It's always hard to know what the correct decisions are. You're right it would be easy if we could ask our animals, unfortunately it is we as the owners who have to make the decisions for them. I have a 15 year old cat that was diagnosed a year ago with an indolent alimentary lymphoma. Basically it's cancer in the intestine that is just sitting there and so far hasn't manifested itself into something worse. The cancer has been held in check with a low dose of prednisone. My vet has brought up about possible chemo and radiation therapy and I have already decided against it. For the radition therapy he may not be a candidate anyway due to also being hyperthyroid. As for chemo the protocols are all over the place and for the long term the prognosis isn't good. I have decided when the time comes to let him go with what ever dignity he has. He has been a good cat for all of these years and I feel that is best I can do for him. Hope this helps a little.

Bob

I had a similar situation with my dog. She had a spinal tumor, and it was recommended that surgery was performed to remove it, followed by 3 weeks of daily radiation treatment (under sedation). I was told that she would most likely have to be euthanized in about 6 months if radiation wasn't done, but they (oncologists and neurologists) also told me that even WITH the radiation the tumor would likely (99% chance) come back in 12-18 months. Well, I decided to go ahead with it. It's been over 3 years since the radiation treatment, and a recent MRI revealed NO REGROWTH! So I'm very happy that I didn't listen to their statistics or predictions - you just never know...every case is different. My advice is to listen to your gut.

Best of luck,
Gabi

My heart goes out to you and your kitty. I just lost my 8yr old kitty to cancer (see post 'update on my cat with cancer'). I know the ordeal that you are facing and the emotional struggle of trying to provide the best option for your cat.

There is no black and white answer, I'm afraid. Every day or hour you may have a different decision. You have to decide what you can live with after your cat dies. If nothing you do works, which was my case, will you be content that you at least tried everything possible? Or, would you rather try the "hospice" approach, and just try to make him comfortable until there's nothing left to do?

Both are acceptable decisions. It's a very personal choice.

Unfortunately, finances are a big part of what is appropriate care-- as I am sure you are finding out. I am by no means 'weathly' but I do have a good job and live modestly. I made the decision to spend the money to help my cat and hold off on other items that I needed this year.

If I had spent the money on a Channel or Marc Jacobs bag, people would applaud. Why is it not acceptable or 'discouraged' to spend money on your pet? It's stupid.

What I learned was, no one really can tell you the outcome--even the specialists. You have to decide if you want to end any 'potential' suffering or try everything you can and pray that it works.

The very expensive oncologist gave me hope and indicated that there could be a positive outcome. It didn't happen and I lost her 5 days after her first chemo treatment.

But, your situation could end very differently.

I don't know if anything I'm telling you is of any use. All I can tell you is pray, go with your gut and tell your kitty how much you love him every day. In the end, you will do the very best that you can do, but you may still question your decisions anyway (I sure am...).

Good luck. I wish you the very best.

Thank you everyone for all your kind words, thoughts and personal experiences. This is definetly one of the most difficult decisions I've ever had to make. One factor in the equation is the fact that our cat is 13 y.o. and he really hates going to the vet -I'm not sure how well he would do having to go every day for three weeks straight. Also, due to where the cancer is located potential side effects from the radiation could include ulcers to the inside of his mouth and nose along with chronic dry eye requiring daily lubricating drops and cataracts to the affected eye. One thing we may consider doing now is having a CAT scan done so we know how advanced the cancer is -if it's still somewhat localized the area requiring radiation would not be as extensive and thereby rendering surrounding tissues to less trauma. However, the vet did inform us that with this type of cancer it will definetly reoccur.

Gabi, how old was your dog when it was diagnosed with cancer? Also, how did your dog handle the frequent visits for radiation? Lastly, were there any side affects from the radiation? Due to where our cats cancer is the radiation would affect his eye and mucous membranes of the mouth and nose.

-Thanks again,
robin

I used to be a radiation therapy tech and we would do the occaisional dog when the department was closed. It was more paliative than a cure. Knowing what I know about the side effects of radiation I would not do that to one of my pets.

Robin,
My dog was 6 when she was diagnosed (and when she had radiation). She handled the visits very well - she would be taken in, sedated lightly, and then I'd pick her up about 2 hours after dropping her off. The ONLY side effects she had was a little drowsiness. No big deal at all...I probably wouldn't have noticed anything was different if I didn't know she was having radiation therapy. Animals react very differently to radiation therapy than humans do - my mother had radiation therapy and was very sick, but my dog was fine (of course the types of cancer were different, but the specialists told me that pets handle it differently than humans do). So you never know how your cat will react. The only thing left from the radiation is a little gray/white patch from where the radiation was done...I can deal with that!

Daisyadair,
I'm not sure what you mean by "we would do the occasional dog when the department was closed", but that hardly seems like a statement that would be made by someone who is really knowledgable in ANIMAL radiation therapy. I'm assuming you are a radiation tech for humans - no comparison. Side effects for humans are not the same as side effects for pets, and pets are much more resilient than we think.

Gabi