Brief History:
a) Try probiotics hoping it is IBD?
b) Or still go ahead with pred as she is on Lasix to help with the fluid?
c) Or budesonide, is that effective?
d) Or start chemo? Reading side effects makes me very hesitant.
Is a scan helpful, from what I learnt with Nico, IBD vs lymphoma is not easily distinguished.
My 2 cats (Nico & Sasha) had NO notable issues except the yearly vet checkup for the last 10 years. Nico has IDB which was easily controlled by 1/2 pred. Just lost Nico 3 weeks ago, within 5 days of kidney diagnosis.
We thought we had Sasha under control with the heart meds, but the lymphoma possibility is completely out of the blue.
It is an understatement to say that I am overwhelmed.
- Sasha is 11 and has been with us for 10 years. She always had a heart murmur.
- She had throwup 3 years ago, and she was put on Hills I/D food, and was fine. No other issues.
- Last June (2015) she started having diarrhea.
- She was diagnosed as hyperthyroid and we started with tabs, then gel, she had some skin side effects which resolved, and after having blood work every 6 weeks for last 6 months to adjust the dose, her thyroid is now in the normal range
- But her diarrhea continues, so before starting pred for possible IBD, due to heart murmur we did an echocardiogram on Feb 4th 2016, and they found she was in congestive heart failure with chest fluid. Pred was ruled out.
- Mid Feb, started 1/4 aetonol to relax heart and 1/2 lasix for chest fluid
- 2 Weeks after lasix, the kidney bloodwork came back normal
- Last Friday Mar 11th I noticed she was breathing hard with 60 breaths per minute, took her to vet for xrays but they ruled out plural effusion
- Did repeat cardio on this Tue Mar 15th to see if she is responding to heart meds. Her left atrium dilation had reduced, her left ventricle is still thickened so we are doubling aetonol to twice a day, waiting for liquid meds. We will measure heart rate again after 2 weeks, it is 230 now, expect it to go down to 160.
- But the cardiologist was extremely concerned that in spite of Lasix she has chest fluid. She had lost a pound in a month, continues diarrhea and sometimes food/bile spitup. The cardiologist mentioned that the fluid is NO longer due to heart, but possibly due to cancer
- My vet recommends starting Luekeran, since she says fluid around chest cannot be just IBD but likely lymphoma.
a) Try probiotics hoping it is IBD?
b) Or still go ahead with pred as she is on Lasix to help with the fluid?
c) Or budesonide, is that effective?
d) Or start chemo? Reading side effects makes me very hesitant.
Is a scan helpful, from what I learnt with Nico, IBD vs lymphoma is not easily distinguished.
My 2 cats (Nico & Sasha) had NO notable issues except the yearly vet checkup for the last 10 years. Nico has IDB which was easily controlled by 1/2 pred. Just lost Nico 3 weeks ago, within 5 days of kidney diagnosis.
We thought we had Sasha under control with the heart meds, but the lymphoma possibility is completely out of the blue.
It is an understatement to say that I am overwhelmed.