Well, there's no need to update this anymore.
December 11, at 4pm, Bosco passed away in my arms at home. After 3 days of deteriorating, not eating, and pain, I decided to let him go to Rainbow Bridge after a very short struggle with Melanoma. From the day he was diagnosed, to the day he passed, it was a very short 48 days.
RIP, my handsome boy, love of my life. I will see you again.
Tuesday 17 December 2013
Saturday 7 December 2013
I'm treasuring every minute extra I get with Bosco these days.
On November 24, 2013, I sadly had to put my oldest kitty down due to old age. His name was Raughja, a solid white Domestic Short hair who came into my life 22 years ago. He was my first cat, and he's been with me through every triumph and failure in my life. And it absolutely killed me a little inside, when I sent him to "Rainbow Bridge". Looking back, I know I did the right thing, as he was frail and weighed only 6lbs. He was no longer enjoying life... he stopped eating for 24 hours, and I knew it was time to let him go.
I love you Bubby, and I will see you again. <3
Then, on November 25, 2013... I was admitted to hospital for a gall bladder attack. November 26, had surgery to remove it. And have spent the rest of the days recovering at home.
December 3, 2013, Bosco hadn't eaten or drank in 3 days so I took him into the vet. They told me he was dehydrated, and things look grim. They started him on IV fluid, Buprenorphine & Metacam for pain, and Mirtazapine for appetite stimulation. I had to syringe feed him for a day, and he finally started eating on his own. The vet called in a couple days, asked how he was doing, and despite that I said he was eating and appeared content, they told me I need to consider his quality of life, and consider euthanasia. I was angry. I was angry that it was like they didn't believe me, that he started eating... or that they were hinting I'm keeping him around, in pain, for my own selfish needs. I know my cat better than anyone, and I know what is normal behaviour, and what isn't.
After much debate and back and fourth calls, the vet refilled his pain meds for the weekend. He has been great... he's still eating on his own, though sometimes does need coaxing, and I have had to stop all supplements, because he can smell them. I think this might be part of the reason he stopped eating (besides pain). So now i'm feeding him high calorie food, kitten food, anything he will eat, as long as he's eating. AND, he will run for treats still.
I'm taking it one day at a time, and I'm so happy for every extra day I get with him. I know it's only buying us some time, as the tumor has definetely doubled in size and has spread... I keep finding little tumors under his fur, in random places. I am so thankful to still have him, especially after losing Raughja recently, that I've decided to decorate my tree with the names of the animals on a Pet Cancer Support group I'm on, on Facebook. I have about 100 names so far, of all the fur babies who have lost, or are still battling this terrible disease. If you wish to add your fur baby to my tree of hope, who is battling or has lost to cancer, please comment below.
This is Bosco today, helping with the tree (and then sleeping in a bed he doesn't fit in):
On November 24, 2013, I sadly had to put my oldest kitty down due to old age. His name was Raughja, a solid white Domestic Short hair who came into my life 22 years ago. He was my first cat, and he's been with me through every triumph and failure in my life. And it absolutely killed me a little inside, when I sent him to "Rainbow Bridge". Looking back, I know I did the right thing, as he was frail and weighed only 6lbs. He was no longer enjoying life... he stopped eating for 24 hours, and I knew it was time to let him go.
I love you Bubby, and I will see you again. <3
Then, on November 25, 2013... I was admitted to hospital for a gall bladder attack. November 26, had surgery to remove it. And have spent the rest of the days recovering at home.
December 3, 2013, Bosco hadn't eaten or drank in 3 days so I took him into the vet. They told me he was dehydrated, and things look grim. They started him on IV fluid, Buprenorphine & Metacam for pain, and Mirtazapine for appetite stimulation. I had to syringe feed him for a day, and he finally started eating on his own. The vet called in a couple days, asked how he was doing, and despite that I said he was eating and appeared content, they told me I need to consider his quality of life, and consider euthanasia. I was angry. I was angry that it was like they didn't believe me, that he started eating... or that they were hinting I'm keeping him around, in pain, for my own selfish needs. I know my cat better than anyone, and I know what is normal behaviour, and what isn't.
After much debate and back and fourth calls, the vet refilled his pain meds for the weekend. He has been great... he's still eating on his own, though sometimes does need coaxing, and I have had to stop all supplements, because he can smell them. I think this might be part of the reason he stopped eating (besides pain). So now i'm feeding him high calorie food, kitten food, anything he will eat, as long as he's eating. AND, he will run for treats still.
I'm taking it one day at a time, and I'm so happy for every extra day I get with him. I know it's only buying us some time, as the tumor has definetely doubled in size and has spread... I keep finding little tumors under his fur, in random places. I am so thankful to still have him, especially after losing Raughja recently, that I've decided to decorate my tree with the names of the animals on a Pet Cancer Support group I'm on, on Facebook. I have about 100 names so far, of all the fur babies who have lost, or are still battling this terrible disease. If you wish to add your fur baby to my tree of hope, who is battling or has lost to cancer, please comment below.
This is Bosco today, helping with the tree (and then sleeping in a bed he doesn't fit in):
Saturday 23 November 2013
Day 29 since finding out about the big "C".
Bosco is wonderful! He is his usual handsome self... playful, silly, loving and perfect.
I finally got his Life Gold feline granular & liquid supplement in the mail yesterday. Started him and my other boys on it yesterday. They LOVE IT! It smells fishy. The granulars remind me of fish food. I give Bosco 2 scoops of the granulars per day per the directions (it says to treat aggressively for serious conditions for a month then reduce to one). He also gets 10 drops of the liquid... (it says 1 drop per pound and Bosco's a big boy!). My other boys get 1 scoop of the granular, and 1 drop per pound.
Bosco also started taking Curcumin as recommended by some other bloggers and pet cancer support groups. He takes 100mg per day with his food. He's been on that for a few days now. He doesn't seem to notice it's there.
His coat has gotten much softer since I started him on the omega 3 + 6 supplement oil also a day after we were told of his cancer. I've noticed this in my other boys too. They are all like chinchilla fur.. soo soft! (And no, I do not wear fur nor do I condone the fur trade.)
The golf ball tumor on his armpit/chest doesn't appear to have gotten bigger since our visit to the vet earlier this week. I'm watching it, and yes, at the risk of sounding crazy, I do talk to it. I tell it to go away, and to leave my boy alone.
Its a new day. www.gofundme.com/saving-bosco
I finally got his Life Gold feline granular & liquid supplement in the mail yesterday. Started him and my other boys on it yesterday. They LOVE IT! It smells fishy. The granulars remind me of fish food. I give Bosco 2 scoops of the granulars per day per the directions (it says to treat aggressively for serious conditions for a month then reduce to one). He also gets 10 drops of the liquid... (it says 1 drop per pound and Bosco's a big boy!). My other boys get 1 scoop of the granular, and 1 drop per pound.
Bosco also started taking Curcumin as recommended by some other bloggers and pet cancer support groups. He takes 100mg per day with his food. He's been on that for a few days now. He doesn't seem to notice it's there.
His coat has gotten much softer since I started him on the omega 3 + 6 supplement oil also a day after we were told of his cancer. I've noticed this in my other boys too. They are all like chinchilla fur.. soo soft! (And no, I do not wear fur nor do I condone the fur trade.)
The golf ball tumor on his armpit/chest doesn't appear to have gotten bigger since our visit to the vet earlier this week. I'm watching it, and yes, at the risk of sounding crazy, I do talk to it. I tell it to go away, and to leave my boy alone.
Its a new day. www.gofundme.com/saving-bosco
Thursday 21 November 2013
The Situation.
Well, after turning to hundreds of pages for support, questions and reassurance, I'm finding myself needing an outlet. My cat isn't suffering, but I am. I am devestated. And so, here is Bosco's (the cat) battle with Cutaneous Malignant Melanoma. Cancer. In any hope that this this helps someone out there.
I have 4 cats and a dog. The love of my life is a big, fluffy, maine coon named Bosco (just don't tell my fiancee that!). Bosco came into my life 8 years ago, when I rescued him from the Winnipeg Humane Society. He was under 6 months old, dumped by his disgusting previous owners who said he was "too bothersome", but only after they ripped his claws out leaving him declawed for life.
Bosco had wonky legs. Sometimes when he'd walk, his knees would click, pop and move in ways they weren't supposed to. Turns out he has Luxating Patella's. For that reason and space reasons, he was up on the euthanasia list. I hesitated in taking him, because he just didn't stand out above the others, but something drew me to him. My oldest cat is over 20 years old, and has been with me most of my life, but Bosco is different. Bosco is the sweetest, most gentle cat I've ever met, and I've met a lot of cats. He is silly, but loving, and he's peaceful. He is the definition of zen. And so we go...
In September 2013, I took Bosco into an emergency veterinarian's office for crystals. He had struggled with crystals and bloody urine since I got him, so this warranted an ER visit. He also had a strange wound on his abdomen, what looked like he impaled himself on something, but he possibly couldn't have and he wasn't bleeding. The vet poked at it, cauterized it and sent us home with his urinary meds. He's an indoor cat so it was very strange. I racked my brain for days around what he did, or where he could have hurt himself.
In October 2013, that mysterious wound got bigger. It came back with a vengeance, and no amount of polysporin helped. So I took him in to his regular vet. He knew immediately it was a tumor, just didn't know what kind, so he suggested removal.
On October 24, 2013, Bosco went in for what would be his 1st surgery. He was cut open, stitched, and sent home within hours. He did great, and wasn't even stoned! He was running around as soon as he got home, happy as a clam.
October 29, 2013 - his life, and mine, changed. The tumor came back as rare Cutaneous Malignant Melanoma. Cancer. And the margins were not clean. This meant there was more, and they needed to go back in. The report had very little information on it, and no prognosis other than "dismal". It was like a ton of bricks hit me. I was crying at my desk, in the middle of the work day. I work in the social services field, so a big part of my job is keeping my shit together. That day I couldn't.
October 30, 2013 - Bosco goes in for a 2nd surgery to remove more margins in hopes to remove the entire cancerous tumor. Again, he bounces out of surgery like it's a piece of cake. Still happy as a clam. But the bad news is: a 2nd tumor was found under his armpit. The vet was not able to remove it all because of the location, but did send a piece away for testing.
November 2, 2013 - Good news, the 1st tumor has been removed successfully, clean margins! But there's more..... the 2nd tumor testes positive for Malignant Melanoma too. It was a devil spawn of the 1st tumor, and is growing rapidly. Vet says he can't go in and remove it, because its a real mess. He says sorry, but there's nothing left to do. No prognosis other than death. No time lines. No treatment options, nothing. This is where I start panicking again, and franticly google search this to no end, and find almost nothing. I also start Bosco on some Omega 3's + 6's, grain free food, and letting him sleep in our bed. (The other cats have their own bedroom at night, because they are loud, destructive little things). Fiancee isn't a fan of this because he has allergies, but he somehow manages to choke, and put up with it, for the sake of me.
November 9, 2013 - Time for a 2nd opinion. We go to another vet in the area who has an interest in oncology. There are no animal oncologists where I live. We do the meet and greet, go over the lab results, and discuss. This vet gives me hope that there is something we can still do. He will do some checking around with colleagues in other provinces and get back to us when we come for xrays.
November 20, 2013 - Xray time. GOOD NEWS! Everything from the armpit down, is clear. No cancer, no tumors detected. Organs are good, everything looks normal. Bad news: the tumor in the armpit has grown. It is now 4cm x 4cm, but we don't know what it started at since we didn't know to measure. But it's about the size of a golf ball now. Doctor says removal, or do nothing. Doctor then hits me with a price tag of $2,000 to do a 3rd surgery on him, to try and remove this new tumor. A board certified surgeon needs to do the surgery because of the location. There's still no gauruntee of it being removed, or not coming back. The other option is the Melanoma vaccine for dogs but there's no point in trying that while there's still an obvious tumor. The 3rd option isn't even an option - Chemo. Chemo does not work on Melanoma. Left the office feeling discouraged and heart broken. Bosco's already been through 2 surgeries, and his momma has already paid a small fortune in vet bills.
November 21, 2013 - Slept on it (but not really, because I haven't slept well since October 24). Opened a GoFundMe account ( www.gofundme.com/saving-bosco ), in hopes that total strangers hear our story, and can help. Surgery is still an option so much so that I cancelled a vacation we had planned, in order to use that money to do it, but I'm still short. Also awaiting to hear back from the vet office, and some answers about the surgery. It is still possible that the "do nothing" option is the best option, but I don't want to rule out the surgery yet. So far the GoFundMe account has been a blessing... there has been some money raised from angels who believe in Bosco as much as I do. It's more than I ever thought would come of it and I will not stop fighting for my boy so long as there is something in my control.
Will update as things progress. Hope this helps someone else out there whose fur baby is struggling with this form of cancer or any other kind.
I have 4 cats and a dog. The love of my life is a big, fluffy, maine coon named Bosco (just don't tell my fiancee that!). Bosco came into my life 8 years ago, when I rescued him from the Winnipeg Humane Society. He was under 6 months old, dumped by his disgusting previous owners who said he was "too bothersome", but only after they ripped his claws out leaving him declawed for life.
Bosco had wonky legs. Sometimes when he'd walk, his knees would click, pop and move in ways they weren't supposed to. Turns out he has Luxating Patella's. For that reason and space reasons, he was up on the euthanasia list. I hesitated in taking him, because he just didn't stand out above the others, but something drew me to him. My oldest cat is over 20 years old, and has been with me most of my life, but Bosco is different. Bosco is the sweetest, most gentle cat I've ever met, and I've met a lot of cats. He is silly, but loving, and he's peaceful. He is the definition of zen. And so we go...
In September 2013, I took Bosco into an emergency veterinarian's office for crystals. He had struggled with crystals and bloody urine since I got him, so this warranted an ER visit. He also had a strange wound on his abdomen, what looked like he impaled himself on something, but he possibly couldn't have and he wasn't bleeding. The vet poked at it, cauterized it and sent us home with his urinary meds. He's an indoor cat so it was very strange. I racked my brain for days around what he did, or where he could have hurt himself.
In October 2013, that mysterious wound got bigger. It came back with a vengeance, and no amount of polysporin helped. So I took him in to his regular vet. He knew immediately it was a tumor, just didn't know what kind, so he suggested removal.
On October 24, 2013, Bosco went in for what would be his 1st surgery. He was cut open, stitched, and sent home within hours. He did great, and wasn't even stoned! He was running around as soon as he got home, happy as a clam.
October 29, 2013 - his life, and mine, changed. The tumor came back as rare Cutaneous Malignant Melanoma. Cancer. And the margins were not clean. This meant there was more, and they needed to go back in. The report had very little information on it, and no prognosis other than "dismal". It was like a ton of bricks hit me. I was crying at my desk, in the middle of the work day. I work in the social services field, so a big part of my job is keeping my shit together. That day I couldn't.
October 30, 2013 - Bosco goes in for a 2nd surgery to remove more margins in hopes to remove the entire cancerous tumor. Again, he bounces out of surgery like it's a piece of cake. Still happy as a clam. But the bad news is: a 2nd tumor was found under his armpit. The vet was not able to remove it all because of the location, but did send a piece away for testing.
November 2, 2013 - Good news, the 1st tumor has been removed successfully, clean margins! But there's more..... the 2nd tumor testes positive for Malignant Melanoma too. It was a devil spawn of the 1st tumor, and is growing rapidly. Vet says he can't go in and remove it, because its a real mess. He says sorry, but there's nothing left to do. No prognosis other than death. No time lines. No treatment options, nothing. This is where I start panicking again, and franticly google search this to no end, and find almost nothing. I also start Bosco on some Omega 3's + 6's, grain free food, and letting him sleep in our bed. (The other cats have their own bedroom at night, because they are loud, destructive little things). Fiancee isn't a fan of this because he has allergies, but he somehow manages to choke, and put up with it, for the sake of me.
November 9, 2013 - Time for a 2nd opinion. We go to another vet in the area who has an interest in oncology. There are no animal oncologists where I live. We do the meet and greet, go over the lab results, and discuss. This vet gives me hope that there is something we can still do. He will do some checking around with colleagues in other provinces and get back to us when we come for xrays.
November 20, 2013 - Xray time. GOOD NEWS! Everything from the armpit down, is clear. No cancer, no tumors detected. Organs are good, everything looks normal. Bad news: the tumor in the armpit has grown. It is now 4cm x 4cm, but we don't know what it started at since we didn't know to measure. But it's about the size of a golf ball now. Doctor says removal, or do nothing. Doctor then hits me with a price tag of $2,000 to do a 3rd surgery on him, to try and remove this new tumor. A board certified surgeon needs to do the surgery because of the location. There's still no gauruntee of it being removed, or not coming back. The other option is the Melanoma vaccine for dogs but there's no point in trying that while there's still an obvious tumor. The 3rd option isn't even an option - Chemo. Chemo does not work on Melanoma. Left the office feeling discouraged and heart broken. Bosco's already been through 2 surgeries, and his momma has already paid a small fortune in vet bills.
November 21, 2013 - Slept on it (but not really, because I haven't slept well since October 24). Opened a GoFundMe account ( www.gofundme.com/saving-bosco ), in hopes that total strangers hear our story, and can help. Surgery is still an option so much so that I cancelled a vacation we had planned, in order to use that money to do it, but I'm still short. Also awaiting to hear back from the vet office, and some answers about the surgery. It is still possible that the "do nothing" option is the best option, but I don't want to rule out the surgery yet. So far the GoFundMe account has been a blessing... there has been some money raised from angels who believe in Bosco as much as I do. It's more than I ever thought would come of it and I will not stop fighting for my boy so long as there is something in my control.
Will update as things progress. Hope this helps someone else out there whose fur baby is struggling with this form of cancer or any other kind.
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