My thirteen year old orange tiger named Mork was diagnosed with gastric lymphoma in November. This was after almost a ten months of repeated vet visits where his general vet tried everything to figure out the cause of his vomiting. I tried everything I could think of, like giving him many tiny meals a day and switching his protein. I honestly thought he had irritable bowel syndrome. I even took him to another vet for a second opinion, but she couldn't figure it out either. Mork vomited at least twice a day, most often at night while I was sleeping.
I finally took him to the Michigan State Vet Clinic. After two expensive visits, I was told that Mork has a tumor in his stomach in an odd place that is not ideal for an operation. A needle aspirate was done to confirm that the tumor is cancer. The oncologist explained several possible options for treatment, but he thought based on what the tests showed, Mork's best treatment would be something called the Madison Wisonsin protocol. This would cost thousands of dollars. I couldn't think straight, but in my heart I wanted to help Mork as much as I could. The oncologist gave Mork an IV injection of Vincristine, the first drug for the first week of the Madison Wisconsin protocol. I made the hour drive home blinded by tears, upset by the thought of my gentle friend having cancer. I was angry with myself for not taking him directly to MSU after the first general vet visit couldn't determine a reason for his vomiting. I blamed myself for wasted time that could have been spent treating Mork's cancer.
I brought Mork home to his biological sister, Mindy aka Minnie, and I started to research online to learn everything I could about Mork's situation. The paperwork from MSU said his prognosis was poor. The oncologist was surprised he was doing as well as he was after having symptoms for so long.
I was torn what to do. Should I put him through the frequent car rides and vet visits? Should I begin palliative care? Since most cats have intestinal lymphoma, there wasn't much to read about the gastric type.
I finally decided I had to at least try the Madison Wisconsin protocol. However, when I called MSU to schedule an appointment, I was told the only times for chemo were 8am and 10am. I am a teacher, and I cannot take a sick day every week. I searched online until I found a vet in Ann Arbor who was willing to help me. She typically treats dogs, but she said she would do what she could to help Mork.
So far, Mork has completed another round of Vincristine, a pill form of Cyclophosphamide, and doxorubicin. He has tolerated the drugs reasonably well, but has had some side effects of vomiting about a week after each treatment. There are nights where I look at him, and I know he doesn't feel well. These are the times I question the choice I made for him the most.
Two nights ago, after an explosive bout of vomiting, I treated him with Metoclopramide which his vet sent home for nausea. Mork is difficult to pill, so most of his meds are liquid when possible. After I dosed him, I became alarmed by his extreme drowsiness. His breathing seemed rapid too. He slept with us all night which is unusual. Usually he jumps down after a little bit when we are both in bed. If I am alone, both cats will sleep with me all night. I monitored him and came close to taking him to the emergency vet. In the morning, he seemed okay.
Mork has not had much of an appetite this week. Normally he is a voracious eater. He will eat his half can of wet food quickly and then try to smuggle Minnie's food. She eats more slowly. This week, he sniffs the food and eats a few bites, then walks away.
This week was the week in the Madison Wisconsin protocol without a drug. Mork went in for his CBC and I told the vet what was going on. She gave him a shot of Cerenia and a tablet to stimulate his appetite. He was very unhappy at the vet and was fractious. This upset me as he is a gentle soul who has never purposely scratched me in his life. He rarely growls or hisses. His sister, a tortie, is much more vocal and spunky. I had to leave the room because it took two techs to deal with his behavior. I ended up crying and wondering if I'm making the right choices for him. One of the techs was sweet and took the time to talk to me about my feelings. She was supportive and kind at a time when I felt alone and I appreciated it. She told me I am the only one who can decide when enough is enough. Then she said I had to think about myself too because it can't take over my life.
Meanwhile this week, Minnie thought it would be a good idea to eat curling ribbon. At first, I just noticed she refused to eat her first dinner at 4:30pm. Then she picked at second dinner at 9pm. I saw her crouching with squinty eyes a bit later before I went upstairs to bed, so I could tell she didn't feel well. I checked on her after I showered, and I found a huge pile of vomit with pieces of curling ribbon in it. The only way I knew it was her and not Mork was that she still had vomit around her mouth.
I panicked and searched all over the house for the source of the ribbon. We wrap presents simply with paper or gift bags, so I had no idea where she would have gotten it. I called my Ann Arbor vet since they are also a 24 hour emergency clinic. The receptionist told me to take her to the emergency vet near my house since eating curling ribbon can be life threatening. This happened at 1:30am. I came home at 4am to Mork's enormous pile of vomit I mentioned earlier. While I was entering the house, I felt relief for a brief moment that Minnie was being monitored by a vet so I could sleep. Then I saw the huge pile of explosive vomit and knew I would have to monitor Mork instead of sleep.
The emergency vet did blood work, X-rays, and a urinanalysis. Minnie was dehydrated and her electrolytes and sodium were off, so she stayed for two days to have fluids intravenously. She refused to urinate or eat for the staff on the second night, so I ended up visiting her at 10pm to get her to use the litter pan and eat. She did both for me.
Minnie was diagnosed with a UTI and was put on Zeniquin. I brought her home to discover she had no appetite for two days. She ate a bit more tonight. This episode set me back $900.
I did end up finding out that the ribbon probably came off a gift from a student that was on my counter overnight before I took it to my parents' house to share. I am angry that I didn't remove the wrapping from the gift before bringing it into the house. I can't believe I made such a dumb mistake.
Last Christmas, Minnie was diagnosed as being hyperthyroid. She was allergic to methimazole, so she ended up getting radio iodine treatment at MSU. It cost about $1500.I was still paying on her treatment when Mork was diagnosed with lymphoma.
This has left me emotionally and physically drained. I love my cats, but I am charging all of this on my credit cards. I'm scared about how long it will take me to pay it back. I have been sleeping a bunch since I am on winter break, but I won't be able to do that next week once I have to go back to work. I have been keeping odd hours monitoring and worrying about my cats. I'm hoping for a few quiet days before I have to go back to work.
Tonight was another rough night for Mork. i'm not sure if it was the Cerenia injection, appeitte stimulant, symptom of the lymphoma, or stress of the vet visit, but he just didn't feel well for a few hours. He was crouching in the uncomfortable cat position on the arm of the couch. I just brought out one of his favorite fleece blankets, and he finally curled up in what looks like a comfortable position next to me. He has been sticking his tongue partially out for about an hour while he crouched. I thought maybe he was having a reaction to one of the meds, but he stopped once he cuddled up next to me. He does sometimes stick his tongue out partially when he is sleepy and happy, but not usually for an hour. I'm probably going to sleep on the couch to be with him.
Through it all, I am tortured by swirling thoughts. Am I doing the right thing? When will enough be enough? Should I just let Mork be happy at home and make him comfortable for the time he has left? Am I putting myself in a dangerous financial position when ultimately the end result will be Mork dies anyway? Will the treatments end up helping and actually be worth it? It's so hard. I find myself breaking down and crying when I think about the situation. I can't imagine not having Mork around. He is my beautiful sweet boy. He and Minnie do everything together. They have been together since birth.
I'm looking for support from people who have been through similar situations. I don't feel like I can talk about it with most people in detail because many don't understand why I would go through this for "just a cat." How did you know when to stop with aggresive treatment? How did you deal with all the terrible emotions? Do you wish you would have done things differently?
If you made it through this post, thank you for listening. I feel a little better just getting it off my chest.
I finally took him to the Michigan State Vet Clinic. After two expensive visits, I was told that Mork has a tumor in his stomach in an odd place that is not ideal for an operation. A needle aspirate was done to confirm that the tumor is cancer. The oncologist explained several possible options for treatment, but he thought based on what the tests showed, Mork's best treatment would be something called the Madison Wisonsin protocol. This would cost thousands of dollars. I couldn't think straight, but in my heart I wanted to help Mork as much as I could. The oncologist gave Mork an IV injection of Vincristine, the first drug for the first week of the Madison Wisconsin protocol. I made the hour drive home blinded by tears, upset by the thought of my gentle friend having cancer. I was angry with myself for not taking him directly to MSU after the first general vet visit couldn't determine a reason for his vomiting. I blamed myself for wasted time that could have been spent treating Mork's cancer.
I brought Mork home to his biological sister, Mindy aka Minnie, and I started to research online to learn everything I could about Mork's situation. The paperwork from MSU said his prognosis was poor. The oncologist was surprised he was doing as well as he was after having symptoms for so long.
I was torn what to do. Should I put him through the frequent car rides and vet visits? Should I begin palliative care? Since most cats have intestinal lymphoma, there wasn't much to read about the gastric type.
I finally decided I had to at least try the Madison Wisconsin protocol. However, when I called MSU to schedule an appointment, I was told the only times for chemo were 8am and 10am. I am a teacher, and I cannot take a sick day every week. I searched online until I found a vet in Ann Arbor who was willing to help me. She typically treats dogs, but she said she would do what she could to help Mork.
So far, Mork has completed another round of Vincristine, a pill form of Cyclophosphamide, and doxorubicin. He has tolerated the drugs reasonably well, but has had some side effects of vomiting about a week after each treatment. There are nights where I look at him, and I know he doesn't feel well. These are the times I question the choice I made for him the most.
Two nights ago, after an explosive bout of vomiting, I treated him with Metoclopramide which his vet sent home for nausea. Mork is difficult to pill, so most of his meds are liquid when possible. After I dosed him, I became alarmed by his extreme drowsiness. His breathing seemed rapid too. He slept with us all night which is unusual. Usually he jumps down after a little bit when we are both in bed. If I am alone, both cats will sleep with me all night. I monitored him and came close to taking him to the emergency vet. In the morning, he seemed okay.
Mork has not had much of an appetite this week. Normally he is a voracious eater. He will eat his half can of wet food quickly and then try to smuggle Minnie's food. She eats more slowly. This week, he sniffs the food and eats a few bites, then walks away.
This week was the week in the Madison Wisconsin protocol without a drug. Mork went in for his CBC and I told the vet what was going on. She gave him a shot of Cerenia and a tablet to stimulate his appetite. He was very unhappy at the vet and was fractious. This upset me as he is a gentle soul who has never purposely scratched me in his life. He rarely growls or hisses. His sister, a tortie, is much more vocal and spunky. I had to leave the room because it took two techs to deal with his behavior. I ended up crying and wondering if I'm making the right choices for him. One of the techs was sweet and took the time to talk to me about my feelings. She was supportive and kind at a time when I felt alone and I appreciated it. She told me I am the only one who can decide when enough is enough. Then she said I had to think about myself too because it can't take over my life.
Meanwhile this week, Minnie thought it would be a good idea to eat curling ribbon. At first, I just noticed she refused to eat her first dinner at 4:30pm. Then she picked at second dinner at 9pm. I saw her crouching with squinty eyes a bit later before I went upstairs to bed, so I could tell she didn't feel well. I checked on her after I showered, and I found a huge pile of vomit with pieces of curling ribbon in it. The only way I knew it was her and not Mork was that she still had vomit around her mouth.
I panicked and searched all over the house for the source of the ribbon. We wrap presents simply with paper or gift bags, so I had no idea where she would have gotten it. I called my Ann Arbor vet since they are also a 24 hour emergency clinic. The receptionist told me to take her to the emergency vet near my house since eating curling ribbon can be life threatening. This happened at 1:30am. I came home at 4am to Mork's enormous pile of vomit I mentioned earlier. While I was entering the house, I felt relief for a brief moment that Minnie was being monitored by a vet so I could sleep. Then I saw the huge pile of explosive vomit and knew I would have to monitor Mork instead of sleep.
The emergency vet did blood work, X-rays, and a urinanalysis. Minnie was dehydrated and her electrolytes and sodium were off, so she stayed for two days to have fluids intravenously. She refused to urinate or eat for the staff on the second night, so I ended up visiting her at 10pm to get her to use the litter pan and eat. She did both for me.
Minnie was diagnosed with a UTI and was put on Zeniquin. I brought her home to discover she had no appetite for two days. She ate a bit more tonight. This episode set me back $900.
I did end up finding out that the ribbon probably came off a gift from a student that was on my counter overnight before I took it to my parents' house to share. I am angry that I didn't remove the wrapping from the gift before bringing it into the house. I can't believe I made such a dumb mistake.
Last Christmas, Minnie was diagnosed as being hyperthyroid. She was allergic to methimazole, so she ended up getting radio iodine treatment at MSU. It cost about $1500.I was still paying on her treatment when Mork was diagnosed with lymphoma.
This has left me emotionally and physically drained. I love my cats, but I am charging all of this on my credit cards. I'm scared about how long it will take me to pay it back. I have been sleeping a bunch since I am on winter break, but I won't be able to do that next week once I have to go back to work. I have been keeping odd hours monitoring and worrying about my cats. I'm hoping for a few quiet days before I have to go back to work.
Tonight was another rough night for Mork. i'm not sure if it was the Cerenia injection, appeitte stimulant, symptom of the lymphoma, or stress of the vet visit, but he just didn't feel well for a few hours. He was crouching in the uncomfortable cat position on the arm of the couch. I just brought out one of his favorite fleece blankets, and he finally curled up in what looks like a comfortable position next to me. He has been sticking his tongue partially out for about an hour while he crouched. I thought maybe he was having a reaction to one of the meds, but he stopped once he cuddled up next to me. He does sometimes stick his tongue out partially when he is sleepy and happy, but not usually for an hour. I'm probably going to sleep on the couch to be with him.
Through it all, I am tortured by swirling thoughts. Am I doing the right thing? When will enough be enough? Should I just let Mork be happy at home and make him comfortable for the time he has left? Am I putting myself in a dangerous financial position when ultimately the end result will be Mork dies anyway? Will the treatments end up helping and actually be worth it? It's so hard. I find myself breaking down and crying when I think about the situation. I can't imagine not having Mork around. He is my beautiful sweet boy. He and Minnie do everything together. They have been together since birth.
I'm looking for support from people who have been through similar situations. I don't feel like I can talk about it with most people in detail because many don't understand why I would go through this for "just a cat." How did you know when to stop with aggresive treatment? How did you deal with all the terrible emotions? Do you wish you would have done things differently?
If you made it through this post, thank you for listening. I feel a little better just getting it off my chest.
