Sarcoma or bruising, is there a way to tell?

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Luckyducky

Luckyducky

Member Since 2012
Hi everyone, it's been a long time since I've stopped by these forums, but I noticed something recently with my cat Lucky that really got me worried this evening.

He's been diabetic for the past 2 years since the time I adopted him, and getting him regulated has been very difficult, though it seems in recent months we were able to make some progress and get his numbers more in the blues and greens than the pinks. One of the recommendations a vet gave a few months ago was to move his shot location further down towards the side of his chest, which did seem to help with his readings quite a bit (I do it on both sides of his chest to cycle between shots, I shave the area every so often so it's easier to pull up the skin directly).

Well, this evening I noticed what seems to be a maybe swollen or bump sort of area at the site where I usually give his shots on the left side on his chest. At first I thought it was one of his ribs, but when I compared it to his chest on the other side they don't seem to match, so I'm fairly certain it's something in his flesh. This has me very much so worried that maybe he has a sarcoma or something cancerous, since that's the area I give him one of his daily shots, and I've heard that injections can cause skin cancer.

Part of me wants to hope that it's just bruising, but I don't see any skin discoloration, and I wonder if maybe the few occasions where I've unwittingly shot fairly low at the base of the tent might be to blame (Lucky has also on a few occasions sat up during the shot, which I've felt cause some tug on the needle when it's still in his skin like it's being dragged through tissue).

How concerned should I be, and does anyone have any recommended actions I should consider taking? There have been a few times I've brought Lucky to the emergency room and it turned out to be a false alarm, and I just wonder if maybe I'm overreacting again or if this is something serious enough to schedule an appointment with the vet ASAP.

As always, I'm very much grateful for any help and guidance you all can provide. I almost collapsed from emotional exhaustion when it occurred to me that he might have a sarcoma (a little over a month ago, one of my family's cats died, and I was absolutely devastated, I still haven't fully recovered from the heartbreak yet and it's all the more reason I'm super worried right now). Thanks very much again. --- Joe
 
Hello Larry, and thanks so much for the response. The bump is maybe an inch and a half long, and maybe half an inch wide, and it feels like it rises off the skin about half a centimeter. I tried taking photos this morning, but you can't really make anything out in the pictures unfortunately, it's really something that's more noticeable when touching it than actually just looking at it (unless you see it from multiple angles at once), when you touch it and he's lying down at the right angle is when it's noticeable but it's definitely noticeable.

I also noticed this morning I can see one of the locations where I gave him his shot on the bump, it looks like a small cut in his skin (maybe a few millimeters wide). He did sit up during one of his shots the other day, and I wonder if the needle may have cut through his flesh and caused the bump.
 
Ah no it's not hard, it's actually kind of squishy. This morning though checking it over again, it does seem a little smaller than yesterday... maybe, it's hard to tell and I'm not sure yet. I hate to think I might be overreacting, but ever since our other cat died I've felt a lot more cautious than before.

I was just now actually able to take some more pictures with a different camera, it's hard to tell the bump from some of the photos, but from a top-down view you can see it a bit better (it looks a bit discolored in the photo but it actually isn't, I had put some water on it to help cool it off so it looks much darker in the photo than it really is). http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/g425/Kikaioh/Lucky Bump/a1bac855-1f50-49db-b0bc-b2487ab0b0e6.jpg You can scroll through the pictures from the navigation below the photo, you really can't see the bump from most of the photos, but from the top-down view it's noticeable.
 
Squishy suggests something like a small cyst or abscess. Hot and reddened would suggest infection/abscess. It doesn't look reddened, so I'd lean towards the cyst. Unless it causes him discomfort or seems to be growing(measure it today), I might give it a week, then contact the vet if it doesn't continue getting smaller.

Or contact the vet and ask what is advised.

I've got a 4 year old civvie with a firm, unchanging lump in her neck. It has been there all 4 years with no obvious issues.
 
Just had a look at your photos, Joe. I know it's hard to tell from a photo, but it looks to me like there's a little scratch towards one end of the bump. Maybe you might give your vet a call to see if the bump might be due to a local infection? Have Lucky's BG numbers trended up any since the day you had the hiccup with his injection?

I'm very sorry to hear about the little one your family lost. :sad: They leave such big holes behind them... :YMHUG:

BTW, if it's any comfort, I'm as hypervigilant as you since losing some of my little ones. With cats especially, it's no bad thing because they're so good at concealing things when they're poorly.
 
Ah thanks so much for the reply too, it's very much appreciated. I think you might be right that it could be a cyst or an abscess, I guess my mind may have jumped to a sarcoma because of the injections, but I might just be worrying too quickly. I think I'm going to give it some time and see if it changes and move from there. Thanks so much for the replies again, it's very much been appreciated.
 
it might be a good idea to get your vet to give Lucky a once-over to be on the safe side, Joe. Let us know how you both get on. :smile:
 
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