Dust for my kitty!

[chemgirl]

So I recently moved and my little torti girl has been a bit stressed. She has herpes in one of her eyes and it was really flaring up yesterday so I took her to a new vet this morning. He gave me some eye drops and some lysine paste, and then asked if I had any other questions for him. Since he seemed willing to take his time with her, I mentioned a chronic ear infection that she's had for the past 4 years. I've taken her to 3 different vets over the years and they all say its a bacterial and yeast infection, no known cause, give us ear drops, and send us home. One vet did tell me to wash her ear weekly and I have been doing that.

Well new vet did something no other vet has done, he LOOKED INSIDE OF HER EAR! He cleared out the entire canal with cotton swabs and then looked in it. He took about half an hour babying her ear. Then all of a sudden her ear started bleeding. Once it was cleared out, he found the cause of the infections. There is a large tumor in her ear canal.

She's staying at the vet for a few hours so he can do a biopsy. He says he doubts that its cancer since she's had symptoms for so long. If it was cancerous he thinks it would have spread by now. I'm still worried because her ear and eye infections are on the same side...so maybe it has spread? He told me to relax and it was fine, but yeah, not relaxed when my poor little girl has a tumor!

Can you guys spare some dust for my little troublemaker?

 

[mary poppins]

Aww, sending lots of dust to your kitty. Sometimes it takes a while for them to adjust to their new surroundings.

I can't believe three prior vets made a diagnosis and prescribed medication without even looking in her ear! Sounds like you have a winner with this new vet who took the time to inquire about your additional questions and look into the problem, literally. I hope the tumor is not cancerous and the eye drops work well and quickly.

 

[chemgirl]

Aww, sending lots of dust to your kitty. Sometimes it takes a while for them to adjust to their new surroundings.

I can't believe three prior vets made a diagnosis and prescribed medication without even looking in her ear! Sounds like you have a winner with this new vet who took the time to inquire about your additional questions and look into the problem, literally. I hope the tumor is not cancerous and the eye drops work well and quickly.

Thanks Mary Poppins!

I should correct myself and say the other vets looked, but without using a magnifier or light. They took a peek without tools, said there was buildup, swabbed the buildup, looked at the swab under a microscope, and then prescribed the medication.

This one took his time clearing out all of the buildup so he could get a clear view of her ear canal. Then he looked at it with the magnifier. He even took the time to show me how to use the magnifier so I could look at both of her ears and compare them. I think I have my new vet!

 

[lulu]

Sending lots of dust for your baby and congratulations for finding a great vet!

 

[jainsley]

Zoomie and I are sending lots of dust for your kitty. We hope she feels better soon!

 

[minmin001]

nooo, not the kitty. the poor little thing. tons of dusts going your way and hope for a fast recover

 

[iheartscience]

Aw poor kitty-tons and tons of dust your way for a quick and easy fix.

 

[yssie]

Lots of dust for your girl chemgirl - I hope it's something very easy and quick to treat!!

I too am astounded that it took four vets to find this issue but SO glad you've found a vet you can trust now!

 

[Okie_girl]

Chemgirl, my kitties and I are sending tons of dust to you and your baby! We all hope she will be feeling
better soon. Sounds like even though you are going through quite the ordeal, at least you've found a vet
that is very thorough.

 

[stargurl78]

Oh no, sending dust to you and your furbaby! I know it can be so stressful, I just had to take one of my kitties to the vet yesterday so I feel your pain (it looks like my poor kitty has a urinary tract infection)...

 

[chemgirl]

Oh no, sending dust to you and your furbaby! I know it can be so stressful, I just had to take one of my kitties to the vet yesterday so I feel your pain (it looks like my poor kitty has a urinary tract infection)...

Ugh, we had to deal with that last winter with our maincoon. It took 3 different antibiotics and almost two months to get the infection cleared up (it was really bad and had moved to the kidneys). Her bloodwork is normal now so all is well. It was just a bit of an ordeal while it lasted. She appreciated it though and has since become a cuddly little lap kitty. Unfortunately its hard to tell that they're in pain until the pain is gone.

DH just called and said Lanes is back from the vet and running all over the place. She was sedated and is supposed to be sleepy, but apparently it takes more than anesthetic to turn my little monster in to a chill kitty. At least she's active and alert. Always a good sign!

 

[chemgirl]

Never Google a medical problem! I would rather have lived in ignorance until we get the biopsy results next week. None of this talk about how bleeding tumors are more likely to be cancerous. Aaaaaaaah!

 

[Lottie]

Fingers crossed for your cat Chemgirl. Hope she makes a very speedy recovery, I've always liked torti's.

 

[iLander]

Nah . . .

I think it's just a cyst, they tend to grow in and around ears, ooze liquids that look like infections, and bleed when you poke them with a cotton swab.

Dust to you, so you can relax and dust to your kitty so she feels better quickly.

 

[ckrickett]

sick kitties are no good!
plenty of dust I shall send!!

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Phooey! Loads of dander--err--dust your way!

cheers--Sharon

 

[Missy]

Sending tons and tons of ****dust**** to your sweet little kitty!!!!! Praying for good news and glad she is running around and happy!

I am so upset about those other vets who missed this! When your kitty is all better and you are in a good place I hope you call them to make them aware so they do not miss something like this in the future. That's a big miss.

 

[chemgirl]

Thanks for the dust everyone!

iLander, that made me feel a lot better. You're right, its probably a very angry cyst. She's had it for ages and scratches it a lot so makes sense that it would look pretty bad at this point.

Missy, you're right, the other vets should have noticed this. The kitties have moved around a lot in the past few years so that's the main reason for all of the different vets. I am definitely going to call the last one and let him know. He was very good to diagnose a problem with one of my other cats so its hard to be too mad at him. I think he genuinely cares and would want to know, he's just super busy and can't give each pet the attention they deserve. I'm so happy to have found a new vet who will take the time to really investigate problems.

I think the cleaning and biopsy made Lanes feel better if that's possible. She's acting like a kitten again and chasing everyone around. She got on top of the dresser and jumped on to my boy kitty who was taking a nap on the floor.

 

[stargurl78]

Oh no, sending dust to you and your furbaby! I know it can be so stressful, I just had to take one of my kitties to the vet yesterday so I feel your pain (it looks like my poor kitty has a urinary tract infection)...

Ugh, we had to deal with that last winter with our maincoon. It took 3 different antibiotics and almost two months to get the infection cleared up (it was really bad and had moved to the kidneys). Her bloodwork is normal now so all is well. It was just a bit of an ordeal while it lasted. She appreciated it though and has since become a cuddly little lap kitty. Unfortunately its hard to tell that they're in pain until the pain is gone.

DH just called and said Lanes is back from the vet and running all over the place. She was sedated and is supposed to be sleepy, but apparently it takes more than anesthetic to turn my little monster in to a chill kitty. At least she's active and alert. Always a good sign!

Oh no, I hope this clears up faster than 2 months! I hate taking her to the vet, she FREAKS out in the car and cries the whole time we are there. She is an asthmatic kitty and I feel like she is so fragile so it breaks my heart when she is upset.

And I agree - stay away from google! I was making myself crazy with worry for 2 days before taking her to the vet because I thought she had kidney failure. Damn internet!

Again, sending lots of dust. Hope your kitty has an easy recovery and its not a major issue!

 

[chemgirl]

Oh no, sending dust to you and your furbaby! I know it can be so stressful, I just had to take one of my kitties to the vet yesterday so I feel your pain (it looks like my poor kitty has a urinary tract infection)...

Ugh, we had to deal with that last winter with our maincoon. It took 3 different antibiotics and almost two months to get the infection cleared up (it was really bad and had moved to the kidneys). Her bloodwork is normal now so all is well. It was just a bit of an ordeal while it lasted. She appreciated it though and has since become a cuddly little lap kitty. Unfortunately its hard to tell that they're in pain until the pain is gone.

DH just called and said Lanes is back from the vet and running all over the place. She was sedated and is supposed to be sleepy, but apparently it takes more than anesthetic to turn my little monster in to a chill kitty. At least she's active and alert. Always a good sign!

Oh no, I hope this clears up faster than 2 months! I hate taking her to the vet, she FREAKS out in the car and cries the whole time we are there. She is an asthmatic kitty and I feel like she is so fragile so it breaks my heart when she is upset.

And I agree - stay away from google! I was making myself crazy with worry for 2 days before taking her to the vet because I thought she had kidney failure. Damn internet!

Again, sending lots of dust. Hope your kitty has an easy recovery and its not a major issue!

It will probably be a pretty simple fix. I asked the new vet about it today because he was asking me about the health of my other cats. He said an infection will take a while to clear up if it has reached the kidneys, otherwise its not nearly as bad. Our cat presented with tenderness in her kidneys and nothing else. The vet asked us to bring her back in for a urine sample and there was blood in her urine so that lead to more issues. It sounds like you noticed early so I'm sure your kitty will be fine!

 

[stargurl78]

Yeah they said her kidneys felt normal (just by physically touching that area) and looked good from the xrays. There was no blood in her urine. But her BUN numbers were higher than normal which makes me nervous about her kidneys. But the vet said not to worry, that was most likely caused by the infection and should go down once its treated.

So when you will you find out results from the biopsy? Hopefully not too long... Glad to hear your kitty is home and is in good spirits!

 

[chemgirl]

Yeah they said her kidneys felt normal (just by physically touching that area) and looked good from the xrays. There was no blood in her urine. But her BUN numbers were higher than normal which makes me nervous about her kidneys. But the vet said not to worry, that was most likely caused by the infection and should go down once its treated.

So when you will you find out results from the biopsy? Hopefully not too long... Glad to hear your kitty is home and is in good spirits!

Thanks! The results should be back in 3-9 days.

She is currently curled up in front of the fireplace and looks totally fine. She has gained about 2 pounds in the last 6 months so that seems encouraging.

 

[QueenB29]

Oh no! DUST! I don't understand how multiple vets could have missed it -- I don't care how busy they are, that's their job! I'm glad she seems to be feeling a little better. My Lab, Belle, gets ear infections all the time, but that's normal for Labs....not kitties!

 

[Amys Bling]

DUST!!!

 

[chemgirl]

Update: Shaking right now, just got the call from the vet and it is cancer. She's going in at 8:00 am tomorrow for x-rays to see if its spread. The vet's prognosis isn't very good.

He says if it hasn't spread we can opt to remove her ear. He says its a very hard location to operate on and he wouldn't do it if it were his cat. Now he is saying that the fact that her eye problems are located on the same side is indicative that its a larger facial tumor. Bah!

ETA: I know quite a bit about cancer treatment in people, but not in cats. Does anybody have experience with chemo in cats? My first instinct is not to do it, but I don't know anything really.

ETA: Its a melanoma in her ear canal, if anyone knows anything about it please let me know.

 

[Haven]

Oh, Chemgirl, I am so sorry.
Here's hoping for news that it is treatable.
Hugs and dust to you, dear.

 

[stargurl78]

I'm so sorry that you received this news, sending lots of dust. When kitties are sick it just breaks my heart

 

[QueenB29]

Update: Shaking right now, just got the call from the vet and it is cancer. She's going in at 8:00 am tomorrow for x-rays to see if its spread. The vet's prognosis isn't very good.

He says if it hasn't spread we can opt to remove her ear. He says its a very hard location to operate on and he wouldn't do it if it were his cat. Now he is saying that the fact that her eye problems are located on the same side is indicative that its a larger facial tumor. Bah!

ETA: I know quite a bit about cancer treatment in people, but not in cats. Does anybody have experience with chemo in cats? My first instinct is not to do it, but I don't know anything really.

ETA: Its a melanoma in her ear canal, if anyone knows anything about it please let me know.

Oh dear When I saw the update I was hoping for good news. I wish I could reach through the computer and give you a hug right now. I'm so sorry for you and your poor, poor kitty Major, heaping piles of DUST that it hasn't spread.

 

[Aoife]

Chemgirl, I'm so sorry to hear this. Melanoma is not a good type of cancer to have, no matter who you are. I hope your kitty can at the minimum be kept comfortable, and don't be shy about asking for pain medication.

Sending dust your way......

 

[Missy]

Oh Chemgirl I am so so sorry
I am hoping it did not spread and that the vet can remove the melanoma. I put a call in to my sister (a vet) and will let you know if she has anything to add.

Sending you and your darling kitty tons of healing dust. And big hugs.