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Question
When a cat has breast cancer, will ONE teat become swollen and have a clear liquid discharge? Will antibiotics reduce the size of the masses?
Submitted: 95 days and 23 hours ago.
Category: Cat
Value: $9
Status: CLOSED
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Optional Information
Pet's Sex: Female
Pet's Age: >12
Already Tried:
brought her to the vet who felt her stomach and declared it "cancer". She then gave the cat a shot of antibiotics and sent us home. The lumps seemed to have gotten smaller since last Saturday.
Posted by
Dr. Debbie
95 days and 23 hours ago.
Info Request
Is your cat spayed?
Did the one teat have several lumps in it?
How is her appetite?
Any weight loss or weight gain?
95 days and 23 hours ago.
Reply
She is not spayed...14 yrs old.
The teat didn't have any lumps on it...seemed to be swollen under it and several other lumps along that mammory chain going upward.
She is still eating and drinking like normal. She has lost a little weight, but only a pound or less. She weighs 5 lbs some odd ounces.
She is moving around fine, a little stiff in the mornings, and was playing just last night. Tonight she jumped off of a lap and ran to break up a "fight" between two of her grown kittens (13yrs old).
Posted by
Dr. Debbie
95 days and 23 hours ago.
Answer
With mammary tumors, it can be one teat or several, and often they do have discharge, sometimes clear sometimes thicker. In other words, any lump in a teat of an older cat that has not been spayed, is very suspect of having a mammary tumor, often malignant but it could be benign.
The only way to know with certainty is to biopsy it or remove it and send it in to a pathologist to diagnose it. Sometimes antibiotics will affect it, though, so it is worth trying. If there is a component of infection then it may go down. We usually rule out an infection if there is no fever and the white blood cell count is normal.
Let me know if you have more questions,
Dr. Debbie
95 days and 22 hours ago.
Reply
Would a CBC be worth investing in? Would the cancer show up in it?
Posted by
Dr. Debbie
95 days and 22 hours ago.
Answer
No, the cancer won't show up. Only a sample of the tissue will tell if it is cancer or not. A CBC will tell if it is infection or not - if the white blood cells are elevated.
You should be able to get a fine needle aspirate/biopsy for less than $100 to see if itis a malignant tumor or not, though. This is done without anesthesia or sedation. Just a quick needle stick.
95 days and 22 hours ago.
Reply
they wouldn't have to do a full and very invasive surgery to find out???
Posted by
Dr. Debbie
95 days and 22 hours ago.
Answer
No, they can just sample the mass with a needle and syringe, a more conservative option, called a fine needle aspirate. They aspirate the mass, squirt it on a slide, send it to a pathologist. In a few days the pathologist gives the diagnosis.
95 days and 22 hours ago.
Reply
So, you would recomend having the mass biopsied (sp??) rather than having blood work done? If it turns out to be cancer, is there any treatment options other than surgery and or chemo?
Posted by
Dr. Debbie
95 days and 22 hours ago.
Answer
I think you would get more information from a biopsy. If it is cancer, the treatment would be surgical removal and possibly chemo depending on the type of cancer.
95 days and 22 hours ago.
Reply
I had read online that the average length of time the surgeries gave were aprox one year before anything recurred. Is this about accurite? Or do you know if it's a fairly high percentage of succesful surgeries? if the odd are long, I don't know if I want to put her the the pain of surgery, recovery, etc.... I'd also be worried about her passing on the operating table itself from the anesthesia...she seems awfully old and light weight to be going under the knife. She's not only my pet, but also my daughter's. She's slept with my daughter since the very first night we brought her home from the hospital eight years ago.
Posted by
Dr. Debbie
95 days and 22 hours ago.
Answer
It truly depends on the type of cancer which you won't know until a pathologist looks at it. I would go the conservative route, biopsy it, and see what it is. Then you will be able to have all of your answers before subjecting her to surgery.
If it is benign, you could skip surgery. If it is malignant, there are several different types, all with different prognosis and life expectancy. You will know what to expect then and can weigh your options better.
95 days and 22 hours ago.
Reply
they said the masses have gone completely down one chain of mammory glands and have passed over to the other side. It seems if the cancer was this far progressed, wouldn't she be in some sort of pain? She still has clear eyes and is up moving around like normal....actually begging for some attention right now.
Posted by
Dr. Debbie
95 days and 22 hours ago.
Answer
Not necessarily. Many are non-painful, in fact, most of them are, thankfully.
95 days and 22 hours ago.
Reply
would it be in her best interest to have her spayed at this point in the game? our vet was pushing for that also.
Posted by
Dr. Debbie
95 days and 22 hours ago.
Answer
It is beneficial to remove the source of hormones. If you decide on surgery I would also spay her.
95 days and 22 hours ago.
Reply
feline cancer is caused, in part, to their hormones? Isn't 14 (15 in Nov.) to old to be operated on?
Posted by
Dr. Debbie
95 days and 22 hours ago.
Answer
Surgery is a personal decision, much like it is in people. Without surgery the cancer progresses much faster, so it is a decision to be made by the owners and their desires for their pet. Yes, some cancers are driven by hormones which is why it is much more common in pets that are not spayed.
95 days and 22 hours ago.
Reply
what is the liquid that is being discharged? Can I, or my family , or the other cats contract anything from it?
Posted by
Dr. Debbie
95 days and 21 hours ago.
Answer
Your family will be safe from catching anything. Again, the liquid will have to be determined after the pathologist determines the kind of mass it is. I would certainly avoid the liquid if at all possible and wash your hands if you get some on you - just to be safe.
95 days and 21 hours ago.
Reply
we've been giving her small pieces of plain angel food cake as a treat since saturday, will this hurt her?
Posted by
Dr. Debbie
95 days and 21 hours ago.
Answer
Any type of people food is not good for pets. I would stick with cat food only. It can cause flareups with the pancreas or GI upset.
95 days and 21 hours ago.
Reply
after I accept your answers, will I still be able to view the questions and answers at a later date?
Posted by
Dr. Debbie
95 days and 21 hours ago.
Answer
Yes, you will still have access to the dialogue.
95 days and 21 hours ago.
Reply
ok. to recap....you'd suggest that we have the lump biopsied, decide on whether or not to do surgery. If we go with surgery, then also have her spayed at that time. If we don't, then make her as comfortable as possible and if she does start hurting, get some pain meds and when her quality of life slips have her put to sleep.
In the mean time, stop giving her angel food cake and stick with cat treats and foods.
right?
Posted by
Dr. Debbie
95 days and 21 hours ago.
Answer
If you want to go the conservative route, that is exactly what I would do.
Most likely she won't get too painful, what usually happens is the cancer would metastasize and you might see she has difficulty breathing as it often spreads to the lungs. Also they usually lose a desire to eat, and body condition becomes poor. At that time, most people do consider euthanasia, but again that is a personal decision based on how you feel her quality of life is at that poing.
95 days and 21 hours ago.
Reply
Thanks. One last question...
When they biopsy it, will they then be able to give information about it...type, growth rate, life expentancy, odds in surgery, etc.?
Posted by
Dr. Debbie
95 days and 21 hours ago.
Answer
Yes, the will. It will take a few days to a week for the pathology report to come back but then they can give you all that information.
95 days and 21 hours ago.
Reply
Thank you so much for your help. although it wasn't the initial answer I was wanting, it did help a lot. Just knowing that there are options and that Holly's not in pain makes it easier.
Accepted Answer
You're welcome. Best of luck to you and Holly. I know you are facing difficult decisions but it sounds like you are doing everything possible to give her the best care that is in her best interest.
I am signing off for the evening, will be back tomorrow evening if you have more questions.
Expert:
Dr. Debbie
Pos. Feedback:
98.7 %
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Answered:
8/19/2009
Veterinarian
Full time practicing companion animal veterinarian.
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