Please help save Sydney's life!

[kittykatharine]

Sydney has developed a new and very unfortunate problem. She is having difficulty eating. Apparently the tumor in her face is pushing down on the right side of her mouth and she is no longer able to eat dry food or some of the wet food. I have been having to sit with her while she eats and pick up wet food and mold it into a mountain so it is easier for her to grasp. I know that if she stops eating all together, it will only be downhill from here. The vet told me it would take at least 4 or 5 weeks of chemo before I would notice any of the swelling in her face to decrease - I just hope that she can hang in there that long. It just seems like every time I help fix a problem, another one arises - it is very frustrating. Anyways, I hope everyone has a wonderful fathers day and I will be posting Sydney's reaction to her first chemo administration on wednesday. Thanks!

[Catty1]

Is Sydney getting any prednisone? There is another kind too, forget the name...

It's supposed to help the swelling...don't know if tablets would work, if there is a patch for it...maybe an injection (not INTO the tumour, unless the tumour itself doesn't have any nerve endings).

Prayers and positive thoughts for you and Sydney!

[kittykatharine]

Sydney is on prednisone - we are currently crushing it and adding into some really soft food. This has been working really well so far, and the vet said that we could also add it to a little water and use a syringe to add into her mouth, if she has any further problems. I am trying to get her to eat as much as possible because I know once she starts the chemo, she may loose her appetite. I have her on this one wet food that says it is nutritionally balanced and I am giving her small helpings several times per day.

[jenluckenbach]

Is placing a feeding tube an option? that way you can always make sure she get the nutrition she needs until the swelling can go down. Also, ask about nutri-cal or other nutritional suppliment. Maybe it would help the food she DOES eat more "complete".

I am so sorry that every time there is progress, there is an equal set back. I know it is very hard to keep the faith. Prayers for Sydney.

[Emeraldgreen]

Wow, you guys have been through alot! I've just been catching up on all the latest posts in this thread and there have been so many developements since I last read!
I'm so sorry to hear that the cancer has been found in one of her kidneys but I was really relieved to hear that you have found a wonderful new vet. I think she will make this whole experience so much more managable for you, emotionally and financially. It sounds like Syndey will have a much better chance of success with a vet who has more experience and who is compassionate.

The prednisone usually increases a cat's appetite so hopefully that will help make her more hungry. Jen's suggestions of a feeding tube might be the way to go, especially when the chemo starts to ensure that she maintains her weight and health. But I guess you'll know soon if she continues to eat or not.
You might want to pick up all kinds of different cans of cat food to spark her interest. The stinkier the better. My cats LOVE the cat tuna and it is usually quite inexpensive as well.

If you find that it becomes difficult to give Sydney the prednsione mixed in her food, you can ask your vet about transdermal gel. The veterinary pharmacists can mix the prednisone into a cream and they load into a syringe and you simply squirt the dosage out (usually 1/10th of a ml which is a tiny amount) onto the back of a spoon and then you just smear it on the inside of her ear flap. Her body will absorb it and the prednisone will enter her system.
I used it for years for my cat Jimmy who has asthma and and IBD, both of which are helped with prednisone. If your vet thinks it's a good idea, she can order it from the pharmacy and have it delivered to the clinic, usually within the week.

I'm praying for both you and Sydney. Hang in there!
p.s. I will make a donation to the clinic tomorrow sometime. I wish I could give lots but right now I'm not able to. I will definitely donate something though!

[kittykatharine]

I swear, this experience has truly made me extremely jaded and angry towards the field of veterinarian science or heathcare in general. So I went to the vet to go over my consultation and they made a mistake and accidently left of 7 weeks worth of chemo off the estimate. My mother thank God came with me because all I could do during the eniture estimate was cry. The price for the 6 month chemo protocol has gone up another $1500. This makes the chemo now more expensive than the radiation treatment I originally wanted to get - and the estimate does not include outside prescriptions and complications. I have decided that I will start her on the chemo on Wednesday (max out the ole credit cards), but I am going to watch her very carefully. If it comes to the point that I dont think she can handle the chemo, then I will switch her to palliative care -where I will most likely be forced to put her to sleep when the pain becomes to much. The only nice thing is that the vet said she would come to my house and do it if it comes to that, that way Sydney can be in her home with the ones who love her most. She would be placed next to her companion that died two years ago due to a neglectful veterinarian that gave him a powerful steriod when he was having liver problems, which put him into liver failure and he died. Luckily he only sufferred for a week. When I was younger I had wanted to become a vet so badily. I volunteered at a vet hospital and everything becuase I new I loved animals and I wanted to help them. While I was there this horrible family came in and asked that there cat be put down because his health issues (which were not that bad) were becoming annoying - and the vet did just that put this innocent baby to sleep. I remember leaving that vet office knowing that I could never ever be in this profession because I have too much heart. So I chose to study mental health counseling and work with people who need help working with grief issues - irony. Horrible thing is, when I become a mental health counselor, you help others but get paid nothing. Here I am choosing a profession because I want to help others but when it comes down to it, even if I had graduated from school and everything, I still would not have been able to afford both the chemo and radiation therapy that was needed to save sydney - totalling now at $12,000. You'll have to forgive me, I have had such a hard three weeks and I have dedicated every free moment of my time to help her. Everytime I felt that I made some progress I got shot down with some dissappointment. Last night was the first night I actually slept well because I thought everything was going to be just fine -and of course it is not. This is the first time in my life that i have given my all at something and then failed anyways. I am just really upset.

[Catty1]

{{{{{HUGS}}}}}

If she had been the first vet you went to and one mistake was made, that would have been one thing - but you sure have had a lot of things hit you in a short time.

KK - you do have some funds to start this. 6 - even 3 - months is a long time in the fundraising department. I can't send anything til early July.

Keep checking back with iMom - donations come in and they can accept some cases again, and with you having raised a fair percentage of the money, that will help.

HUGS - Sydney loves you, you love her. Take care of yourself and be healthy for her, as much as you can.

[moosmom]

kittykatharine,

You did NOT fail. You have done everything for that precious furbaby. I'd speak up and demand that the vet eat the cost of the other 7 weeks. It was THEIR mistake, not yours.

You and Syndney will be in my thoughts and prayers. You are a true angel and have earned your wings. Congratulations.