Help a friend with a diagnosis?

My co-worker has an 8-year old calico named Daisy. She is a dear little thing. Patty took Daisy to the vet for a regular check-up and they realized Daisy had lost 4 pounds. She is tiny to begin with. The vet thought it was because she had a few bad teeth. The teeth were removed and Daisy has not gained any weight and will not eat much.

Patty's vet has done bloodwork, ultrasounds, checked Daisy's urine and numerous other tests. They told Patty that Daisy may have cancer but they have nothing to prove it with. They put Daisy on Prednisone to see if they could bring her weight up.

Patty's vet told her the only way they could determine if Daisy had cancer was to cut her open and see.

Any thoughts on this. I am stumped and Patty is very upset. She doesn't want Daisy to suffer and she knows from having her for 8 years that she isn't acting herself.

Oh, they also ruled out hyper or hypo thyroid.

Where do they think the cancer is located if they can't feel it or see it on x-rays? It could be a good thing if they find an early growth that can be removed. Cats do well on chemotherapy overall, if the cancer is caught early enough.

What about FIP, the dry kind. This can cause lack of appetite, malabsorption, general malaise, and there is no test to prove that cat has the disease. It's a disease that has a very broad range of symptoms, except when it is what they call "wet" FIP which results in abdominal bloating and a rapid decline. There is no cure for either version and it's always fatal. Better that Daisy has cancer. And the prednisone can help shrink a tumor really well - in fact I'm a bit surprised they are using it prior to exploratory surgery since it will make a growth harder to find - I think, I'm definitely not a tech.

I can imagine how worried your friend is and I hope the vets find out the problem, and that's it's something they can cure.

I would take her to another vet for a second opinion, no question.

No ideas, just saying a prayer for Daisy and her mom. I do think a different vet may be in order.

I'm with Karen, get a second opinion. Weight loss could be from hyperthyroidism, renal failure any number of things other than cancer.

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Originally Posted by Karen

I would take her to another vet for a second opinion, no question.

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I agree with Karen. I really wouldn't rush into any surgery.

Thanks ladies! She won't rush into anything. She has gone to a new vet but they haven't been able to diagnose it either.

I feel badly for her. She is sort of the helpless type. She is 60 years old, lived with her parents her whole life up until her mother passed a couple years ago. She has never lived on her own or had much responsibility. She has to have someone come and give the meds to the cat and also needs someone to help her get the cat to the vet.