Thoughts on surgery for 14 yr old kitty.

Hi,

A few weeks ago, my 14 yr-old dsh boy Abbott had blood tests done, and
it came back with a high calcium count. This, with his recent problems
defecating, and some other blood results led us to consider that he
may have cancer.

Thankfully, we live near a large city center that has a very good vet
hospital with an oncology/internal medicine specialty.

After the initial round of tests at oncology, they found a bladder
stone and a cystic mass on his pancreas. The mass did not look
cancerous. They biopsied the mass, and ran further tests to rule out
cancer.

The end result is that the cystic mass on his pancreas is infected
with e. coli and bacteriods. According to the vet he is a ticking
time bomb as if the mass burst, the bacteria will enter his blood
stream and he will go septic and most likely die. Also a problem is
the bladder stone, which could move and block his kidneys at any
point.

The vet recommended surgery, to the tune of $5000CAD or more, which
includes the surgery and 5 days hostpital stay. The alternative is to
give antibiotics and keep him on gastro-intestinal food for the next
few months. Doing this gives no guarantee that the antibiotics will
penetrate the cyst, and does not address the bladder stone.

At 14, I was trying to avoid putting him through surgery. While we can
afford the surgery it is a lot of money.

Has anyone else had any experience with this type of surgery with a
cat at any age? I'm trying to make the best decision here, and
frankly, cost be d**med, I'm leaning toward surgery. To not do it
basically is letting him die and some point and die painfully. Any
thoughts?

"geekgrrl" wrote in message
...
Hi,

A few weeks ago, my 14 yr-old dsh boy Abbott had blood tests done, and
it came back with a high calcium count. This, with his recent problems
defecating, and some other blood results led us to consider that he
may have cancer.

Thankfully, we live near a large city center that has a very good vet
hospital with an oncology/internal medicine specialty.

After the initial round of tests at oncology, they found a bladder
stone and a cystic mass on his pancreas. The mass did not look
cancerous. They biopsied the mass, and ran further tests to rule out
cancer.

The end result is that the cystic mass on his pancreas is infected
with e. coli and bacteriods. According to the vet he is a ticking
time bomb as if the mass burst, the bacteria will enter his blood
stream and he will go septic and most likely die. Also a problem is
the bladder stone, which could move and block his kidneys at any
point.

The vet recommended surgery, to the tune of $5000CAD or more, which
includes the surgery and 5 days hostpital stay. The alternative is to
give antibiotics and keep him on gastro-intestinal food for the next
few months. Doing this gives no guarantee that the antibiotics will
penetrate the cyst, and does not address the bladder stone.

At 14, I was trying to avoid putting him through surgery. While we can
afford the surgery it is a lot of money.

Has anyone else had any experience with this type of surgery with a
cat at any age? I'm trying to make the best decision here, and
frankly, cost be d**med, I'm leaning toward surgery. To not do it
basically is letting him die and some point and die painfully. Any
thoughts?

I have not had any experience with surgery of this type on a cat. (although
I am not sure precisely what type of surgery will be required). However, 14
is certainly not too "old" for a cat that has had good care. My Holly just
turned 13 but looks and acts much younger. I had a cat that lived to the
age of 20. You said cost is not a factor, so I would "go for it" if that is
what the vet recommends, although a second opinion might be wise. It is
*very* fortunate that cancer is not involved.

Thank you for taking such good care of Abbott.

MaryL

"geekgrrl" wrote in message
...
Hi,

A few weeks ago, my 14 yr-old dsh boy Abbott had blood tests done, and
it came back with a high calcium count. This, with his recent problems
defecating, and some other blood results led us to consider that he
may have cancer.

Thankfully, we live near a large city center that has a very good vet
hospital with an oncology/internal medicine specialty.

After the initial round of tests at oncology, they found a bladder
stone and a cystic mass on his pancreas. The mass did not look
cancerous. They biopsied the mass, and ran further tests to rule out
cancer.

The end result is that the cystic mass on his pancreas is infected
with e. coli and bacteriods. According to the vet he is a ticking
time bomb as if the mass burst, the bacteria will enter his blood
stream and he will go septic and most likely die. Also a problem is
the bladder stone, which could move and block his kidneys at any
point.

The vet recommended surgery, to the tune of $5000CAD or more, which
includes the surgery and 5 days hostpital stay. The alternative is to
give antibiotics and keep him on gastro-intestinal food for the next
few months. Doing this gives no guarantee that the antibiotics will
penetrate the cyst, and does not address the bladder stone.

At 14, I was trying to avoid putting him through surgery. While we can
afford the surgery it is a lot of money.

Has anyone else had any experience with this type of surgery with a
cat at any age? I'm trying to make the best decision here, and
frankly, cost be d**med, I'm leaning toward surgery. To not do it
basically is letting him die and some point and die painfully. Any
thoughts?

Your vet is correct. If you can afford the surgery, I would definitely go
ahead with it. Some pancreatic cysts can lead to pancreatic cancer which is
almost always fatal.

Best of luck,

Phil

I don't have any experience with this type of surgery but I had a cat (now
dearly departed) who at age13 had major spinal surgery to correct a spinal
compression. Like you, I was worried about putting an "older" cat through
expensive major surgery. But the vet surgeon assured me that as long as my
cat was healthy (he was) and the surgery could correct the problem (for the
most part, it did) and I could afford the expense (it was a lot of money but
I could swing it), there was no reason not to. I went ahead with the
surgery. I do not regret doing so.

S.
--
**Visit me and my cats at http://www.island-cats.com/ **
---
"geekgrrl" wrote in message
...
Hi,

A few weeks ago, my 14 yr-old dsh boy Abbott had blood tests done, and
it came back with a high calcium count. This, with his recent problems
defecating, and some other blood results led us to consider that he
may have cancer.

Thankfully, we live near a large city center that has a very good vet
hospital with an oncology/internal medicine specialty.

After the initial round of tests at oncology, they found a bladder
stone and a cystic mass on his pancreas. The mass did not look
cancerous. They biopsied the mass, and ran further tests to rule out
cancer.

The end result is that the cystic mass on his pancreas is infected
with e. coli and bacteriods. According to the vet he is a ticking
time bomb as if the mass burst, the bacteria will enter his blood
stream and he will go septic and most likely die. Also a problem is
the bladder stone, which could move and block his kidneys at any
point.

The vet recommended surgery, to the tune of $5000CAD or more, which
includes the surgery and 5 days hostpital stay. The alternative is to
give antibiotics and keep him on gastro-intestinal food for the next
few months. Doing this gives no guarantee that the antibiotics will
penetrate the cyst, and does not address the bladder stone.

At 14, I was trying to avoid putting him through surgery. While we can
afford the surgery it is a lot of money.

Has anyone else had any experience with this type of surgery with a
cat at any age? I'm trying to make the best decision here, and
frankly, cost be d**med, I'm leaning toward surgery. To not do it
basically is letting him die and some point and die painfully. Any
thoughts?

On Jun 5, 7:43 pm, "blkcatgal" wrote:
I don't have any experience with this type of surgery but I had a cat (now
dearly departed) who at age13 had major spinal surgery to correct a spinal
compression. Like you, I was worried about putting an "older" cat through
expensive major surgery. But the vet surgeon assured me that as long as my
cat was healthy (he was) and the surgery could correct the problem (for the
most part, it did) and I could afford the expense (it was a lot of money but
I could swing it), there was no reason not to. I went ahead with the
surgery. I do not regret doing so.

S.
--
**Visit me and my cats athttp://www.island-cats.com/**
---"geekgrrl" wrote in message

...

Hi,

A few weeks ago, my 14 yr-old dsh boy Abbott had blood tests done, and
it came back with a high calcium count. This, with his recent problems
defecating, and some other blood results led us to consider that he
may have cancer.

Thankfully, we live near a large city center that has a very good vet
hospital with an oncology/internal medicine specialty.

After the initial round of tests at oncology, they found a bladder
stone and a cystic mass on his pancreas. The mass did not look
cancerous. They biopsied the mass, and ran further tests to rule out
cancer.

The end result is that the cystic mass on his pancreas is infected
with e. coli and bacteriods. According to the vet he is a ticking
time bomb as if the mass burst, the bacteria will enter his blood
stream and he will go septic and most likely die. Also a problem is
the bladder stone, which could move and block his kidneys at any
point.

Hi. I definetely feel for you. I don't know this surgery either,
but I just want to relate my experience with my cat who had dental
surgery at the age of 18. It ws very painful for her to eat and the
vet said she had a tooth abcess (sp?) It would cost $300 and at her
age the vet could not guarantee survival. I took the chance, and she
lived for another 1 and half years: That $300 was well worth it in
my opinion as she continued to bring us joy daily. If you can
afford it, I would say go for it. The anti-biotic treatment might
also work well. Peace.

*Hi. *I definetely feel for you. * *I don't know this surgery either,
but I just want to relate my experience with my cat who had dental
surgery at the age of 18. * It ws very painful for her to eat and the
vet said she had a tooth abcess (sp?) *It would cost $300 and at her
age the vet could not guarantee survival. *I took the chance, and she
lived for another 1 and half years: * *That $300 was well worth it in
my opinion as she continued to bring us joy daily. * *If you can
afford it, I would say go for it. *The anti-biotic treatment might
also work well. * * *Peace.

My childhood cat also had dental work done at an older age (17) and
had several teeth removed. I too wondered if we were doing the right
thing, but she lived two more years happily after that.

If your cat's bloodwork is good and is otherwise fit to have the
surgery, by all means go ahead. Another option is to get a second
opinion elsewhere, just for peace of mind.

Response to "Rene S." :

*Hi. *I definetely feel for you. * *I don't know this surgery
eith
er,
but I just want to relate my experience with my cat who had
dental surgery at the age of 18. * It ws very painful for her to
eat and the vet said she had a tooth abcess (sp?) *It would cost
$300 and at her age the vet could not guarantee survival. *I took
the chance, and she lived for another 1 and half years: * *That
$300 was well worth it in my opinion as she continued to bring us
joy daily. * *If you can afford it, I would say go for it. *The
anti-biotic treatment might also work well. * * *Peace.

My childhood cat also had dental work done at an older age (17)
and had several teeth removed. I too wondered if we were doing the
right thing, but she lived two more years happily after that.

If your cat's bloodwork is good and is otherwise fit to have the
surgery, by all means go ahead. Another option is to get a second
opinion elsewhere, just for peace of mind.

OK, probably a dumb question but I'm not the fastest kitty in the
race so...

Is there a relationship between extreme dental work and the longevity
of the kitty?

Or both of you were just dealing with older kitties who needed dental
work and their lifespan was unaffected by it?

Thanks.

--
-Lost
Remove the extra words to reply by e-mail. Don't e-mail me. I am
kidding. No I am not.

Is there a relationship between extreme dental work and the longevity
of the kitty?

Or both of you were just dealing with older kitties who needed dental
work and their lifespan was unaffected by it?

I was dealing with an older kitty who needed dental work, who lived
two more happy years after the procedure. I believe that NOT dealing
with extreme dental work can affect a cat's longevity (it will cause
more problems, possible infections, abscessed teeth, cat not eating
due to pain, etc. etc.)

Hi,

Thanks for all the responses. I thought I would post an update.

Abbott went in this morning for surgery. They are going to remove the
bladder stone and the cyst on his pancreas. The vet hopes that once
they get in there and have a look, they can better determine why the
cyst was formed in the first place, and what the chances are of it
forming again.

He'll be in the vets for 2 days if all goes well. If he develops
pancreatitis as a result of the surgery, he'll be in there longer.
I'm crossing my fingers and waiting for the vet to call.

"geekgrrl" wrote in message
...
Hi,

Thanks for all the responses. I thought I would post an update.

Abbott went in this morning for surgery. They are going to remove the
bladder stone and the cyst on his pancreas. The vet hopes that once
they get in there and have a look, they can better determine why the
cyst was formed in the first place, and what the chances are of it
forming again.

He'll be in the vets for 2 days if all goes well. If he develops
pancreatitis as a result of the surgery, he'll be in there longer.
I'm crossing my fingers and waiting for the vet to call.

I really think you made the right decision, and I really appreciate
the fact that you care more about your cat than saving the surgery
money. It is surprising to me how many people don't.

Keeping you and Abbott in my prayers for a good outcome and
a speedy recovery with no complications.