feline lymphoma

Has or does anyone here have a cat with Feline lymphoma?

My Ben has lost over a pound in under 3 months and is vomiting and Vet suspects this. She said the same last year when he stopped eating but exploratory surgery showed him to be fine.

NOW he is constantly hungry but occaisionally vomits.

I just lost my Tiny Princess Missy and will be more than devastated if I am losing my Ben too!

Originally Posted by MyBabies

Has or does anyone here have a cat with Feline lymphoma?

My Ben has lost over a pound in under 3 months and is vomiting and Vet suspects this. She said the same last year when he stopped eating but exploratory surgery showed him to be fine.

NOW he is constantly hungry but occaisionally vomits.

I just lost my Tiny Princess Missy and will be more than devastated if I am losing my Ben too!

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Has he been testing for Hyperthyroidism? Some cats that have it test negative. Hopefully others here who've encountered this can share. Classic symptoms of HyperT are similar to what your kitty has: weight loss, vomiting, constantly hungry.

Also, has your kitty been tested for kidney disease, diabetes?

I hope your Vet has properly tested for the above before concluding the symptoms are Lymphoma.

Originally Posted by the_food_lady

Has he been testing for Hyperthyroidism? Some cats that have it test negative. Hopefully others here who've encountered this can share. Classic symptoms of HyperT are similar to what your kitty has: weight loss, vomiting, constantly hungry.

Also, has your kitty been tested for kidney disease, diabetes?

I hope your Vet has properly tested for the above before concluding the symptoms are Lymphoma.

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They tested him last year when he STOPPED eating and he did have a blood test not long ago. I will call and check with them tomorrow.

Thanks!

I hope it't not lymphoma.....I am sending vibes. Please keep us posted.

I'm sorry your Beloved Ben isn't doing well. How old is he? Blood work can change over night for senior kitties. I'd definitely ask for more blood work. I'm not sure by your post, but it doesn't sound like your vet is doing anything much as far as definite diagnosis or treatment. You might want to get a second opinion.

Please keep us updated on your Ben.

How old is Ben. In my opinion your vet should do a full blood panel and also a thyroid test. A full urinalysis should also be done. We lost Speedboat Jan 25.
The reason he was taken to the vet was his appetite was beginning to decline. All the above tests were done and revealed 3rd stage renal failure, low blood platelets, and low white blood count. They were so low, the vet was concerned about spontaneous bleeding. He was also tested for FIV. He was 14 years old. In 13 days, he went to end stage renal failure, anemia, having to be force fed and vomiting. He had so much wrong with him, we opted not to put him through any more tests. The vet was thinking lymphoma. His next move would have been ultrasound and x-rays with possible biopsies. Speedboat was already bleeding all over the place when they put a needle in him. It seems to me there might be more testing to be done before a diagnosis can be made of lymphoma. In my mind all that would depend on the condition of Ben, his life quality etc. Prayers for you and your cat. I certainly hope he can be helped. Hugs.

I've unfortunately got experience with this, as I've lost 2 cats in the last 3 years to lymphoma. Well, at least that's what the vet told me. In both cases though, they were diagnosed with an x-ray which showed tumors. You didn't say whether you'd gotten Ben an x-ray? If not, you should do that ASAP.

Neither one of my kitties had any vomiting, but they basically stopped eating, eventually stopped drinking, and they lost way too much weight. My poor Morgan was down to like, 3 lbs from 7 and Micky, who I lost just 3 weeks or so ago, he was down from 19 lbs to about 9-ish. With Micky, I kept trying to syringe feed him 3 times a day with baby food just to keep him eating. With Morgan, she still ate a bite or two here and there, she really liked the prescription a/d.

The vet said I could go the route of a vet oncologist and take him for biopsies and ultrasounds and then get him chemo, but at 15, I didn't think it was a realistic option. Let me clarify that my vets were 85% sure it was lymphoma in both cases, but they couldn't tell me 100%, that's why they said the oncologist would know. But I didn't want to put my cats through that kind of thing at their advanced ages.

For your Ben, I think you should absolutely get an x-ray done. At least then you'll know if he has any tumors. I did a lot of research on feline lymphoma after Micky was diagnosed and I saw that it's one of the most common illnesses in both cats and dogs. That didn't really help me much, but at least I knew it wasn't like they had some rare disease no one's ever heard of.

If this vet doesn't give you answers then I absolutely recommend you find another one. I agree that he doesn't seem to be doing anything and doesn't seem to care much about it one way or another. That's a horrible vet and I don't think you should take this cat or any other animals to see him ever again. Please find a new vet so your kitty can get a better diagnosis.

Good luck and I hope Ben feels better soon. I hope it's just something totally benign that goes away quickly!

I'm so sorry you and your cat are going through this.

I recently lost a cat to intestinal lymphoma, which was diagnosed via endoscopy and biopsies.

I also had a cat who was suspected of having lymphoma, but turned out to have inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which can have the same symptoms, including weight loss. In her case, the endoscopy would have been too traumatic, so we began treating her with steroids, which is the protocol for both conditions. She responded very well and is still doing well 1-1/2 years later. She's about to turn 16.

I really, really, hope your cat turns out to have something more treatable, like IBD, which can be managed with diet and medication.

Good luck, and many vibes!

Originally Posted by Ruby35

I've unfortunately got experience with this, as I've lost 2 cats in the last 3 years to lymphoma. Well, at least that's what the vet told me. In both cases though, they were diagnosed with an x-ray which showed tumors. You didn't say whether you'd gotten Ben an x-ray? If not, you should do that ASAP.

Neither one of my kitties had any vomiting, but they basically stopped eating, eventually stopped drinking, and they lost way too much weight. My poor Morgan was down to like, 3 lbs from 7 and Micky, who I lost just 3 weeks or so ago, he was down from 19 lbs to about 9-ish. With Micky, I kept trying to syringe feed him 3 times a day with baby food just to keep him eating. With Morgan, she still ate a bite or two here and there, she really liked the prescription a/d.

The vet said I could go the route of a vet oncologist and take him for biopsies and ultrasounds and then get him chemo, but at 15, I didn't think it was a realistic option. Let me clarify that my vets were 85% sure it was lymphoma in both cases, but they couldn't tell me 100%, that's why they said the oncologist would know. But I didn't want to put my cats through that kind of thing at their advanced ages.

For your Ben, I think you should absolutely get an x-ray done. At least then you'll know if he has any tumors. I did a lot of research on feline lymphoma after Micky was diagnosed and I saw that it's one of the most common illnesses in both cats and dogs. That didn't really help me much, but at least I knew it wasn't like they had some rare disease no one's ever heard of.

If this vet doesn't give you answers then I absolutely recommend you find another one. I agree that he doesn't seem to be doing anything and doesn't seem to care much about it one way or another. That's a horrible vet and I don't think you should take this cat or any other animals to see him ever again. Please find a new vet so your kitty can get a better diagnosis.

Good luck and I hope Ben feels better soon. I hope it's just something totally benign that goes away quickly!

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Ruby, - this is a very good post, and well written, and very informative, - thank you for this. It helps.

Read my recent thread above about getting my beloved Mokie put down this morning at 11:30AM. Needless to say that I am totally beside myself this evening, and about to spend my first night in bed without him sucking on my ear lobe and licking my face as I fall asleep.

The vet, which I think is much like you described here as not being very assertive in it all, told me that she suspected intestional lymphoma, and she could do another blood test, and X-rays, and all sorts of other stuff, but she suggested that putting him down at his age was her professional opinion. It may not be fair for me to judge her, as she I'm sure was thinking and speaking a lot more rational than I was thinking, so I give her that benefit of the doubt.

MM3

Originally Posted by mokeman3

Ruby, - this is a very good post, and well written, and very informative, - thank you for this. It helps.

Read my recent thread above about getting my beloved Mokie put down this morning at 11:30AM. Needless to say that I am totally beside myself this evening, and about to spend my first night in bed without him sucking on my ear lobe and licking my face as I fall asleep.

The vet, which I think is much like you described here as not being very assertive in it all, told me that she suspected intestional lymphoma, and she could do another blood test, and X-rays, and all sorts of other stuff, but she suggested that putting him down at his age was her professional opinion. It may not be fair for me to judge her, as she I'm sure was thinking and speaking a lot more rational than I was thinking, so I give her that benefit of the doubt.

MM3

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Well with all due respect to you, because you were just doing what you were advised was the best thing for your cat, I think your Vet is a horse's arse. To just "assume" the worst case, that it was lymphoma -- without any xrays or ultrasound to check for a mass inside........and no recent bloodwork done (you'd mentioned that bloodwork was done a YEAR ago) to rule out of other very common (in older cats) and TREATable things like hyperthyroidism....CONSIDERING your cat was Hyperthyroid 10 yrs ago though treated then w/ radioactive iodine. This is significant history and it doesn't matter that labwork done in July, when cat having diarrhea was "normal" (thyroid), it should have RECENTLY be repeated, in my opinion -- and why on earth would a Vet treat Diarrhea with Amoxicillin? That's the #1 antibiotic that will CAUSE diarrhea!!!!...............I would be FURIOUS at such a Vet for not completely ruling out other common/treatable conditions before concluding based on Nothing, that it was something terminal like lymphoma. Shame shame shame. I hope you reconsider returning to such a Vet. Vets are not God and we should not put them on a pedestal. They are human and they can be wrong, and some are just plain lazy, passive and stoopid, and far too quick to jump to conclusions.

Years ago I had a 3 yr old male neutered cat, the love of my life, who had FLUTD. He had crystals and would block up frequently. My Vet, I thought was a good man and someone I trusted. Back then I didn't have internet access and therefore had no access to info on FLUTD and how to deal with crystals, etc. I was rather naive. The 3rd time Mouse blocked up and I rushed him in to be catheterized/unblocked, this Vet I had put a lot of trust and money into, told me that it was hopeless, I should put him down because it was unfair to him for him to keep blocking up. I was not given any teaching about the importance of canned food vs dry. He tried to peddle the appropriate Hill's Rx food for him, which he wouldn't eat (canned) and offered no other alternative food. He would have been better off eating any kind of canned food (with a little water added) but I didn't know any better. He told me about the surgery that can be done for male cats who frequently block (Perineal Urethrostomy, I believe it's called) but really was very negative about its success rate - emphasizing that it would cost me $1000 for the surgery with only a very little chance of success. total BS. So that Sunday afternoon he put me on the spot and basically told me that he couldn't keep unblocking him, it was unfair to him, and if I loved him I needed to put him down. This was afterhours on a Sunday, he came in to see Mouse. There was nobody there but us. He asked me to help hold Mouse while he put in the IV catheter so that he could euthanize him. I was completely distraught and traumatized, being asked to hold down my cat while the Vet put him down (and he was fighting) was deplorable. It still haunts me to this day and I learned a valuable lesson then.............no Vet knows everything and one should ALWAYS get a second opinion when one is given the only alternative of euthanization.

You obviously respect your Vet but you have to seriously ask yourself why your Vet didn't rule out other likely, treatable possibilities before declaring your cat terminal due to Lymphoma. Some simple bloodwork and a urinalysis would have been all that's needed to check for diabetes, kidney disease and hyperthyroidism; all things that cause the symptoms your cat had. A good Vet would KNOW that bloodwork done "last year" is no longer applicable or accurate. I say your Vet sucks and I'm sorry for your loss.