Kitty Lymphoma Advice

Post date: 2021-03-06 03:57:19

I have an 8 year old kitty (the handsome black fella on the left) who started having digestive issues in December. We got a preliminary diagnosis of IBS, but after bloodwork, they are suspecting small cell lymphoma. Since this seems to be a fairly common cat issue, I thought I'd ask for some advice.

We did an ultrasound in late February that led to the IBS diagnosis. Bloodwork came back about a week later with elevated calcium levels, which led the vet to think it might actually be lymphoma. He's 2 weeks into his first round of prednisone and has transitioned to a limited-ingredient (venison and pea) food. There has been no more vomiting and he seems to be feeling pretty good, but maybe a tad quieter than usual.

The surgical biopsy will run about $2k, and if it is lymphoma, he would likely start a round of chemo. Financially I can make this happen, but I want to make sure I'm doing the best for my little guy. I don't know if I should put him through surgery, and if so, how to decide when (now? if symptoms come back?). If we do the surgery and it is lymphoma, what's his life look like after that? He's so young!

I have an appointment to talk to the vet in a few weeks once he's done with this round of meds, but I'd love any experience/advice from anyone that has been through this.

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