4/7 Butthead tumor(s) treatment update

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MJ+Donovan

MJ+Donovan

Member Since 2009
previous update

Another radiation treatment session for Butthead today for new Smaller tumor. I mentioned previously that his usual 10 am appt was moved to noon, which meant trying to sneak fuds to the Others in the morning without letting Butthead have any. Luckily he's not a whiney cat, but I know he knew he was missing something. On the trip to Boston, I put him in his bucket seat for a while, but he chose to go in the back seat and doze off.

So far I have seen no improvement since he's been on methylprednisolone -- still a little "lost", not as active, possibly some back leg weakness. Vet switched him to triamcinolone, which we will start tonight. While the large tumor is partially attached to his skull, the vet said there was no penetration so should not be the cause of any neurologic effects :-|. They did some bloodwork, which aside from slightly elevated white count, was unremarkable. No radiation next week, but they want to re-examine him and do blood work again in two weeks.

Because of the later start, I had to drop Butthead at home and immediately rush to a meeting at work, so I will continue this post later. For now, here's a sneak peek of Butthead post-treatment. He was dopey and starving when they brought him back to me, so he made quite a mess with his food. Here he is deciding to wash his face, which I probably would have kept taping if he hadn't turned his back to me :roll:

[youtube]lBWAaN9p0y8[/youtube]

to be continued...

MJ&Donovan&Butthead
 
Butthead, you are such a cutie. Every time I see him I want to give him a hug. He looks so hugable.
He was pretty intent on cleaning his face so he'd look pretty for the camera.
Or maybe he wanted to go in the back so he could be next to the monster in the cardboard box.... what was that anyway? :shock:
 
Oh, that's Crazy Frog. I have Crazy Frog and Eeyore buckled in the back seat.

I'm jumping ahead a bit, but this is the final leg of Butthead's Drive Home (~11 min!), and YouTube already warned me of copyright issues (music on the radio again...sheesh), so the audio may be disabled soon. If you want to hear me use a reallybadword to a guy who honked and passed me, skip to ~8 minutes.

[youtube]gO3hn04O-LU[/youtube]
 
You are lucky Butthead is such a great traveler, besides being such a sweetie. Paws crossed that all the treatments will work.
 
I love butthead's videos .. it always amazes me how well he travels .. I wish our girls would do that well .. And I also hope the treatments are working for him .. he's such a sweetie ..
 
I never get tired of seeing these video's. He sincerely seems to enjoy the rides. I took Samantha to the vet today and she never stopped howling! angry(2)_cat

Always thinking of you guys... :YMHUG: :YMHUG:



Jason
 
He's such a dear. I hope you didn't gesture to the rude trafficers, you don't have quite enough hands for that.
 
Butthead, you are a traveling pro! MJ, I hope the treatments and the new medication will bring some success. He is such a cutie and so even-tempered. What a neat kitty!
Have a good evening, guys

Ella & Rusty
 
(((MJ and Butthead))))

i love love love the videos...he is such a good kitty....well behaved....i loved him on the leash and following you...Rocket goes where he wants to while on the leash...he is not like Comet (the dog) that goes where we want him to....soooo sweet of Butthead to be so obedient....

praying for the treatments to work and for you two to still have many more days together....cherish each day with him!
 
(((Butthead))) we love you & are praying for you.. wishing you all the blessings one can wish & continued prayers too!
(((MJ))) you are his angel here on Earth.. Bless you o:-)
Thank you for sharing the video of your gorgeous guy!
 
:lol: :lol: :lol: what was that guy's problem??? Love it, MJ!!!

Da Butthead told Binks that his condition was a blessing when he came to Boise...
He has one ear...and only half of what i say was worth listening to... :-D

He's such a doll...hope the new med helps...
 
Awww MJ, Jackson & I just watched your videos and I was smiling the whole time . Jackson wants to know how you drove and shot the vid at the same time?
I so hope Butt's treatments are working and will keep in in my prayers. He is a doll!!! What a smart and simply adorable brave little sweetheart he is! And he sure knows his house when he sees it! Another one that just grabbed my heart.

Give him hugs and scritches from me and my boys!
 
In the 11+ min video, Butthead is in my lap for about 4:30, so you can skip past that if you wish.
I dunno, there was some pinhead in a large truck sucking on my bumper right before two lanes merged to one, and then I heard him honk, and then he veered right at a fork immediately after that. Maybe he had to pee really bad? I just wanted him off my behind, thanks.

Disclaimer: really, I wouldn't attempt this with any of my other cats. Butthead is an exceptional traveler, and admittedly I am also spoiling him by letting him do what he wants. It does get a little awkward holding the camera in one hand and driving with the other, and I try to keep it still and aimed in Butthead's general vicinity, so I apologize for any vomit-cam footage that occurs. And today was rather sunny, which did some screwy things with the video.

last clip, partway home, where Butthead decides he wants to sit in my lap.
[youtube]VYt4IahYeF4[/youtube]
For the past few weeks I have been covering my lap with a blanket, which not only lessens the Fur Pants phenomenon, but also seems more comfortable for him.


Donny update: he has a vet appt April 18 for dental and bloodwork. His numbers have been mid-upper blues and random low yellows, and his fur has been looking kinda greasy/dandruffy :?. Something is off. But he is eating normally now.

Continuing to pray for the sadly growing list of GAs and those facing health challenges, as well as for their owners to find strength and peace. I am so glad we can be here for each other. It is a blessing.

MJ&Donovan&Butthead
 
MJ: I just love his adorable foldie face!!! There's just something about these folds....what sweet little souls they are. I love his videos!! Is it my imagination or the angle of the camera but it looks like his big tumor really is smaller??? I had to laugh ....can picture people pulling up next to you while you are driving, sightseeing cat in your lap, and you videotaping :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: Thanks for sharing. These are truly wonderful videos of a sweet, sweet boy. Healing vines to you Butthead!!
 
((((((MJ and Butthead)))))) I just love seeing him in the video I agree he is so huggable just want to give him a big belly snuffle (something I do to Do Lou all the time) anyway sending lots of support and healing vines and a blizzard of snowflakes hope the new med you are getting ready to try helps I sure wish Do Lou would travel that well
 
It's funny..the first cat I ever had loved to ride in the car...like Butthead. His name was Sparky and he was a marmalade Tabby. I adopted him my first year in college and he was the first cat I ever knew. I always had dogs so I basically treated him like a dog. I had no idea that cats hated the car. Sparky sure didn't. He drove all over with me from the time he was a kitten. From Florida to New Jersey, From NJ to Boston and back lots of times. I was nuts enough to drive in a convertible with him all the time (I went to college in Miami) I kept him on a leash when I did that but he had no desire to go anywhere. It wasn't until I read that cats needed to be kept in carriers and that cars scared them that I actually had a cat that hated the car. I wonder if we make them scared of cars? (although I realize it IS much safer for our kitties to be in their carriers)...just a thought...lol :razz:
 
:lol: :lol:

funny-pictures-please-blow-on-tail-of-cat.jpg
 
:-D
Butthead has posed like that many a time. It never fails to amuse me.

Well, Butthead started on a different steroid med last night. Unfortunately while dumb@$$ here saw that the dosage was different, she neglected to notice that it should be given twice a day. Oops :oops:
As far as his tumors, yes, the larger one has shrunk somewhat. The newer one has not changed in size. Given how quickly they developed and grew initially, I consider that a victory. If the larger one on the side of his face had continued to grow at its initial rate, he'd have sprouted another head by now...

And last night there was an exploding liquipoo mystery. Someone left quite a sloppy deposit in the LB, but it wasn't obvious who did it, so I went around checking everyone's butt. Thought it might be Butthead since he was seen exiting the LB area shortly after said poo explosion, but his rear was clean (maybe he was running away from it?) It turned out to be my white Foldie. She's still a little, uh, loose today, but seems to be feeling better.

Regarding traveling with cats again -- with any other cat and under any other circumstances, they have to stay in their carriers. Period. When I used to travel a lot to cat shows, if they were insistent on wanting Out, I'd pull over at a rest stop and let them walk around in the car for a bit. But while the car was in motion, they were always contained. In other words, Butthead is a Professional Traveling Cat. Do not try this at home :cool:

MJ&Donovan&Butthead
 
let me see if I can do this without photobucket...
here's Holleigh-berri

edit to add: one of my favorite pics of Butthead and Daphne Moon (a.k.a. Daffy):
img047edit.jpg
 

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((((((((MJ)))))))) I'm just watching this now and it gave my heart a big boost. Love the last pictures too.

Its amazing seeing Butthead so comfy and at home in the car. And of course the closeups on his sweet face and eyeball LOL.

He seemed to know when he was home - like my dog would when she's in the car. I think she smells home.

And walking up to the house and meeting Donovan there was adorable also.

Thank you for sharing him with us.
 
shhhh, i feel like i'm having an affair. i like butthead too much! :lol: :lol:

I STILL LOVE YOU PUNKIN, HEAR ME?!?

love the videos - although the mom in me is kinda really? videotaping with a cat on your lap? you're a brave woman! but i like the videos too much . . . :-D

as a person who hasn't had the tumors pointed out, i don't see them. seriously - i figured the missing ear was involved, but i don't see any strange growths on him.

love the last picture of both foldies. my gosh they are cute!
 
AAHHH....your foldies are beautiful!! Who can resist a foldie??? Love Celi's photo :lol: :lol: :lol:

Thank you for Tobey's birthday wishes today...I know you have alot going on!!! (((MJ)))
 
Sorry no recent update. It has been a rough few days :-|

My camera is just a regular-sized small digital camera with video capabilities. I just point it toward Butthead's general location and periodically glance to make sure he's still in the viewfinder. When I drive with him I often have one hand on or near him anyway, so in this instance it's holding the camera instead.

The tuxedo cat at the end of the Driving Home video wasn't Donny (he's not allowed outside unsupervised). That was Tabbittha, a polydactyl tuxedo stray who adopted us years ago. She had a hematoma in one of her ears and after surgery it stayed flat instead of upright, so perhaps she kinda looks like Donovan there.

No radiation treatment for Butthead this week. I wonder if he'll be looking for his weekly drive tomorrow morning...

This probably belongs in my more recent condo, but since this one got bumped up, I'll put it here.

Butthead's vet at Angell in Boston didn't return my Monday call about his diarrhea issues until late Tuesday morning, and she called in a prescription for Flagyl for Butthead to the local clinic where he had his tumor surgeries. So yesterday was spent playing phone tag with multiple animal hospitals. I was at work so I contacted my Dad to see if he could go pick it up for me. Then I get a call from the clinic saying they have no record of the prescription. So I call Angell back and get voice mail, and eventually they call back and swear they faxed it over immediately. Then I call back the clinic and they say they received the fax, but the prescription hasn't been filled yet. Several hours later, I leave work and drive there, and it's STILL not ready. They're saying, Oh, we just got the fax, and Angell is saying, No, we faxed it right away (maybe 6 hrs ago?). At this point I'm like whatever - just give me the stupid meds already so I can get home to my cat :roll:.

aaaand since both his steroid and this stuff are to be given twice a day, I get the brilliant idea to mix the two together in his baby food. Fail. Butthead won't eat it. Apparently this stuff is bitter, so I had to re-load and squirt it into his mouth instead. This other steroid Butthead is taking now doesn't seem to be making any difference either. He's still wandering around and kinda restless, and sadly he no longer comes to sit in my lap several times each night :sad: (yet he does it in the car?) The vet has no logical explanation as to why he's behaving like that. Is he uncomfortable? Confused? He's still being social. He'll come into the room and I'll say "Hey, Butthead", and then he looks around, wanders off, and comes back again later. It's weird... and depressing. He goes for a re-check at Angell next Wednesday. Other than having liquipoo, he's not acting sick and is eating well.

And then last night Donovan exploded out both ends :? Thankfully it was short-lived and he seems fine today, but really? What the frenchtoast is happening to my cats, and where did it come from? Holleigh-berri, who was the first one to get the runs, is improving. Donny gets his dental and bloodwork at the beginning of next week. His BGs have been quite good recently (90s), praise God.

On top of the mental strain, I'm feeling kinda blech too (female stuff), so I apologize for disappearing for a while. Things have been rather crappy (no pun intended). I try to keep up with the condos here, but I just haven't felt like posting :-| Thank you for continuing to lift my spirits. Knowing that Butthead has such a devoted fan club is really awesome :cool:

MJ&Donovan&Butthead
 
What a nice picture of Butthead and Daffy… and video.. I can’t believe a cat can travel this well…
You should see Frip in the car… :dizcat I’m glad the vet is only 10 minutes from home!!!
 
Goodness, MJ...the hits just keep on coming, don't they??

sending you tons of healing energy and much love for the kitties and the bean...
 
what a cutie guy - the videos are wonderful MJ. I know you will cherish them always. What a great traveler Butthead is. Paws crossed here that the treatments work. I wish you all well.
 
that's a lot going on for you and your furkids. yuck. you are awesome in the way you take care of your guys.

i know when Butthead's condo pops up i get all excited and gotta take a look to see what he's up to now. he's a charmer - and "fan club" is probably pretty close to the truth! :lol:

hang in there, mj, things will settle down at some point.
 
I found this Butthead pic a few days ago. I was reminded of it after watching the video of Rocket licking the bathtub drip. In addition to the water fountain, we keep a bowl of water in the tub. Some of them prefer it there. Butthead decided to hang out for a while. He also likes drinking out of little dixie cups on the bathroom sink.

DSC00635edit.jpg
 
((((MJ))) I'm so sorry for all that is going on in your life. You are an amazing trooper though and I think this is the first time EVER that I've heard you down. We are all here for you. I know it seems like some days you think if one more thing with one more cat goes wrong, you'll just explode. Oh...I'm the only one that feels that way :lol: :lol: Seriously....I hope all of the kitties get over their tummy upsets and settle down. I LOVE the photo of Butthead...so classic SF!! He's so much like my Gussie. You just want to kiss and kiss their smooshy faces. That's neat that he'll lay in your lap...not a foldie characteristic. I'm glad Donny's BG is back in good OTJ numbers. Hang in there and we'll say extra prayers.
 
(((MJ))) continued prayers for you and your crew...especially for Butthead...

as far as him acting different at home...i totally relate to that with Rocket....when he was at his worse very sick he would go under the bed and on his bed by the window and on our bed...but i think he relates that to him being really ill so he no longer goes into our bedroom...at all....i take him there sometimes and he takes off right away....so maybe Butthead is relating him not feeling well to your bed...hard to say....i have come to accept that....

that said...i have moved into the spare room so i can cuddle with Rocket....and just this morning as i fell asleep after his last morning med i woke up to find him right next to me on the bed in the spare room....that melted my heart...made me really happy...

hope everyone is feeling better at home including you.....
 
Hi MJ, Not the greatest of experiences with the meds, but I know it will all get straightened out. Butthead is going through a lot and you are going through a lot and it would be odd if there were no bumps in the road. I think you all are doing remarkably well. Just give all of your kitties some extra special scritches tonight. They sure are lucky to have a mamabean like you!

Ella & Rusty
 
I didn't give Butthead his diarrhea meds last night or this morning. He hates it so much, and I don't want him to associate me with nasty things (shades of Donovan running away from me when I first started testing and giving insulin...) The LB hadn't shown much evidence of explosions, so I'm hoping it's OK that I stopped it. Not many turds either, so hopefully it hasn't worked TOO well. Butthead's the only one on the meds though.

This morning Butthead surprised me by visiting my bedroom and allowing me to place him on my lap, covered by various rumpled blankets, and he zoned out and purred and made happy feet for about 20 minutes. THIS is Butthead. Was he thanking me for not giving him the yucky meds? No idea. I don't care. I had my happy Butthead back for a little while. It felt so good. As you say, it filled my heart.

Someone asked, and No, Butthead is not currently on any paid meds. I recall the vet mentioning tramadol. He was on bupe after his ear surgeries, and he was a total stoner slug of a cat. Not good.

Here's a pic of Butthead arriving *after* Donovan had already settled in on my bed, so he decided to sit on top of him :roll:

DSC02833edit.jpg
 
Good to hear the tummy problems seem to be resolved. Butthead was just making sure he got his fair share of attention this morning. Sometimes they are like kids. Enjoy the pics and videos you post. Don't know how you get the video while driving. I have a terrible time holding still to get horse videos. Always looks like I'm doing what the horse is doing.
 
Hello, I haven't visited your condo before, but I just watched your video and it's so cool to watch Butthead ride in yor car! I didn't know a cat could be that relaxed in a car--amazing! Just wanted to say hi, and thanks for the entertainment! I hope he is doing ok with his treatments.
 
Can you have Butthead come have a chat with Kazi about riding in the car? My darling girl screams her head off the entire ride about the indignity of riding in the car!
 
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