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For example, when the neutrophil count drop to a critically low value and cats experience sepsis or infection. Occasionally cats will require dose reductions or treatment breaks in order to tolerate chemotherapy.
If you decide to proceed with chemotherapy in your cat, any side effect he or she experiences is unacceptable. If you have limited funds, it is still important to discuss all the available treatment options and associated costs with your veterinarian or a pet cancer specialist.
At The Pet Oncologist, I work directly with your veterinarian to provide individualised treatment recommendations for each pet. I will review all the medical information submitted via the online submission form, and provide your veterinarian with a comprehensive written report within 1 to 3 business days. I will provide an interpretation of results, specific details about the cancer's biologic behaviour, prognosis, and multiple treatment options to cater to the individual needs of each pet and pet owner.
I will also comment on whether further testing is required and address any specific questions or concerns. I can also provide chemotherapy protocols and client handouts to pet owners about the specific cancer and chemotherapy medications, to help pet owners make an informed decision.
Unfortunately, due to legal reasons, I cannot provide online pet cancer advice directly to pet owners. However, your veterinarian will be able to discuss all these options with you before you consider treatment and can contact The Pet Oncologist with any questions or concerns. A majority of cats with IBD do not require azathioprine treatment. A complete blood count should be run to monitor for anemia and leukopenia at 3 to 4 week intervals for the first 2 months and then once monthly.
Significant side effects are most often identified during the first 3 to 6 weeks of treatment with azathioprine. There is usually no physical evidence of early azathioprine toxicity in cats. Mild leukopenia e. Azathioprine is currently only available as 50 mg tablets. The low dosage used in cats requires that the tablet be broken into small fragments i.
Since this is a very inaccurate and potentially dangerous way of administering azathioprine to cats, this drug must be administered in suspension form. I have used a preparation which allows for accurate dosing of azathioprine and less chance of accidental toxicity. A 50 mg tablet is pulverized and mixed in 15 ml of V. Syrup Ft.
Dodge Laboratories. This is a flavored vitamin preparation which is quite palatable to most cats. Powdered medication mixes well with the syrup and does not seem to precipitate out appreciably. The dosage in ml is then calculated based on the cat's body weight e. The client is instructed to shake the medication well before administering it. Alternatively, a suspension preparation can be made by a compounding pharmacy service.
A major advantage of administering azathioprine in this manner is that any required increase in dosage can be done very accurately. If azathioprine is well tolerated and there has been inadequate clinical improvement the dosage can be increased form 0.
Poor responses to treatment of cats with IBD usually result from 1 inadequate initial corticosteroid dosage, 2 poor client compliance, or more commonly 3 treatment for only small intestinal inflammatory disease when colitis is present as well. Some cats with concurrent IBD and colitis may show minimal or no clinical signs of colitis. Because dietary allergens may play a role in the cause if IBD, specific dietary therapy may be beneficial.
Often, moderate to severe degrees of IBD are either temporarily responsive or only minimally responsive to careful dietary manipulations. However, long term control of IBD with as minimal a drug administration schedule as possible may be aided by specific dietary management. This should be started as soon as a diagnosis is made and continued as drug therapy is decreased later.
Chicken, duck, lamb, or venison based diets are often tried initially. In my office file drawers, I have a big fat folder of articles describing various chemotherapy protocols for the treatment of lymphoma. Many of them are simply a riff on a theme. In my opinion, there are three basic options for chemotherapy of feline lymphoma:. Like with dogs, the answer is: it depends. Cats treated for small cell intestinal lymphoma often live years and some can even discontinue chemotherapy.
Lymphoma is one of the most common types of cancers found in cats. It is a cancer of the lymphocytes, which are white blood cells that are part of the immune system.
They are found throughout the body and are responsible for helping the body fight off infections. Lymphoma can occur in many areas of the body including the gastrointestinal tract, kidneys, liver, lymph nodes, skin, chest cavity, and nasal cavity. The gastrointestinal tract is the most common region affected.
Generally, lymphoma is found in older cats, with males being slightly more predisposed than females. Clinical signs typically depend upon the location or organ system involved. Common signs include vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss, decreased appetite, and lethargy.
In addition to the lymph nodes and thymus gland, lymph tissue is found in the spleen, liver, heart, kidneys, and bone marrow. The lymph system delivers nutrients to the body, transports wastes and cellular debris, absorbs fat from the intestinal tract, and processes and removes infectious agents. Lymphocytes often hang out in lymph nodes and the thymus, but also circulate throughout the body via the lymphatic vessels and the bloodstream.
Lymphoma can show up anywhere. Because lymphocytes can travel through the blood and lymph vessels, lymphoma is considered a systemic disease even if problems are only being observed in one part of the body. Common symptoms include weight loss, poor appetite, and lethargy, but exact symptoms and potential outcome vary based on the primary location of the cancer.
It often appears in older cats, and exposure to tobacco smoke is a risk factor. Affected cats usually show GI signs such as weight loss, diarrhea, and vomiting. Some cats have a decreased appetite, while others show an increased appetite or no change. This variation typically shows up in cats under 5 years old, and affected cats may have trouble breathing due to fluid buildup in the chest or may vomit frequently.
Renal lymphoma: Affected cats show signs of kidney failure such as weight loss, decreased appetite, increased thirst, and vomiting. The kidneys will often become enlarged. Renal lymphoma often spreads to the central nervous system and brain, which can result in neurological signs like stumbling, walking in circles, or seizures.
Nasal lymphoma: Cats with lymphoma in their nose often have swelling in their muzzle and face, discharge from the nose, and frequent sneezing.
Lymphoma is the abnormal proliferation of lymphocytes which are one of the main types of white blood cells involved in immunity. Lymphoma is one of the most common cancer in cats.
It may arise in lymphoid tissues such as lymph nodes, spleen, and bone marrow. However, lymphoma more commonly arises from other tissues in the body. Often owners will notice non-specific signs of illness, such as reduced appetite, lower energy levels, weight loss, vomiting or diarrhoea. Some cats may present with a mass and no apparent signs of illness.
The signs of illness that will vary depending on the extent and location of lymphoma. Diagnosis is usually confirmed with sampling the affected organ and lymph nodes by either cytology fine needle aspirate samples or biopsy tissue sample. Staging refers to how far cancer has grown and spread in the body. Staging is important to provide prognostic information on which to base decisions and identify unrelated problems that could affect treatment choices. Cats are usually staged with blood and urine tests, chest x-rays and abdominal ultrasound.
The results of these tests will allow veterinarians to develop individualised treatment recommendations for your cat. There are many levels of treatment options available for cats with lymphoma. If your cat has high-grade or large-cell lymphoma, the prognosis for untreated cats is guarded, with an average survival time of approximately two months or less.
Combination chemotherapy with a three to five drug combination, alongside with prednisolone is the standard of care treatment modality. It is usually administered over four months. However, occasionally cats can potentially be cured, living up to 2. However, other less costly and less effective options are available, including single-agent chemotherapy and prednisolone alone. If your cat has low-grade or small-cell lymphoma, the gold standard treatment is different.
It typically involves the use of oral administration of chlorambucil chemotherapy and prednisolone indefinitely, which owners can administer from home. That is a common initial response from pet owners when they hear the word 'chemotherapy'. However, chemotherapy in pets is much different to people. It is essential to understand the difference between chemotherapy treatment in human and veterinary medicine.
In human medicine, the main objective of chemotherapy is to eliminate all cancer cells to try to obtain a cure. Usually, it is administered aggressively and has more chances of developing side effects. Curing cancer in veterinary medicine is desirable and feasible for some cancers. However, due to the less aggressive approach for example, lower dosagespets usually tolerate chemotherapy far better than humans.
The primary goals of chemotherapy are to minimise discomfort associated with cancer growth or slow the progression of cancer while striving to maintain or improve the pet's quality of life. Pets experience fewer and less severe side effects than humans. For example, when the neutrophil count drop to a critically low value and cats experience sepsis or infection. Occasionally cats will require dose reductions or treatment breaks in order to tolerate chemotherapy.
If you decide to proceed with chemotherapy in your cat, any side effect he or she experiences is unacceptable. If you have limited funds, it is still important to discuss all the available treatment options and associated costs with your veterinarian or a pet cancer specialist. At The Pet Oncologist, I work directly with your veterinarian to provide individualised treatment recommendations for each pet. I will review all the medical information submitted via the online submission form, and provide your veterinarian with a comprehensive written report within 1 to 3 business days.
I will provide an interpretation of results, specific details about the cancer's biologic behaviour, prognosis, and multiple treatment options to cater to the individual needs of each pet and pet owner. I will also comment on whether further testing is required and address any specific questions or concerns.
I can also provide chemotherapy protocols and client handouts to pet owners about the specific cancer and chemotherapy medications, to help pet owners make an informed decision. Unfortunately, due to legal reasons, I cannot provide online pet cancer advice directly to pet owners. However, your veterinarian will be able to discuss all these options with you before you consider treatment and can contact The Pet Oncologist with any questions or concerns. Prednisolone is a steroid anti-inflammatory that can make a sick cat with lymphoma feel much better within one to two days of administration.
Occasionally cats will go into complete remission with prednisolone alone. However, remission duration is often short-lived and lasts on average of around one to two months. Therefore, prednisolone can be used by itself or in combination with other treatment options such as chemotherapy to treat lymphoma in cats.
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Prednisolone is a steroid anti-inflammatory that can make a sick cat with lymphoma feel much better within one to two days of administration. Prednisolone pre-treatment decreases the susceptibility of feline lymphoma cells towards doxorubicin or vincristine treatment in vitro. Treatment with a single chemotherapy drug. This is most commonly used in intestinal small cell lymphoma. Steroids and chlorambucil can keep a. Twenty-eight (%) of 37 patients with available steroid dosing information received prednisone or prednisolone at a dose of 5 mg PO every Depending on the study, prednisone was generally given at doses ranging from 5 to 10 mg per day. For all these regimes, the results were similar. Remission. Initially 20 mg is given subcutaneously or intramuscularly and is repeated at 2-week intervals for 2 to 3 doses. Powdered medication mixes well with the syrup and does not seem to precipitate out appreciably. This protocol can be easily managed in any practice setting. Pets experience fewer and less severe side effects than humans. Back Vet Education Handouts. Fortunately, lymphoma usually responds well to chemotherapy, which can get your cat back to feeling like her normal self. A gradual change to commercial diets that are low in additives and that are formulated with chicken or lamb as their primary ingredient is then attempted.Last spring I wrote about canine lymphoma , so in honor of Cancer Awareness Month, I thought I would do the same for feline lymphoma.
Lymphoma is cancer of the immune system. The immune system is distributed throughout the body to protect against infections. Lymphoma in cats most commonly affects the gastrointestinal tract, although since the immune system is distributed throughout the body, lymphoma can be seen in any organ in the body including the eyes, in front of the heart, and in the kidneys, liver or spleen. Unlike canine lymphoma, feline lymphoma rarely occurs in the lymph nodes.
In cats and also humans it is not a single disease, but is probably more than 20 different diseases; each of the 20 or so forms of lymphoma behaves somewhat differently and the prognosis varies between types.
The most common form of lymphoma we see in cat intestines is called small cell lymphoma. We also see an intestinal variant called large cell lymphoma. The photomicrograph on the right shows a rare form of feline lymphoma called large granular lymphoma. The name comes from the granules seen in some of the cancerous lymphocytes. Three major types of treatments underlie all cancer therapy: surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Since lymphoma is widespread throughout the body at the time of diagnosis, surgery is not generally used for treatment as removal of all the lymph tissue in the body is impossible, but sometimes a solitary mass of lymphoma may be removed from the intestine if the mass is causing problems for the cat.
Surgery may also be recommended to obtain a biopsy for diagnosis. Radiation therapy can be used in select cases of feline lymphoma, especially if chemotherapy stops working. However, chemotherapy remains the mainstay of feline lymphoma treatment. In my office file drawers, I have a big fat folder of articles describing various chemotherapy protocols for the treatment of lymphoma. Many of them are simply a riff on a theme. In my opinion, there are three basic options for chemotherapy of feline lymphoma:.
Like with dogs, the answer is: it depends. Cats treated for small cell intestinal lymphoma often live years and some can even discontinue chemotherapy. More aggressive forms of lymphoma like large cell lymphoma may only survive months despite multi-agent chemotherapy. A board certified veterinary oncologist can give you the most accurate prognosis for your cat.
Ann Hohenhaus is a third-generation veterinarian, double board certified in Oncology and Small Animal Internal Medicine. November 23, Cats Oncology Share.
Tags: amcny, animal medical center, animals, ann hohenhaus, cancer, cats, feline, lymphoma, NYC, Oncology, pets,. About the Author. Related Posts Oncology. Back to blog.
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