Barney is an Angel Now.

[kb2yjx]

Just a quick note. Squamous and epitheal(sp)are 2 different kinds of cells. Is FIP the same as distemper? I ALWAYS get them mixed up!!! If he has distemper, his WBC's are very LOW. I may just have to do a google to find an answer!!! Prayers continue.....HUGS!!!!!!!!

[kb2yjx]

OK, distemper is Panleukopenia(thus the low WBC's). Since I had to look it up, I SHOULD remember!!!! Sorry for being such a goof!!!!

[Taz_Zoee]

I am very sorry to hear about Barney's latest diagnosis. While this is such sad news, please keep in mind you've given Barney so much more than he EVER would have received if left out to fend for himself.

I laughed when I read he took his collar off. Taz has done that twice now. Since he's getting his staples out tomorow, I've done away with the collar. And he doesn't seem to even mess with his belly anymore.
And I know what you mean that he loves it when you take it off.

I know you will do what is best for Barney. You will help him feel as comfortable as possible and hopefully he will stick around for all this love for many more months.

[momtomany]

Lara

It goes without saying that I too will help to contribute to whatever Barney needs to live our his days comfortably. Afterall he has a huge family that wants to help take care of him. Trust your gut on what you think is right for him, it is like a mother's intution and you are his momma. Know that prayers are being said daily for you both.

[Emeraldgreen]

Just a quick note. Squamous and epitheal(sp)are 2 different kinds of cells. Is FIP the same as distemper? I ALWAYS get them mixed up!!! If he has distemper, his WBC's are very LOW. I may just have to do a google to find an answer!!! Prayers continue.....HUGS!!!!!!!!

The fine needle aspiration that Robin did on the lump that she originally thought was his thyroid (and I'm still unclear as to whether it is his thyroid that has the tumor or is a tumor that she thought was his enlarged thyroid)drew out some fluid (or tissue, not sure) and that was sent off to the lab. Those results came back as malignant epithelial tumor. Robin is guessing that the ear tumor(s) and nose scabbies are S.C.C. and I'm not sure if she is saying that they ephithelial tumor is too. Have to ask her about that. She hasn't diagnosed him with S.C.C. but feels pretty sure that is what it is given the scabby nose and ear and this is a cancer that cats outdoors often encounter with too much sunshine.
The only way to be sure is to biopsy his ear tumor or part of his nose and there is no point to put him through that or spend the money. I will treat him with the Transfer Factor and it will help boost his immune system which will help fight any kind of cancer, though it may not beat it.

I did some googling and found a few links with some info this morning:

Pathology
Squamous cell carcinoma is a malignant epithelial tumor which originates in epidermis, squamous mucosa or areas of squamous metaplasia.
Macroscopically, the tumor is often elevated, fungating, or may be ulcerated with irregular borders. Microscopically, tumor cells destroy the basement membrane and form sheets or compact masses which invade the subjacent connective tissue (dermis). In well differentiated carcinomas, tumor cells are pleomorphic/atypical, but resembling normal keratinocytes from prickle layer (large, polygonal, with abundant eosinophilic (pink) cytoplasm and central nucleus). Their disposal tends to be similar to that of normal epidermis: immature/basal cells at the periphery, becoming more mature to the centre of the tumor masses. Tumor cells transform into keratinized squamous cells and form round nodules with concentric, laminated layers, called "cell nests" or "epithelial/keratinous pearls". The surrounding stroma is reduced and contains inflammatory infiltrate (lymphocytes). Poorly differentiated squamous carcinomas contain more pleomorphic cells and no keratinization.[3] ... This page is a candidate to be copied to Wiktionary. ... Eosinophilic is a technical term used by histologists. ... Epidermis is the outermost layer of the skin. ... Epidermis is the outermost layer of the skin. ...

The above quote comes from this site.

IF Barney has FIP (Feline infectious peritonitis) then he would have the dry form which is the chronic type. In the wet version, cats have fluid build up which the vet said Barney does not have. One of the symptoms is going off food, which he certainly does not suffer from but another symptom is discoloration of the eyes with brown splotches, which he does have but that could be due to his age. The vet had a good look at his teeth this last visit and said she thinks he's an old man. She can't know for sure but he looks 14 but because he's been outdoors he could be younger by a bit but looks older. I don't know a lot about FIP but do want to become more familiar with it because I'm wondering if I could at least bring Barney in to our livingroom and sit on a chair in front of the fireplace. I would leave him wrapped up in a blanket and just sit with him but I will ask the vet about that. I would make sure no cats are downstairs if I did that.
From what I understand, FIP is the result of a reaction to the Corona virus. Most cats can process the virus and shed it but the cats who don't get FIP. I think that is how it works. I'm still learning about it.

He is doing so well today and is very bright eyed and is much more alert since we have begun the insulin. This morning's shot was quick and hassle free which we were both grateful for! lol
I decided to leave his cone off and will only use it when I see him really scratching and as an aid when I give him his injection and drops. It really helps because when he swings around to bite me, he can't find me with the cone on.

I'm going to give him his first dose of Transfer Factor in about an hour. I think he will not even notice it mixed up in his food so it's going to be so much easier to give him than it was with Tiger. It will be interesting to see if he improves with the T.F.

Thank you all for your offers of continued support for Barney. It is so kind of you and my hope is that he won't cost that much. He is very blessed to have such a big family. When I hold him later today, I will give him a hug from you guys.

Here is a video of him taken this morning. He was such a happy guy, purring away and doing paddies with his paws on his blanket. It is ironic that he is doing the best I've ever seen him when the news received the other day was the worst. Don't tell him that though, he thinks he's fit as a fiddle.

Grrrr. Photobucket is not working. I've been trying to load one short movie and it stops at 50% and just won't finish for the last hour. When I try to use the 'fast uploader' it lets me select a movie to upload but then there is no 'upload' button to click on the way there used to be. Anyone else having these problems?
Okay, it looks like it's finally uploading, slowly but it's going!

Nope, stuck at 18% now.

Will post it as soon as it's working.

[Catty1]

Don't tell Barney he's sick - he has other ideas!

Again, Lara, BLESS YOU - and Angela too, as he is no longer suffering in the wilderness and outdoors.

If he gobbles down the Transfer Factor, who knows? I pray that Tiger is his guardian angel.

HUGS!

[Medusa]

Fourteen and an outdoor cat all those years? Good grief, no wonder the boy is sick! What a survivor! It would be wonderful if you could hold him in a blanket by the fire as you said, Lara. How comforting that would be to him. And you.

[critters]

I did some googling and found a few links with some info this morning:


The above quote comes from this site.
I don't know a lot about FIP but do want to become more familiar with it because I'm wondering if I could at least bring Barney in to our livingroom and sit on a chair in front of the fireplace. I would leave him wrapped up in a blanket and just sit with him but I will ask the vet about that. I would make sure no cats are downstairs if I did that.
From what I understand, FIP is the result of a reaction to the Corona virus. Most cats can process the virus and shed it but the cats who don't get FIP. I think that is how it works. I'm still learning about it.

.

FIP is from a mutation of a Corona virus, and it's not very, if at all, infectious through casual contact; it's not even very contagious from mother to babies. I think your fireplace idea is GREAT!!!

[Randi]

Lara, I'm SO glad to see Barney is doing better and more alert. The love and care you give him really helps. I love your idea of taking him inside in front of the fireplace - he will so enjoy that!

It's great that you're able to give him medicine without bloodshed, and I am sure he knows that you're helping him.

Will look forward to see the next video, once you get it uploaded.

Lots of kisses to sweet Barney and hugs to you, Lara.

[lvpets2002]

Can we have a update on Barney todayPlease?? Did he get to come inside to be cuddled in a blankie by the fireplace??

[Emeraldgreen]

Can we have a update on Barney todayPlease?? Did he get to come inside to be cuddled in a blankie by the fireplace??

lol Absolutely!
We didn't build a fire last night so I haven't brought him in yet. I also wanted to run it by the vet first and I'm going to the clinic today to pick up some meds for him. Robin is prescribing another round of antibiotics and steroids. I was going to skip the steroids and give him Metacam instead (I'm almost certain the two can't be given together) but now I'm thinking the steroids might be worth a try. I've been giving him a few drops of the Metacam mixed in with his food but his ear is still really bothering him and he tilts his head and scratches it alot. Even with the collar, it still bothers him but he just can't scratch it. Robin's thought is that the steroids might help shrink the tumors a bit but she feels sure it will throw his glucose out of whack and it might be some trial and error finding the right insulin dosage for awhile.

He was so alert yesterday, bouncy even! But this morning he looked really run down and uncomfortable. He also peed outside the TWO litterboxes I have next to each other. The only thing that was different from yesterday morning to this morning was that I gave him two doses of Transfer Factor (the TF that is in the chicken suspension) mixed in with his food. I think I will switch to the leftover capsules just in case the suspension is 'off' after all this time (even though the pharmacist thought it would be alright).

I tried to upload that video to Photobucket again and it just won't upload. It's driving me crazy. I have uploaded 160 videos, identical to the one that I'm trying to upload so I just don't understand what the problem is.
Do you guys know of another image/video program that I can use other than Photobucket?

Purr_Tender wrote:

I have been so worried not hearing from you. Who would have thought your power would have been out.

I meant to reply to this in my last few posts and keep forgetting.
We lose power here quite frequently. But this is the first one this season. Last year we had lost power 3 times already by late November. We get alot of wind on the coast of B.C., especially around here and the gusts get up to 90km an hour and sometimes more and trees come down like matchsticks and take the power lines out. When we first moved here a couple of years ago we had to take the woodstove out as it was not up to code and we hadn't yet got our new stove put in and lost power. Our neighbours got power back on the third day but a tree had taken out a line in our driveway so we didn't have power for 6 days. It was the worst, not being able to shower and we were so cold. We piled a bunch of cats in bed with us to keep warm! lol
Having the woodstove makes all the difference and now a power outage isn't so bad. They usually only last for a few days at most and sometimes, like this last time, for a few hours.

Critters wrote:

FIP is from a mutation of a Corona virus, and it's not very, if at all, infectious through casual contact; it's not even very contagious from mother to babies. I think your fireplace idea is GREAT!!!

That is good to hear! I will mention that to the vet as well. I'm hopeful she will be on board with the fireplace idea.

I'm going to the Salvation Army today to see if there is an old VCR I can pick up for him. My boss has a bunch of tapes she said I could have for him that someone gave to her 4 year old daughter. They are movies for kids and have lots of animals in them so I think they will be perfect entertainment for Barney! lol
Her daugther has already seen them and knows all about Barney and has picked some movies out especially for him. My boss told me the other day her daugther was sorting through them and said "this one is for Barney and this one too" and has made a big pile for him.

[Lizzie]

I was sad to hear about Barney's prognosis, but I am so very relieved that he can spend this part of his life with you and not alone in the cold where his death would be slow and full of suffering. I foster hospice care cats for a shelter and as I hold them close in bed, snuggled in to me, clean, warm and dry with full tummies, I think about where they could be - either alone outside struggling to survive or in a cage alone at the shelter. It's very hard to be their companion for only this last stage of their life, but it's also very rewarding. I have lost ten so far this year and I'm very glad I was given the responsibility of caring for them even while they all leave holes in my heart.

After I lost Smokey Jones earlier this year, the shelter vet told me that he thought he had FIP (dry) although he'd always told me Jones had a malabsorption problem. The vet knew that Jones was with my cats, and foster kittens and cats, but he was secure in the knowledge that FIP is not contagious. (I still think the so-and-so should have told me.) FIP comes from an individual cat's response to the Corona virus, it's not a mutation that they then pass on to other cats. Jones died very suddenly, the only cat I've found dead. One day he was looking at me proudly because he'd managed to jump onto the kitchen table for the first time and less than 24 hours later he had gone. However, he was nothing like Barney, he had a huge appetite but barely gained an ounce over 8 months.

I also lost a kitten, Fiorella, to FIP last winter. She was one of a litter of nine that I fostered for several months because they had tested a weak FeLV+. They cleared that but their immune system were not as robust as those of cats who receive good care from the start. Of the eight who went out for adoption, three died of FIP. I took Fiorella back from the adoption center when she didn't recover well from her cold. I did allow her to mix with my other cats, having been assured by the shelter, again, that FIP was not contagious, and it was fine. She got quieter and quieter, slowly losing weight, and then started to become paralysed.

So, in your place I would give Barney some real home time. Sometimes vets go to extremes to protect, just in case. I know my vet will go on about the fact that I have FIV+ cats mixed in with others, but I just give him a look. However, they are your cats and you must feel comfortable with your decision.