Is there a (cat) doctor in the house?
May 10, 2019 3:40 PM Subscribe
I have a foster cat with failing health. I'm attached enough that I might spend money out of pocket for a more expensive evaluation than the shelter can give but need to ballpark what it will cost. If any vets or cat owners can give me an idea what I'd be in for, click on through.
I've had the current foster for about six weeks. She came to me right off the streets with suspected false pregnancy and cystic mammary glands. Non-spayed; about three years old. She was on Clavamax in case it was a bacterial issue. Her belly was swollen and lumpy enough that she looked like she was right around full term, about 35% of her body mass when fully distended. There was no sign of pinking. She's a small cat and was a little underweight in her torso at this point.
Over the next two weeks, the swelling got worse and started to extend to the front of her torso. She also had a bit of discharge, some of which was reddish. She had indications of possible tapeworms which they treated with a dewormer. At this point they began to suspect mammary cancer. They gave an injected antibiotic just to try it.
Two weeks from that, the swelling receded back to about how it was when I got her, but she developed a sore on her belly about the size of a 50 cent piece that rapidly scabbed over and the injection site didn't quite heal. The discharge went away during this time and she gained a healthy amount of torso weight.
As of a few days ago, she started lactating and mildly pinking. The swelling is still about the same. The scab on the belly is a little better but still there and the injection site is still not great.
Throughout the six weeks, she's had a good appetite, sense of affection, and sense of play. Her amount of water consumption and urination has been normal and healthy. Other than not being able to heal the skin issues quickly, up until the start of lactation, she's seemed to have been on an upwards curve as far as energy. She has been less active and playful these past few days.
The shelter has limited funds to diagnose and treat major issues. If there's tests that I could pay for that are in the low hundreds that could clearly establish whether this is cancer, a hormone issue, etc. I would probably do so. If this is something that could be relatively easily cleared up, I'd consider doing so even if it's moderately expensive, but if the prognosis is a lot of expense, pain, and still a short life span, it's kinder not to put her through all that.
What sort of tests would be needed for this and what is a ballpark price I should expect to pay? I'm not normally a cat person so I don't have experience with their vet costs.
I've had the current foster for about six weeks. She came to me right off the streets with suspected false pregnancy and cystic mammary glands. Non-spayed; about three years old. She was on Clavamax in case it was a bacterial issue. Her belly was swollen and lumpy enough that she looked like she was right around full term, about 35% of her body mass when fully distended. There was no sign of pinking. She's a small cat and was a little underweight in her torso at this point.
Over the next two weeks, the swelling got worse and started to extend to the front of her torso. She also had a bit of discharge, some of which was reddish. She had indications of possible tapeworms which they treated with a dewormer. At this point they began to suspect mammary cancer. They gave an injected antibiotic just to try it.
Two weeks from that, the swelling receded back to about how it was when I got her, but she developed a sore on her belly about the size of a 50 cent piece that rapidly scabbed over and the injection site didn't quite heal. The discharge went away during this time and she gained a healthy amount of torso weight.
As of a few days ago, she started lactating and mildly pinking. The swelling is still about the same. The scab on the belly is a little better but still there and the injection site is still not great.
Throughout the six weeks, she's had a good appetite, sense of affection, and sense of play. Her amount of water consumption and urination has been normal and healthy. Other than not being able to heal the skin issues quickly, up until the start of lactation, she's seemed to have been on an upwards curve as far as energy. She has been less active and playful these past few days.
The shelter has limited funds to diagnose and treat major issues. If there's tests that I could pay for that are in the low hundreds that could clearly establish whether this is cancer, a hormone issue, etc. I would probably do so. If this is something that could be relatively easily cleared up, I'd consider doing so even if it's moderately expensive, but if the prognosis is a lot of expense, pain, and still a short life span, it's kinder not to put her through all that.
What sort of tests would be needed for this and what is a ballpark price I should expect to pay? I'm not normally a cat person so I don't have experience with their vet costs.
Ask anybody you know through the rescue/shelter for a vet recommendation. Sometimes there is a really compassionate, and good, vet who will work with you on this.
posted by amtho at 6:07 PM on May 10, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by amtho at 6:07 PM on May 10, 2019 [1 favorite]
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They don't generally go in guns-blazing from the start. They won't (shouldn't anyway) do anything they don't run past you first, either, so it's not like you hand the cat over and they hand it back with a thousand-dollar bill. DO go to a vet with a good reputation, maybe the shelter even has a relationship with some vets they recommend.
Likely you would need to take her in and pay at least the office visit fee for an in-person exam, so they can sketch out your options for you. You'd be surprised how much a vet can tell you, based on experience, just from a physical exam.
posted by Lyn Never at 4:32 PM on May 10, 2019 [4 favorites]