Hi there and thanks for your question.
I'm sorry to hear that you and your dog are going through this.
If this were my dog, the decision on whether or not to go through chemo would depend on my financial situation. Dogs handle chemo really well. They usually don't have too much nausea, and often do very well.
If you do decide to go for chemo, if Oliver is not doing well or starts to feel worse you can decide at any time to stop and to elect for euthanasia.
However, if you are weighing the pros and cons and cost is a factor it is OK to say that it is time for euthanasia. He has a problem that we know we cannot fix and our goal is to not have him suffer at all.
I hope this information helps! If you have more questions regarding this problem, just hit reply. If I am online I will respond right away. Otherwise I will respond as soon as I come online again. Or, if my answer is sufficient, then please hit accept. Thanks!
Dr. Marie.
The above is given for information only. Although I am a licensed veterinarian, I cannot legally prescribe medicines or diagnose your pet's condition without performing a physical exam. If you have concerns about your pet I would highly advise contacting your regular veterinarian.
Ah, ok...sorry to assume Oliver was a dog! Regardless, the answer is pretty much the same.
Thymoma is not a common cancer at all. Some thymomas can be removed surgically. However, if your vet feels that it has spread, then surgery is not a good idea. To do this surgery is difficult and would probably require a specialist.
If this were my cat I would likely give chemo a try and if things are not going well at any time we can elect for euthanasia.
I wish I could refer you to a website, but it is not something that is commonly written about because it is not very common.
I'm sorry for the delay...I had gone offline when you replied last night.
I'm not sure that I "feel otherwise" about chemo...my thought was that we could give it a try and see how things go. The reality is though that cats with cancer in the chest are difficult to treat.
The cost of chemo depends on what type of protocol your vet wants to do. You could be looking at $500-$2000 in total.
As far as options to slow cancer, that is the "palliative care" that your vet is describing. We can give diuretics to help relieve fluid in the chest and pain medicine if necessary. If the fluid in the chest is chyle (this is a milky coloured fluid) a medication called rutin often helps the body to not make as much.
I would like to reiterate though that euthanasia is an OK decision at this time. The reality is that your cat is not going to be cured of this and that chemo *may* buy us some time, but it might not. Unfortunately only you can make that decision!
Veterinarian
Compassionate licensed veterinarian with >20 years experience with cats, dogs and pocket pets
Oh, I am sorry to hear that things are not looking good.
It sounds like it may be time to make some hard decisions soon.
If I can help anymore, let me know. I will be online periodically throughout the day today.