fibrosarcoma

[miakitty]

My cat was diagnosed with a fibrosarcoma tumor last spring (the kind of tumor that is believed to be from vaccine injections).  We decided not to do surgery becuase it was very invasive and did not have a high sucess rate.  The tumor's size is now bigger than a plum, but smaller than a baseball.  It is on her back, below her shoulderblade.  In the last 2 days, I've noticed that it has begun to open slightly - as if she has been itching it or it is beginning to "pop" through  (I haven't seen her itch it, but I am at work during the day).  It is not an open would yet - is there anything that you know I can do to prevent it from becoming one?  Is there any type of ointment I could but on it?  I'm kind of lost on this.  I know the vet said that if the tumor opens and becomes infected, she will need to be put asleep, but I want to put that off as long as possible since she still really enjoys life.  Thanks for your help.

[opus88]

Im very sorry for what you and Milo are dealing with....he sounds lke such a sweetheart...and you are trying so hard to keep he with you as long as possible

I am not a Vet, but I do know its nearly impossible to cure fibrosarcomas...even with amputation they usually come back, just in a different spot...so even if you had done the amputation sooner it likely wouldn't have mattered :((

we beat ourselves up so badly with all the Whatifs...we do our best wth what resources and knowledge we have, and trust our Vets to lead us to a right decision.

I STRONGLY agree No vaccines for indoor cats....I do agree with some of the Vets that advocate the first set is all that is needed for life!!

I would be interested to see what your Vet recommends now for Milo, so please keep us posted.
If the new tumors are wide spread in the skin/fat....I wouldn't think removal would be a wise option..
I don't want to scare you but I do know there are times when opening up a tumor to try and remove just results in what is called 'seeding' or in other words 'spreading' the cancer cells.

ask  your Vet if he or she knows anything about LipoC injections to slow the progression
Or I have heard also of low dose Naltrexone(?)

it is very important you keep her diet to a Grain FREE brand, preferably wet food and one the lists protien as the First ingredient, NOT a meat by-product

I wish you and Milo all my best, its not an easy decision to make for anyone of us that love our pets so much♥

[CurlerGirlTO]

My baby Milo also has fibrosarcoma and we are dealing with his 3rd recurrence (4th round).  He developed a lump at age 11 in his toe, and we had the toe amputated. Got another 2.5 years before a recurrence.  Then a lump in his leg, and not knowing enough at the time, I went for just having the lump removed.  I wish I had known then what I know now.  Less than 6 months late the lump returned and this because he did not recover well from his previous surgery I thought it best to just let things be, until the day before Christmas last year (4 months later), when the nerve pain the lump was causing made him lick his leg until it opened up a wound and we had to make an emergency trip to the vet.  5 days later I made the decision to have his leg amputated, at age 14.  I didn't think he'd fare well, but he's been amazing since then....  Earlier this week I discovered a new lump in his "belly skin/fat".  It wasn't there 2 weeks ago, and already it's the size of an apricot.  He's now 15.  When do you stop?  He's happy, eating, drinking, running around like he's still a kitten.  Do I force another surgery on him to gain more time?  How many times do I do this to him to gain another 6 months or another year?  The decisions are simply heartbreaking.  There is no right answer, other than to spread the message to everyone, no vaccines for indoor cats!  I will make an appointment to see my vet in the next few days and hopefully they will help guide my decision as they have in the past.  He's not ready to go yet.... they told me last year when we did the amputation that he will let me know when the time has come, and he certainly wasn't ready then either.  We'll see what the next few days bring.  I am not ready to let him go b/c he's NOT in any pain yet....  I hope I can be humane when the time does come.  But my problem now is how many surgeries can an old boy take?  He's like a kitten in his actions, but surgery at 15 is a whole other ball of wax.  I'm sorry to hear all of you going through the same thing, but it's nice to know I'm not going through this alone.

[catblessings]

My Lucy has fibrosarcoma, she is 16 her sister Mandy is healthy, it's so hard to know she has this cancer and the vet said he would not recommend treatment. We just love on her and pray we will know when it's time to let her go. She is eating, great appetite as always:) just do not want her to suffer with pain. Can't believe that no one ever mentioned the possibility of this from getting yearly vaccinations. Just hurts to know when you think you are doing everything to keep them healthy you find out maybe they didn't need to get all those injections. I'm so glad we rescued them from the animal shelter 15 years ago. My husband and I love, love, love, the girls. They have been such a blessing to us. They have always been house cats and have been very clean girls, Can't believe how much love they give us! I just want more time. Blessings

[dave991]

I felt the same way, wanting to go when they do.  I was surprised that I felt different after. I never really lost my cat. she's with me and we're going to be together forever, just not in body right now. it's all  ok.  :)

[SweetTani]

My sweet Tani had surgery for firbrosarcoma 4 months ago...they got clear margins and so far so good.  I opted not to do chemo or radiation, because at almost 15 yrs old, my kitty would have been terribly traumatized by having to go for treatments daily, 5x/wk, for a full month and be anesthesized each time...spending a good part of the day with treatment and recuperation. The cost was also, of course, quite high, both financially and physically. I pray she will stay cancer free for a long time to come, and will continue to do periodic check-ups. In case of a reoccurrence, I would probably opt for surgery again...buying her as much good health as I can, for as long as possible. In the meantime, I followd up with a vet at the same Animal Medical Center who practices integrative veterinarian medicine, and I am trying to get my kitty to take the immune system support tablets that she prescribed...a bit of a challenge. I urge you to keep a positive attitude, and when the time comes that you have run out of options, do what needs to be done.

[LadyOrkyd]

Our little girl, Grey One (because she's the grey one and her sister is the Black One.. get it?) just underwent her second surgery for fibrosarcoma removal.  We went to a specialisty Oncologist the second time around, and he believes they got it all, but by millimeters, not centimeters, so he's pretty sure it's going to come back.  I don't think that chemo/radiation is a fiscally responsible option for us, since we've already taken out loans for the surgeries alone.  How to I explain to my husband (who's had her for eleven years) that we shouldn't move forward with additional treatment?  The tumor is a high grade, extremely aggressive cancer, and I'm almost 100% positive it will keep coming back.

At this point I've started researching pawspice and other end-of-life care.  She's still healthy and has great appetite and we know we'll have a good solid 6 months with her without the additional treatments...

Any suggestions are appreciated.  Thanks!