As those of you who follow this journal remember, I was suspicious when I picked him up and he had swelling. I know surgery can sometimes jolt a slow moving cancer into high gear. When the swelling didn't go down with antibiotics after a week, I said I thought it was a tumor. I took him to the vet and they thought, because the lump felt soft, that it was an abscess. They gave me clavamox. Four days later I went and got baytril because the swelling was worse. Yesterday he started discharging bloody snot from his nose and today I took him back and told them I wanted an x-ray.
They did two angles, it's a tumor.
It's still not showing in his mouth. She checked his ear because I showed her he's been picking at it--it's not visibly pressing on the ear canal. It *is* making his nostril smaller on that side. Due to it's location, there is no easy way to biopsy. She wanted to do 2.5 mg pred once per day but I talked her into 5mg once per day. IF, and it's a *VERY BIG IF* folks, it's benign, this *may* shrink it. However, if it is CANCER, it may shrink it too. The only way we will know is if it comes down, I stop the pred, and shoots back up. IF, and it's a *VERY BIG IF* folks, it's benign, it *should*, theoretically, stay down if/when I stop the steroids.
Surgery is *out* because of the FIV and the area that the tumor is in.
Prednisone compromises the immune system. It is a gamble giving it to a cat with immune deficiency, however, there really isn't much else I *can* do. He will finish his doses of Clavamox and baytril and then she wants him back on the antirobe so that he has some sort of antibiotic in his system in conjunction with the pred.
*IF* this doesn't work, and frankly I am not real hopeful, he will be four lost in less than six months. I really kinda feel like somebody just ran me over in truck. I am stunned, and shocked, and I hurt all over.
- Mood:
lost - Music:Paint It Black by The Rolling Stones


Comments
I'm so sorry. My best kitty-well thoughts are with him. And my best mama-well thoughts are with you.
Thanks, he needs all the help he can get!!!!!!
There are no words to express the suckiness, but know that you and Woody continue to be in my thoughts.
*hugs back*
My love and hope and prayers and thoughts to you and Woody.
*hugs back*
*HUGS*
*Hugs back*
Is there anyway that the animals are getting exposed to something toxic that's prompting this rash of cancers? It seems so horrible to happen more than once like this.
Either way, my thoughts are with you and I can only hope for the best for you both.
*hugs*
We lost Kitty in April to FeLV...he had it when we rescued him. He lived with it two years--never sick a day until the last week.
Annie I adopted at age 13 because her owners were going to kill her rather than treat her diabetes. She had oral cancer. We only had her less than year.
Anubis went septic. Don't know what the fuck happened. Knock wood and anti-jinx his siblings are fine.
Woody lived feral for about seven years. He has FIV, which increases his risk of sarcoma/cancer.
Those are all the ones from this year.
Dee and her brother Sam were rescued ferals from a steel mill that has in the surrounding areas a cancer rate almost double the national average. We never got a definitive diagnosis for what killed her. Her brother died from vet malpractice.
Loki was 16.5 and has mesothelioma. YES, that concerns me as he was mostly indoor only (escaped and went AWOL for a week several years before) and the only exposure to asbestos would be my husband's clothing when Loki was a kitten.
Bunny we adopted just after he turned three. He got lymphoma but it is common in diabetic cats.
Homer (rescued stray), Reggie (rescued stray), Thurman (rescued stray) all get hit by cars.
Salem Moon got out, was an indoor only, didn't know to stay in the yard and before we could find him he was murdered by the neighbor's dogs.
Opie was a stray that the week we were going to adopt him showed up SICK--we rushed him to ER and he died there--mass in his intestines.
Pudgie had oral cancer, went into remission and got it back in his brain--but he lived with my mom, I left him with her when I moved out.
Mozart, who I also left at mom's, died from old age. Miss Bisby lived with mom and she had abdominal masses...
*hugs*
*scritches Woody*
*hugs and scritches some more*
*hugs back*
:(
*hugs back*
We need all the magick and miracles that we can get!
Hugs Back
hugs back
Hugs back
*hugs back*
We need a miracle and all I can think of that gets a miracle is prayer...