- Joined
- Dec 27, 2018
- Messages
- 879
- Purraise
- 1,157
Hello everyone,
I have been a lurker for quite some time but after one of my cats oncologist visit today I am signing up and hoping I can get some insight on our current situation we are in and what we can do.
The following post will be quite long so please bear with me as we have been through a lot and I want to provide as much detail as possible to get the best responses possible.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Background info on my cat fighting cancer:
Location:
Ontario, Canada (this is important regarding one of my options at the end)
Breed:
Domestic Shorthair (with a beautiful Tuxedo coat) and part Siamese
Age:
12.5 years old
Weight:
5.5 lbs (she has always been this tiny her whole life)
Quality of Life:
67/70
I only take off some points due to her having to wear an e-collar to prevent licking of the ulcerating tumor which reduces mobility.
Diagnosed:
Early November with the below 2 issues
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Issue #1:
Diagnosed with an ulcerating metastasized mammary cancer that has spread and a tumor is growing by her lung which will eventually cause pleural effusion
Issue #2 caused by #1:
The ulcerating tumor area has either become infected or necrotic (smells beyond terrible)
-------------------------------------------------------------------
What we have tried so far in the following order:
-Our regular vet gave her an injection of Convenia antibiotics that lasts 2 weeks. Had x-rays, blood work, etc done. Was told we could try a radical chain mastectomy but to talk with an oncologist first.
-1 week into Convenia we started seeing an Oncologist via referral
-Oncologist prescribed Palladia (chemo) and Metacam 2.5ml every other day
-1 week after noticed the ulcerating tumor smells terrible so we tried Clevaseptine instead of another Convenia injection for 2 weeks. Was told a radical chain mastectomy is not recommended.
-On the day the Clevaseptine was running out we picked up another 2 weeks dosage as the smell never left and were advised to not get any more due to the infection being able to build up a resistance if we keep using it
-During this time we went for a re-check with our Oncologist, my cat is doing great and handling the Palladia + Metacam without any side effects, thought the tumor has stabilized
-Went back again today (Dec 27th) and when they pulled the scab off of the ulcerating tumor we were told the tumor has slightly grown, and the infection or necrotic tumor has not gotten any better (smells beyond terrible)
^Was advised to stop using Palladia as it might be hindering the healing of the infection. But to continue Metacam and was prescribed Marbofloxacin (another antibiotic). I also purchased Fortiflora after reading aroundonline about using probiotics alongside antibiotics.
Unfortunately a radical chain mastectomy (quote of $2,500) was never really an option as the tumor is irregularly sized and it would put tremendous strain on her little body to have the surgery. Even if we did get the ulcerating tumor removed there is another one growing by her lungs which would kill her regardless due to a collapsed lung.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Current Quality of Life:
67/70
She never had any side effects of any medication, blood counts/liver and such all come back as great. If the ulcerating tumor was not there you would never know something was wrong. I only take off some points due to her having to wear an e-collar to prevent licking of the ulcerating tumor which reduces mobility.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Current Options
1) Euthanize in ~2-3 weeks while her quality of life is still very high... this breaks my heart and I really do not want to go this route... I grew up with her and if she didn't have the tumor her quality of life would be purrfect
2) Try using CBD oil... surprisinlgy this seems very hard to get in Canada, I need to get a medicinal marijuana prescription for myself just to be able to order online. They are not sold in stores yet and the US does not ship here any more even though marijuana is legal here now
3) Try some kind of alternative/homeopathic medicine like Lifegold... I read some very good and some terrible reviews about this product saying it helped with cancer remission or completely took away all quality of life/killed their cat after 1-2 drops
4) Something else one of you may recommend!?
Honestly from looking above, it seems like it is time to say goodbye... after crying for 3 days non-stop when I learned she has cancer I thought things were getting better with Palladia but nope... back to square one and a drained bank account.
Thank you for reading and I look forward to reading your responses.
I have been a lurker for quite some time but after one of my cats oncologist visit today I am signing up and hoping I can get some insight on our current situation we are in and what we can do.
The following post will be quite long so please bear with me as we have been through a lot and I want to provide as much detail as possible to get the best responses possible.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Background info on my cat fighting cancer:
Location:
Ontario, Canada (this is important regarding one of my options at the end)
Breed:
Domestic Shorthair (with a beautiful Tuxedo coat) and part Siamese
Age:
12.5 years old
Weight:
5.5 lbs (she has always been this tiny her whole life)
Quality of Life:
67/70
I only take off some points due to her having to wear an e-collar to prevent licking of the ulcerating tumor which reduces mobility.
Diagnosed:
Early November with the below 2 issues
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Issue #1:
Diagnosed with an ulcerating metastasized mammary cancer that has spread and a tumor is growing by her lung which will eventually cause pleural effusion
Issue #2 caused by #1:
The ulcerating tumor area has either become infected or necrotic (smells beyond terrible)
-------------------------------------------------------------------
What we have tried so far in the following order:
-Our regular vet gave her an injection of Convenia antibiotics that lasts 2 weeks. Had x-rays, blood work, etc done. Was told we could try a radical chain mastectomy but to talk with an oncologist first.
-1 week into Convenia we started seeing an Oncologist via referral
-Oncologist prescribed Palladia (chemo) and Metacam 2.5ml every other day
-1 week after noticed the ulcerating tumor smells terrible so we tried Clevaseptine instead of another Convenia injection for 2 weeks. Was told a radical chain mastectomy is not recommended.
-On the day the Clevaseptine was running out we picked up another 2 weeks dosage as the smell never left and were advised to not get any more due to the infection being able to build up a resistance if we keep using it
-During this time we went for a re-check with our Oncologist, my cat is doing great and handling the Palladia + Metacam without any side effects, thought the tumor has stabilized
-Went back again today (Dec 27th) and when they pulled the scab off of the ulcerating tumor we were told the tumor has slightly grown, and the infection or necrotic tumor has not gotten any better (smells beyond terrible)
^Was advised to stop using Palladia as it might be hindering the healing of the infection. But to continue Metacam and was prescribed Marbofloxacin (another antibiotic). I also purchased Fortiflora after reading aroundonline about using probiotics alongside antibiotics.
Unfortunately a radical chain mastectomy (quote of $2,500) was never really an option as the tumor is irregularly sized and it would put tremendous strain on her little body to have the surgery. Even if we did get the ulcerating tumor removed there is another one growing by her lungs which would kill her regardless due to a collapsed lung.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Current Quality of Life:
67/70
She never had any side effects of any medication, blood counts/liver and such all come back as great. If the ulcerating tumor was not there you would never know something was wrong. I only take off some points due to her having to wear an e-collar to prevent licking of the ulcerating tumor which reduces mobility.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Current Options
1) Euthanize in ~2-3 weeks while her quality of life is still very high... this breaks my heart and I really do not want to go this route... I grew up with her and if she didn't have the tumor her quality of life would be purrfect
2) Try using CBD oil... surprisinlgy this seems very hard to get in Canada, I need to get a medicinal marijuana prescription for myself just to be able to order online. They are not sold in stores yet and the US does not ship here any more even though marijuana is legal here now
3) Try some kind of alternative/homeopathic medicine like Lifegold... I read some very good and some terrible reviews about this product saying it helped with cancer remission or completely took away all quality of life/killed their cat after 1-2 drops
4) Something else one of you may recommend!?
Honestly from looking above, it seems like it is time to say goodbye... after crying for 3 days non-stop when I learned she has cancer I thought things were getting better with Palladia but nope... back to square one and a drained bank account.
Thank you for reading and I look forward to reading your responses.
....
