Cat diagnosed w lymphoma today

In need of opinions please

Max lost weight pretty quickly. The fisrt vet said he had Ibd based on blood test alone . On pred for 30 days
Max lost 2 more pounds and I took him to er. Vet

Based on feeling him..and an ultrasound said Max has cancer and not much time

Does his sound right


One Vet thought he is 12.. the other 6...

Any input????

Thanks

I'm so sorry you're going through this with Max.

How did they determine IBD from the blood test? What did is show that made them think IBD? How did he do on the pred for 30 days? Was he eating...not eating? What were the results of the ultrasound? Did it show thickening or a tumor?

Sorry I realize I didnt give too much info..  Im not doing too well today. 

I was prepared for bad news a month ago and was joyous to hear it was IBD... thought that was the case today _ SO NOT prepared with THIS news at all.

The first vet said everything looked fine from his bloodwork expect something was low (dont remember) which to him no question determined IBD.

Had me weigh him in a month after two .5 doses of prednisone daily.   I went to another vet today because the first one didnt return calls on the fact that Max was losing weight.. and I needed to discuss this.

While on the pred Max seemed to perk up a little - he was no longer picky.  After ending pred on dec 23... he started to be choosy over food again and just lay around..

The ultrasound showed that the vet's guess of it being a mass just by touching him was not only a mass but confirmed that it was cancer.  And that it was not just in intestines but spreading.  He then said he was not going to treat Max.  If I wanted to take treatment further I could contact an oncologist.  

So... as far as thickening.... I really didnt hear that... All I heard was cancer and everything else was just a noise really.

Thank you so much for the response....

Whether or not your want to do chemo is a personal choice.  I know LDG got chemo for her cat that has large cell lymphoma and he has been in remission for 2 years.  Large cell lymphoma is the more aggressive form of the disease.  There are others that have not been fortunate with chemo.  I remember one whose kitty had small cell lymphoma.  She started chemo, her kitty showed no improvement and she stopped, made him comfortable for as long as she could and had him euthanized.  Small cell lymphoma is the less aggressive form and it is the one that is difficult to differentiate from IBD.  

I guess I am just saying no one can give you the right answer, you have to make the decision.  Maybe you could take him to an oncologist along with his records and find out what his opinion is.  I do know that IBD and small cell lymphoma are difficult to diagnose and differentiate.  

Thank you... the way this vet made things sound... Max does not have much time and if I want to TRY other options its my choice to talk to someone else.   But even I felt the mass and its pretty big.

I guess my initial question is... I always thought cancer could be diagnosed  through bloodwork (due to white blood cell count).  So when the first vet assumed it wasnt based on the blood test,  I couldnt figure out how this one knew based on ultrasound.

I guess because he saw it spreading therefore that makes it cancer?  

Why wouldnt the first vet think to do an ultrsound and rule out cancer instead of telling me "everything is fine"  your cat simply has IBD... now he could be dead in a week????

Im not only very saddened but a bit angry.     Im not sure if these diagnosis makes sense to you guys based on the tests and the definite answer of both vets believing Max has 2 very different diseases.

thanks..

Neither IBD or lymphoma show up on bloodwork.  They are both diseases where inflammatory cells are in the lining of the digestive system.  Often the only way to definitively diagnose either one is with a biopsy.  The diagnoses as to whether it is IBD or small cell lymphoma is made by the number of inflammatory cells and how they are clumped together.  If the growth has progressed to this point in only a month even with being on the steroid than it sounds like it is an aggressive form of lymphoma.

Okay, so they did find a mass. I'm so sorry to hear this. 

It really is up to you as far as taking this further with an oncologist. Like Denice said, chemo sometimes works...sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes surgery is an option to remove the tumor, depending on the size and where it is located. I really don't know. The best thing would be to talk to an oncologist. If you decide not to go this route, pred is oftentimes continued to keep them comfortable and eating, as well as appetite stimulants, pain medications (if there's pain), anti-nausea medications, etc. Your vet can talk to you about options to keep Max as comfortable as possible. There are also some alternative treatments that claim to help with cancer kitties.

Sometimes anemia (low red blood cell count) can show up in blood work when there is cancer, but that is all I know. I know you're very sad and angry, but the truth is, both IBD and cancer can be difficult to diagnose. Even a biopsy can show up inconclusive. Symptoms from a mass sometimes won't show until it has grown to a significant size.

OK... I understand a bit more now.   I always come here for more input and opinions.  

Actually the mass was just found today.  The first vet just went by the bloodwork. 

But Denice made me realize that maybe the mass wasnt as big a month ago  and its not about that vet being incompetent (which is my usual thought).

OK... thanks for your time in clearing up this confusion for me.

He gave me a list of oncologists - unfortunately they are all very far.  But I will email him for the list and figure things out.

Let us know what you decide and how everything goes.

Many, many vibes for Max! 

I'm so sorry.

I can't add much other than to say that with an actual mass, a definitive diagnosis via biopsy is far more likely. Most vets do not treat cancer, and refer you to an oncologist.

Lazlo lost weight slowly but steadily over 7 months. We didn't get x-rays or an ultrasound done on the first of the vet visits that ultimately ended in the diagnosis of cancer, either. His was a mass in his stomach, and you can't really feel a mass there because of the rib cage. His blood work indicated he was anemic, and we treated him with pred, too. But the vet wanted us back for a recheck in two weeks, and that's when she *thought* she *might* have felt a mass, so we did x-rays. That's when everything started buzzing for us, but at least our vet told us exactly who to contact and what to do, so no time was wasted. They were able to do the biopsy when we took him back the next day for the ultrasound. Those results were back 2 days later, and the oncologist (1.5 hour drive from us) fit us in the next day.

Unfortunately, IF you're going to treat, you really need to know if it's large cell or small cell, and there's no way to know without a biopsy. Lazlo had a "massive mass" in his stomach - they were surprised he was able to keep any food down at all (cats' stomachs don't expand like people's do), the mass was "so large" it took up most of the space in his stomach. Surgery wasn't an option because it was fused to the stomach lining. He was given 4 weeks to live without chemo. We tried it, and we were very, very lucky. And Lazlo didn't overly stress on those long trips, or we wouldn't have continued it. :heart2:

As the ultrasound results should be digital, your vet should be able to easily get them to an oncologist, who can then provide a more informed opinion, perhaps?

But if you just want to keep your kitty as comfortable as possible, you might find that at some point you'll want an anti-nausea med (Cerenia) along with the prednisone.

and

Daisy has large cell lymphoma too and was quite poorly with a huge mass in her tummy. Our vet started her on chemo. We are now 12 weeks in and she is doing well. Ask for a second opinion.

Good luck and lots of wishes x

Thank.you so much again...

Max did horrible today. I actually feared the worst.

Dr gave him a dextromet.... something shot yesterday and has been lethargic since

I'm literally praying this is the cause

I'm so sorry.

Can you find out what the shot was? Is it listed on the bill they gave you when you left? Was it dexamethasone?

LDG said:

I'm so sorry.

Can you find out what the shot was? Is it listed on the bill they gave you when you left? Was it dexamethasone?

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I was kind of wondering what it was as well.  The only other thing I could find that was close was a cough suppressant.

I am sorry he isn't doing well.  Has he improved today?

Yes. Thats the shot.

He was fine for about 10 min this am.... now sleepy all day

Dexamethasone is another steroid.  That's the steroid that my IBD kitty takes.  He used to take prednisolone but there have been supply problems with it for awhile now and the vet switched him to dex.

Max got a one time shot but continues the pred twice daily...

Is yiur cat lethargic?

How is Max getting on?

tinybash said:

How is Max getting on?

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Not sure if m935 will see this. Unfortunately, Max has crossed the bridge: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/270498/my-dying-cat-keeps-pushing-my-hand-away

goholistic thanks for letting me know. Poor family.