We had to say goodbye to our 14-year-old kitty 5 months ago due to meningioma (tumor of membrane around the brain). I’m just now able to write about it without completely breaking down; I want to warn others that symptoms may not be what it appears. He appeared healthy and full of energy until his last weeks. He had regular vet check ups & blood tests always normal (meningioma doesn’t show up in blood tests). He had been projectile vomiting/reflux for several years and had lost a few pounds, but none of the vets were concerned. Feeding homemade wet food help a bit, but didn’t eliminate it.
Few months ago, he became a little unsteady and wouldn’t come up stairs any more, everything else seemed normal. He did have an increased appetite, we later would learn was caused by the tumor pressing on his brain. We took him to urgent care where the quack vet inexplicably did an abdominal x-ray and misdiagnosed him with pancreatitis (we now know he had none of the symptoms). She then injected him with Simbadol, even though he showed no pain signs. The side effects of this OPIOID stole 3 days of the precious few weeks he would have left, as he came back from the clinic in a complete restless stupor, constantly pacing, unable to sleep or eat for 3 days.
Once we could get an appointment with our regular vet, it was obvious to our vet that he had neurological issues not pancreatitis. He suspected brain tumor & injected a steroid which helped stabilize a bit. Within a week he began circling & stumbling, then unable to stand. The projectile vomiting increased & he would urinate on the floor. Vet injected stronger steroid and in 24 hours he was back to normal, even climbing stairs! Of course this meant something was causing swelling in his brain so we made an appointment with a neurologist. MRI confirmed a very large meningioma too risky for surgery. They sent him home with daily steroid medication while we looked into radiation treatments. But he started deteriorating fast with seizures and then became catatonic.
We feel guilty that we didn’t find a vet that would delve further into the cause of his vomiting, so this disease could have been caught before it was too late for surgery. If any vet shows no concern for frequent vomiting, or any other persistent symptom you are concerned about, find another vet, preferably a specialist. If blood tests are normal & typical GI treatments are not effective, suspect a neurological cause. Also, be careful of urgent care vets. I now know many get paid on commission & push unnecessary tests & medications. Always ask what the drug/test is for and for what led them to justify their use before agreeing to anything.
Few months ago, he became a little unsteady and wouldn’t come up stairs any more, everything else seemed normal. He did have an increased appetite, we later would learn was caused by the tumor pressing on his brain. We took him to urgent care where the quack vet inexplicably did an abdominal x-ray and misdiagnosed him with pancreatitis (we now know he had none of the symptoms). She then injected him with Simbadol, even though he showed no pain signs. The side effects of this OPIOID stole 3 days of the precious few weeks he would have left, as he came back from the clinic in a complete restless stupor, constantly pacing, unable to sleep or eat for 3 days.
Once we could get an appointment with our regular vet, it was obvious to our vet that he had neurological issues not pancreatitis. He suspected brain tumor & injected a steroid which helped stabilize a bit. Within a week he began circling & stumbling, then unable to stand. The projectile vomiting increased & he would urinate on the floor. Vet injected stronger steroid and in 24 hours he was back to normal, even climbing stairs! Of course this meant something was causing swelling in his brain so we made an appointment with a neurologist. MRI confirmed a very large meningioma too risky for surgery. They sent him home with daily steroid medication while we looked into radiation treatments. But he started deteriorating fast with seizures and then became catatonic.
We feel guilty that we didn’t find a vet that would delve further into the cause of his vomiting, so this disease could have been caught before it was too late for surgery. If any vet shows no concern for frequent vomiting, or any other persistent symptom you are concerned about, find another vet, preferably a specialist. If blood tests are normal & typical GI treatments are not effective, suspect a neurological cause. Also, be careful of urgent care vets. I now know many get paid on commission & push unnecessary tests & medications. Always ask what the drug/test is for and for what led them to justify their use before agreeing to anything.
