Nina, Ayumi did go through ultrasound and
they did not shave her.. so it’s not that uncommon not to shave, so
please ask you do not want to.. they are not painful, but uncomfortable (where
they had her lay)… so she did not like it very much – you can sit right
besides Spencer, I did with Ayumi – I sort of helped her hold since she
wanted to move around –
There is person who has been very helpful from
feline heart support list, and she uses oxygen concentrator and not a tank.. with
this machine you can use air and takes oxygen and concentrates in this machine
so that I won’t have to get oxygen filled by someone else.. I like the
idea.. so I just made a bid through eBay (her suggestion).. it usually costs
$600 as new.. but it’s cheaper used.. so let’s hope my bid will go
through..
When is the appointment for Pete – I
keep thinking of her…. and Spence..
Love,
Hideyo
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On
Behalf Of Nina
Sent: Wednesday, September 13,
2006 11:44 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Spencer and irony
Thanks Hideyo,
Perhaps Kerry's vet was not as insistent on a definitive diagnosis as my vets
are. Maybe the blood test showed a drastically elevated wbc and this was
enough of an indication for her. Although, that seems hard to imagine
since there are many reasons for an elevated wbc. Thank you for sending
Dr. Richard's reply. The fact that blood cancer, (true leukemia), would
indicate different chemo treatments than lymphoma, does help me understand more
why my vets would be reluctant to treat with out knowing for sure what we are
dealing with.
The thought of bone marrow aspirates and endoscopic exams sends chills down my
spine. And that would just be the beginning of what Spencer would have to
endure. I can't even stand the thought of them having to shave his belly
for an ultrasound! I remember someone, (maybe Michelle?), saying that
they didn't have to shave them. I have a feeling I am going to have an
uphill battle with my suggestions being taken seriously, (in that I don't want
to put him through any more than is absolutely necessary), as it is. I'm
going to have to pick my battles. I better not start with something as
routine as shaving his belly! Damn, I hate this.
How's Ayumi this morning? What great suggestions you've been getting for
that oxygen tank! It looks like you're going to be able to make her a lot
more comfortable. Wouldn't it be nice to have a website that we could
just order an at-home oxygen tank on? There's a niche that needs to be
filled here. I hope that Spirit is listening.
Nina
Hideyo Yamamoto wrote:
Nina,
until Kerry gets you the information, here’s a extract of information I
found..
Cancer -Leukemia
or Lymphoma
Q: My cat has just been diagnosed
with leukemia (blood cancer, not the virus).
She is twelve years old and I was wondering what type of treatment there
>could be for her. My vet has recommended prednisone which she has
been taking for a number of years for food type allergies.
Her
symptoms have been vague. She has never been a very good eater only
eating a 3 oz. can of IAMS a day. Sometimes not even all of this.
Within the last month, she suddenly began to eat everything in site. She
cried all the time to eat. As it was time for her shots, I took her to the Vet
Monday and mentioned her appetite. He suspected thyroid and took blood
for that ( I haven't heard back from that yet) and did a CBC. The CBC
came back with a white count of 85,000. Another test was done the next
day and sent to a pathologist where it came back at 120,000. More than
the day before. She seems to feel fine and her eating is great.
What
I would like to know, is what can I do to help to prolong her life.
She's a very special kitty to all of us and I would like some advice as to what
can be done.
A: D-
Probably
the first thing to do in this situation is to confirm the presence
of leukemia. Lymphoma is much more common than leukemia and can produce
white blood cell counts in the range you are reporting. Lymphoma in cats is
often intestinal and it is therefore hard to find, even with a very careful
examination and radiographs (X-rays). Leukemia is definitely possible, it is
just a lot less common.
The
best ways to find lymphoma are probably ultrasonagraphy and endoscopic
exam of the intestinal tract. Aspiration and evaluation of bone marrow by a
pathologist is a good idea since it can help differentiate between leukemia and
lymphoma and also give some insight into prognosis.
There
are chemotherapy protocols for both lymphoma and leukemia (either
chronic or acute). They may help to provide a better quality of life and longer
lifespan. If your vet doesn't want to provide chemotherapy you may wish to ask
for referral to a veterinary oncologist or internal medicine
specialist. Chemotherapeutic agents have to be handled carefully and
practitioners who will not have the opportunity to use them frequently are
often put off the by the handling requirements. We are fortunate in having a
specialist nearby who will handle our chemotherapy cases and so we refer them.
I
hope that this helps some.
Mike Richards, DVM
