Fingers crossed all goes well. Where was the biopsy taken from and what are they thinking?

Thanx for your good wishes Nicolaa, the biopsy was taken from the lump on Sally's throat.

Two vets have said they think its cancer but her needle aspirate two weeks ago was inconclusive ie 'reactive lymph node', with no sign of cancer which lab was unable to rule out.

Kath

 

Definitely worth seeing how he goes with a break from meds. As his appetite isn't the problem am trying to think what could help with absorption....I know you are very restricted diet-wise, and he isn't low on enzymes. How does he get on weightgain-wise on metronidazole?

Can you weigh him at home? I weigh Mittens on my kitchen scales, they are just as good as vets ones and go upto 5kg (M & S). Fluff Beast is too heavy for them so we just look at his huge belly and roll our eyes instead of worrying about how much weight he has gained (it's bizarre having a scrawny mite and a tubby lump: they both have access to the same food!!).

Thanks it nice to know I'm not on my own thinking this way!

I weigh him on my scales which are pretty much bang on, which is why I knew really he had lost weight..good idea about the kitchen scales tho..

I hope mittens puts on weight, maybe we need to give them donoughts

 

I agree and I will say this tomorrow, after all a couple of weeks won't make a difference really.

Nicolaa, does he need to come off the steroids gradually or can you just stop them?

Kath

 

Nicolaa, does he need to come off the steroids gradually or can you just stop them?

Kath

He has to come off them gradually..

 

Hi Nicolaa. I have only just joined the forum but I have read your posts and I can relate to some of your problems. My beautiful Jasper is nearly 14 and I have been taking him to the vets since the end of January. He was having regular bouts of sickness and they struggled to find an answer - trying various special diets etc. At the beginning of April his condition worsened and blood tests + xray + ultrasound showed that he has pancreatitis and has become diabetic with a possibility of IBD! He seems to have stabilised on his insulin dose but the sickness is still a problem. He only seems to be able to digest fish and chicken which obviously is not a well-balanced diet for him. I have tried Royal Canin Sensitivity but that also causes problems. Do you have any other suggestions for things that I could try him on? He is currently sick about every 7-9 days.

 

Hi Nicolaa. I have only just joined the forum but I have read your posts and I can relate to some of your problems. My beautiful Jasper is nearly 14 and I have been taking him to the vets since the end of January. He was having regular bouts of sickness and they struggled to find an answer - trying various special diets etc. At the beginning of April his condition worsened and blood tests + xray + ultrasound showed that he has pancreatitis and has become diabetic with a possibility of IBD! He seems to have stabilised on his insulin dose but the sickness is still a problem. He only seems to be able to digest fish and chicken which obviously is not a well-balanced diet for him. I have tried Royal Canin Sensitivity but that also causes problems. Do you have any other suggestions for things that I could try him on? He is currently sick about every 7-9 days.

I have a Ragdoll with suspected IBD,he has had all the tests except full thickness biopsy.He was being sick every 4/5 days this was why he went to the vet to start with.
Food trials/steroids/metronidazole ect has not helped but he has been on Famotidine (antacid) since January and has not been sick once.
I dont know if in your cats case,this might be an option,as far as I am aware it is a perfectly safe drug to give.It wouldnt hurt to ask your vet if it might help.

Sorry how rude of me Welcome to the forum

 

Hi Nicolaa. I have only just joined the forum but I have read your posts and I can relate to some of your problems. My beautiful Jasper is nearly 14 and I have been taking him to the vets since the end of January. He was having regular bouts of sickness and they struggled to find an answer - trying various special diets etc. At the beginning of April his condition worsened and blood tests + xray + ultrasound showed that he has pancreatitis and has become diabetic with a possibility of IBD! He seems to have stabilised on his insulin dose but the sickness is still a problem. He only seems to be able to digest fish and chicken which obviously is not a well-balanced diet for him. I have tried Royal Canin Sensitivity but that also causes problems. Do you have any other suggestions for things that I could try him on? He is currently sick about every 7-9 days.

hi, sorry to hear about jasper, I am at work at the moment so will properly reply later. Good advice from buffie, her meeko has the vomiting type ibd, where riley is back end issues.. I would say tho for a short while chicken would be ok to get things settled, then any other food to introduce very slowly.

Just spoke to my vet, she has ordered the drug, I can give to him at home one tablet every 7 days for a month. He has to one off the steroids first which will take a couple of weeks. I will take him back then for a weight check, depending on that check is whether I will decide to try that drug, give it a bit longer or not at all. Keeping all options open and not ruling anything out at this stage..

 

hi, sorry to hear about jasper, I am at work at the moment so will properly reply later. Good advice from buffie, her meeko has the vomiting type ibd, where riley is back end issues.. I would say tho for a short while chicken would be ok to get things settled, then any other food to introduce very slowly.

Just spoke to my vet, she has ordered the drug, I can give to him at home one tablet every 7 days for a month. He has to one off the steroids first which will take a couple of weeks. I will take him back then for a weight check, depending on that check is whether I will decide to try that drug, give it a bit longer or not at all. Keeping all options open and not ruling anything out at this stage..

Lets hope for a weight gain or even staying the same would be a start I dont envy you the decision.

 

Thanks Buffie - I will ask my vet about Famotidine and report back how I get on

 

Sorry to hear about Jasper. Food wise I would try single sources such As grau chicken with rice, ropocat chicken, om nom nom chicken or feringa chicken. However you say that the RC sensitivity control didn't suit, but that is chicken (or duck if it is the alu trays).

 

Sorry to hear about Jasper. Food wise I would try single sources such As grau chicken with rice, ropocat chicken, om nom nom chicken or feringa chicken. However you say that the RC sensitivity control didn't suit, but that is chicken (or duck if it is the alu trays).

Riley did not do well on rc at all! It was the duck and he had a really bad time

 

Lets hope for a weight gain or even staying the same would be a start I dont envy you the decision.

One minute I think yes then no..I'm happy to have some breathing space before I have to then choose for him to have it or not. Been bit sad today as this seems like his only hope at the moment. Put on weight without steroids or try the chlorambucil and hope he puts on weight. If that fails, there is no plan C..

 

Some info..

Another immunosuppressive drug that is used in some cats with severe IBD is chlorambucil (Leukeran). Some clinicians use chlorambucil as an alternative to azathioprine (they are not used in conjunction). Chlorambucil is an alkylating agent. Alkylating agents alter DNA synthesis and inhibit rapidly proliferating cells. Chlorambucil is administered initially at 0.01 to 0.2 mg/kg/day in conjunction with prednisolone at 2.2 mg/kg/day. The small pill size of chlorambucil (2 mg) allows for easy dosing. Most cats receive one-half tablet (1 mg) per day. Various dosage schedules for cats have been published. An alternate schedule is 0.15 to 0.3 mg/kg every 72 hours. Toxicities are uncommon in cats but may include anorexia, vomiting, and diarrhea, but these problems generally resolve rapidly when chlorambucil is reduced from daily to every other day administration. Bone marrow suppression is possible but uncommon, and is mild and rapidly reversible when it does occur. Once the desired clinical response is achieved, chlorambucil is gradually tapered over several months while prednisolone is continued as the primary maintenance drug.

Ok this is 41 pages long but has some really good info on IBD also the last few pages talk about probiotics and fortaflora etc..

http://web.aimgroupinternational.co...ernational.com/2012/unigastro/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Hall_Ed2.pdf

 

Some info..

Another immunosuppressive drug that is used in some cats with severe IBD is chlorambucil (Leukeran). Some clinicians use chlorambucil as an alternative to azathioprine (they are not used in conjunction). Chlorambucil is an alkylating agent. Alkylating agents alter DNA synthesis and inhibit rapidly proliferating cells. Chlorambucil is administered initially at 0.01 to 0.2 mg/kg/day in conjunction with prednisolone at 2.2 mg/kg/day. The small pill size of chlorambucil (2 mg) allows for easy dosing. Most cats receive one-half tablet (1 mg) per day. Various dosage schedules for cats have been published. An alternate schedule is 0.15 to 0.3 mg/kg every 72 hours. Toxicities are uncommon in cats but may include anorexia, vomiting, and diarrhea, but these problems generally resolve rapidly when chlorambucil is reduced from daily to every other day administration. Bone marrow suppression is possible but uncommon, and is mild and rapidly reversible when it does occur. Once the desired clinical response is achieved, chlorambucil is gradually tapered over several months while prednisolone is continued as the primary maintenance drug.

Ok this is 41 pages long but has some really good info on IBD also the last few pages talk about probiotics and fortaflora etc..

http://web.aimgroupinternational.co...ernational.com/2012/unigastro/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Hall_Ed2.pdf

I may be reading this bit wronly,but does this mean that pred is to be continued over many months or longer if you go for this drug

I will save your "info" and read it when I have a clearer head,maybe then it will sink in

 

I think there are many schedules you can use for the drug. Vet said for him to be off the pred, then has one tablet every seven days for one month with two fortnightly check ups whilst he is on the drug. I am compiling a list of questions for when we go back, it's hard when I'm at work to take it all in what she is saying to me. This will be a low dose treatment from what I understand.

 

My beautiful Jasper is nearly 14 and I have been taking him to the vets since the end of January. He was having regular bouts of sickness and they struggled to find an answer - trying various special diets etc.
.... blood tests + xray + ultrasound showed that he has pancreatitis and has become diabetic with a possibility of IBD! He seems to have stabilised on his insulin dose but the sickness is still a problem. ...

Hi Polly and welcome to the forum despite the sad circumstances.

I don't know if there are similarities or not but my Sally is almost 14 too and has recently had bouts of sickness, diarrhea and inappetite. U/s scan showed possible IBD or lymphoma - apparently hard to distinguish with u/s and her special blood test showed some degree of pancreatitis tho this didn't show on U/S.

She's had 2 B12 shots and 2 of Cerenia in last fortnight. I also changed her diet to James Well Beloved last Thusday - wet of course - in 2 separate single souce proteins --Turkey and Lamb --and thankfully she's much much better. Has regained most of the weight she'd lost.

Sadly tho she's just been diagnosed with a very rare cancer of a mandibular lump and as yet its not known whether the gut issue is in fact related lymphoma or is IBD.

What exactly is she vomitting ... is it her dinner or white frothy stuff or bile or furballs and is she otherwise eating well?
I wonder also if you've considered digestive enzyme supplements and/or probiotics something I'm looking into again along with some herbal meds.

Kath

 

Some info..
Another immunosuppressive drug that is used in some cats with severe IBD is chlorambucil (Leukeran).

Ok this is 41 pages long but has some really good info on IBD also the last few pages talk about probiotics and fortaflora etc..

http://web.aimgroupinternational.co...ernational.com/2012/unigastro/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Hall_Ed2.pdf

Nicolaa I'm so sorry to hear you're struggling with decisions about Riley and hope you find the strength to manage.

Thanx for the link above which I'll read later tonight. Perhaps I shouldn't comment on immunosuppressants as you probably know my views already and I don't want any heated disagreements at the mo.

We all want to do what we think is best for our kitties and thats what brings us together here.

Kath

 

Hi Polly and welcome to the forum despite the sad circumstances.

I don't know if there are similarities or not but my Sally is almost 14 too and has recently had bouts of sickness, diarrhea and inappetite. U/s scan showed possible IBD or lymphoma - apparently hard to distinguish with u/s and her special blood test showed some degree of pancreatitis tho this didn't show on U/S.

She's had 2 B12 shots and 2 of Cerenia in last fortnight. I also changed her diet to James Well Beloved last Thusday - wet of course - in 2 separate single souce proteins --Turkey and Lamb --and thankfully she's much much better. Has regained most of the weight she'd lost.

Sadly tho she's just been diagnosed with a very rare cancer of a mandibular lump and as yet its not known whether the gut issue is in fact related lymphoma or is IBD.

What exactly is she vomitting ... is it her dinner or white frothy stuff or bile or furballs and is she otherwise eating well?
I wonder also if you've considered digestive enzyme supplements and/or probiotics something I'm looking into again along with some herbal meds.

Kath

Sorry to hear about the cancer from what I've read ibd can lead to cancers of the stomach or intestines and lymphoma.

Good to hear she is putting the weight back on. What has the vet suggested in way of treatment for the cancer?

 

Nicolaa I'm so sorry to hear you're struggling with decisions about Riley and hope you find the strength to manage.

Thanx for the link above which I'll read later tonight. Perhaps I shouldn't comment on immunosuppressants as you probably know my views already and I don't want any heated disagreements at the mo.

We all want to do what we think is best for our kitties and thats what brings us together here.

Kath

Hey! We are hear to listen and learn from each other, I have no problem in listening to thoughts and suggestions that are different to mine. I take all info, research then make a choice. I respect you taking the alternative route even though I have chosen to go down the vet route and would not be comfortable myself with alternative ways of treating. Certainly would not get heated

 

I think there are many schedules you can use for the drug. Vet said for him to be off the pred, then has one tablet every seven days for one month with two fortnightly check ups whilst he is on the drug. I am compiling a list of questions for when we go back, it's hard when I'm at work to take it all in what she is saying to me. This will be a low dose treatment from what I understand.

Oh so that is a totally different regime to the one mentioned in the info you posted.I did wonder about the used of pred for so long in conjunction with this drug,bl**dy hell there is so much to try to get your head around

 

Oh so that is a totally different regime to the one mentioned in the info you posted.I did wonder about the used of pred for so long in conjunction with this drug,bl**dy hell there is so much to try to get your head around

That's the word I was trying to think of earlier

She knows I want him off the pred, plus it's not done any good in way of weight gain, tho to be fair his back end has been very good on the pred. I think I will make an appointment with her before Riley sees her to talk things through..

 

That's the word I was trying to think of earlier

She knows I want him off the pred, plus it's not done any good in way of weight gain, tho to be fair his back end has been very good on the pred. I think I will make an appointment with her before Riley sees her to talk things through..

That sounds like a plan,as you have said and I know that you already do,write everything down so that you dont forget.

 

Sorry to hear about the cancer from what I've read ibd can lead to cancers of the stomach or intestines and lymphoma.

Good to hear she is putting the weight back on. What has the vet suggested in way of treatment for the cancer?

At the moment nicolaa, the vet is still researching as this is a very rare cancer with nothing much to base a prognosis on. They've only found 8 previous cases and 4 disappeared without conclusions.

She's said the oncologist recommends excision of the lump plus biopsies of various organs to look for potential lymphoma.

However she's unwilling to try the IV Vit C and other approaches which I think I'd prefer but we have a consult with a herbal vet on Weds now that we have some sort of diagnosis for the throat lump.

I've gone along with diagnostics so far ... but think I'm reaching my limit as I would never ever agree to chemo and apart from surgery there's little else this vet could offer.

Thanx for asking.
Kath

 

Cath sorry to hear your news. Will be thinking of you and Sally One of my cats has lymphoma and was given weeks and that was two and a half years ago!

Nicola as ever sending support for you and Riley.

 

At the moment nicolaa, the vet is still researching as this is a very rare cancer with nothing much to base a prognosis on. They've only found 8 previous cases and 4 disappeared without conclusions.

She's said the oncologist recommends excision of the lump plus biopsies of various organs to look for potential lymphoma.

However she's unwilling to try the IV Vit C and other approaches which I think I'd prefer but we have a consult with a herbal vet on Weds now that we have some sort of diagnosis for the throat lump.

I've gone along with diagnostics so far ... but think I'm reaching my limit as I would never ever agree to chemo and apart from surgery there's little else this vet could offer.

Thanx for asking.
Kath

Be interesting to hear what the herbal vet suggests. Lets hope it's another case where it disappears..