Re: Spencer and irony

[Nina]

Thanks Hideyo, Perhaps Kerry's vet was not as insistent on a definitive diagnosis as my vets are.  Maybe the blood test showed a drastically elevated wbc and this was enough of an indication for her.  Although, that seems hard to imagine since there are many reasons for an elevated wbc.  Thank you for sending Dr. Richard's reply.  The fact that blood cancer, (true leukemia), would indicate different chemo treatments than lymphoma, does help me understand more why my vets would be reluctant to treat with out knowing for sure what we are dealing with. The thought of bone marrow aspirates and endoscopic exams sends chills down my spine.  And that would just be the beginning of what Spencer would have to endure.  I can't even stand the thought of them having to shave his belly for an ultrasound!  I remember someone, (maybe Michelle?), saying that they didn't have to shave them.  I have a feeling I am going to have an uphill battle with my suggestions being taken seriously, (in that I don't want to put him through any more than is absolutely necessary), as it is.  I'm going to have to pick my battles.  I better not start with something as routine as shaving his belly!  Damn, I hate this. How's Ayumi this morning?  What great suggestions you've been getting for that oxygen tank!  It looks like you're going to be able to make her a lot more comfortable.  Wouldn't it be nice to have a website that we could just order an at-home oxygen tank on?  There's a niche that needs to be filled here.  I hope that Spirit is listening. Nina Hideyo Yamamoto wrote: Nina, until Kerry gets you the information, here’s a extract of information I found..   Cancer -Leukemia  or  Lymphoma Q: My cat has just been diagnosed with leukemia (blood cancer, not the virus). She is twelve years old and I was wondering what type of treatment there >could be for her.  My vet has recommended prednisone which she has been taking for a number of years for food type allergies. Her symptoms have been vague.  She has never been a very good eater only eating a 3 oz. can of IAMS a day.  Sometimes not even all of this.  Within the last month, she suddenly began to eat everything in site.  She cried all the time to eat. As it was time for her shots, I took her to the Vet Monday and mentioned her appetite.  He suspected thyroid and took blood for that ( I haven't heard back from that yet) and did a CBC.  The CBC came back with a white count of 85,000.  Another test was done the next day and sent to a pathologist where it came back at 120,000.  More than the day before.  She seems to feel fine and her eating is great. What I would like to know, is what can I do to help to prolong her life. She's a very special kitty to all of us and I would like some advice as to what can be done.   A: D- Probably the first thing to do in this situation is to confirm the presence of leukemia. Lymphoma is much more common than leukemia and can produce white blood cell counts in the range you are reporting. Lymphoma in cats is often intestinal and it is therefore hard to find, even with a very careful examination and radiographs (X-rays). Leukemia is definitely possible, it is just a lot less common. The best ways to find lymphoma are probably ultrasonagraphy and endoscopic exam of the intestinal tract. Aspiration and evaluation of bone marrow by a pathologist is a good idea since it can help differentiate between leukemia and lymphoma and also give some insight into prognosis. There are chemotherapy protocols for both lymphoma and leukemia (either chronic or acute). They may help to provide a better quality of life and longer lifespan. If your vet doesn't want to provide chemotherapy you may wish to ask for referral to a veterinary oncologist or internal medicine specialist. Chemotherapeutic agents have to be handled carefully and practitioners who will not have the opportunity to use them frequently are often put off the by the handling requirements. We are fortunate in having a specialist nearby who will handle our chemotherapy cases and so we refer them. I hope that this helps some. Mike Richards, DVM