Sudden swelling in cheek; vet says 95% sure it’s cancer. Help.

jersharocks

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I am so so sorry to hear that you are going through this. I lost my boy Flakes to oral cancer in September. I promise you that there is no way you could have caught it any earlier. It is a fast, aggressive type of cancer. Flakes had a tooth extraction done and the tumor showed up within about a month and it grew very quickly. Even with x-rays done prior to the extraction, we had no idea it was coming.

He had some swelling in his face and we brought him to the vet thinking he had a dental abscess but nope, it was cancer.

There is no perfect time to put your pet to sleep. No matter what, you're going to second guess your decision. You're going to question if you let your pet suffer. You're going to question if you did it too soon. That's all normal but it definitely hurts.

Give your baby the best last days you can. I spoiled the heck out of Flakes. I took him outside and let him roll around in the grass on a warm sunny day. I gave him tons of treats, meat baby food, bonito flakes, even some kitten milk (he didn't like that very much though lol). I snuggled as much as I possibly could and took a ton of pictures and videos.

It still hurts so much and I miss him terribly but I know I did the best I could and I'm sure you are doing that as well. Trust yourself and forgive yourself for any possible mistakes you think you may have made. You've given your cat a wonderful life and that is all that truly matters in the end.

We are all here for you.
 

di and bob

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As long as he is eating and not hiding he still has some enjoyment in life. Cats tend to pull away when they sense the end is near. The steroid will slow the growth of the cancer and make him more comfortable. Get some Delectable Lickables in the stew flavors for him to eat, that way he can just lick it up. They are in the treat section. If you are worried about him having pain, especially all at once at the end, ask the vet about a liquid pain med you could just squeeze between his cheek and tongue. He would absorb it that way.
There is no way to prepare for the pain at the end for your heart, the most you can do is make him comfortable and just love him as long as you can....
 

daftcat75

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The pain medicine that squirts between cheek and gum is called buprenorphine. You can also get this compounded into a transdermal gel which you can rub into the inside of his ear. This might be preferable in this case than going the oral route. If your vet doesn't have the transdermal bupe, you can have him call in the prescription to a compounding pharmacy like Wedgewood. Wedgewood can also do express deliveries.

wedgewoodpharmacy.com
 
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AMITHIS

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My heart goes out to you...... I will pray for your little boy, and for you. He has you, and taht is everything to him right now. We took care of a cat with jaw cancer that someone dumped, most likely because he was drooling so much. He needed someone so badly.... We did what we could, he had a heated bed and love, the prednisone helped tremendously, he was completely different. He was with us for two years. His name was Hobo. We know how heartbreaking this is......
I’m so sorry Hobo had to deal with this. How fortunate he was thought to have someone step up to take good care of him and love him for his final time.
 
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AMITHIS

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Just updating. We had Lap of Love come out on Tues. I spent the prior night and that morning in sheer anxiety. We consulted with the vet though and all determined he could safely have a little more time. He ate 3/4 can of Hill’s AD the night before the appt., we hanging out with his best cat buddy on the couch when she came and was watching a Cat TV show with birds on my ipad. He has not been hiding at all and still wants to be with me all of the time. Our main concern was worry over him going into a crisis because, at this point, his face is very distorted from the tumor, he had a nose bleed Saturday (which may have been due to a URI he caught from our other cat since antibiotics did help) and is struggling to eat...but still managing to get some food down. She did not feel he would go into a sudden emergency crisis with this cancer....that we would know it was time if he stops being able to eat, gets more withdrawn etc. Right now, I’m just taking it day by day but she said she wouldn’t expect him to have more than another week or two at most. Just trying to see every extra day as a gift.
 

FeebysOwner

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I think you are doing the right thing with the path you are going down. It doesn't mean much in the big scheme of things, but I would be doing what you are doing if faced with the same. It is soooo hard. Bless you and your little baby.
 

di and bob

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Just hang in there, cats are tough. Any eating at all is a very good sign. Get Hartz Delectable Lickables in the stew flavors, they are easy to eat and higher in calories. At Walmart and Dollar General in-store, Walmart, Amazon and Target online. You may have more time than you think.......
 
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