GI biopsy for lymphoma

Hi, all -- my four-year-old DSH cat, Lou, has had chronic diarrhea
since January. My vet & I are able to control the symptoms with
methylprednisolone and metronidazole, but when we try to wean him off
the meds the diarrhea returns in force. Even though the diarrhea was
under control with meds for the last few weeks and he's been eating
well, he has lost almost two pounds and is now down to about 12 lbs. My
vet has suggested a biopsy to check for lymphoma. Her initial thought
was that he had IBD, particularly because he's had other inflammatory
kinds of problems (a couple of mild bouts with FUS and some seasonal
granulomas on his lower lip), but the intractable nature of the
diarrhea, plus the weight loss, have her thinking that it could be
lymphoma. I adoped Lou as a feral kitten; he has tested negative for
FeLV, etc., and also had a recent fecal test to rule out parasites.
He's indoor-only.

I adore my vet and have complete confidence in her but am looking for a
little reassurance as well as guidance on what questions I should ask
before we proceed with a biopsy. It's an invasive surgery; my vet says
that endoscopic biopsies simply don't get enough tissue for a true
assessment. I hate to put Lou through the surgery, but it sounds like
it's necessary if we're going to figure out the best way to treat him.
Anyone have experience with this kind of biopsy? If it does turn out to
be lymphoma, what can I expect? And if it's simply a raging case of
IBD, can Lou stay on high doses of steroids for the long term? He's now
on 4 mg of methylprednisolone twice daily, and in the past has done
okay weaning down to 4 mg every other day, but anything below that and
the diarrhea flares up again.

Thanks for any insight you're able to offer.

I think your vet's suggestion of a biopsy sounds reasonable. My cat who died
last year (of a sarcoma) had IBD for about 10 years. She remained on
Prednisone for that period of time since she was unable to be weaned off of
it. She took a tablet once daily (can't remember the mg). She did very well,
as you can see. It's possible that your cat only has IBD, as opposed to
lymphoma. I think IBD, however, increases the probability of a cat
developing intestinal lymphoma. Keep us posted. Thankfully your cat is
young, and is not that thin so he will probably do fine with the surgery.
Gail
wrote in message
ps.com...
Hi, all -- my four-year-old DSH cat, Lou, has had chronic diarrhea
since January. My vet & I are able to control the symptoms with
methylprednisolone and metronidazole, but when we try to wean him off
the meds the diarrhea returns in force. Even though the diarrhea was
under control with meds for the last few weeks and he's been eating
well, he has lost almost two pounds and is now down to about 12 lbs. My
vet has suggested a biopsy to check for lymphoma. Her initial thought
was that he had IBD, particularly because he's had other inflammatory
kinds of problems (a couple of mild bouts with FUS and some seasonal
granulomas on his lower lip), but the intractable nature of the
diarrhea, plus the weight loss, have her thinking that it could be
lymphoma. I adoped Lou as a feral kitten; he has tested negative for
FeLV, etc., and also had a recent fecal test to rule out parasites.
He's indoor-only.

I adore my vet and have complete confidence in her but am looking for a
little reassurance as well as guidance on what questions I should ask
before we proceed with a biopsy. It's an invasive surgery; my vet says
that endoscopic biopsies simply don't get enough tissue for a true
assessment. I hate to put Lou through the surgery, but it sounds like
it's necessary if we're going to figure out the best way to treat him.
Anyone have experience with this kind of biopsy? If it does turn out to
be lymphoma, what can I expect? And if it's simply a raging case of
IBD, can Lou stay on high doses of steroids for the long term? He's now
on 4 mg of methylprednisolone twice daily, and in the past has done
okay weaning down to 4 mg every other day, but anything below that and
the diarrhea flares up again.

Thanks for any insight you're able to offer.