Positive thoughts for Haggis:hyperthyroid+tongue lesion

[GILL]

Sorry no experience with this. but Welcome to pet talk and the CREW's prayers are with your babies and you.

[kb2yjx]

Welcome!! I have a 17 yr old with hyperthyroidism, byt never had a cat with a mouth lesion. Sending prayers for your boy....

[illustr8r]

We got the worst possible news. Haggis has squalimous cell carcinoma. The vet said we have the option to treat it aggressively and go to an oncologist. I just don't know what to do.

[Karen]

Do go and talk to the oncologist. They have made huge advancements in treating cancer in pets. Ask for a second opinion if you are not sure of the answer from the first vet, okay?

[Medusa]

I'm really sorry to hear this but, as Karen said, they've made huge strides in treating cancer in pets. Your PT friends will be here to encourage you and you and Haggis will be in our prayers. We pray w/out ceasing here in Ohio. Keep the faythe.

[illustr8r]

Thank you everyone. We have an appointment on Friday morning to determine what, if any, options we have. They will do x-rays and blood work and more...my hubby talked to them because I was too upset. We are willing to do all we can if we can help him. Our vet said the specialists will give us straight talk and not false hope. So, we'll see. I can tell he doesn't feel well at all. Is it more than the stitches? Not eating and feeling weak?

I just feel so bad. What a terrible day. *sigh*

[Emeraldgreen]

Hi there. I'm so sorry to hear about your cat Haggis. I went through a similar thing with my cat Tiger who had Squamous Cell Carcinoma as well. He had a tumour in his nasal passage. I learned about Transfer Factor (a super immune booster) through Catty1 and emailed back and forth with a woman who had given it to her cat who also had S.C.C. Her cat was in very bad condition and she didn't want to put him through surgery. She scheduled his euthanasia but just couldn't go through with it. She started him on Transfer Factor and within months he was greatly improved until he was in remission. Her vet was very surprised and her cat is still with her today, years later.
I bought some and was able to give it sporadically to my cat Tiger but he was so fussy that he just wouldn't eat it if mixed in with other food. My other cats couldn't even tell it was in there because they would come up and try and eat his food but Tiger wasn't having any of it. I didn't want to force it on him because whenever I did that it was very stressful for him. I ultimately had to let him go to the Bridge after a year but I really think that if I had been able to get the Transfer Factor in him, he would have had a much better chance.
I have half a bottle left over and a whole bottle that has been compounded into a thick chicken flavoured suspension by the compounding pharmacy if you are interested. I would have to check with them first to see if it is still okay to use as it was compounded a few months ago. I have also offered this to KittyKatherine, whose cat is also fighting cancer. If she would like some too, I could send one of you the bottle and one of you the suspension.

Whatever you decide, my thoughts are with you.

[kittykatharine]

I was trying to find some information on the specific cancer Haggis has, and I found a website where several owners are asking this specific vet about treatment for squamous cell carcinoma. I would look over it, because depending where the cancer is located seemed to indicate different treatements (i.e. chemotherapy, radiation therpy, and Photodynamic therapy). My cat just finished 6months of chemotherapy (she has nasal lymphoma) and she had a high quality of life throughtout the whole procedure. Here is the website:

http://www.vetinfo4cats.com/csqucell.html


I hope this helps some, and you are in my heart. I know exactly how a cancer diagnosis feels. PT is a wonderful place to get information and to talk with others who know what you are going through. You guys are in my prayers!

[Emeraldgreen]

I'm so happy to hear about the good report on both your boys, Haggis and Hamish! Fancy Feast must be tasty because it's the one thing I can sneak stuff into for my cats as well! Is cheese souffle/minced turkey a Fancy Feast flavour or do you mix cheese souffle with the turkey Fancy Feast? If it is a flavour, we don't have that here in B.C.

I'm glad that Haggis is eating the Transfer Factor without a problem. I began giving it to my foster cat Barney who was diagnosed with cancer less than a month ago. It didn't agree with him though so he is on another product called Immunocal. It's a natural whey protein and has cancer fighting properties. Here is the website if you're interested. It may be something that you could give in conjuction with with the Transfer Factor, I'm not sure but your vet could let you know. It is derived from milk, though the final product has no milk in it so it is safe for those with lactose intolerance. It's a powder that you can mix right into the wet food and doesn't seem to affect the flavour of the food at all.