Skin Cancer Diagnosis for Callie

[CalliesPapa]

Hello,

I found Callie almost 13 years ago when she was a tiny kitten, unable to even make a sound. My wife bathed the fleas from her and fed her kitten milk until she grew into a healthy and sassy calico.
A week ago, I noticed a spot on her lower lip that was red, like an ulcer or lesion, so took her to the vet the next day.
He also noticed a small lesion on her upper lip. At first he referred to these as what's called a "rodent ulcer" or nowadays, an "indolent ulcer", and he suspected EGC. Fine needle aspiration made him question that so he sent off samples for cytology. Friday, I received a call back from another doctor who said the cytology results confirm skin cancer. She does like to spend a lot of time in the sunbeams, and she is a short-haired cat, so that makes sense.
Tomorrow morning we go to meet with a surgeon to investigate our options. I'm hoping for a good prognosis because it seemed to only be on her lips, but I've read so many things in the past few days that it's frightening.
It's only been 7 months since I had to have our oldest cat (about 16 years old) euthanized for lymphoma/FIP and I wish I had not put her through so much suffering the last month of her life trying to treat her in the hope that she would get better. We have moved back home since then and Callie is back with her original vet clinic, although they are part of VCA now, it seems. The previous experience with our older cat has me worried about going through that again.

Thank you for reading this,
Callie's Papa

 

[cmshap]

This isn't going to be a helpful reply, so I'm sorry ahead of time. Just saying I want to send some love.

I have an aging cat but isn't that old yet and doesn't have any serious health issues at this time. But I can't stand thinking of the day when he will have to leave me. He was with me through a lot.

Your attitude is the right one, of not wanting to put your cat through pain. That's how I feel also. I grew up with dogs, and our family went through several of their full lifespans and eventual euthanasia. I know how it feels.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Good luck at the vet appt! Stay calm and relaxed as you can for Callie's sake and try not to worry too much.
Holding positive and hopeful thoughts for Callie and you.
Let us know how things go!

 

[fionasmom]

Ask the surgeon if he feels that he can get clean margins and how much of Callie's lips will be removed if he is able to do that. Ask if he recommends an oncologist become involved, which does not necessarily mean that you have to agree to treatment that you do not want to do. Did they identify the type of cancer specifically aside from saying it was skin cancer?

 

[CalliesPapa]

He examined it today and it's not attached to her jawbone. We discussed partial mandibulectomy but that isn't the case here. He plans to move skin down from further back to fill in the spot, a flap procedure, like a skin graft, he said. It would be a short recovery time, only a few days, and she should be able to eat normally afterwards without need for a feeding tube. They took blood to check her thyroid and kidney function, etc., and the surgery is scheduled for Thursday. I feel much better after meeting with him. He discussed the type of cancer that he thinks it is not, but he'll send it off for analysis to determine the exact type.
Thanks for all of the comments and support!

 

[neely]

the surgery is scheduled for Thursday. I feel much better after meeting with him.

We'll be thinking of Callie on Thursday and sending healing vibes her way. I'm glad it put your mind at ease to meet with the surgeon and discuss your options. Sometimes too much reading on the internet is not a good thing.

 

[CalliesPapa]

Callie's surgery was a success so now we must wait for results from the lab on the mass that was removed.
She was sent home with pain meds and antibiotics, which she happily takes when I put kitten food in the syringe, so everything is going well right now, and she goes back for a recheck in 2 weeks.
Thanks everyone!

 

[fionasmom]

Please update as you get more information. Hopefully Callie will have a quick recovery.

 

[cmshap]

Callie's surgery was a success so now we must wait for results from the lab on the mass that was removed.
She was sent home with pain meds and antibiotics, which she happily takes when I put kitten food in the syringe

Glad to hear the positive update.

That's a new one for me... adding kitten food into the syringe to give meds. Would have been good to know in the past. I had trouble giving Willy meds his whole life, and eventually had to learn how to manually pill him. But when having to give him liquid meds, that was a struggle, too.

 

[CalliesPapa]

Callie has finished all of her medication and seems to be doing well. The Clavamax dose was 1mL so it took multiple syringe fills and what I ended up doing towards the end was to just mix it with a lickable treat or mackerel broth and she'd ingest it all in a lot shorter time.
She had slightly elevated hyperthyroid results from her bloodwork so we're going to try Hill's Science Diet - y/d and see if that helps. They are supposed to have some in at the vet today so maybe we can start on it soon.

 

[neely]

Callie has finished all of her medication and seems to be doing well.
She had slightly elevated hyperthyroid results from her bloodwork so we're going to try Hill's Science Diet - y/d and see if that helps.

That's wonderful news! Keep an eye on her thyroid results. I presume your vet did a T-4 test. Good luck with the new food and please let us know if you have any questions or concerns should her thyroid levels become more elevated.

 

[CalliesPapa]

Test results from the two masses were that they had clean margins and low risk of metastasis. The vet said at 13 years old, the sun damage has already been done, so let her enjoy her morning sunbeam if she wants.
They only had dry y/d food, no canned. I will see if I can get the test results to get the details.
Thanks!

 

[fionasmom]

Thank you for letting us know!

 

[CalliesPapa]

Callie's T4 was 5.3 and the reference range is 0.8-4ug/dL.