They can't do the needle biospy here, they don't have the equipment. I'm thinking they need the ultrasound in order to do it.
Basically my options are: to have her fully hydrated, put some food into her and hope she feels well enough to do the general anesthesia and biopsy, or to send her 6-7 hours away where they have the ultrasound and equipment to diagnose her with a needle. She still would need the general anesthesia to put a better feeding tube in, though. I'm really not sure I can do the second option, nor am I sure how she would handle a long trip like that. I guess a third option would be to just bring her home with the nasal tube and the plastic collar so she can't rip it out, and hope that the problem isn't cancer, and might clear up if we kept her properly fed and hydrated. The vet says it likely isn't fatty liver, since she wasn't overweight, and didn't stop eating til she got sick, but I guess he can't know for sure without the biopsy. Cassandra ----- Original Message ----- From: Taylor Scobie Humphrey To: [email protected] Sent: Monday, May 28, 2007 9:33 PM Subject: Re: Update on Kisa If you find it hard to give up on Kisa, well, DON'T! Will you please ask your vet if a fine-needle biopsy of Kisa's liver is feasible? Then she won't need general anesthesia because it's a poke instead of an operation. We all have some variation of other kitties and jobs and kids and aging parents and spouses and houses to care for. If you can get her started at the oncologist and then have your vet do it, that sounds ideal. Taylor Scobie Humphrey [EMAIL PROTECTED] On May 28, 2007, at 6:41 PM, C & J wrote: I visited Kisa three times at the vet today, and she's going to be spending another night there. They're keeping her on the IV. They also put in a feeding tube through her nose, so she's got that taped to the top of her head, and a cone around her neck. She seems a little more alert, but she didn't get up at all. She purred while I pet her, but it is so hard to see her like this. They found the presence of Hemobartonella, and she was looking pale, so they are giving her doxycycline now instead of batyril. She wasn't anemic on Tuesday, but she may be now. They also did an X-ray, and it looks like her liver is quite enlarged. The vet figures it probably is cancer. The only way to know for sure is the liver biopsy, but she is too weak for general anesthetic right now. The nearest place where she can receive cancer treatment is 6-7 hours away from here. I didn't ask yet how much this would cost. She would basically start the treatment there, then the vet here could probably do the chemo after all the diagnosis is done. I'm really now sure how feasible that would be for me. I've got other kitties to look after, and a job to go to...not to mention the cost for a treatment that may or may not help her. He suggested we wait and see how she is tomorrow after another day on the IV. What an ordeal..why is it we have to make such hard decisions when it comes to the lives of our little ones? I don't want to put her through a bunch of stress and pain just to have her die anyway, and wish I hadn't put her through so much. Yet I find it so hard to give up on her. Cassandra ----- Original Message ----- From: C & J To: [email protected] Sent: Tuesday, May 22, 2007 8:20 PM Subject: Update on Kisa Well, after going to the vet today, it's not looking good for Kisa. She has elevated bilirubin in her blood/urine, and elevated number of lymphocytes. Therefore they believe she has a liver disease, possibly lymphosarcoma. The only way they can tell for sure what the problem is with her liver is to do a biopsy which means surgery. They didn't suggest doing this though because of the FeLV and her immune system being compromised. They gave me prednisone and baytril for her, though i'm really not sure how she'll handle keeping those down when she is vomiting so easily. They're hoping the steroid will make her feel a little better and maybe regain some appetite. I've really got to try and get her to eat something, she hasn't eaten since Saturday night now. I don't understand why this is all happening at once. First I watched Tomi get sicker and sicker for nearly 2 months. As soon as he started getting better, Koda got sick with kidney and liver failure, and died. Now, barely a week later Kisa goes from being a super healthy and active cat to death's door. I haven't even had enough time to get used to Koda being gone, now its another crisis situation. This is all after having nothing but healthy, happy, and active cats for 12 years. I used to think how awful it would be if my house burned down while I was away and my 5 cats were inside. What is happening now is almost worse than that since it is so prolonged and i'm beginning to wonder if something I am doing is causing all this (like feeding raw food). I've always kept my cats indoors because I didn't want them to get run over by a car, etc....but they seem to be no safer indoors. Sorry for venting on you all, its just really starting to affect me, both emotionally and financially. Cassandra -------------------------------------------------------------------------- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.467 / Virus Database: 269.7.6/814 - Release Date: 5/21/2007 2:01 PM ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.472 / Virus Database: 269.8.0/821 - Release Date: 5/27/2007 3:05 PM
