Re: Wallace not eating or drinking either (was Re: Caroline still not eating or drinking)
Thanks, everybody who responded, for all the great information and advice. Wallace is having his ultrasound today, and probably the biopsy as well. I've joined that yahoogroups list, but haven't made my initial post as I don't have a definitive diagnosis yet. I should have that in the next day or two. The week has been up and down with Wallace. The subcu fluids administration has gone pretty well, but syringe feeding really seems to tick him off. The past two days, he's vomited a great deal, and my vet told me yesterday to give him 5mp of Pepcid (famotidine). I wasn't able to get it until last night, so I don't know how well it worked. He wasn't allowed to eat anything after midnight because he's having the sonogram today. I locked him in the bathroom last night so he wouldn't get at the other kitties' food and water. He greeted me, and sat at my feet and purred at me. I was able to have some real quality cuddle time with him, and felt much better about going through with this diagnosis and treatment. I know it's going to be hard on all of us, but I hope and pray we'll have good outcome. Thank you again. -Jean (and Wallace) Yahoo! oneSearch: Finally, mobile search that gives answers, not web links. http://mobile.yahoo.com/mobileweb/onesearch?refer=1ONXIC
Re: Wallace not eating or drinking either (was Re: Caroline still not eating or drinking)
We went straight to chemo. With Coconut, he was treated ini the oncology section of the All Care Trauma Center in Fountain Valley, CA. JuneAmy, who I lost just over a year ago, was treated at the U of WI vet school. Her lymphoma was an extremely fast growing type & we lost her. If it is lymphoma with Wallace, I would join the yahoogroup lymphoma list. There's a lot of good people & information there. Pam Jean wrote: --- Pam Norman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Jean, I have had 2 kitties with lymphoma & neither of them had FeLV. I think an ultrasound done by an expereienced ultrasonagrapher is definitely in order. Yes, that's the next step. I'm sitting here at home waiting for the vet to call me back to let me know if he's confirmed the sonographer appointment. Doc says next after that is biopsy. You've gone through this -- what happens next? Thank you so much for responding! -Jean, off to syringe-feed Wallace more A/D and KMR Be a PS3 game guru. Get your game face on with the latest PS3 news and previews at Yahoo! Games. http://videogames.yahoo.com/platform?platform=120121
Re: Wallace not eating or drinking either (was Re: Caroline still not eating or drinking)
Yes both tests should be done, a T4 is the standard test, the Free T4 is the one that is used if the other is normal but thyroid is suspected, that is how we caught Fred's so early, he was always normal on the T4, but he had tiny lump on his thyroid we were monitoring for about a year and my vet felt it had grown a tiny bit so we did the Free T4 and he was very early hyperthyroid and had the radio iodine treatment. -- Belinda happiness is being owned by cats ... Be-Mi-Kitties http://bemikitties.com Post Adoptable FeLV/FIV/FIP Cats/Kittens http://adopt.bemikitties.com FeLV Candlelight Service http://bemikitties.com/cls HostDesign4U.com [affordable hosting & web design] http://HostDesign4U.com BMK Designs [non-profit animals websites] http://bmk.bemikitties.com
Re: Wallace not eating or drinking either (was Re: Caroline still not eating or drinking)
When my vet saw Buddies liver was enlarged on an xray, she scheduled an ultra sound and biopsy if needed. She did get an ultra sound and the vet doing it did do several biopsies, and that is how the cancer was diagnosed. It was classified as lymphoma of the liver and Buddie was negative also. -- Belinda happiness is being owned by cats ... Be-Mi-Kitties http://bemikitties.com Post Adoptable FeLV/FIV/FIP Cats/Kittens http://adopt.bemikitties.com FeLV Candlelight Service http://bemikitties.com/cls HostDesign4U.com [affordable hosting & web design] http://HostDesign4U.com BMK Designs [non-profit animals websites] http://bmk.bemikitties.com
Re: Wallace not eating or drinking either (was Re: Caroline still not eating or drinking)
PS. Forgot to say there are a few lymphoma kitties in the group that are +, but most are not. -- Belinda happiness is being owned by cats ... Be-Mi-Kitties http://bemikitties.com Post Adoptable FeLV/FIV/FIP Cats/Kittens http://adopt.bemikitties.com FeLV Candlelight Service http://bemikitties.com/cls HostDesign4U.com [affordable hosting & web design] http://HostDesign4U.com BMK Designs [non-profit animals websites] http://bmk.bemikitties.com
Re: Wallace not eating or drinking either (was Re: Caroline still not eating or drinking)
Hi Jean, I'm sorry Wallace is having such a time! One thought I had that may not be an issue, but it's worth mentioning: I did think hyperT because I have one at home. When they did his bloodwork, did they do a T4 test (or maybe it's free T4)? I know some thyroid tests will come back normal, while another will show hyperT. I would ask my vet about this. You still have the mass though, and that's scary. But don't jump to cancer just yet. It could be other things. Could be constipation possibly. Like you said, it could be the plastic. I guess you will know more this week. When are they doing the biopsy? Shouldn't they X-Ray the abdomen first to see if there's something in there before they go cutting into him? Or is that what the sonogram is for? The not eating could be behavioral like you said. Can you separate him, and see if he likes that? Some cats do. CRF will cause the dehydration, so the subQ is good for that. Did the vet say he was CRF? Keep up with the assist feeding. Bless you for doing that. It's never easy. Our Julie is CRF and hyperT, 6.7 lbs (up 2 oz's since Feb!) and urinates an awful lot. She's going strong though. Had these issues for a year now, so don't freak out too much about the kidneys because they can work at a very reduced efficiency for a long time before they give out. Lymphoma does occur in FeLV- cats. My mom's cat was just diagnosed with it, but we don't think she's FeLV+. The vet didn't say she was, but then again, she may never have been tested. Prayers going out for improved health for Wallace and peace for you. He's so young, so there's a good chance he's still got a lot of years ahead. Keep your chin up. :) Wendy "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world - indeed it is the only thing that ever has!" ~~~ Margaret Meade ~~~ Sick sense of humor? Visit Yahoo! TV's Comedy with an Edge to see what's on, when. http://tv.yahoo.com/collections/222
Re: Wallace not eating or drinking either (was Re: Caroline still not eating or drinking)
Jean, I really pray it is something much less scary than cancer, cancer is scary but with today's vets and the oncology or internal specialists, pets are doing much better surviving cancer, some going into remission for many years and eventually passing from old age or other age related problems. Intestinal lymphoma is definitely one that is treatable with pretty good results if caught early and treated aggressively. First thing if it is lymphoma, find out what kind, is it small cell or large cell, what stage is it in? Small cell is slower growing but it generally takes longer to get into remission. There are many cats on the lymphoma list I'm on that are doing very well with treatment. One FELV positive I know in Kansas is in remission for over 2 years now and going strong. He had some hard scary times but he is now doing great. Large cell is much more aggressive and has to be treated very quickly and aggressively. It generally goes into remission quickly and many cats on the list with this type of cancer are also doing very well. The key is a vet that is on top of things and if they aren't qualified to do the chemo or put the protocol together, then for them to consult with an oncologist. This is what my vet did when Buddie has her cancer, my vet did the treatments but she consulted with an oncologist about what protocol to follow. Buddie had small cell liver cancer and lived just over a year after diagnosis. I'm here to talk anytime and here is the feline lymphoma list if you think you may want to check it out. Please be sure and make sure he gets enough food, he'll need all his strength to fight lymphoma if that is what it is, and if not he still needs his strength to recover from whatever is making him feel yukky. http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/feline_lymphoma/ -- Belinda happiness is being owned by cats ... Be-Mi-Kitties http://bemikitties.com Post Adoptable FeLV/FIV/FIP Cats/Kittens http://adopt.bemikitties.com FeLV Candlelight Service http://bemikitties.com/cls HostDesign4U.com [affordable hosting & web design] http://HostDesign4U.com BMK Designs [non-profit animals websites] http://bmk.bemikitties.com
Re: Wallace not eating or drinking either (was Re: Caroline still not eating or drinking)
--- Pam Norman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Jean, I have had 2 kitties with lymphoma & neither > of them had FeLV. I > think an ultrasound done by an expereienced > ultrasonagrapher is definitely in order. Yes, that's the next step. I'm sitting here at home waiting for the vet to call me back to let me know if he's confirmed the sonographer appointment. Doc says next after that is biopsy. You've gone through this -- what happens next? Thank you so much for responding! -Jean, off to syringe-feed Wallace more A/D and KMR Be a PS3 game guru. Get your game face on with the latest PS3 news and previews at Yahoo! Games. http://videogames.yahoo.com/platform?platform=120121
Re: Wallace not eating or drinking either (was Re: Caroline still not eating or drinking)
Jean, I have had 2 kitties with lymphoma & neither of them had FeLV. I think an ultrasound done by an expereienced ultrasonagrapher is definitely in order. Pam Jean wrote: Hi folks -- long-time lurker here... I'm having the same problem with my Wallace. He's 10 in July, half-Maine Coon tiger-tuxedo tabby, used to be 20 pounds. Now he's starved himself down to 9 pounds, and up until last Thursday, the vet was mystified. All his bloodwork is normal. (He's not one of my FeLeuk rescues, so I guess he's a bit OT, sorry...) Three weeks ago, he seemed to be sick. He had an eye infection, and wasn't eating. He looked like he'd lost a lot of weight -- he'd looked mostly normal up until recently, but there's been so much family stuff going on, I didn't think too much about it until the eye infection and when he got picky about his food. I took him in to get bloodwork, thinking that it would be hyperthyroid (which has been the case with three of our family cats in different households). Nope -- everything in the bloodwork was normal, except for his dehydration. Huh. He did have an elevated temperature, so they gave me antibiotics, eye medication, and gave him 150ml of Ringer's solution subq for the dehydration. A few days later, a family emergency came up and I had to go stay with my grandparents for the better part of a week. I brought Wallace with me, and he perked up a great deal. He was eating (although no where near his usual amount), but he was only licking the gravy off the wet food, not eating the chunks. He'd eat some kibble, too, but didn't even get through a half-cup during the five days we were there. Still, he seemed strong and even jumped up to sleep on the bed and sat in the window. After the family crisis passed, we came home to our apartment and the other four cats. Wallace gets along with all of them, pretty much. One of them is his twin brother, Bruce (who is still over 20 pounds of furry purring goodness). I have one rescue, Oliver, who has never really fit in and plays dominance games from time to time, so I thought Wallace's anorexia might be a behavioral problem, reacting to yet another of Oliver's power plays. This theory got more credence when Wallace seemed to droop when we got home -- I think he'd liked being an only cat for five days. :-/ About a week after that, he'd stopped eating again, and I took him back to the vet. This was last Friday, June 8. This time, Wallace did not have a temperature, and his eye infection was gone, but he was dehydrated again. Doc's scale said he'd gone up to 12 pounds, but I don't think it's right. When I weigh him at home (holding him while I weigh myself, then weighing myself and getting the difference), he's only 9.5 or 10 pounds. When Doc did the physical exam, he palpated a mass in his abdomen that he did not feel two weeks prior. Wallace has a bad habit of chewing on plastic, so I was thinking that perhaps he'd gotten himself an obstruction, but the doc didn't think so. He's thinking lymphoma, and we're getting an ultrasound and biopsy this week. I'm doing subcu fluids at home (100-150ml, depending on how much it seems like he needs), and have been syringe feeding. Doc also gave an Rx for Periactin to stimulate appetite, and it seems to have worked a bit. Sometimes Wallace's stomach can't take the periactin, though, and he vomits it up. The past two days, he vomited a *lot*, mostly bile and fluid. But last night, I didn't wake to the unmistakable sound of kitty yakking, so I think this is good. Wallace is using his litterbox, but he's started urinating frequently, with small volume. I'm really scared for his kidneys at this point -- even if he wasn't in kidney failure before, this anorexia and dehydration will throw him into failure. Has anybody had experience with a mystery anorexia, and then lymphoma? I thought lymphoma was unusual in FeLeuk negative cats. :-/ I think I need to have him tested for FeLeuk again -- he hasn't been tested since kittenhood, but he's a strictly indoor cat and hasn't been exposed (that I know of) to a FeLeuk positive cat. I guess I'm asking for prayers and good thoughts for Wallace, too. He's been my baby since he was three weeks old, and I had to bottlefeed him. I've put his whole story on my blog, here: http://lyonessnyc.livejournal.com/52532.html I've had some success in syringe feeding him A/D, and last night I bought a can of KMR feline milk replacer and mixed some of that in with the A/D. I actually got a couple of tablespoons into him, and he slept on the bed most of the night (not under it). I'm scared for my baby. Thanks for listening. -Jean ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) TV dinner still cooling? Check out "Tonight's Picks" on Yahoo! TV. http://tv.yahoo.com/
