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Feeding and Relief of mouth sores in cat with oral cancer



 
 
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  #11  
Old June 22nd 04, 11:12 PM
Cheryl
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In the fine newsgroup "rec.pets.cats", Camilla Cracchiolo
artfully composed this message within
on 22 Jun 2004:

It appalls me how little pain relievers are used in cats.


Actually, fentinol (SP?) patches are commonly used post surgery for
animals. In cats, you have to be careful with some pain relievers
because the liver of a cat is so different from humans, and even
dogs. Rimadyl (again, SP?) is commonly kept around the house for
dogs who have pain from arthritis, etc, but I don't think they
allow the use in cats.

My
vet said this was the first cat he had ever prescribed an opioid
pain reliever to in many years of practice. Cats come home from
surgery without pain pills still, even though the latest
greatest thing in vet journals is how, yes, cats do feel post
surgical pain and should get pain meds to take home. I think
this is in part because cats are pretty stoic about pain:
they're not crying so people don't treat the pain.


Spay surgeries now (at least here) have sutures that have pain
management "built-in" that should keep a kitty comfortable for the
time necessary.

FWIW, I admire you for keeping your cat comfortable. You'll know
when it is "time" so in the meantime, no sense in prolonging the
inevitable with surgery that may do more harm than good. I'm doing
the same thing with my cat who is FeLV+, has IBD with chronic
diarrhea, and no cure for either. He's fine for now, so I don't see
a good reason for ending his life until it is time. That doesn't
mean I will let him suffer, either. Like I said to you, I'll know
from him when he wants to go.

--
Cheryl
  #12  
Old June 22nd 04, 11:12 PM
Cheryl
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

In the fine newsgroup "rec.pets.cats", Camilla Cracchiolo
artfully composed this message within
on 22 Jun 2004:

It appalls me how little pain relievers are used in cats.


Actually, fentinol (SP?) patches are commonly used post surgery for
animals. In cats, you have to be careful with some pain relievers
because the liver of a cat is so different from humans, and even
dogs. Rimadyl (again, SP?) is commonly kept around the house for
dogs who have pain from arthritis, etc, but I don't think they
allow the use in cats.

My
vet said this was the first cat he had ever prescribed an opioid
pain reliever to in many years of practice. Cats come home from
surgery without pain pills still, even though the latest
greatest thing in vet journals is how, yes, cats do feel post
surgical pain and should get pain meds to take home. I think
this is in part because cats are pretty stoic about pain:
they're not crying so people don't treat the pain.


Spay surgeries now (at least here) have sutures that have pain
management "built-in" that should keep a kitty comfortable for the
time necessary.

FWIW, I admire you for keeping your cat comfortable. You'll know
when it is "time" so in the meantime, no sense in prolonging the
inevitable with surgery that may do more harm than good. I'm doing
the same thing with my cat who is FeLV+, has IBD with chronic
diarrhea, and no cure for either. He's fine for now, so I don't see
a good reason for ending his life until it is time. That doesn't
mean I will let him suffer, either. Like I said to you, I'll know
from him when he wants to go.

--
Cheryl
  #13  
Old June 22nd 04, 11:12 PM
Cheryl
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

In the fine newsgroup "rec.pets.cats", Camilla Cracchiolo
artfully composed this message within
on 22 Jun 2004:

It appalls me how little pain relievers are used in cats.


Actually, fentinol (SP?) patches are commonly used post surgery for
animals. In cats, you have to be careful with some pain relievers
because the liver of a cat is so different from humans, and even
dogs. Rimadyl (again, SP?) is commonly kept around the house for
dogs who have pain from arthritis, etc, but I don't think they
allow the use in cats.

My
vet said this was the first cat he had ever prescribed an opioid
pain reliever to in many years of practice. Cats come home from
surgery without pain pills still, even though the latest
greatest thing in vet journals is how, yes, cats do feel post
surgical pain and should get pain meds to take home. I think
this is in part because cats are pretty stoic about pain:
they're not crying so people don't treat the pain.


Spay surgeries now (at least here) have sutures that have pain
management "built-in" that should keep a kitty comfortable for the
time necessary.

FWIW, I admire you for keeping your cat comfortable. You'll know
when it is "time" so in the meantime, no sense in prolonging the
inevitable with surgery that may do more harm than good. I'm doing
the same thing with my cat who is FeLV+, has IBD with chronic
diarrhea, and no cure for either. He's fine for now, so I don't see
a good reason for ending his life until it is time. That doesn't
mean I will let him suffer, either. Like I said to you, I'll know
from him when he wants to go.

--
Cheryl
  #14  
Old June 23rd 04, 04:29 AM
Philip Meech
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Cancer patients with mouth sores use a benzocaine/bacterial cream. I guess
stronger painkillers are used in minute dosages. What about novocaine before
feeding time? Cancer hospitals have specialized dental departments. I
live near Roswell Cancer Institute, but I am sure you could ask a
dentist at Cedars Sinai.

snip

  #15  
Old June 23rd 04, 04:29 AM
Philip Meech
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Cancer patients with mouth sores use a benzocaine/bacterial cream. I guess
stronger painkillers are used in minute dosages. What about novocaine before
feeding time? Cancer hospitals have specialized dental departments. I
live near Roswell Cancer Institute, but I am sure you could ask a
dentist at Cedars Sinai.

snip

  #16  
Old June 23rd 04, 04:29 AM
Philip Meech
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Cancer patients with mouth sores use a benzocaine/bacterial cream. I guess
stronger painkillers are used in minute dosages. What about novocaine before
feeding time? Cancer hospitals have specialized dental departments. I
live near Roswell Cancer Institute, but I am sure you could ask a
dentist at Cedars Sinai.

snip

  #17  
Old July 17th 04, 09:07 AM
Camilla Cracchiolo
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

An update: We put Victor to sleep last Saturday. It was one
of the hardest things I ever did in my life. But it was time. Even
with pain control he had started eating but then stopped again.


On Mon, 21 Jun 2004 04:19:42 -0700, Camilla Cracchiolo
wrote:


My cat has inoperable mouth cancer.

I need advice on getting him to take in more food and if there is any
topical pain killer that I can use on the sores in his mouth. I know
I can't use human products like benzocaine or benzyl alcohol.

He's doing pretty well right now aside from weight loss. He is
getting oral pain killers and antibiotics and behaves like he's not in
pain, is affectionate, etc. He doesn't vomit it up. We're not going
to put him down as long as he seems to get some joy from life.

But: he's not eating a lot and I think it's because he has pain in his
mouth. Also, he's lost some teeth and has trouble gripping food.
We're going to take him to the vet this week but we want the advice of
the net mind as well.

He seems to be hungry: he looks longingly at food, and does his usual
bolting into the kitchen when he hears the can opener. But he takes
only one bite, then looks real disappointed and looks away. We've
tried soft foods, which get a nothing from him. He likes to drink
milk and cream. I try to hand feed him people food and sometimes I can
get him to take a couple of strips of roasted chicken, which he chews
only on one side (the less affected one). He won't eat NutraCal
voluntarily but I'm just going to start shooting it in his mouth with
a syringe when I give him his twice a day antibiotic and pain killer
pills.

Any advice as to techniques, medications, better nutritional products,
webpages, etc. would be more than appreciated.

Also, even though we've decided not to go with surgery and radiation
for cure if anyone has experience with PALLIATIVE surgery or radiation
for this I'd really like to hear about it. (The only treatment for
this cancer is extensive surgery followed by radiation and since he's
an old cat and the prognosis is lousy even with treatment, we decided
not to do aggressive treatment and just try to keep him comfortable.)

Help!

Thanks.

P.S. If you can, send a carbon copy to my e-mail so I get it as soon
as possible. My news server is slow.


__________________________________________________ _

Camilla Cracchiolo
Registered Nurse
Los Angeles, California

webpage temporarily down


__________________________________________________ _

Camilla Cracchiolo
Registered Nurse
Los Angeles, California

webpage temporarily down
  #18  
Old July 17th 04, 09:07 AM
Camilla Cracchiolo
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

An update: We put Victor to sleep last Saturday. It was one
of the hardest things I ever did in my life. But it was time. Even
with pain control he had started eating but then stopped again.


On Mon, 21 Jun 2004 04:19:42 -0700, Camilla Cracchiolo
wrote:


My cat has inoperable mouth cancer.

I need advice on getting him to take in more food and if there is any
topical pain killer that I can use on the sores in his mouth. I know
I can't use human products like benzocaine or benzyl alcohol.

He's doing pretty well right now aside from weight loss. He is
getting oral pain killers and antibiotics and behaves like he's not in
pain, is affectionate, etc. He doesn't vomit it up. We're not going
to put him down as long as he seems to get some joy from life.

But: he's not eating a lot and I think it's because he has pain in his
mouth. Also, he's lost some teeth and has trouble gripping food.
We're going to take him to the vet this week but we want the advice of
the net mind as well.

He seems to be hungry: he looks longingly at food, and does his usual
bolting into the kitchen when he hears the can opener. But he takes
only one bite, then looks real disappointed and looks away. We've
tried soft foods, which get a nothing from him. He likes to drink
milk and cream. I try to hand feed him people food and sometimes I can
get him to take a couple of strips of roasted chicken, which he chews
only on one side (the less affected one). He won't eat NutraCal
voluntarily but I'm just going to start shooting it in his mouth with
a syringe when I give him his twice a day antibiotic and pain killer
pills.

Any advice as to techniques, medications, better nutritional products,
webpages, etc. would be more than appreciated.

Also, even though we've decided not to go with surgery and radiation
for cure if anyone has experience with PALLIATIVE surgery or radiation
for this I'd really like to hear about it. (The only treatment for
this cancer is extensive surgery followed by radiation and since he's
an old cat and the prognosis is lousy even with treatment, we decided
not to do aggressive treatment and just try to keep him comfortable.)

Help!

Thanks.

P.S. If you can, send a carbon copy to my e-mail so I get it as soon
as possible. My news server is slow.


__________________________________________________ _

Camilla Cracchiolo
Registered Nurse
Los Angeles, California

webpage temporarily down


__________________________________________________ _

Camilla Cracchiolo
Registered Nurse
Los Angeles, California

webpage temporarily down
  #19  
Old July 18th 04, 09:28 AM
MaryL
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Camilla,

I think you made the right decision. If your cat had inoperable mouth
cancer and was not eating, then the time had arrived to make this difficult
decision. Cats often do not "show" pain, so that is not an accurate
guideline. A decision to euthanize a beloved pets is one of the most
painful decisions we face, but it is a gift of love. It spares our
wonderful cats from living out their final days in increasing amounts of
pain and diminished pleasure in life.

MaryL


"Camilla Cracchiolo" wrote in message
...
An update: We put Victor to sleep last Saturday. It was one
of the hardest things I ever did in my life. But it was time. Even
with pain control he had started eating but then stopped again.


On Mon, 21 Jun 2004 04:19:42 -0700, Camilla Cracchiolo
wrote:


My cat has inoperable mouth cancer.

I need advice on getting him to take in more food and if there is any
topical pain killer that I can use on the sores in his mouth. I know
I can't use human products like benzocaine or benzyl alcohol.

He's doing pretty well right now aside from weight loss. He is
getting oral pain killers and antibiotics and behaves like he's not in
pain, is affectionate, etc. He doesn't vomit it up. We're not going
to put him down as long as he seems to get some joy from life.

But: he's not eating a lot and I think it's because he has pain in his
mouth. Also, he's lost some teeth and has trouble gripping food.
We're going to take him to the vet this week but we want the advice of
the net mind as well.

He seems to be hungry: he looks longingly at food, and does his usual
bolting into the kitchen when he hears the can opener. But he takes
only one bite, then looks real disappointed and looks away. We've
tried soft foods, which get a nothing from him. He likes to drink
milk and cream. I try to hand feed him people food and sometimes I can
get him to take a couple of strips of roasted chicken, which he chews
only on one side (the less affected one). He won't eat NutraCal
voluntarily but I'm just going to start shooting it in his mouth with
a syringe when I give him his twice a day antibiotic and pain killer
pills.

Any advice as to techniques, medications, better nutritional products,
webpages, etc. would be more than appreciated.

Also, even though we've decided not to go with surgery and radiation
for cure if anyone has experience with PALLIATIVE surgery or radiation
for this I'd really like to hear about it. (The only treatment for
this cancer is extensive surgery followed by radiation and since he's
an old cat and the prognosis is lousy even with treatment, we decided
not to do aggressive treatment and just try to keep him comfortable.)

Help!

Thanks.

P.S. If you can, send a carbon copy to my e-mail so I get it as soon
as possible. My news server is slow.


__________________________________________________ _

Camilla Cracchiolo
Registered Nurse
Los Angeles, California

webpage temporarily down


__________________________________________________ _

Camilla Cracchiolo
Registered Nurse
Los Angeles, California

webpage temporarily down



  #20  
Old July 18th 04, 09:28 AM
MaryL
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Camilla,

I think you made the right decision. If your cat had inoperable mouth
cancer and was not eating, then the time had arrived to make this difficult
decision. Cats often do not "show" pain, so that is not an accurate
guideline. A decision to euthanize a beloved pets is one of the most
painful decisions we face, but it is a gift of love. It spares our
wonderful cats from living out their final days in increasing amounts of
pain and diminished pleasure in life.

MaryL


"Camilla Cracchiolo" wrote in message
...
An update: We put Victor to sleep last Saturday. It was one
of the hardest things I ever did in my life. But it was time. Even
with pain control he had started eating but then stopped again.


On Mon, 21 Jun 2004 04:19:42 -0700, Camilla Cracchiolo
wrote:


My cat has inoperable mouth cancer.

I need advice on getting him to take in more food and if there is any
topical pain killer that I can use on the sores in his mouth. I know
I can't use human products like benzocaine or benzyl alcohol.

He's doing pretty well right now aside from weight loss. He is
getting oral pain killers and antibiotics and behaves like he's not in
pain, is affectionate, etc. He doesn't vomit it up. We're not going
to put him down as long as he seems to get some joy from life.

But: he's not eating a lot and I think it's because he has pain in his
mouth. Also, he's lost some teeth and has trouble gripping food.
We're going to take him to the vet this week but we want the advice of
the net mind as well.

He seems to be hungry: he looks longingly at food, and does his usual
bolting into the kitchen when he hears the can opener. But he takes
only one bite, then looks real disappointed and looks away. We've
tried soft foods, which get a nothing from him. He likes to drink
milk and cream. I try to hand feed him people food and sometimes I can
get him to take a couple of strips of roasted chicken, which he chews
only on one side (the less affected one). He won't eat NutraCal
voluntarily but I'm just going to start shooting it in his mouth with
a syringe when I give him his twice a day antibiotic and pain killer
pills.

Any advice as to techniques, medications, better nutritional products,
webpages, etc. would be more than appreciated.

Also, even though we've decided not to go with surgery and radiation
for cure if anyone has experience with PALLIATIVE surgery or radiation
for this I'd really like to hear about it. (The only treatment for
this cancer is extensive surgery followed by radiation and since he's
an old cat and the prognosis is lousy even with treatment, we decided
not to do aggressive treatment and just try to keep him comfortable.)

Help!

Thanks.

P.S. If you can, send a carbon copy to my e-mail so I get it as soon
as possible. My news server is slow.


__________________________________________________ _

Camilla Cracchiolo
Registered Nurse
Los Angeles, California

webpage temporarily down


__________________________________________________ _

Camilla Cracchiolo
Registered Nurse
Los Angeles, California

webpage temporarily down



 




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