Willy might have cancer / high-grade lymphoma Treatment thread

[cmshap]

I don’t palpate my cats at home and I do know how to do it. I don’t want to be doing hospital things for them at home if I can help it.

That's kind of why I maybe wasn't successful when I was trying to palpate his bladder. Everything online said "it should feel hard, like an orange/grapefruit" (when it was indeed full, as confirmed by my vet later), and sounded easy, but I could feel no such thing, and meanwhile I was distressing Willy in my attempt.

So my palpations always turned into reassuring petting.

 

[cmshap]

Early morning Saturday 11/4 update (112 hours after chemo):

I am thinking that I will pick up the mirtazapine transdermal ointment this morning. I really was not satisfied with Willy's food intake yesterday, overall.

This morning, he woke me up energetically, which ALWAYS in the past meant he was hungry. I took that as a great sign, and fed him some salmon broth (he followed me as I served it), but then he just lapped at it momentarily and left.

My stress level will be so much lower if he is eating. That is worth $60 to me. My vets office is open this morning so I am planning to get the mirtazapine. (EDIT: Apparently, my vet's office is actually not open on Saturdays anymore. It changed ownership recently, and I was assuming it kept the same hours. So if I want to get this med today, I'd have to get it from the pet hospital where my oncologist is, and for some reason they sell it for $95.)

Edit: The reason I don't personally suspect nausea at this point is he has more energy. He's acting like his old self again. But he never keeps eating after he starts.

I may not completely understand what I'm looking at, but I feel like if he was feeling sick, he wouldn't be acting like his old self as much.

 

[fionasmom]

Having the Mirataz on hand will make you feel better and that is certainly worth something. It sounds as if there is a decrease in appetite and I would do the same thing.

 

[eevans3373]

I am thinking that I will pick up the mirtazapine transdermal ointment this morning. I really was not satisfied with Willy's food intake yesterday, overall.

This morning, he woke me up energetically, which ALWAYS in the past meant he was hungry. I took that as a great sign, and fed him some salmon broth (he followed me as I served it), but then he just lapped at it momentarily and left.

You could try syringe feeding but I would only use that as an absolute last resort. It's not pleasant. Another possibility would be a feeding tube but I doubt we are anywhere near there yet.

Glad to hear the chemo is making a difference.

 

[iPappy]

Early morning Saturday 11/4 update (112 hours after chemo):

I am thinking that I will pick up the mirtazapine transdermal ointment this morning. I really was not satisfied with Willy's food intake yesterday, overall.

This morning, he woke me up energetically, which ALWAYS in the past meant he was hungry. I took that as a great sign, and fed him some salmon broth (he followed me as I served it), but then he just lapped at it momentarily and left.

My stress level will be so much lower if he is eating. That is worth $60 to me. My vets office is open this morning so I am planning to get the mirtazapine. (EDIT: Apparently, my vet's office is actually not open on Saturdays anymore. It changed ownership recently, and I was assuming it kept the same hours. So if I want to get this med today, I'd have to get it from the pet hospital where my oncologist is, and for some reason they sell it for $95.)

Edit: The reason I don't personally suspect nausea at this point is he has more energy. He's acting like his old self again. But he never keeps eating after he starts.

I may not completely understand what I'm looking at, but I feel like if he was feeling sick, he wouldn't be acting like his old self as much.

Is the tumor on the side of his face anywhere near his jawline or where the two jaws meet? (I looked at the older photos you posted but I couldn't tell for sure.)

 

[cmshap]

You could try syringe feeding but I would only use that as an absolute last resort. It's not pleasant. Another possibility would be a feeding tube but I doubt we are anywhere near there yet.

I wouldn't attempt anything like that without a vet (or if you meant "have your vet try syringe feeding" I apologize), but we are nowhere near that level of danger. In fact, he's been eating some more today.

Not normal level of eating, but enough that I feel a little more at ease.

Kwik was kind enough to send me some Delectibles stew to try, and I've had moderate success with that. Willy also has been picking at dry food throughout the day.

I've been sick, myself, so I haven't been out to pick anything up. At the very least, we will get through today OK.

Edit: Just to clarify, I've been diligent about carefully cleaning the litter box post-chemo, in case anyone read my saying "I've been sick" and wondered about that.

Is the tumor on the side of his face anywhere near his jawline or where the two jaws meet? (I looked at the older photos you posted but I couldn't tell for sure.)

It has a border that extends near the jaw hinge. The tumor is even smaller today, BTW, but you could have a point. With the itching, it obviously irritates him somewhat. There could be some other irritation going on.

However, he doesn't seem to have a preference of wet food/broth over dry food. When he's hungry, he will pick at either one, and I've watched him chew dry food on both sides of his mouth interchangeably. So he is chewing dry food on the tumor-side as often as the other.

 

[cmshap]

Saturday 11/4 evening update (just about 5 days and 2 hours post-chemo):

I wrote most of what I was going to say in a response post above, but I also wanted to attach two pictures that give you a rough idea of just how drastically smaller Willy's facial tumor has gotten over just 4 days.

This was a photo I took on 10/31 (it is flipped horizontally because I took this photo in selfie-mode):



This is a photo I took today, 11/4:



That's all I wanted to add to what I said in my previous post. I am optimistic.

 

[iPappy]

Saturday 11/4 evening update (just about 5 days and 2 hours post-chemo):

I wrote most of what I was going to say in a response post above, but I also wanted to attach two pictures that give you a rough idea of just how drastically smaller Willy's facial tumor has gotten over just 4 days.

This was a photo I took on 10/31 (it is flipped horizontally because I took this photo in selfie-mode):

View attachment 462886

This is a photo I took today, 11/4:

View attachment 462887

That's all I wanted to add to what I said in my previous post. I am optimistic.

That is nothing short of amazing. I'm so glad it's working!

 

[iPappy]

I wouldn't attempt anything like that without a vet (or if you meant "have your vet try syringe feeding" I apologize), but we are nowhere near that level of danger. In fact, he's been eating some more today.

Not normal level of eating, but enough that I feel a little more at ease.

Kwik was kind enough to send me some Delectibles stew to try, and I've had moderate success with that. Willy also has been picking at dry food throughout the day.

I've been sick, myself, so I haven't been out to pick anything up. At the very least, we will get through today OK.

Edit: Just to clarify, I've been diligent about carefully cleaning the litter box post-chemo, in case anyone read my saying "I've been sick" and wondered about that.



It has a border that extends near the jaw hinge. The tumor is even smaller today, BTW, but you could have a point. With the itching, it obviously irritates him somewhat. There could be some other irritation going on.

However, he doesn't seem to have a preference of wet food/broth over dry food. When he's hungry, he will pick at either one, and I've watched him chew dry food on both sides of his mouth interchangeably. So he is chewing dry food on the tumor-side as often as the other.

Good. I'm glad it's nothing that's bothering his jaw. Was he eating normally when the tumor was at it's largest in the photo you shared from 10/31? I wasn't sure if he was experiencing something like a "clicking" in his jaw based on the location.

 

[cmshap]

Good. I'm glad it's nothing that's bothering his jaw. Was he eating normally when the tumor was at it's largest in the photo you shared from 10/31? I wasn't sure if he was experiencing something like a "clicking" in his jaw based on the location.

I'd say it likely has nothing to do with the tumor. 10/31 was 24 hours after his chemo treatment, and the tumor was still growing then, but his appetite had declined by then as well.

The night right after his treatment, he ate well, but then 10/31 and after he's been eating more poorly. I'm sure it's all related to appetite as a chemo side effect.

I'm definitely going to act on it. I think I can get him through the weekend, as he's eating something, and there is no lethargy or anything like that. And he continues to drink water regularly.

Monday I will get the mirtazapine from my vet (as it will be cheaper in price for me if I wait until Monday, due to reasons I wrote in an above post), unless he happens to start chowing down again in the meantime.

 

[cmshap]

Late evening, Saturday 11/4:

He surprised me just now by starting to eat dry food more enthusiastically than he ever has since the night after chemo. Meaning, continuous eating for a while, not just picking at it.

I hope that's a good sign. He hasn't eaten what I'd call a full meal yet, but it's a movement in a positive direction.

Edit: He's continued to return to his dry food bowl periodically since I wrote this post.

 

[Kwik]

Saturday 11/4 evening update (just about 5 days and 2 hours post-chemo):

I wrote most of what I was going to say in a response post above, but I also wanted to attach two pictures that give you a rough idea of just how drastically smaller Willy's facial tumor has gotten over just 4 days.

This was a photo I took on 10/31 (it is flipped horizontally because I took this photo in selfie-mode):

View attachment 462886

This is a photo I took today, 11/4:

View attachment 462887

That's all I wanted to add to what I said in my previous post. I am optimistic.

My goodness he's cute- that little face is just too adorable

 

[cmshap]

Sunday 11/5 (almost 6 full days since first chemo treatment):

More just picking at food today, but energy has been fine. He even wanted to play briefly a few times.

It's getting to the point that if you didn't know his backstory, or if he didn't have a shaved spot from his biopsy surgery, you wouldn't know he has a tumor just by looking at him. Of course, I can still feel it. Again, most of the reduction has been in the outward bulk of it. When I feel around the borders, it encompasses about the same surface area of his skin.

The tumor on his chest feels like it might have shrunk moreso in the surface-area direction. The borders of it are definitively smaller than initially. Which is great, because that was the one that, if it continues to grow, could start to restrict his airway. Its upper border has definitely moved farther away from his neck/throat.

Tomorrow we will be starting appetite stimulation intervention, with mirtazapine ointment. If he starts eating normally again, I am going to feel very optimistic about his future as this treatment moves forward.

Edited for picture attachment. Because, why not?

 

[IndyJones]

He is a looker for sure. I can deffinatly see a difference in the size of it.

 

[cmshap]

He is a looker for sure. I can deffinatly see a difference in the size of it.

And I can definitely see a difference in his general mood, day by day.

He's not quite at the level of normal play he used to be, but he's doing things like waking me up every morning with quite vigorous meowing in my face (I'm sleeping on my living room couch always, right now, because he hangs out more in the living room, and his food station is nearby, so I've been wanting to monitor his food intake as best I can -- like I said, he eats best when I serve him fresh food. So that means, as soon as he looks hungry, get up and give him a little something straight out of a container/bag). He frequently wakes up from naps throughout the day and just paces around me, meowing and trilling, basically saying "interact with me."

That all seems to be getting better and better each day. I just wish he would EAT.

 

[cmshap]

Early monday morning, 11/6 (~6.5 days since first chemo):

BIIIIIIG appetite this morning, all of the sudden. I've had to slow him down, by giving him a little at a time, and leaving him with an empty plate, which he proceeds to lick for any remaining crumbs/bits as he waits for his next allotment.

This is normal Willy. He was mildly overweight frequently throughout his life because he normally eats like this, and then would bother the hell out of me until I'd cave and give him a little more to get him out of my face (that's the wrong reaction, I know).

I'm not going to let him stuff his face, but I'm going to slowly and carefully indulge his big appetite for as long as it lasts. I'll also probably get the mirtazapine anyway just to have around, as I do not know if his appetite will wax/wane.

Regarding mirtazapine, I was talking to a friend last night who used mirtazapine on one of her cats, and she said she used the pill form. In her situation, it was best (she was in a multi-cat household, and if she'd have used the transdermal ointment, she'd have had to separate her cats for a couple of hours post-administration).

I didn't even know there was a pill form. Both my oncologist and vet only ever mentioned the ointment. I'm guessing that's their default recommendation, because it's easier for the average cat owner to administer than a pill.

But I can pill Willy. I'm thinking that if I had the ointment on-hand just in case, it has a shelf life and I could end up wasting it. If I had the pills, they would perhaps last longer.

 

[Kwik]

Early monday morning, 11/6 (~6.5 days since first chemo):

BIIIIIIG appetite this morning, all of the sudden. I've had to slow him down, by giving him a little at a time, and leaving him with an empty plate, which he proceeds to lick for any remaining crumbs/bits as he waits for his next allotment.

This is normal Willy. He was mildly overweight frequently throughout his life because he normally eats like this, and then would bother the hell out of me until I'd cave and give him a little more to get him out of my face (that's the wrong reaction, I know).

I'm not going to let him stuff his face, but I'm going to slowly and carefully indulge his big appetite for as long as it lasts. I'll also probably get the mirtazapine anyway just to have around, as I do not know if his appetite will wax/wane.

Regarding mirtazapine, I was talking to a friend last night who used mirtazapine on one of her cats, and she said she used the pill form. In her situation, it was best (she was in a multi-cat household, and if she'd have used the transdermal ointment, she'd have had to separate her cats for a couple of hours post-administration).

I didn't even know there was a pill form. Both my oncologist and vet only ever mentioned the ointment. I'm guessing that's their default recommendation, because it's easier for the average cat owner to administer than a pill.

But I can pill Willy. I'm thinking that if I had the ointment on-hand just in case, it has a shelf life and I could end up wasting it. If I had the pills, they would perhaps last longer.

Good to hear,I was waiting to hear this as I fully expected..... yes,there's going to be highs & lows- thsts why you must take one day at a time for your own sanity.......".Worry not for tomorrow as today has its own cares"

 

[FeralHearts]

cmshap Thank you so much for sharing your progress with us. I am so very happy it's going well. XOXOXO

Mirtazapine from what I recall there is a pill formula. Double check with your vet on this as it's possible I am remembering wrong.

I wasn't told about a pill option either until much later as the transdermal had zero and I mean zero impact on Mia. On Charlie however - he was a beast. I could not feed him enough and had to be careful cause he went from no appetite to "FEED ME SEYMOUR" fast. It was impressive. The transdermal also worked on Braveheart as she had the same reaction as Charlie - hungry - hungry!

The pill, from what I read after; and again ask the vet as my memory might be off from how much I had to intake in a short period, has a better absorption rate and works better. Again please ask the vet as my memory could be wrong but I recall thinking I wish the Doc/Ocol had told me that after the transdermal had failed.

I have no idea about the life shelf of the pills. The transdermal on mine said 30 days expiration after opening.

------

 

[fionasmom]

I have used the pill form in the past and it was highly effective. It may be that so many cats are hard to pill that vets are defaulting to the transdermal form so as to avoid difficulty at home for the owner. The last couple of times I have used it, I was simply given the transdermal form which was easier for me. However, if you can pill Willy easily there is no reason to avoid it. In my experience, it was more effective, even extremely so.

 

[IndyJones]

The problem with transdermals is people not wearing gloves and being exposed to the drug over time making them sick. My vet does not default to it or recommend it for this reason along with it not being as effective.