Treatment
Diary: January 2003 to present
January
16 - Some sad news at the vet yesterday. Hector's tumor had
grown back like it was the week before last. So, not wanting to
put it off any longer, the surgeon moved his schedule around and
Hector had his leg amputated. Dr. Scanlan agreed it was the best
course of action, since as the cancer kept coming back so quickly
and aggressively. I spent most of today sitting with him. He is
very unhappy, awake and drugged out on pain meds, was happy to
see me at first (purring) and even ate some licks of canned food
for me, but then tried to move around, couldn't or it hurt and
made him growl, then didn't want to be pet anymore. I sat with
him for some more hours anyway, I just couldn't leave him until
they asked me to. I just got into work. Very much in a fog.
January
21 - I picked Hector up from the vet on Monday evening. I
was in a total daze (the $2,500 bill didn't help!) and TERRIFIED
about bringing him home, but the vet said he was doing very well
and he had removed the pain patch. The tech took the carrier into
the back and put him in it, and when I looked in I could only
see his head and what I thought was the bandage. But when I opened
the carrier once I got him home, he bolted out of it and "ran"
hopping to the kitchen, no bandage at all! He then LEAPED onto
the counter before I could stop him!!!! He began purring and egg-beater
tail of happiness! I couldn't believe it. I fed him a whole can
of food, and he was so happy... hopped into the bedroom (I lifted
him down off the counter) and I picked him up and put him on the
bed with all the dog beds arranged around the edge so if he decided
suddenly to leave it would be a soft landing (plus its a very
low futon bed). He lay on my pillow and began grooming himself...
but then began licking non stop at the stitches.
And
then pulling at them. I kept telling him to stop but of course
that didn't work! I called the vet office back and they told me
put an ecollar on him! I was pretty hysterical at them for sending
him home unbandaged, and I asked how in the world I was going
to get an ecollar to stay on his shaved neck and with it resting
right on top of all the stitches????? Went back to the vet and
got him wrapped up properly.
This
time though when we got home and I put the carrier down and opened
the door, he didn't even want to come out of the carrier. I ended
up taking it apart, and he just sat there. Put him on the carpet
and he just lay there. I wasn't sure how tight the bandage was...
eventually I put him on one of the dog beds, and he then crawled
under the bed. Where he's pretty much stayed ever since, though
I lifted up the bed and took him out yesterday once, and he did
hop in and use the litterbox, and then hopped back into the bedroom
and under the bed, so I know he CAN hop, but doesn't want to with
the bandage on? He did eat his regular meals that I put under
the bed with him, after I couldn't tempt him even to the edge
with those. And he moved onto the heating pad which I put under
there with him too. I think he's totally depressed about the bandage,
or maybe the painkillers wore off?
I
seem to remember him coming up into the bed with me last night
while I was sleeping. But maybe I was dreaming. At least, the
bandage & stitches are only for the next 7 days, even if he
stays under the bed that whole time there is an end in sight!
January
28 - Some good news. Hector removed his bandage mostly during
the night last night (that's not the good part), so to the vet
we went this morning, and lo and behold, his stitches were ready
to come out! So he's home, THRILLED TO HIGH HEAVEN with no bandage,
and immediately went hopping out the dog door to lie in his favorite
spot a flat pile of leaves in the sun by the back door! He hung
out there for about half an hour, got too hot (I was out there
with him supervising the entire time because I didn't want him
trying to leap on anything or climb a tree) and hopped himself
back inside, up on the bed for his normal late morning nap spot.
Oh, hissed at the dogs on the way by too. Back to near normal!!!
The surgeon and my holistic vet says he looks great!!! (A little
like Frankenkitty but he doesn't care). No vet visit for two months!!!
(Unless something goes amiss, and I have a list of things to watch
for).
HUGE
sigh of relief. Hooray for Hector!!!
I
don't think I'll be updating the site for a while (except to add
some photos to this page) until his next vet check at least. I
hope you've found his diary helpful.
Best
wishes,
Jennifer & Hector
March
29, 2003 - Just a brief update. After the bandage came off
and the painkillers wore off, Hector went under the bed where
he has stayed for 90% of the time since then. He's remained cancer-free,
but is having major adjustment difficulties. He is very stressed,
and it causing him to have digestive issues (vomiting, diarreah)
that the vet assures us are not due to an illness, as well as
sporatic non-use of the litterbox. He is terrified of everything
when he used to be a very confident cat, and if I have friends
over he gets upset and goes and pees on my pillow. He spents the
majority of his time under the bed. I have made it as nice as
possible with carpet, his bed and a litterbox. We've been trying
a host of holistic, homeopathic and alternative cures, but so
far no luck. I can only hope with time he will regain some of
his former happiness.
May
2003 - Hector has good days and not-so-good days. His health
seems ok, other than his stool ranges from soft to thick liquid.
The vet says it is probably a combination of of that he only eats
wet food and how stressed he is. We've settled on the canned Wellness,
the only canned food that uses only human grade ingredients and
it has several flavors so Hector has not yet gotten bored of it,
and will still eat it with the extra (100mg daily) liquid Vitamin
E mixed in. My other cat Lana only eats wet and she does not have
a stool problem. The alternative cures the vet suggested only
made him vomit more and did not help the stool at all, so I discontinued
them.
The
best thing that we started a few weeks ago is Feliway, the synthetic
hormone spray. This has been our biggest success yet! It helped
get Hector out from under the bed... and into the garage. But
that is an improvement! The garage is attached to the house through
the kitchen, and he scooted in there one day while I was doing
laundry and hid... so I put the baby gate that has the cat opening
cut in it across the door so he could come out. He did, but went
right back in once he finished eating. He loves it in there, with
all the boxes that make different levels for him to sleep on.
Once
I saw that, I figured most of his fear was due to the dogs. The
dogs aren't allowed in the garage, and they totally ignore the
cats now... but the youngest who I got back in July of last year
was a big puppy at that point, and it took a few months of training
before he was totally leaving the cats alone. Hector still yowls
at him whenever he walks too close, and hops up onto anything
high nearby, even though the dog just walking by.
So
I cut a permanent cat door in the garage door, and now Hector
lives in the garage. When I'm home, he'll come out to sit on my
computer desk while I'm working, or in the bathroom sink when
I'm in there, and he seems much happier. He's got six different
cat beds in the garage and I run the space heater in there on
nights when its too cold. Lana my other cat doesn't like it in
there and he loves being told he's got his own whole room!
If
his progress continues or even stays at this level, I would be
very happy.
June
10 - Hector was doing well, health wise, up until ten days
ago. Behaviorally he was still having issues... mainly litter
box use, but general fear/anxiety as well. Both of those have
been getting slowly better since his amputation in January. However,
about ten days ago he began to have diarrhea which has not gone
away, and his appetite declined rapidly. He would eat only if
I would hold the dish up for him, and only about half a can (Wellness).
Since the surgery, he's always been borderline too skinny, but
just a week of not eating and he's dropped what feels to me like
a lot of weight.
Yesterday
we had x-rays done at the vet, and she can't see anything that
is causing it, but she says she feels something in his intestine
- possibly swollen lymph nodes, but maybe cancer or it might be
irritable bowl syndrome which is common in older cats - so we
have an ultrasound scheduled for Wednesday.
Given that the average lifespan after surgery for cats with subcutaneous
Hemangiosarcoma is 44 weeks (11 months), I'm pretty worried as
its almost exactly that length of time since he had his first
surgery (August 23, 2002). I will post an update after the ultrasound
tomorrow.
June 11 - Hector most likely has IBD, though the only way
the vet says she could tell for sure would be with a biopsy and
I don't want to put him throug another surgery. Its either that
or cancer - his intestine is so thickened that its doubtful he
is getting any nutrition from the small quantities of food he
will eat. Treating him with alopathic (prednisone shot) and homeopathic
(slippery elm) - dietary changes can help but getting him to eat
anything at this point is a challenge. Some cats report rapid
recovery if switched totally to raw, but with his compromised
immune system not sure if this is the way to go.
July
19 - Hector's appetite has been up and down, have switched
him totally to raw mixed with water as he gets dehydrated easily.
Had one day where he was so dehydrated he couldn't walk, went
to ER with him, IV of lactated ringers brought him back to better
than he's been in months. Get IV to take home, told can give it
to him daily. First day he's fine, next day he yowls and tries
to bite me (maybe is sore from needle) cannot get near him the
following day and he is very upset, decide cannot continue with
IV treatment, though I can see him getting more and more dehydrated
even though he is eating some. Eyes are sunken, unhappy cat, unhappy
me :(
July
21 - Hector was not responding to any of the medications or
therapies, and intestine pretty much stopped working even to absorb
fluids. Took him to vet where he purred and purred at me until
they put him to sleep. He's happy now I believe, running around
and climbing trees with four legs in kitty heaven.
Addendum - In some ways I wish I had decided to go with
the amputation when I first found out about the cancer, maybe
it wouldn't have spread if it had been removed earlier on, and
I would not have tortured him with the Cansema for so many months.
But he was not any happier as a three legged cat, and I think
that really broke his fightings spirit. He was never himself again
after the amputation, so I guess really there was nothing else
that could have been done. I hope this journal may help
someone else who's cat has hemangiosarcoma or another cancer and
will leave it online as long as the site exists.
