What would you do? (**Update 6-18-09 - need your prayers)

[katladyd]

Would it be possible to get a second opinion? It may not be the cancer's return.

[kittykatharine]

I wouldnt know where to go to get a second opinion - most the vets in Pensacola are not familiar with cancer and they just refer me to Auburn, which I cannot afford the MRI needed to definitively say that the cancer is back (my own vet suggested this). I think for now - I am going to give her the Prednisone, which wont hurt her any regardless if the cancer is back or not, and hopefully it will jump start her eating and make her feel better. If I can get her to put on any weight, then I will beable to figure our what the next step should be. I main concern is that she is not in any pain. I mean as of now none of the blood tests or exams have shown cancer - she is not breathing funny - and my vets entire diagnosis is based on the fact that she is not eating - she thinks the cancer has affected her ability to smell and therefore effected her eating. I dont know....

[katladyd]

Cancer almost always shows up in blood work, so I'm going to remain optimistic that she just has something else affecting her appetite that the Pred will take care of. Prayers coming my way for your precious Sydney! One time, my orange kitty, MacGyver, has a mystery illness that the vets, even the specialists, could not diagnose. They wanted me to spend thousands of dollars to find out. I couldn't afford that (I understand your situation very well), so I just asked for some special food I could force feed him to put some weight on him, some Sub-Q fluids so he wouldn't dehydrate, and some antibiotics on the hunch I had that he had a blood infection. Well, 24 hours after leaving the vet, Mac started to eat and drink on his own. That was four years ago and he is now a very healthy 11-year-old cat. Miracles do happen!

[Moesha]

I hope that Sydney feels better soon. I've been out of town and have been reading updates on Sydney but haven't been able to respond. Dear Sydney and Taz (Taz_Zoee's kitty) are in my thoughts often. At least look at the extra time that you were able to spend with Sydney. I never ever would have thought that she would still be with us after seeing those first pictures that you posted with the lump on her head. More kisses from me to her please.

[kittykatharine]

Well, Sydney has been eating a little better the past two days, I have been able to get her to eat about a can of tuna a day and she will take a couple of nibbles of dry food. My mom is starting a morning routine where she will be putting nutrical on her lips, so she has to lick it off. We are trying to get her some strength back. She seemed to be in better spirits yesterday, although she still looks as if she doesnt feel good. We are taking it day by day. I am keeping some hope that it is not the cancer, but I am also trying to prepare myself emotionally in the even it is cancer. She is getting tons of hugs and kisses every day.

[Medusa]

That's encouraging, Katherine. I check this thread first thing every morning and pray that there is some good news. We're all holding on for Sydney. If you see that the Pred isn't working for her, there are other appetite stimulants, such as Val Syrup that you can give by dropper, that your vet may recommend but we'll keep our paws and fingers crossed that the Pred will do the trick.

[kittykatharine]

Cancer almost always shows up in blood work, so I'm going to remain optimistic that she just has something else affecting her appetite that the Pred will take care of. Prayers coming my way for your precious Sydney! One time, my orange kitty, MacGyver, has a mystery illness that the vets, even the specialists, could not diagnose. They wanted me to spend thousands of dollars to find out. I couldn't afford that (I understand your situation very well), so I just asked for some special food I could force feed him to put some weight on him, some Sub-Q fluids so he wouldn't dehydrate, and some antibiotics on the hunch I had that he had a blood infection. Well, 24 hours after leaving the vet, Mac started to eat and drink on his own. That was four years ago and he is now a very healthy 11-year-old cat. Miracles do happen!

katladyd, thank you so much for your post - I had the same feelings as you and I am holding onto hope that this is not the cancer. I did have one question though, do you remeber what the name of the food was that you bought to force feed your kitty and how were you going to do this (e.g., syringe, gastric tube)? I need to put some wieght on Sydney and at this point I am open to anything. Thank you!


Also thank you Medusa and Moesha - you both are wonderful and have always been there for Sydney and me. I thank you for your constant postive thoughts, prayers, and posts. I truly appreciate it!

[katladyd]

I fed him a high-calorie canned food the vet gave me with a rather large syringe that had an almost spoon-like end. The water was through a syringe a little larger than the ones used to give meds. A spoon would work fine for feeding, though. I picked up a spare syringe for liquids at Wal Mart in the pet section. He started to eat before he drank on his own. Funny. The vet said drinking was more important than eating in the short term. If the syring didn't work for hydrating him, I was given a bag of water and a needle to give him Sub Q fluids. He ended up not needing this, though. My prayers are with dear Sydney, I remember pulling for her when she was going through her chemo. She is one, tough little girl. Give her hugs for me

[jennielynn1970]

Gosh, I'm so sorry to hear that Sydney is feeling so poorly. I'm just catching up with things here on PT.

I think the cancer would show up on the blood tests, so I hope that the cancer is still in remission and that there is just another reason as to why she is not feeling well. Hopefully it is just something easy to fix and will not be anything long term or degenerative in nature.

Big hugs to you and to Sydney. All my good thoughts and hopes are going out to you.

[Lizzie]

Kat - I'm glad you are pushing through this, trying everything you can. Sometimes we have to do this and sometimes we win through, which I very much hope will happen in your case.

A can of tuna is quite a bit of food, unless you mean a mini-can? If you decide to force feed her, use AD from the vet (it's VERY high calorie) with a splash of nutritional supplement. I've found that the best feeding syringe to use is a 35cc rather than the larger ones the vet techs use. Mix the AD up with warm water to the consistency of sloppy oatmeal and make sure it doesn't have any tiny lumps that will block the syringe tip. I keep the mug of feed in a jug of very warm water so that as I draw up more feed it's still nice and warm. Expect protests, but she will feel really good when that stuff is in her stomach.

Did your vet give you Mirtazapine? It's very effective and the dosage is really low, something like a 1/4 tablet every three days. The first day, as you might expect, the cat's appetite is very strong and by the third day it's pretty much back to the way it was before the medication.

Do you know if Sidney is dehydrated at all? That will make a cat lethargic and cause inappetance very quickly. To test for dehydration lift up the cat's skin between the shoulder blades with your thumb and forefinger then let go. If the skin springs back right away, it's a good indication that the cat is not dehydrated. Giving sub-q fluids, if necessary, can make a cat go from lethargic to feeling more normal very quickly.

Good luck! Sydney is lucky to have you as her guardian.

[kittykatharine]

So i wrote this super long post and I was logged out of Pettalk and I lost it - so as a synopsis, Sydney seemed better today. She actaully came down to my room looking for food this morning, which is something she hasnt done in a very long time. She still is eating the tuna (and yes the big cans!) and I was able to get her to eat some of the kitten food last night. Between the nutrical in the morning and the tuna during the day I am trying my best to get her to eat anything she can. Thank you so much katladyd,jjenn_librarian, and Lizzie for your positive thoughts and helpful information. I have printed out this page of the blog to bring to my vet in the event I have to force feed Sydney - since she is eating at this point, I do not think this is necissary, however, if her eating subsides then I at least know what to ask the vet to get. My poor little Sydney - she weights approximately 6bls rightnow, whereas she weighed 13 lbs this time last year. She is one of the strongest fighters I have ever seen and I want her to know that her mommy is right along side her fighting for her as well. Weoll, I am going to run home and feed her, I will make sure to give her extra hugs and kissses from everyone at PT!

[katladyd]

You and Sydney are so lucky to have each other The weight loss may be a delayed reaction from all the chemo she went through a few months ago. You both are in my thoughts and prayers daily. Good luck to both of you!

[Catty1]

Good news...better and better.

If you talk to your vet, see what she thinks of Sydney trying the A/D food on its own without the syringe. Mix with a bit of warm water and some tuna, maybe.

Just a thought. She is bound to put a little weight on now.

She just has the SWEETEST face - worth fighting for any time.

[Taz_Zoee]

Wow, I have just caught up with this thread. I am bad and do not come to the health sections very often.
Katherine, if you haven't seen my post about Taz in Cat General, I'll just tell you I know what you are experiencing. Minus the cancer part (at least as far as I know). Taz weighed in at 21 1/2 lbs about 5 years ago. He now weighs 7 lbs. He is skin and bones. I give him sub-q's and it's hard to even pinch his skin to get the needle in. But the fluids have been helping. He seems more alert and more active. He's not eating as much as I'd like him to, but tuna is always a winner. He screamed at me this morning for it.

I also can relate to not wanting to show them how stressed you are. I did my crying BEFORE we gave Taz his first sub-q treatment. I'm much better with it now.

I will definitely be thinking of you and Sydney and hope for the best.

[krazyaboutkatz]

When my Ziggy stopped eating and was in the hospital, they force fed her some canned A/D and I brought some of it home and she ate it here too. It's very easy to mix with water and put in large syringes if you need to force feed her. They also gave her a vitamin B-12 shot and I'm supposed to give her another one tomorrow. This is supposed to help her appetite and maybe it would also work for Sydney. Lots of prayers and positive thoughts are being sent her way.