Vibes for Spencer please!

natalie_ca

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About a  week or so ago I noticed that my boy had some swelling to the right side of his face. I figured that he had gotten into a playful scuffle with Katie, like he had in January of this year, and got a scratch on his cheek.  In January it was on the left side of his face, this time the right.  And to top it off, he got into another scuffle and had a scratch by his whiskers on that same side.

On Tuesday last week I noticed a dead wasp by the television. I thought maybe Spencer might have gotten stung.  That night I noticed while we were snuggling in bed, that his upper lip was inflamed (bright pink), but he wouldn't let me look in his mouth.  He was still eating and didn't seem to be in any pain, and was still playful and cuddly, so I wanted to bring him to the vet this past weekend. Unfortunately they were fully booked. I could have gone and sat there to get him in between appointments, but my own health prevents me from sitting for that long of a period. 

Today the swelling was down quite a bit and I wondered if he really needed to go or not. But  still saw the upper lip looking no different, so I took him.

My poor boy was so frozen with fear. He just didn't know what to think!  The doctor used Feliway on herself which helped.

She did an oral exam and probed around with a couple of cotton swabs.  He has a great deal of inflammation inside his mouth/cheek. She checked for some cells on a slide.  At this point she isn't sure what the source of infection is.  She showed me the inside of his mouth. It's very red, swollen and there is puss draining :(  She said it could be:

1. Wasp sting

2. Potential allergy to something

3. Cancer

She said he is only 3 years, and cancer is remote. They gave him a 2 week antibiotic injection, took some photos of the inside of his mouth and I have to take him back in 2 weeks for another checkup to see how the antibiotic worked. If the infection is still there, they will do a biopsy.

While he was there I also had her check his backside because he had had an infected anal gland the last time I took him in for some grooming.

He also weighs  16 pounds. He's a big boy, long and tall, so he is almost 2 pounds more than he should be.

I'm so glad that I took him in as planned.
 

stephanietx

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Oh no!  Poor Spencer!  Praying for a good word from the vet.  I remember when you got him and his sister.  Such cute babies.  I'm sure he's so handsome now.
 
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natalie_ca

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Oh poor baby!
I hope it was just an infection from a wasp sting.


WOW - he's grown up to be a BIG boy!
 He sure has!  He's also very, very strong!

The poor boy is being hissed at by Abby and Katie.  I bought some Feliway spray at the vet's and have been spraying it periodically.  Hopefully it will help.  The poor sweetie had a tough day today.
 

kittkatt

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 He sure has!  He's also very, very strong!

The poor boy is being hissed at by Abby and Katie.  I bought some Feliway spray at the vet's and have been spraying it periodically.  Hopefully it will help.  The poor sweetie had a tough day today.
I have the same problem when I bring one of mine home from the vet.


I sure hope there's nothing seriously wrong with Spencer, and that he gets well soon!
 
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natalie_ca

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I sure hope there's nothing seriously wrong with Spencer, and that he gets well soon!
I hope it's just an infection too!  I work in a cancer centre and have looked after many people who have oral cancer. It's probably one of the more horrific diseases a person can get. As much as I love my baby boy, I already know my decision if it is cancerous
. I wouldn't let him suffer through surgery or treatment.

But the vet sounded pretty optimistic when she said that oral cancer doesn't usually happen in a young cat. Now that is not to say that it can't happen, but it is very unusual to see it in a kitty Spencer's age.
 

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Sending along a ton of 
 for Spencer.....hope it's not serious and that you can get it cleared up soon.
 

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Lots of positive thoughts heading your way. Doesn't the pus mean it's far more likely to "just" be an infection?
 

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I hope it's just an infection too!  I work in a cancer centre and have looked after many people who have oral cancer. It's probably one of the more horrific diseases a person can get.
I saw a picture on a littered cigarette package the other day of someone's mouth with oral cancer. I thought "good god that can't be true" then made the mistake of looking up images of oral cancer. :shocked:

I agree that the pus is a sign of infection, plus the dead wasp you found makes me think "horses,not zebras". Hopefully that antibiotic kicks in and clears it up quickly.
 
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natalie_ca

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Lots of positive thoughts heading your way. Doesn't the pus mean it's far more likely to "just" be an infection?
No, not necessarily.  Malignant wounds called "fungating cancer wounds" can have pus drainage. I've seen lots of these types of wounds. They're nasty.   When I looked into Spencer's mouth, the inside cheek area was very red, very swollen and pussy.  It didn't look like a fungating wound, at least none that I've seen.

There  wasn't any smell that I could make out, which is why I didn't know that there was something going on inside his mouth.

I'm going to give it a few more days and then try and have a look inside his mouth to see what is going on.
 
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natalie_ca

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Thank you everyone for the positive words and thoughts!!

Spence is being super cuddly, and he's rather frisky today running around like a kitten.  It's been 2 1/2 days since his antibiotic shot.  I haven't looked into his mouth. He won't let me catch him.  When he was a kitten he loved to lay on his back, like a baby, in my arms, but he outgrew that and now he likes to lay beside me at my hip where I can still reach his head and neck, or lay almost an arms length away from me, on the coffee table where I have about the same amount of "touch privileges." 

The vet said to bring him in sooner than the 27th if his mouth seemed to be getting worse.  I'll give it to the weekend and I'll give it my best shot at trying to pin him on the bed so I can check his mouth. I think my best chance is when he's in cuddle mode and totally blissed out.  I might be able to turn over slightly and pull him up towards my head.
 
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natalie_ca

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His running around sounds good.
I sure hope so. I love my baby boy so much! He's my first boy kitty and truth be told, I love my girls a whole lot, but Spencer is my secret favourite. I know we aren't supposed to have favourites, but I think it's because when he lets me, he lays cradled in my arms and lets me rub his tummy for as long as I want.
  Which I admit is usually once or twice per day if he gets close enough for me to grab him
 
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