Lymphoma

One of our resident cats has lymphoma in the stomach.   Just diagnosed.   He is an elderly boy and has very little appitite.   It is a struggle to get any food down him at all.   He recently spent a few days on a drip.   He has had a long lasting steroid injection,  which got him eating for a couple of days.  

He is very loved and we want to do all we can to help him.

I  am not asking the folks here for vet advice (we are working closely with our vet)   but if anyone has experienced this please can you tell me your stories?   

Jan

Oh I'm so sorry!


I assume you mean large cell lymphoma? Or is it small cell lymphoma? Is there a mass in his stomach? Has the vet recommended chemotherapy, or have you been referred to an oncologist? Or have you already decided to opt for palliative care? Or are you in the process of deciding?

Our Lazlo was diagnosed with a "massive" mass in his stomach in July 2011. It was large cell lymphoma. He was VERY, VERY sick and had lost a lot of weight, most of it rapidly within the last couple of weeks before the diagnosis. He was given 4 weeks to live without treatment. We got to an oncologist, who explained the process of chemo, what to expect, the prognosis, etc.

The bottom line is that chemotherapy in pets is very different than chemo therapy in people. In pets, it's all about quality of life, not length of life, and the doses given are smaller per body size, so the issue of toxic side-effects is less. Yes, after the treatment they usually don't feel well for a few days.

But with the use of prednisone (steroids), anti-nausea medication, an appetite stimulant, perhaps an antacid... we can actually make our kitties pretty comfortable. :nod: With Lazlo, we had to assist feed him with a syringe at first, but he didn't struggle, and with each meal, he felt better and better.

Lazlo's problem was slightly compounded because he had bleeding ulcers. We treated those with an antacid, sucralfate, and a chinese herb.

I just updated his thread yesterday - we just celebrated his first anniversary of completing chemo. He remains in remission. :cross:

Here is our journey from beginning to end: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/234030/mega-massive-vibes-for-lazlo-urgent

Here is the short version: http://www.catnipchronicles.com/july2012/kitty.htm

Here is a veterinary oncologist's take on whether or not to treat a senior animal: http://www.petmd.com/blogs/thedailyvet/jintile/2013/jan/can-dog-be-too-old-for-cancer-treatment

:heart2: I do suggest you chat with the vet about assist feeding with a syringe, and start as soon as possible. Many vibes for you and your boy. :rub:

I lost my precious Mrs. Brisby recently to lymphoma. She was only 2 years old. I am still devastated, her symptoms showed up suddenly. She was probably sick for longer than I could see. There was a build up of fluid in her chest and she had a mass as well. We had to make the decision to euthanize her because seeing her suffer was UNBEARABLE. She refused to eat or drink, and would lay limp on the ground, while she was usually a very chipper and playful cat. She had stayed a night at the vet hospital and had ripped out the feeding tube that she had in her nose. She knew that it was her time. We had visited her a couple times in the hospital and it was more devastating to see her that way each time. Her quality of life was not good and I believe that putting her through the trauma of all the tests, and the different environment was not making her feel better. I miss her so much! I hope your kitty gets better, sending some positive vibes your way!