Hi everyone, we received some bad news about our older cat Tikka. Two weeks ago, we brought Tikka in to our local vet due to slight increased thirst/urination, since we were worried about onset diabetes. While doing her usual examination, our vet discovered a growth on near her lower mammaries. The cytology test was consistent with cancer, but did not fully confirm it (epithelial neoplasia with significant atypia). However, she also had a chest x-ray, which showed some signs of metastasis in her lungs and potentially lymph nodes, so the signs are pointing to mammary cancer.
We have an upcoming appointment with our usual internist, as well as a new oncologist. We plan on asking for a new x-ray, as well as an ultrasound. We plan to discuss options and the game plan going forward. In addition to this new condition, she also has IBD/SCL, CKD, recurrent UTIs, and also is currently underweight. Obviously, we have a lot of questions.
Given that there are some signs of metastasis already, is it necessary to perform a biopsy? We don’t want to have her put under, or have her in pain, if it isn’t necessary. Would knowing more about the cancer affect the chemo drugs administered? Also, we’ve seen advice that surgery may not be advised is the cancer has already metastasized, which there are signs of on the x-ray, but in that scenario is it also advised not to do chemo? We do know that chemo usually works better when there is also surgery involved.
Were there any other online resources you found helpful? Also, this may be a painful question, but how long did your cat live after their initial diagnosis? Was there anything unexpected that helped them through the process, such as a supplement or something self-care related?
Also, any advice on finding a palliative care team for pain management/end of life stuff? Are there specialists for palliative care, or does that fall under another category such as internal medicine? Our local BluePearl branch didn’t have anyone listed for that particular specialty.
Any advice or input is appreciated! We can also provide blood/urine test results if that would help.
We have an upcoming appointment with our usual internist, as well as a new oncologist. We plan on asking for a new x-ray, as well as an ultrasound. We plan to discuss options and the game plan going forward. In addition to this new condition, she also has IBD/SCL, CKD, recurrent UTIs, and also is currently underweight. Obviously, we have a lot of questions.
Given that there are some signs of metastasis already, is it necessary to perform a biopsy? We don’t want to have her put under, or have her in pain, if it isn’t necessary. Would knowing more about the cancer affect the chemo drugs administered? Also, we’ve seen advice that surgery may not be advised is the cancer has already metastasized, which there are signs of on the x-ray, but in that scenario is it also advised not to do chemo? We do know that chemo usually works better when there is also surgery involved.
Were there any other online resources you found helpful? Also, this may be a painful question, but how long did your cat live after their initial diagnosis? Was there anything unexpected that helped them through the process, such as a supplement or something self-care related?
Also, any advice on finding a palliative care team for pain management/end of life stuff? Are there specialists for palliative care, or does that fall under another category such as internal medicine? Our local BluePearl branch didn’t have anyone listed for that particular specialty.
Any advice or input is appreciated! We can also provide blood/urine test results if that would help.
