Posted on 03/23/2009 5:39:30 PM PDT by GRRRRR
My oldest cat-14 years old, Smokie, has bone cancer in his jaw. Most of his right mandible has been eaten away. It was swollen and sore a week ago and I took him into the vet today.
Vet said there isn't much to do for him, just watch how he eats and his overall behaviors will tell us how he's doing. She said there is a surgery, they don't do it, to remove the affected bone area and replace it with steel. It's 1500$ at least and no guarantees of recovery or cure.
She had to sedate him for x-rays today and it took three hours for Smokie to come out of it. He's eaten 3/4 of a can of food and is all back to 'normal' for now.
She also gave me some oral pain killers for him, 2mL every other day.
OK gang, any thoughts on how long this might take for my best buddy? I almost sent him off this morning, I KNEW it was cancer before I even took him in...
Bad teeth. THat’s what I’m told causes it. gotta get those teeth yanked out as soon as they go bad.
Like it or not.....It’s probably time to say goodbye....
My best friend had his lab put down last week. It was tough on all of us. But, there comes a time when, it’s just time.
Sorry for you and Smokie...
To try to raise at least some of the funds for the surgery, go to http://www.fundable.com and put up a fundraiser there. The more enticing of a headline, and the more detailed the narrative (definitely include pictures in the post if you can), the more likely it will be that you will reach your goal.
The main thing to remember about fundable is it's an all or nothing deal...if you don't reach your goal, you don't get any of the money...so keep that in mind as you set your goal. I believe you can change it during the fundraiser time though.
One way to get more attention to your fundraiser may be to go to craigslist...every city has a pets section. Maybe post to several cities, and let them know about the story, giving them a link to your fundraiser.
No matter what, prayers up for your little guy!!
Just a question, how may cats do you have?
We had to let our Duchess go last year. Very hard. I still cry. Maybe we’ll see her again some day. She was in pain and we couldn’t let her suffer.
Only you will know. This morning wasn’t the time apparently. If he has a quality of life, then by all means do what you feel necessary. We have had cats with cancer before. One went through two surgeries removing it from his nose. After the second surgery, he lived 3 more years. Another lived several months after having a lung lobe removed. We never regretted trying with our critters. They are family. But only you will know if you should do surgery, or if you should just let time progress and take your sweet kitty in a little later.
Love him as hard as you can but don’t let him suffer. You’ll know when it’s time.
Pretty kitty. I love tabbies.
I’m so sorry. I’ve had to deal with cancer in several cats that’s I’ve been very close to.
All I can say is, if he doesn’t seem to be in pain, and he’s still eating and using his litter box and acting fairly normally, just love him and appeciate him & spend as much time as you can with him.
When he starts to lose his appetite and not seem like himself, you’ll have to decide the time to let him go. Sometimes they’ll tell you when it’s time.
It’s so awful to lose a pet, especially one that you’re really attached to.
: (
We have three, all of them have been very healthy, don’t go outside at all. NONE of them have ever had any health issues thus far.
Kittie ping request!
Doggie ping!!
Cat owner needs advice and/or prayers for his little guy...come on over & help him if you can...
Bless your heart....and your sweet Tabby’s.
There are things you can do to slow the progress of the cancer, and make your cat more comfortable. It’s different for cats, and somewhat more difficult, because they’re less agreeable about pills, supplements and dietary changes compared to dogs, but look into it. I cared for my best buddy, a lab, for close to a year when he had cancer. He was happy as a clam and comfortable right up until the day he died. I still miss him greatly.
You want to find an holistic veterinarian, who is familiar with herbal anti-inflammatories. Cancer coopts the inflammatory response and spreads that way. As far as traditional veterinary medicine, radiation isn’t as dire as it sounds initially, and does wonders for relieving the pain of bone tumors, and slowing the progress of it.
Get on your favorite search engine and you’ll find plenty. Research before you buy online, though. There are people touting all kinds of things for pets with cancer, and it’s not all effective. Some is outright quackery, but you’ll know soon enough, people are very outspoken on the boards ... plenty of boards for discussion and venting, too.
Can’t speak for cats, but for dogs, the prescription painkiller, an NSAID called Metacam can work wonders for slowing or even reducing certain cancers. Herbally, turmeric is good (interferes with radiation and chemo, so watch it if you can do this and decide to try it). Dietary, get the grain out, go for protein. Carbs feed the tumor. Omega 3 (not 6 or 9) is good, too.
Prednisone is the palliative fallback, when surgery is not an option for whatever reason. It can be very helpful too, but pitfalls exist, frequent urination, degenerative disorders from long term use. But, if you make it long term, I’d say that’s a good thing.
Best of luck. I know it can seem overwhelming.
As someone very wise told me one time when I hesitated as you are doing now:
An animal will stay with you as long as they can no mattier their pain..because they love you. You have to now love him/her enough to let him go. :) Sad but...you’ll be able to look back knowing you did the right thing. We know you will. :(
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