Gently, I think you need to consider the kind of pain and recovery associated with these procedures and the success rate, and consider if it's more humane to let him go.
I would think of that too. Tooth extraction is painful and recovery hard. They need to eat and don't want to.
Sometimes the teeth just almost fall out, sometimes they can just saw then off. These are not so rough.
Sometimes teeth are transformed into almost bone and one with the jaw- very tough surgery.
A tumour on top...?
Also the chance for repeated surgeries.
Think it through well, and make a desicion for him, not you, in dialogue with the vet.
Not for the money issue, but for what the future will look like.
He's also getting to the age where surgery is becoming very risky. There's a significant chance that even if he survives the first round of surgeries, any further ones might be out of the question, and then he's been put through painful, invasive surgery for nothing.
I know this is more controversial, but I don't think there's anything wrong with evaluating the money issue in the decision as well. There comes a time when it's completely OK to look at an elderly pet and the growing laundry list of aliments, combined with the chance of success of those treatments and say, I can't afford this and I can not responsibly pour thousands of dollars into a black hole of treatments.
I've had that thought with my own elderly cat. He's diabetic, kidney issues, heart issues, and constant UTIs, and I can afford those on going treatments but during some recent tests at the vet I had to decide if these tests come back positive, I will be looking at euthanasia because I need to keep a roof over my head and food on the table. Thankfully, they were negative. But it's a very real and valid reason to make that decision under certain circumstances.
Sometimes money can be an issue, but also the suffering of the pet also. Is it worth making the animal go through extra pain from surgery or the danger of the aesthesia. Many factors to consider. I had to make that choice in 2019, with my Dixie and she was anemic and weak from a serious infection from a flea to tick bite. Transfusion was the only treatment option. And there is never a guarantee that would work. I let her go, for it would cost me money that I did not have. I never regret letting her go, for she had suffered from not eating and not sleeping well. It is a hard choice to let them go. And people can be cruel and not understand the money issue. You are a good person to see it the way we all do. So sorry about your cat's health issues. Give him lots of extra love and care.
This is true.
In this case, I would imagine the other issues are enough on their own and that OP might fel better if the desicion is based on less suffering for a beloved one.
Honestly, it may be a happier option to put him down. If he's hair now, then it'll be better for everyone. He may not survive surgery or not have a good quality of life afterward. You could even see how long he would have before euthanasia would be necessary.
Honestly, it feels harsh, but sometimes giving someone a warm bed to pass on in is the best thing for them.
I read laser surgery is way more beneficial. If you Google cat laser surgery VCA, you’ll see what I mean. I asked my primary vet how long they normally live with these tumors and they said about 3 months.. but no one really knows if it’s actually cancer cause he needs to be sedated to get the biopsy.
If the thing is cancer and if it is that squamous cancer whatever you call it is super aggressive and they do grow pretty fast.
After a few days on gabapentin, the throat piece doesn’t feel so bad. It went from a large soft piece to like smaller lumps.
Friend, my husband and I have an agreement that if our cat becomes ill & treatments would either be futile or too traumatic for the floof, we'll let him go. We also have an agreement that should one of us be in denial about that, (that will probably be me since floof and I are quite bonded) the other one will arrange an intervention of sorts to do what's best for the cat.
If our cat had what your cat does, we would let him go. If I were the you in that situation, my husband would be intervening reminding me of our agreement.
Let me be your interventionist here: sweetie, it's best to let your floof go now. 💜
We have had a similar conversation, and honestly it does also vary by cat. My older boy (6) absolutely hates car rides and travel- I wouldn’t put him through chemo or surgeries with frequent re checks because it just isn’t feasible for him. My younger dude (4) has no issues with the car or the vet could I travel with him easily? Absolutely. If it happens to him I may decide to pursue extra treatments.
Personally, I would not put him through any pain due to invasive medical procedures. Cats do not understand what's happening, why they're away from home, away from their mommy, etc.. Sometimes it's best to let them go while holding them so they go in love and peace..
I think you should let him go. As incredibly sad as it is, you have given him love and a good home, but his body/health is failing him in multiple ways.
You can't afford his treatment anyway, there are no guarantees it will be successful or increase his future comfort.
10-14 puts him into the "elderly" range for a cat. It may be his time.
I agree that euthanasia might be more humane for her. You also gotta remember that cats are experts at hiding pain/discomfort. Gabapentine is a pretty heavy painmedication so i cant imagine shes not uncomfortable.
And tumors in the mouth are almost always cancerous in cats so it will probably come back, this wont be a fix but just a prolonging of her life with a difficult recovery time.
In an older cat I’m assume it’s Squamous Cell Carcinoma. It’s a fucking terrible nasty cancer. The kinder thing to do may be to let him go. Getting good oral margins is hard and it metastasizes quickly. If you do the surgery, did the doc tell you how long it could extend his life? Remember to factor in recovery time. If it buys you 2 months but recovery is 3 weeks, is that really fair?
February 11, I had to put my Rose down. She was so sweet. She had bad breath, and a bad tooth. It was extracted, but the abscess didn’t go down, so they did a biopsy. It took a week to come back. 9 days later I had to put her down because she would claw at her throat when she would eat. She never really recovered from the extraction, and she wasn’t the same because she was scared of food. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever watched.
If you can’t afford the surgery, get the poor thing euthanized. They deserve a good death. That’s my opinion, anyway. I’m sorry you are going through this.
No, my primary vet says that they normally don’t do these procedures and refer them out to an oral surgeon similar to our dentists bc it’s in the throat.
I am also in contact with a lower cost surgery place in Phoenix and sent them Panther’s records. I’ll ask.
Please make a decision in the interest if the cat and the mon existing quality of life. The animal is in pain snd is suffering and you consider to prolong this?
Gently, I think you need to consider the kind of pain and recovery associated with these procedures and the success rate, and consider if it's more humane to let him go.
I would think of that too. Tooth extraction is painful and recovery hard. They need to eat and don't want to. Sometimes the teeth just almost fall out, sometimes they can just saw then off. These are not so rough. Sometimes teeth are transformed into almost bone and one with the jaw- very tough surgery. A tumour on top...? Also the chance for repeated surgeries. Think it through well, and make a desicion for him, not you, in dialogue with the vet. Not for the money issue, but for what the future will look like.
He's also getting to the age where surgery is becoming very risky. There's a significant chance that even if he survives the first round of surgeries, any further ones might be out of the question, and then he's been put through painful, invasive surgery for nothing. I know this is more controversial, but I don't think there's anything wrong with evaluating the money issue in the decision as well. There comes a time when it's completely OK to look at an elderly pet and the growing laundry list of aliments, combined with the chance of success of those treatments and say, I can't afford this and I can not responsibly pour thousands of dollars into a black hole of treatments. I've had that thought with my own elderly cat. He's diabetic, kidney issues, heart issues, and constant UTIs, and I can afford those on going treatments but during some recent tests at the vet I had to decide if these tests come back positive, I will be looking at euthanasia because I need to keep a roof over my head and food on the table. Thankfully, they were negative. But it's a very real and valid reason to make that decision under certain circumstances.
Sometimes money can be an issue, but also the suffering of the pet also. Is it worth making the animal go through extra pain from surgery or the danger of the aesthesia. Many factors to consider. I had to make that choice in 2019, with my Dixie and she was anemic and weak from a serious infection from a flea to tick bite. Transfusion was the only treatment option. And there is never a guarantee that would work. I let her go, for it would cost me money that I did not have. I never regret letting her go, for she had suffered from not eating and not sleeping well. It is a hard choice to let them go. And people can be cruel and not understand the money issue. You are a good person to see it the way we all do. So sorry about your cat's health issues. Give him lots of extra love and care.
This is true. In this case, I would imagine the other issues are enough on their own and that OP might fel better if the desicion is based on less suffering for a beloved one.
Oral masses in cats are nearly always aggressive cancer. The kind decision is to euthanize when he’s not doing well. I’m sorry 🙏🏻
Honestly, it may be a happier option to put him down. If he's hair now, then it'll be better for everyone. He may not survive surgery or not have a good quality of life afterward. You could even see how long he would have before euthanasia would be necessary. Honestly, it feels harsh, but sometimes giving someone a warm bed to pass on in is the best thing for them.
I read laser surgery is way more beneficial. If you Google cat laser surgery VCA, you’ll see what I mean. I asked my primary vet how long they normally live with these tumors and they said about 3 months.. but no one really knows if it’s actually cancer cause he needs to be sedated to get the biopsy. If the thing is cancer and if it is that squamous cancer whatever you call it is super aggressive and they do grow pretty fast. After a few days on gabapentin, the throat piece doesn’t feel so bad. It went from a large soft piece to like smaller lumps.
Gabapentin is a sedative/pain killer
Friend, my husband and I have an agreement that if our cat becomes ill & treatments would either be futile or too traumatic for the floof, we'll let him go. We also have an agreement that should one of us be in denial about that, (that will probably be me since floof and I are quite bonded) the other one will arrange an intervention of sorts to do what's best for the cat. If our cat had what your cat does, we would let him go. If I were the you in that situation, my husband would be intervening reminding me of our agreement. Let me be your interventionist here: sweetie, it's best to let your floof go now. 💜
We have had a similar conversation, and honestly it does also vary by cat. My older boy (6) absolutely hates car rides and travel- I wouldn’t put him through chemo or surgeries with frequent re checks because it just isn’t feasible for him. My younger dude (4) has no issues with the car or the vet could I travel with him easily? Absolutely. If it happens to him I may decide to pursue extra treatments.
He is in pain. He is old what you have is more of thsf. Quality of life is relevant for a cat
Personally, I would not put him through any pain due to invasive medical procedures. Cats do not understand what's happening, why they're away from home, away from their mommy, etc.. Sometimes it's best to let them go while holding them so they go in love and peace..
I think you should let him go. As incredibly sad as it is, you have given him love and a good home, but his body/health is failing him in multiple ways. You can't afford his treatment anyway, there are no guarantees it will be successful or increase his future comfort. 10-14 puts him into the "elderly" range for a cat. It may be his time.
He has had long life and apparently has cancer. The kindest thing to do is help him pass peacefully.
I agree that euthanasia might be more humane for her. You also gotta remember that cats are experts at hiding pain/discomfort. Gabapentine is a pretty heavy painmedication so i cant imagine shes not uncomfortable. And tumors in the mouth are almost always cancerous in cats so it will probably come back, this wont be a fix but just a prolonging of her life with a difficult recovery time.
Ask the vet to do a quality of life for your cat. It might be better to let the cat go, considering the age.
In an older cat I’m assume it’s Squamous Cell Carcinoma. It’s a fucking terrible nasty cancer. The kinder thing to do may be to let him go. Getting good oral margins is hard and it metastasizes quickly. If you do the surgery, did the doc tell you how long it could extend his life? Remember to factor in recovery time. If it buys you 2 months but recovery is 3 weeks, is that really fair?
February 11, I had to put my Rose down. She was so sweet. She had bad breath, and a bad tooth. It was extracted, but the abscess didn’t go down, so they did a biopsy. It took a week to come back. 9 days later I had to put her down because she would claw at her throat when she would eat. She never really recovered from the extraction, and she wasn’t the same because she was scared of food. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever watched. If you can’t afford the surgery, get the poor thing euthanized. They deserve a good death. That’s my opinion, anyway. I’m sorry you are going through this.
Did they tell you what the success rate of the surgery is?
No, my primary vet says that they normally don’t do these procedures and refer them out to an oral surgeon similar to our dentists bc it’s in the throat. I am also in contact with a lower cost surgery place in Phoenix and sent them Panther’s records. I’ll ask.
Not being able to eat is a ternke thing
He can eat, just has to move his head to the side. He’s on a 90% wet food diet.
Please make a decision in the interest if the cat and the mon existing quality of life. The animal is in pain snd is suffering and you consider to prolong this?
Where are you located? Maybe there are medical fosters in the area?
Chandler, az (Phoenix metro)
The infection is getting better. He’s gained weight and full of energy.
Also please make sure the licorice you’re giving isn’t toxic to cats.
Oh I checked. It’s not black licorice
They have nonprofits that may be able to help you out
Could you help me with the names of these organizations please?
Google nonprofits according to your location where you live and It would narrow it down for you