Mr Meow is home, pictures added on post #80

[catmandu]

Thats So Hard To Decide, I Wonder What I Will Do If One Of My Cats Had That Decision. I Hope That I Would Do The Right Thing By Them, The Way I Have Tried With My Cat Angels.
I Would Wait Until Mr Meows Regular Vet Came Back.
We Are All Sending Prayers For Mrmewo And The Orange Porch Angels Will Visit And Comfort Mr Meow As Much As They Can.
Its So Sad When Our Companions Are Ill, I Have Never Know A Feeling Of Frustration And Sadness That I Did When I Couldnt Help Almond Rocca Baton And Prciosu This Year.
I Still Wonder If I Could Have Done More.

[moosmom]

Jen,

I had to make a decision regarding RB Marina Mar. After so much poking, prodding, etc., the vet suggested chemo and radiation. He said there was no guarantee that she'd get any better. I decided against it. The poor baby had so much done to her that I couldn't put her through more, with no guarantee that it would help.

I think Craftlady is right.

[rg_girlca]

Jen, I wish I could tell you what to do, but I myself wouldn't even know what I would do if I was faced with a situation like this.

But what ever decision you do make, I will stand by you all the way.

I wish nothing but the best for Mr. Meow and for you.

{{{{{{HUGS}}}}}}

[momcat]

Oh Jen, my heart goes out to you big time! Quite honestly, in your place I don't know what I would do. While the tumor seems to be growing quickly is cause for concern, the fact that Mr. Meow is doing well is definitely a positive. Your regular vet knows Mr. Meow much better than the vet you last spoke to (nothing against the vet). Maybe your best option right now is to talk to your regular vet about what to expect and what to do.

There's no question that all you want is what will be best for Mr. Meow. Please know that you both are in my prayers. I'm confident that you will make the right decision.

[jenluckenbach]

Mr. Meow is young, 3 to 5 years old (approximately).

I can't confer with my own vet until after the 17th (her vacation). So I will keep trying to find opinions and information until then. No use rushing into this.

But I would sure love to think that a tumor could be removed giving him more time with me.

[Catty1]

Jen, did you get my PM? It might sound weird...but run it by a specialist, and see if they have the technology...

If they could even 'freeze-dry' the thing...I know cryogenic treatment is used with tumours, but what kind, I don't know.

[jennielynn1970]

Have you taken Mr. Meow to Valley Central to see Dr. Hodges at all?? I mean, Joyce thinks so highly of him, and he did pull a bunch of our guys through when we thought nothing would help (look at Sneakers....). Dr. Hess gave me the same prognosis as Dr. Hodges did when it came to Alex back in February, when Dr. Fanelli missed it by a mile. I love his manner with the animals, but he's missed things before, or treated them differently than Dr. Hess, and Dr. Hess' ways have worked better with the ones he goofed up.

I didn't know that Mr. Meow was that young! Wow... I hope there is something they can do. It would be great if they could remove the tumor. If it's not attached to anything, and was movable, that's a better sign than being attached to something isn't it?? If it's small and hard and in a fixed spot, that's more likely to be a cancerous tumor than something squishy and movable (many times those are cysts). A lymph node, I'm not so sure about, cause those run throughout the body, and can spread cancer like they do in humans, but usually it's a group of lymph nodes, and not just one, right??

[Emeraldgreen]

It's so hard to know what to suggest. I have experienced both sides of the coin in the last few months. In one case, my cat Charlie who seemed in very good health and around the same age as your Mr. Meow (aged 6) had a golf ball sized lump on his side (that seemed to appear out of nowhere so I think it must have been fast growing) underwent a fine needle aspiration to make sure it wasn't an abscess or a fat deposit. It was neither. The vet wanted to put him under and take a biopsy but I asked him to take the whole thing if he was already going to be under. Charlie, died just after the surgery but the vet believes Charlie had cardiomyopathy which was unknown to everyone. The thing is though that the vet said the surgery itself went so well and that he managed to excise the tumor completely and he said he got all the surrounding tissue as well. Lab results later confirmed this. He said he was sure that Charlie would have gone on to live a very long life.
My other cat Tiger had a tumor removed from his nasal passage a few months ago as well at the age of 11. He wouldn't be here without the surgery because he was in terrible shape at the time so I'm so thankful we went through with it.
I think a fine needle aspiration is a good idea, they can do it so quickly and Charlie didn't seem to feel any discomfort when they did it right in the exam room. Perhaps there is a way to determine if Mr. Meow has any issue with Cardiomyopathy prior to anesthesia? I think if Mr. Meow is healthy otherwise and strong enough to handle the anesthesia that it might be a good option. But again, it's so hard to say what is the right thing. They're so important to us and these are very big decisions.

[kimlovescats]

What a horrible decision to have to make, Jen! All I can say is how I feel that I would react. I have also heard that opening someone up can make the cancer spread like a wildfire. I honestly think I would leave it alone, continue the depo shots and enjoy the time he has left. I wouldn't want to put him through the trauma of surgery at this point.

Hugs,
Kim

[Catty1]

IF it is cancer...that is what Jen would like to confirm.

Would a needle biopsy expose the mass to that much oxygen?

Conversely, could anything be injected INTO the mass to shrink it? Liquid nitrogen, something like that?

PT Prayers that you can find a simple way to get an answer, Jen!

Here is a link to a case study for a kitty with an abdominal mass, and the choices between ultrasound and surgery. A CT scan can apparently determine malignancy?

There are actual pics of this kitty's surgery, but you get warning - all the good text info is above that.

ALSO - they did a laparotomy, not full ab incision.


HUGS!

[Craftlady]

Specialist charged us:
$58 for tru-cut biospy supply fee
$69 for tru-cut biospy instrument
$113.00 for histopathology (full report)
Total.... $240 for just biospy.

My total bill was $411.50 (other charges were office call, xrays)


Biospy's arent cheap.

[Catty1]

Depends on what Jen's rescue would cover, I guess. I know several PTrs would help out with some extra.