Possibly bad news from the vet today

Hi, we have had a trying few months and I haven't been to the site much. I miss checking in everyday. Things for us humans are starting to look up, so as my luck would have it, we had a bad visit at the vet today for my little guy Sammy.

His mouth was acting up again and it was painful enough that he stopped eating yesterday, so we went in for a check up and antibiotics. His mouth was just horrible, worse than it has ever been. When the doc was palpating his belly, she got concerned. She is not 100% sure (but sounds pretty dang sure) that his intestines feel thickened, indicating possible GI cancer. She thinks that cancer taxing his immune system is why his mouth infection got so bad so quickly this time.

Since he is weak, right now we are going to focus on treating his mouth and getting him to gain a little weight over the next few weeks. There is a slight chance his belly is inflamed as a side effect from the awful mouth infection. When his mouth is under control and he is eating well without assistance, she wants to try a steroid treatment, which would help a small cell cancer. We would also have to get his rotten teeth extracted and a biopsy will be necessary for his belly. If it is large cell, we will have to discuss chemotherapy. I really don't want Sammy to have to go through that.

At this point, if we don't see marked improvement in his appetite over the next few days as the antibiotics start to work, that will be a strong indication that he does have a serious issue other than his mouth and we will need to start making decisions.

We need positive vibes, please. For the next few days I have to syringe feed him a/d (he HATES syringe feeding) and give him antibiotics (a course of Clavamox and then a course of Antirobe, with which I am unfamiliar). Hopefully, his poor mouth will feel better soon, and then we can deal with his belly. If it is cancer, hopefully it is the small cell type.
Thank you for being here and giving me a place to worry.

I'm so sorry about the news. Poor Sammy. And poor you.     Have there been any talks of getting diagnostic imaging to see what you might be dealing with? X-rays? Ultrasound?

I am sorry your kitty is having all these issues, hopefully it's all just a result of infection.  One of my kitties was given Antirobe after a dental with several extractions.  Of course I came home and googled it.  It's an antibiotic that is used a lot specifically for mouth infections.

Praying for you & your baby. Poor thing. Keep us updated!

So sorry! Wishing you the best of luck for Sammy!

[emoji]128591[/emoji][emoji]128591[/emoji][emoji]128591[/emoji][emoji]128591[/emoji][emoji]128591[/emoji][emoji]10084[/emoji]️[emoji]128062[/emoji][emoji]10084[/emoji]️[emoji]128062[/emoji][emoji]10084[/emoji]️[emoji]128591[/emoji][emoji]128591[/emoji][emoji]128591[/emoji][emoji]128591[/emoji][emoji]128591[/emoji]

Thank you all for the vibes and kind words- it means a lot to me. Sammy looks pretty perky with walrus-y whiskers after his last feeding. I think the antibiotic shot he got earlier is helping him feel better, which is very encouraging.

The vet didn't mention xrays or ultrasound, just a biopsy and blood work. The blood work will be done after the mouth infection clears so that doesn't skew his numbers. I will definitely ask, though.

I've been googling like crazy and am pleased to find out vet chemo is nowhere near as harsh as chemo for humans. I'm trying to not get ahead of myself, but I'd rather be prepared.

So good to hear he's perking up! I'm the same way when there's something going on with one of mine. I google away. I'd rather educate myself as much as possible, that way I'm aware of any and all options. I would think the vet would suggest an ultrasound after the bloodwork is done, being that it will be able to show if his panels reflect cancerous numbers. Give that baby a kiss for me :-)

It is not an indictment..you know..

I was a nurse to humans and I gotta say,

we chicken out ..its pathetic.

its grand that you have the brass(courage) to hang in there with this feline and just do what you can do..

We have an appt for home euthanasia tomorrow night. He has not improved and has been getting progressively weaker. He is unsteady on his feet and shows no interest in food or water. Last night he started doing the 1000 yard stare and seems to existin that twilight area of not awake and not asleep. I am so heart broken. He is my soul kitty and I do not know how I'm going to get through each day without seeing his sweet happy face and bouncy little step. I'm trying to remain calm for him and not get upset but it is hard. I just fed him a few mL and snuggled him back into his blanket. Last night he slept under the covers with me in my bed and I told him how much I love him. My other cats seem to know exactly what is going on and have been very sweet to him, except for my youngest. She has hissed at him a few times. We lost her best friend a few months ago, so I think she knows he is dying, too. This is killing me. I just love him so much.

So sorry to hear this! He is lucky to be loved so much![emoji]128062[/emoji][emoji]10084[/emoji]️[emoji]128062[/emoji]

I'm so sorry... was in your shoes 8 weeks ago today with putting Min down at home. I hope your experience is as loving and kind as ours was for Min. It meant a lot for me to be able to do it at home where she was comfy.

Was there a lump with the mouth infection? One of my cats had a massive growth on her tongue. It shrunk way down with steroids and we are hoping it is only an esiniophilic granuloma and not cancer.  It has been coming back with low dose prednisolone. I will probably need to bring her in for another steroid injection soon.

I am sorry it is Sammy's time .You are a wonderful parent to hang in there.

We all live until we die,its not a fault/blame issue.

Ahh my heart is breaking for you. I'm so sorry. Stay strong by his side until the end. I'm sure he's known nothing but love, & he will wait for you across the Rainbow Bridge. Poor boy. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your Sammy today.

 My friend once said to me that the deal with the devil we make when we get them is that we know they will leave us before we leave them.  I am so, so sorry for your loss. 

Sammy passed early this morning, a few hours before his appt. He never left the twilight state he fell into, so my vet (who is also my sister in law) said he was unaware and probably as comfortable as possible for the situation. He passed away laying in his favorite spot, stretched across my husband's chest, wrapped in his blanket. It seemed peaceful and I am very grateful that he isn't sick anymore. I did my crying yesterday (well, I am sure there will be more), and today I feel relieved that he is at peace.

Sarah Ann, sorry I didn't answer your question earlier. He didn't have any masses in his mouth. He was an adult stray we took in and he came to us with horrible teeth. We did one round of extractions and this last infection was some of his remaining teeth rotting. I was afraid to do full mouth extractions at the time of his first dental, but now I wish I would have. My vet said his immune system was over taxed from his stomach problems and that is why his whole mouth got so bad so quickly. He hated anyone messing with his mouth, so I brushed his teeth less often than I would have liked. I did them six weeks ago and everything looked okay, but at the vet last week, he had 4 infected teeth. The vet said the infection had moved into the bone because he was doing the chatter-jaw when his chin was touched. It happened so fast, his little body was so worn down from the cancer. Thankfully, the Clavamox cleared up the mouth infection quickly, so I do not think he had mouth pain the past few days. Instead of him bouncing back, he steadily went downhill, getting weaker everyday, despite the healing mouth.

Oddly enough, we lost another cat last winter in similar circumstances. An abscessed tooth was the clue that something was wrong, and she died a week later. Both cats were adult strays from Frederick, MD, and the area has very high cancer rates for both people and animals. There is a lot of speculation surrounding Ft. Detrick. It was in the papers a lot when we lived there and, of course, they deny any wrongdoing. It is quite a local controversy and I am suspicious. Apparently, they tested Agent Orange in the fields around the town back in the 50's/60's. I am just glad we moved away from there. Our dog also died from cancer while we lived there.

Thank you to everyone for the concern, thoughts and kind words. It has helped me to know that others have been thinking about my little guy. He was very special to us.

I am so sorry but it sounds like she passed peacefully at home.  The whole thing with Agent Orange is very suspicious.  The government and big business that produced the stuff have sunk a lot of money into hiding the truth about it.  It took years after the Vietnam War for vets to get compensation for health issues because of the flat denial about the health risks that go with exposure to it.

Just seeing this today.  I am sorry for your loss of Sammy.  My condolences.

I am so sorry for your loss. My thoughts and prayers go out to you during this difficult time.