Cancer and Diabetes

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Ian

Member Since 2018
Hello,

My main man Julius (will be 10 in Oct, orange tabby) got hit with double bad news back in January. He has a sarcoma on his back right leg and diabetes. He was always heavy (18-20lbs) and he felt light so I took him in. His numbers were bad (600). I got him doing pretty well on the insulin. He’s dropped to about 12lbs now.

So then I had his sarcoma removed. Went pretty well and he bounced back rather quickly. About 10 days ago he really stopped eating and his sides seemed sunken in. I kept an eye on him and he had a soft-fluid type area where his surgery. I took him into the vet today and he got the abscess drained. I switched him to a grain free food and without an insulin shot in 6 days he was 220 at the vet. According to the vet he should start eating again now that the abscess is gone. Julius used to wake me up and beg for food before he was sick. I feel like his eating has steadily declined. Obviously hard to keep up with the insulin. Vet said to drop from 5ml to 2ml.

The bad news today is the vet said he won’t be able to operate on the leg again bc the cancer is coming back hard and spread through this entire leg now. The only option would be to amputate the leg.

This cat (guy) is my best friend and is breaking my heart. I would do anything for him. But I’m wondering if putting him thru an amputation is worth it for him? Or when he can’t walk anymore it’s time to put him to sleep :(

I’m trying to separate emotionally and do right by my friend.

Any advice is appreciated.
 
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Hi Ian

I am sorry to hear your fur kid is going thru so much. It can be hard to deal with all the issues of cancer and diabetes. I know. I even drove Leo for 2 days to Ft Collins, Co for radiation therapy in 2016, then the 2 day drive back.

Your post is probably better in the Main Health subforum. We have had kittehs who had legs amputated for cancer. Maybe someone on the Main Health forum can also help.

But mostly, I would say do it. For your best friend - it could give him another 1-5 years.

You also need to get him regulated for his blood glucose. Once he is regulated, his weight should come back. Again, the Main Health forum and the stickies at the top of the forum can be helpful. Our furkids deserve the best. I think Julius is lucky to have you for his Dad.
 
I'm going to tag @Tricia Cinco(GA) & Harvey

She had 4 cats diagnosed with cancer, one of which lost a leg to it. She's the best person I can think of to give you some good advice.

Her amputee kitty had a good quality of life after she lost the leg, so while it's a tough decision for us humans, kitties live in the moment and do very well compensating!

Best of luck to you in whatever you decide.
 
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I've had a lot of smart cats over 40 years so this is not about cats not figuring things out. Julius will come home and think "Hey, where did that go" and just deal with it if there is no pain. We've all seen dogs running with 3 legs, they're not faking it. Cats and dogs just accept things and move on. I'm in full agreement with Jeff, those lost years could haunt you if you don't at least try.
 
Thanks for the replies so far. My main concern is if it would be too much for him to recover, fight off the cancer and work through the diabetes simultaneously. I just don’t want his last few (days-weeks-months-years, whatever it ends up being) to be filled with recovering from one thing or another.
 
Yes, I truly get it. It is the quality of life issue. In our home, we treat our furkids like real kids. So if it was me, I would go for it. There will be a lot of after-surgery care. But it sounds to me like you are a cat Dad you really cares, and will put in the time to help him.

The diabetes is another issue. But you can get help here too.
 
Hi Ian,

I'm so sorry about the situation Julius is facing. I know how scary it is. As Chris mentioned, I had four cats with cancer all at the same time. Two were diabetic, and one was blind. They all live a year or more post cancer diagnosis. I am so grateful for the extra time I had with them. My civvie, Sasha, who was 13 at the time, got injection site sarcoma and had to have her right front leg and shoulder amputated. It took her a little while to adjust, but she did so amazingly well. She was almost as fast on three legs as she was on four. From everyone I talked to at the time, it's a bit easier when it's a back leg. When Sasha was diagnosed, another member, Jamie, helped me by telling me about her kitty, Jupiter, who had a back leg amputated and did really well. Jupiter is GA now and Jamie hasn't posted for a long time, but I'm going to see if I can get in touch with her so you can "talk" to her about her experience.

She also sent me some videos of Jupiter playing, which I'll try to find and share with you.

Are you on Facebook?
 
Hey Ian, I know how heartbroken you feel. Its scary, really scary... but if you decide to go with the amputation surgery, it will be okay. Cats are so resilient. Jupiter is GA now, but his amputation surgery gave me more time with him, and trust me... after his surgery he was more playful then before his surgery! He was feeling better and nothing could slow him down. If you go with the surgery I can give you many tips on how to make it an easier transition for Julius. Ill try to be here every step of the way and I know everyone else will be too! Id love to share some videos with you and im going to link one here now.


thats the video of my Jupe... and as you can see he is having no trouble playing!

Ill try my best to keep up with your posts here but please feel free to also message me with any questions and concerns. So many people here have helped me, and Id love to pay it forward, if theres any way I can help.. Im here (I also have more videos if youd like to see! his recovery was awesome and even have a video of the first time he jumped up to his favorite spot... a perch near the window :D)
 
While I agree with the posts about cats doing well after amputations, and I share the overall notion that trying sounds like the better option... Have you asked your vet if they think your Julius will be able to recover well from such an operation? If he isn't eating well right now, combined with the diabetes, the recovery process might not work out as well as we would hope. Heck, for all I know he might not even be strong enough for such a surgery. What are the chances of the amputation getting rid of all of the cancer? If you can do it now and have a high chance of getting rid of the cancer for good, that's great! But if there's only about a 5% chance of the amputation successfully removing all of the cancer... well, then that's up to you. I don't know your cat as well as you, and I certainly don't know enough about his overall health to know anything, to be honest.

I'm not trying to be negative. I do think that doing the amputation sounds like the better idea. Those are just some things I would consider before going through with it, personally.
 
I agree that you should discuss with your vet the chances of this amputation surgery helping him. I can also help with a list of questions to ask the vet. We can go over all the pros and cons of the surgery if youd like and when you are ready. Also Ian, do you know the name of the type of cancer? I know its a bit overwhelming and a lot to take in, but we are here to support you as much as we can.

I think discussing the odds of the amputation getting rid of the cancer for good is a really important thing to discuss with the vet to help aid you in making the right decision.
 
I totally agree that discussing the odds with the vet is a good idea. My question is, are you dealing with a regular vet, or an oncologist? I have no idea where you live, or if financial considerations may affect things, but if it is possible to consult an oncologist and you have not already done so, I'd recommend it. I was very fortunate in that my cats were treated by oncologists at UC Davis Veterinary Teaching Hospital, the #1 rated Vet school in the USA. Their counsel was invaluable to me. They weren't motivated by financial gain, but by the best interests of my cats. They told me if an option was worth considering or not. I hope you are similarly blessed.
 
I would have no concern with amputating a leg if that would be curative. Cats have amazing healing capabilities and, unlike humans, don't really worry about what they look like or whether they walk funny or what others will think. They just get on about life and figure out how to navigate on three legs. We had a tripod cat years ago and she hardly skipped a beat. My neighbor has a tripod now and he's as exuberant and acrobatic as any 4 legged.

HOWEVER, that said, not all cancers are created equal and obviously you have additional considerations with the diabetes and current lack of eating.

First (and most immediate) question: has he been checked for ketones? If the vet didn't check, you might want to pick up some ketostix from the pharmacy and test his urine. Ketones can very quickly devolve into an emergency.

Before making any final decisions, I'd find out exactly what type of cancer he was diagnosed with, the prognosis for that type of cancer, whether it has metastasized, and if not then the likelihood that it will metastasize in the future. I'd also ask about treatment options, including surgery, and their success rates. Some of this might require further diagnostics but I'd definitely want to have as much data as possible in order to make an informed decision.

I've had more animals with cancer than I can count. Each trajectory was different. If it were me, I'd consider amputation IF there were no what I call "show stoppers." And I would look carefully for them. What are show stoppers? You'll have to decide what yours are. Mine would be things such as finding out that the cancer is super aggressive and has ready spread to other parts of the body. Or that the expected survival time is short, even if surgery is performed. You might want to consult with an oncologist and internal medicine specialist to help you analyze your cat's current status and the treatment options.

All things being equal, I tend to fight the fight rather than giving up. I always say that I just give them the chance... they decide whether to live. It's very possible to treat cancer in a diabetic ... just be mindful that you're fighting a battle on two fronts and stay tuned in to the nuances of both diseases.

Finally, although it sounds like diabetes is a recent diagnosis for your cat so this might not apply to your situation, any time a long-term diabetic has a sudden drop in insulin needs, it's a good idea to head to the vet for a wellness check. Cancer thrives on sugar, and we've seen more than once on the board where a long-term stable diabetic suddenly appears to be heading toward remission because cancer cells are "eating" the excess sugar in the bloodstream.
 
My heart goes out to you That question has rolled through my mind many times. "Is it time"? I'm adding you and Julius to my daily novena,in hopes it helps give you a clear path in any of your decisions. It IS very hard i know...
jeanne
 
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