Cat bone cancer: Is it safe to wait a week for an oncologist visit?

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. You are right, waiting for 8 weeks and then repeating the x-ray does not make much sense. The joint looks very abnormal. It may be a tumor. Arthritis or bone infection is also a possibility bu less likely. In my opinion the course of treatment should be as follow: - x-ray of the other bones (front legs, pelvis, chest) to look for a spread - bone biopsy from the left hind leg - the biopsy often will give the answer if it is infection, inflammation or bone tumor. - if it comes to the worse and it is a bone tumor you will have to consider amputation, I am afraid. Time is of the essence, so please get back to your vets to discuss changing the treatment plan or ask your vet to be referred to a specialist in orthopedics.

This is a tough question without knowing what things she is currently having trouble with. You are asking for advice on what we call palliative care, which means we are treating with medications/supplements to help make her comfortable. If she is having trouble eating, then offering soft canned food and pain medication would be the recommendation. If she is having trouble walking, then offering joint supplements and pain medication would be the recommendation. So it really just depends, because you won't be able to confirm if she has osteomyelitis or bone cancer without a bone biopsy here. And these two conditions are treated very differently. However, even with that said, treating Angel with a short course of antibiotics and low dose steroids may be beneficial, especially if she has any decrease in appetite or severe inflammation present. I hope this helps and best of luck moving forward with your pet Angel. Take care.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Dylan. I agree with his veterinarian's recommendations as far as the cleaning and the biopsy of the mass. It is frustrating that their surgery scheduled is booked out so far. The mass appears ulcerated and is possibly painful to Dylan. If possible, I would try to find another hospital you trust to have his procedure done sooner. If not, then keep your original appointment. I hope this information helps!

I am so sorry to hear of Brooke’s diagnosis. Other than some good old TLC (tender loving care), I would hold off on giving any medications until you are told to do so by the oncologist, because a lot of medications may interfere with your treatment options moving forward. 20 days is an awfully long time to wait; you may want to call and ask if you can be on a list to call if they have a cancellation, or call around and see if you can get in somewhere else sooner. You can also ask your family veterinarian if they have an oncologist they can call to try to help you expedite the process. Again I’m so sorry to hear of Brooke’s diagnosis, but lymphoma does tend to respond quite well to chemotherapy, and usually the treatment is well tolerated. I wish you and Brooke the best of luck. Fight the good fight, Brooke!!

Hi there. This mass is somewhat unusual-looking from what I can see in the photo, so there's no way to know what it is without being able to take a biopsy, or remove it and send it to the lab for testing. So yes, I do recommend taking him to the vet to have this checked in person and see how your veterinarian suggests proceeding from there. If your kitty is acting normal, I would not consider this to be an emergency, so it should be fine to wait and take him tomorrow. Many veterinary clinics have implemented no-contact protocols during this time (curbside service, etc.) to minimize the risk of COVID transmission, so I would encourage you to ask your veterinarian about their current protocols for this if you're concerned.

I am sorry your kitty is so ill. I think rather than thinking about euthanasia, it is important to verify the diagnosis before taking such a drastic measure. The next step would be to do a bone marrow biopsy and to send the tissue harvested to a pathology laboratory. This will tell whether your cat indeed suffers from cancer of the bone marrow or another not so severe disease. If your vet cannot do the bone marrow biopsy, have him refer your kitty to either a veterinary oncologist or internist. Both of these specialists will also be able to inform you about less costly treatments and palliative care if needed. I think this would make more sense than putting down your cat on just the suspicion of a bone marrow cancer. Neka is very beautiful and certainly looks well taken care of. So I hope the diagnosis is not so dramatic after all.

I'm so very sorry Ittybitty has been diagnosed with cancer! Your question is a hard one to answer, as I can't see her in person. It really depends on how much time surgery and chemo will buy her. If there is a chance this could add years to her life, then I would say to go for it; however, if it will only buy her a couple of months, that's a lot to put her through for a relatively short period of time. In that case, I'd say enjoy the time you have left with her. Chemo is hard on the body, and it does leave the animal feeling quite unwell. The other concern is your vet not being sure she will tolerate surgery. I would weigh those factors into consideration to make your decision. I'd be happy to consult with you further about this if you'd like, just click the "consult online" button under my answer. Good luck!