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Posted by: MickeyD at Tue Sep 12 07:55:48 2006 [ Report Abuse ] [ Email Message ]

My 16 year old Cat (Snaggles) has a rare cancer....it is an injection site - fibrosarcoma (just off the left side of his anal area). It was diagnosed late March and we had it removed. We cared for him, gave vitamins to try to improve his immune system BUT didn't want him to endure any chemo or radiation treatment. This aggressive cancer is now back and it is very large.

We have elected not for him to go through surgery again and we are just keeping himm comfortable and stress free (as suggested by our 2 vets). MY ISSUE is the cancer has "broken" through and killed his skin and is very bloody. This "open wound" needs some form or care and we need it to stop.

DOES anyone have any known remedies or suggestions to care for this open cancer wound,,,that we imagine will only grow more over the next few weeks

thanks
Michael

While I don't have any suggestions, what you may want to do is post your question on more than 1 site to get as many responses as possible. In case one idea doesn't work, you may receive alternate suggestions. There is a very active formum out of Austrailia that may be helpful. The address is: http://www.cat-world.com.au/forums/. I'm so sorry your cat is experiencing this problem, and I hope you find something that will help your cat be as comfortable as possible going through this.

Has your vet mentioned a way to care for the open wounds? That would be the first place I would start as it appears they have been closely involved in this.

I understand your decision not to go thru with surgery. I am making a similar decision with an older cat of mine that has a benign but growing brain swelling/tumor... So far medications are keeping the growth under control, but he is on borrowed time. Putting their needs above our need to keep them with us forever is sometimes difficult. Good vets help us to make the right decisions. I wish you the best during this tough time.
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Tammy
Stanley and Pookey

My 16 year old Cat (Snaggles) has a rare cancer....it is an injection site - fibrosarcoma (just off the left side of his anal area).

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I also want to mention that it isn't as rare as we are led to believe by our vets. I specifically questioned my cats being vaccinated at age 12 (they are 15 now) for anything due to their age and to avoid an injection site sarcoma I had been hearing buzz about on these boards. The vet said not to worry. It was rare and I had to at least get their rabies shots updated by law and the vet wouldn't see them if I didn't... Well, my other older cat (brother to the one with the brain tumor) had an injection site fibrosarcoma as a result of that vaccination. We have others on here that have had cats with injection site fibrosarcomas, as well. My cat had his injection site tumor removed (right rear leg amputation at the hip) in April 2 1/2 years ago. His was in his "thigh" and they took the leg to the hip joint. If the cancer comes back, I will likely make the very same decision you have -- to keep him comfortable and not put him thru any more surgeries.
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Tammy
Stanley and Pookey

Hi There,

Unfortunately injection-site fibrosarcoma isn't all that rare. It is an especially nasty cancer, though, and I am sorry about all you and your kitty are going through.

This is really a tough one. I was in a somewhat similar place with one of my cats last year. Different type of cancer, but she also had a large, open wound. I eventually had to make the difficult decision to let her go.

There isn't much you can do, but keeping the area as clean as possible is a good place to start. You can use peroxide on something soft to clean off the blood, and cleaning the area gently with surgical scrub daily would be a good idea. You might also want to get some type of topical antibacterial to put on the wound to try and keep the infection down. If there is a lot of dead tissue, your vet may be able to trim some of it off. This can be done without anesthesia, as the dead tissue has no feeling. A steroid shot may give some relief as well.

You have made the right decision to not have any further surgery done on your baby. These tumors grow so rapidly that it would be back in no time and it would be impossible to remove all of it anyway. Same thing with my kitty that had cancer. I just wanted her as comfortable as possible for as long as possible.

As long as a cat is eating well and seems happy, there is nothing wrong with letting them go on. But, unfortunately, eventually this tumor will prevent your kitty from enjoying life at all and you will be facing a decision. In the case of my kitty, the dying tissue was causing pain, and nothing was helping her. The infection became very, very, bad in a short period of time, the area doubled in size, and I chose to give her a peaceful end.

I will keep your baby in my thoughts and prayers.

Regards,
PHKitkat

Thank you PHKitkat for you comments and prayers... your suggestions are perfect... Any other thoughts or suggestions are very appreciated