Lump back center of tongue

[Kathyh]

Has anyone had experience with lump in back of tongue? Vinney has a lump that I think is the reason he's not so interested in eating. Originally took him to vet for swollen upper lip that just was not clearing which I originally thought was the problem. He is 12 and has heart murmmer, from hyperthyroidism - just diagnosed and started treating. She found the lump on his tongue when checking his teeth. She says he needs dental, but only has one tooth with tarter - that is also new, same time as swollen lip. I'm willing to have biopsy/removal of lump. He is on prednisolone tablets at the moment for the swollen lip and had an antibiotic shot. Since his litter mate Maisey is my diabetic we thought the pills would be a better option than shot. I don't know that I want the lump analyzed? Don't know that I could put him through any kind of treatment - he is my big sissy cat - and harder to give his minute pills than it is to test Maisey and give her insulin.

 

[ohbell]

Could it be harder to pill due to the lump? Is it hard for him to swallow cuz of the lump? Poor baby! Hugs your way.

 

[BJM]

Farrall (GA from other problems) had a lump on her tongue found during a dental and removed ... it was ectopic thyroid tissue! This stray bit of thyroid tissue could have caused her to have hyper-t.

That couls be what your cat has, and if removed, might help with the hyper-T control.

 

[Deanie and Boo (GA) and Scout]

Has anyone had experience with lump in back of tongue? Vinney has a lump that I think is the reason he's not so interested in eating. Originally took him to vet for swollen upper lip that just was not clearing which I originally thought was the problem. I'm willing to have biopsy/removal of lump. He is on prednisolone tablets at the moment for the swollen lip and had an antibiotic shot.

My Peaches had the same problem. I took her in for the rodent ulcer on her lip and that's when the vet found the mass on her tongue. We did have it removed and biopsied and it turned out to be granulomatous tissue, the same as the lip ulcer. It flares up once in a while but doesn't seem to impact her eating. Since it's just an occasional problem, we give her a shot of dexamethasone for a week or two and then it goes away. She hasn't had any more ulcers on her lip since that time, just the occasional lump on the tongue.

Since he is already on pred and it hasn't gone away, I would definitely opt for removal to rule out the possibility of squamous cell carcinoma. You probably wouldn't treat for that because it's a very difficult cancer to treat but at least you would know what you were dealing with, how to keep him comfortable and what sort of time frame you might have. If it turns out to be the same issue as his lip, you may want to think about a single shot of dex--a little stronger than pred but not as long lasting as DepoMedrol.

It would be nice to be able to figure out a cause and treat Peachy that way but with 6 cats, a few picky eaters and a limited budget, there are only so many dietary changes I can make.