The thing that makes tumors so dangerous is that they continue to grow, making the symptoms more extreme. While the symptoms can sometimes be diminished by treatment such as moistening the area, or using steroids, or secondary symptoms controlled with antibiotics, the symptoms rapidly redevelop when the treatment is stopped, as the tumor is unaffected. If there is a tumor causing the symptoms, what will you do about it? If you have a reasonable treatment plan, it may be worthwhile to do all the diagnostic work necessary to determine if it is in fact a tumor, and what type. If you are not going to try to treat the tumor, or if the prognosis is so bleak that the cat's quality of life would be so impaired that the cat would be miserable, other options should be considered.

Another possibility is to treat for other causes, which is what the second vet is doing by giving antibiotics et al, which may relieve the symptoms and at least improve the quality of life.

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