This is a review I hoped I would never write, and I'm sorry the circumstances brought you here too…read more
I can't believe this is even "a thing." A veterinary oncologist? Really? I'm glad that this is an option nowadays, even though treatment isn't really ideal in my cat's case.
My sweet, gorgeous ~13 year old Bengal cat was diagnosed with carcinoma 3 days ago. 4 days ago, I took him to a vet in Bellevue. I had noticed he had been hacking - no hairballs - a few days in a row, but it went away. Then I noticed he didn't have much of an appetite. This guy used to be 18.5 lbs & he lost 5 lbs. Some cats eat to live, but my cat LIVES TO EAT. I used to say "When he doesn't want to eat, I will know he is dying." *&%$ how I wish it wasn't true.
The night before I took him to the vet, I noticed his stomach was pulsing in and out - very deep with each breath.
The vet in Bellevue did an x-ray and noticed fluid around his lungs. He said I needed to go to an emergency clinic & have the fluid withdrawn and monitored. He said it could be heartworms (since the cat had previously been in Texas), congestive heart failure, a tumor, asthma, or bronchitis.
I took him to ACCES in Renton (who were so caring & awesome, by the way). They drew out the fluid & sent it off for testing. They did a rapid blood test to check for heart disease - negative. Since the fluid was around the lungs and not in the lungs, it ruled out asthma or bronchitis. This left 2 options: malignant or benign tumor. Dr. Beth Guerra warned me that sometimes the fluid would come back negative since the cancerous tumors don't always give off cells in the liquid, but we would see.
Sure enough, the next night I had one of the worst phone calls of my life. My beloved little furry companion has carcinoma. I was informed carcinoma isn't nearly as treatable as other cancers like lymphoma, but I was informed I could see a veterinary oncologist to see the options we have.
The next morning, I called the Veterinary Oncology Center to find out what we could do for my baby kitty.
I already knew that treatment probably wasn't a good idea for a cat who HATES vet visits with every fiber of his existence. As I waited, I read some of their stories about people's dogs who were being treated for lymphoma and how well they tolerated the treatments, but they only got about another 6-8 months after the treatment was over.
At the appointment, Dr. Sarbu was professional, informative, knowledgeable, and caring. She went over the radiologist' x-ray report & informed me there were about 3 lung nodules shown. She told me how difficult carcinoma, a skin or organ lining cancer, was to treat. The 2 drugs would only give him about a 20% chance at life for a few months. She discussed the possibility of putting in a chest tube to drain the fluid from his lungs when it built up & administer drugs - hoping that it would give him enough time to allow the drugs to work. She told me the fluid could come back in a few days or a few weeks; there was no way to tell how long it took to build up & no way to tell how long it would be before it came back again.
Weighing the options, knowing how much my cat LOVES food and HATES vet visits, knowing that 20% just aren't great odds, knowing I didn't want his last few months to experience any diminished quality of life, and that the fluid would make him uncomfortable while laying on his back or side, I decided to forgo treatment.
Dr. Sarbu didn't make me feel guilty over it. I've had a few friends who had other vets guilt trip them over forgoing treatment, implying they did not care about their pet, etc. I didn't experience anything like that with Dr. Sarbu. She was apologetic that the prognosis wasn't good, and she tried to reassure me that I did all of the right things and forgoing treatment wasn't unreasonable at all. She told me that he was obviously well taken care of, well loved, and there was nothing I could have done to prevent it and nothing I did that caused it. She even shed a tear when I sobbed, trying to explain I had him since he was 8 weeks old & had trained him to lie on his back.
I asked "does he even know?" (that he's dying) She said he didn't know, but he knows when he doesn't feel good and it's hard to breathe, and he'd display the same signs of distress I had already seen. She told me how to watch his breathing patterns and that right now, he seemed just fine. She explained that when the fluid comes back, it can create scar tissue with separating the ribs and create other pockets for fluid to build up.
She gave me diuretics to give him when his breathing becomes heavier. The next day (today), I noticed a change in his breathing. I gave him diuretics, and it seemed to help.
Now I play the heart crushing, waiting game & prepare to say goodbye to a really awesome cat.
All in all, I'm glad I went to see her and found out the options. If nothing else, the info & diuretics were worth the trip.