My cat has a gum mass. Is it safe to wait for delayed vet surgery?

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Syrup. I agree with your veterinarian's treatment plan. If Syrup is responding to treatment, then the course of antibiotics may be extended. I would recommend rechecking his protein levels after his treatment is completed as well. If he does not respond to treatment, then mass removal may be considered. I hope this information helps!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! 2 weeks is generally not too long to wait. I recommend you keep a close eye on the mass. If it appears to be getting significantly larger before your surgery appointment, have Lucky evaluated sooner. Otherwise, this should be ok. Good luck and have a great day!

Hello, I am so sorry for the possible diagnosis of bone cancer in C. I know how hard it is to wait on such a thing. The chance of the cancer spreading significantly in a week is pretty slim, but if it is in your budget to see the oncologist tomorrow, I would take it. Overall, it will speed up the total time to get the biopsy results back. I truly hope that al is well with C. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hyperthyroidism increases the risks of anesthesia. If possible, I wait for anesthesia until the thyroid level is more normal and well controlled. Some of this depends on how severely elevated the level was to begin with. However, in emergency situations I have taken a patient to surgery who was not well controlled. I would recommend calling and discussing the situation with your veterinarian so you can more thoroughly understand her thoughts, and then together you can decide if you should wait or not. Good luck, and I hope she improves soon!

We sometimes do anesthesia multiple times on animals in just a few days or weeks. That is not abnormal. I can never tell you that she will be fine to have anesthesia again after 5 days. No one can tell you that. As long as they are hydrating her (putting her on IV fluids during the procedure) though, I would not be overly worried. Anesthetics we use are the same as in human medicine (in most cases) and are very safe. If she is eating better and you want to wait a couple weeks that may be an option. You should voice your concerns to your vet and go from there. They may agree with you that since she is eating better maybe she can wait a couple weeks. They may have a reason they want the procedure done so quickly. I don't have enough information to know what they are thinking. Hope this helps. If you have more questions you can always opt for a private consultation where we can chat back and forth. That way you can ask as many questions as you'd like. Best wishes.

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.

I'm sorry your cat may have lymphoma. The surgery and biopsies aren't very painful, she will be under anesthesia, and they will give her some pain medication afterwards. The danger of it depends on her health status, and her vet can give you the best estimate of this. Any surgery carries risk, but it can still be safe in a cat this age. Personally I'd do the surgery first. I hope this helps!