Vaccine-Associated Sarcoma

karen in va

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My little black cat was just diagnosed with vaccine-associated sarcoma this week.  She is just five.  I noticed a lump between her shoulder blades that I swear grew out of nowhere, almost overnight.  I took her to the vet the next day and they told me they suspected VAS.  They send a pathology report off to the veterinary lab in Texas and confirmed the results. 

I read everything I could about VAS and decided not to treat.  I am an oncology nurse and hospice nurse, and feel very strongly that animals who can not understand what is going on should not be subjected to the type of intensive and aggressive medical treatment that would be required to treat this disease. Even after aggressive surgery and chemotherapy, the cancer is expected back between 12-16 months.  I am sure in my decision and know it is the right thing for me and my little Blackie.

But perhaps the people on this nice forum can help me with a few things.

(1) Blackie has a littermate, Tabby, and the two have been together since birth.  I am worried about how Tabby will deal with the loss of her bonded pair.  Everything I read says that a period of depression is expected, but that the bonded cat usually gets back to being herself after a few weeks.  I wonder if anyone has experience with this or can guide me to another place in the forum to post my question.

(2) I do not know when is the right time to bring Blackie in to be put down.  Right now, she is a perfectly normal, 100% healthy-acting cat.  She is running and playing and being herself, jumping and playful.  The vet said to bring her back when her quality of life is not good.  But I don't know when this will happen.  Part of me wants to spare her any future pain and put her down sooner rather than later.  I am afraid that may be more for me than for her.  I can't stand the thought of her suffering.  It is like I am waiting for the other shoe to drop.  

(3) Finally, does this forum have a place where folks talk about losing their kitty and grieve?  I think that's really important.  Where would you folks suggest that I post a note about that?

I am devastated by this.  I do very well dealing with death and illness and unspeakable tragedies all day long.  But this has brought me to my knees. I can not stop thinking about saying good bye to my little black cat for the last time. 

Thank you,

Karen 
 

blueyedgirl5946

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My little black cat was just diagnosed with vaccine-associated sarcoma this week.  She is just five.  I noticed a lump between her shoulder blades that I swear grew out of nowhere, almost overnight.  I took her to the vet the next day and they told me they suspected VAS.  They send a pathology report off to the veterinary lab in Texas and confirmed the results. 

I read everything I could about VAS and decided not to treat.  I am an oncology nurse and hospice nurse, and feel very strongly that animals who can not understand what is going on should not be subjected to the type of intensive and aggressive medical treatment that would be required to treat this disease. Even after aggressive surgery and chemotherapy, the cancer is expected back between 12-16 months.  I am sure in my decision and know it is the right thing for me and my little Blackie.

But perhaps the people on this nice forum can help me with a few things.

(1) Blackie has a littermate, Tabby, and the two have been together since birth.  I am worried about how Tabby will deal with the loss of her bonded pair.  Everything I read says that a period of depression is expected, but that the bonded cat usually gets back to being herself after a few weeks.  I wonder if anyone has experience with this or can guide me to another place in the forum to post my question.

(2) I do not know when is the right time to bring Blackie in to be put down.  Right now, she is a perfectly normal, 100% healthy-acting cat.  She is running and playing and being herself, jumping and playful.  The vet said to bring her back when her quality of life is not good.  But I don't know when this will happen.  Part of me wants to spare her any future pain and put her down sooner rather than later.  I am afraid that may be more for me than for her.  I can't stand the thought of her suffering.  It is like I am waiting for the other shoe to drop.  

(3) Finally, does this forum have a place where folks talk about losing their kitty and grieve?  I think that's really important.  Where would you folks suggest that I post a note about that?

I am devastated by this.  I do very well dealing with death and illness and unspeakable tragedies all day long.  But this has brought me to my knees. I can not stop thinking about saying good bye to my little black cat for the last time. 

Thank you,
Karen 
Hello Karen, I am so sorry you and your beloved kitty are going through this. It sounds as if you gave this situation much thought before you made a decision. I understand how you feel about not wanting to see your cat suffer. It sounds like maybe you have not been in this position until now. Your vet gave you good advice. You will know when the quality of life is not good. You don't have to watch her become useless. When she begins to go downhill you will know. I had to make this decision with my soul mate cat Max in 2005. He had lived for fourteen years as a very dignified cat and I wanted him to die dignified. He had kidney failure. The vet said there were some things that might prolong his life, but we didn't go there.
He died in my arms. I will never be sorry that I didn't watch him suffer anymore, We do have a forum called Crossing the Bridge where people post their tributes to their cats when they die. In the meantime, you can keep us updated about your cat in this thread and post your own thoughts too.
Try to stay strong as our cats can pick up on feelings of sadness and depression. Oh, yes you may see some signs of grieving with the littermate cat, but that passes. For now, you love your cat every day. Hold him, love him, and enjoy every minute. Remember you have come to a forum where we understand and we will be here for you.
 
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ilovemia

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I'm so sorry you and Blackie are going through this. How will you know when to put her down? When her quality of life is no longer good. As long as she is happy, playing and eating well I would wait. When those things start to go I myself would put my cat down so she wouldnt suffer.

There is a place on the forums called Rainbow Bridge that you might want to look at. This may help you.
 

tobytyler

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Oh Karen, I am so sorry about Blackie,  I have a black kitty now and have also lost one. 

Unfortunately, I've had to make that decision more times than I care to remember. Twice with Lymphoma. I didn't go to extreme measures, but did consider it once. You more than anyone knows what a confusing time this is and the decisions weighing on your shoulders.  I echo your feelings about not subjecting her to extraordinary measures to buy just a little time for you.   

I lost my Toby Tyler last May.  He and his best friend and constant companion Cricket were inseparable. I had them as small kittens and they were only 2 months apart in age.  Unfortunately, Toby was also diagnosed with suspected Lymphoma and died just 17 days after his dx.  He was completely normal, and over one weekend he developed breathing problems, purring constantly and breathing through his mouth.  The nearest emergency vet is about 45 minutes or so away, and Toby always got sick in the car.  I didn't think he would survive the stress of the car ride, not to mention I was not in a position financially to afford an emergency vet hospital.  This was an agonizing decision. 

To get to the point, first thing Monday morning I was at the vet. Toby had developed fluid on his lungs due to probable tumors pressing on his lungs due to lymphoma.  I was told he would need a lung tap, which the vet said he probably wouldn't survive, or I should consider euthanasia.  In any event, I might get another month with him, and I could consider chemotherapy and perhaps get a few months. 

I decided on the lung tap and don't regret that decision.  He survived and I took him home.  He survived the night, and he started really improving.  I knew his time was limited but I just didn't know when...or how. I was also hoping for a miracle. I spoiled him rotten during that time, let him eat what ever he would including the forbidden tuna.  I can honestly say he had a wonderful quality of life for those 16 and a half days. He even chased a butterfly and unrolled the toilet paper!

Cricket knew during this time that Toby was ill.  The night before Toby died, I noticed him and Cricket snuggled up together in bed. When I looked at Toby, his third eyelid had prolapsed, and later he didn't have the energy to get up to use the litter box.  That was when I knew it was time.  He died the next morning before the vet could come up to do the euthanasia.  Although heartbreaking, having him take in his last breath in my arms was a beautiful experience.  I let Cricket see and smell him, of course I was crying my eyes out and Cricket knew how upset I was.  We just all hung out together until the vet tech arrived to get him, I was having him cremated.

Cricket knew exactly what happened, and yes, he was depressed, but not overly so.  He was just more quiet and slept more than usual.  I was actually hoping he would be more clingy because I was missing my Velcro Toby, but he wasn't. 

Personally, unless they are truly suffering, I prefer to do as much to make them as comfortable as possible and let them let me know when it's time to go, (and hope they go on their own peacefully). Trust your instincts and let Blackie and your love for her guide your decision, you will make the right choice when it's time.
 
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violet

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Karen in VA, my heart aches for you and I totally understand the decision you've made. Please feel the loving, comforting hug I'm sending you.

I first learned about this heartbreaking, untreatable complication from Sylvia's dad many years ago. Back in those days he was very active, trying to help as many cat parents as he could....Then we lost touch.....I don't know what he's doing these days......

Anyway, hopefully his web site would be helpful and maybe even comforting to you in some way, so here are some links I still treasure

http://www.geocities.com/~kremersark/sylviasstory.html

http://www.geocities.com/~kremersark/Diary2.html

and

http://www.geocities.com/~kremersark/newhope.html

(((Hugs)))
 

northernglow

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I am sorry to hear your situation. I won't be repeating what others have already said, but I do have an advice for future: make sure the vet gives the vaccination in the cats' flank. This is a precaution in case a sarcoma would appear. It will be easy to treat when it's on the flank as they can take enough of the surroundings off too, whereas the neck area is full of nerves and 'important' blood vessels making the removal difficult. Please forgive me if this sounds weird, English isn't my first language so the medical talk doesn't quite come out right.

Good luck and many happy days to come with your kitty! I've also lost a young cat, had to make the hard decision 3 weeks before his 3rd birthday (bad case of cancer).
 

speakhandsforme

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Hi Karen,

First, I am so sorry you are going through this with Blackie. :hugs:

Second, I understand that you have probably decided not to pursue treatment, but you should know this before you make a final decision: Cats take chemotherapy much better, overall, than humans do. In cats, chemo is still targeted at prolonging life, but it follows a quality of life standard much more closely than in humans. If the suffering of the cat would outweigh the effectiveness of the treatment, chemo isn't recommended. I know VAS is normally treated through excission, but if your vet indicates chemo would help to shrink it, you could try it and see how Blackie reacts. There are many TCS members who have gone through chemo with their kitties, and I'm sure they'll be glad to help if you PM them. LDG (that's her username) knows a lot about chemo and cats; one of hers recently received successful chemo for an inoperable tumor in his stomach.

Third, I am sure you know about the link between aluminum adjuvants and VAS, but just in case you don't: To add to what NorthernGlow said, in the future, have them do not only a flank vaccine, but a non-adjuvant vaccine. The brand for this purpose is PureVax by Merial.
 
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