as the teeth, obviously your second vet will be the best person to answer that. You've got a combination of old age (negative) plus good bloodwork (positive) plus whatever is needed for the teeth cleaning, like type of anesthesia and other medications. Were he half his age I'd say screw the tumor possibility and go for it, but I also have senior kitties and know that they just sometimes don't react well to complex medical procedures, same as our 70+ years old human senior citizens.

 

[unigeezer]

The other thing that came to mind was that an ultrasound scan should be done on an empty stomach, with food being withheld for up to 12 hours. To be fair, the test was done out of the blue because she suspected something during the palpation, and there was no time for preparation, except that she should have shaved the area being scanned as a minimum. Thanks to everyone for their kind words and great advice. Morty & I appreciate it!

 

[unigeezer]

Suddenly, this morning, and for the first time in his life, Morty has stopped eating. He's been on a wet food only diet for more than 7 years now, and has always enjoyed his meals with gusto. About two wees ago I started noticing that he was not finishing his meals, and I've had to put it back in the fridge and offer it to him later.

I got some all meat baby food and other types of wet food to see if that would stimulate his appetite. That worked for a few days, but this morning, he wouldn't eat anything I offered him, not even his favorite treats that he normally goes wild for. One thing i was very surprised to see is that he was drinking fro his water dish - something I haven't seen literally in years! He always gets all the water he needs from wet food and I always add water to that so he gets plenty, as evidenced by his abundant, large pee clumps in his cat box.

I'm guessing that since he didn't eat at all this morning, that he missed the water from his wet food so he instinctively drank from his water bowl to prevent dehydration. So I am obviously very worried and have no clue why he suddenly won't eat, or what to do. I was warned that if he did in fact have an abdominal tumor that he could go downhill very quickly. His bowel movements remain normal so I would assume that would rule out an obstruction? But maybe whatever it is in his tummy is now taking up so much space it has essentially suppressed his appetite. He is also listless and sleeping on my lap. He is not showing any signs of pain, but I know that cat's can hide these signs.

 

[unigeezer]

I should add that Morty also has had runny nose and sneezing, which looks like upper respiratory infection. So maybe he stopped eating because he can't smell his food? I talked with another vet who said that he had a cat with a similar problem and what he did was add 10 parts of water to one part Afrin and with an eyedropper put a drop or two into the affected nose and he said that cleared it right up or at least allowed him to breathe easier and smell his food