13 year old Sphynx cat with intestinal lymphoma

[ElenaM]

Good afternoon, so happy to have joined HA community:

Our 13 year old (14 next month) sphynx cat Ludwig was diagnosed with small intestinal tumor (iris renal Dz stage 2) a couple of days ago. He was given prognosis of 3 weeks without medication, 3-4 months on steroids and up to a year with chemotherapy. Our concern is that he will not do well on steroids. I was wondering what we can do for him holistically. What kind of supplements can we buy to keep him comfortable and pain free and possibly get his cancer into remission (if that is even possible) and prolong his life?

His current ultrasound of gastrointestinal tract read as follows: "There is a short section (1.4cm) of the stomach in which the mucosal layer appears thickened to 5.4 mm. There is a focal thickening of the muscal layer in the duodenum measuring 5.1 mm. There is a thickening and loss of layering of a short portion of jejnum -the area measures approximately 1cm round. Overall the muscularis layers of the small intestines is prominent, measuring about twice the thickness of the submucosal layer.

Duodenum 2.4 mm
Jejunum 2.3-2.7 mm
Ileum 3.2 mm
Colon appears normal

There are no enlarged lymph nodes.

He is also in the beginning stage of kidney disease. We are currently giving him "Kidney Support" from PetAlive twice a day.

He is excessively lethargic for the past week or so and barely gets up. He only gets up to drink, eat his meal and use litterbox. He was given convenia antibiotic shot by our doctor (as initially and before ultrasound, bacterial infection was suspected) 5 days ago and he is not having bowel movements for the past 4 days. He was also given appetite stimulant but he did not need it just yet. He weights 8 pounds (dropped from 10 when he was feeling healthier). He is very vocal/painful when we try to pick him up.

He was also vomiting and coughing but after antibiotic these symptoms did not return.

Any supplement holistic suggestions are really appreciated.

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Hi Elena, I'm so glad that you found HA! but am so sorry to hear about Ludwig's recent diagnosis.

The ultrasound sounds like it revealed a non-specific bowel thickening with one area that looks like a tumor. It's really hard to differentiate IBD/IBS from bowel cancer.

Unless the tumor was visualized and biopsied by endoscopy, lapascopy or surgery you may not have a specific diagnosis of the bowel infiltration. If a needle aspirate was done during the ultrasound, that can indeed be very suggestive of a diagnosis, but really isn't diagnostic. It's therefore difficult to recommend a specific treatment and impossible to make an accurate prognosis.

However, the vet may have a presumptive diagnosis and prognosis based on clinical suspicion and experience.

The "good" news is that Ludwig isn't worried about his symptoms, dis-eases, or diagnoses. He just wants to lead the best life possible (one of the beauties of being an animal is that having the best life possible, all of the time, is what life is all about).

And that's exactly what we will try to get him back to.

A great way to start is by thinking about what he loves more than anything.

For my pup Archie, it's food (of any kind), for the kitty Aviva it's a chase game and play (and sometimes food!)

Aviva feeding time

This is "Aviva feeding time" by Dr. Jeff Feinman on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

vimeo.com

Raw chicken wing for breakfast 10721

Getting any fresh food into him is a wonderful start. Perhaps try little pieces of freeze dried heart, or Bonito flakes.

Now more than ever using the 3 simple steps of Holistic Medical Decision Making (HMDM) is super helpful to help make your decision-making easier.

Here's An example of HMDM as applied to Ludwig:



Step 1:"Decide on Your Goal": IMHO, the goal is to start shifting Ludwig's internal balance towards wellness (aka balance, homeostasis and equilibrium).

Step 2 "Do Your Research": WOW! This is the potentially overwhelming part. In this case, you probably started with info from your local vet, then the internist, Dr. Google, us, etc. However I think that all of the info. (as massive as it is) can be interpreted using just 1 simple rule. Does the recommendation work with the natural healing abilities of the body? Things like the most nourishing fresh foods, breathing, happiness, some natural herbs, etc. In general anything that's an "anti" is working against something and can decrease the energy Ludwig needs to heal.

Step 3: "Implement Your Holistic Action": The Happiness Protocol is the easiest and fastest way to try and improve his quality of life.

The Happiness Protocol in Your Pet's Life

At HA! we are committed to much more than helping pets become dis-ease free. We promote restoring and maintaining vitality, balance, energy, & happiness.

www.holisticactions.com

Tonight try focusing on Ludwig tonight with a healing intention with slow, mindful positive petting from head to tail. The goal is to get him to purr to activate his natural restorative (parasympathetic) healing abilities.

He (and you!) can do it!

 

[Dr. Christina]

Wonderful suggestions, Dr. Jeff.

Also, do read the Fundamentals course (under the resource tab).

I would add that scheduling an appointment as soon as possible with a veterinary homeopath will give your handsome Ludwig the very best chance for long term health and recovery from the GI issues.
Dr. Christina

 

[ElenaM]

Dr. Jeff:

Thank you so very much for such thorough answer and most importantly for giving us hope. That means a lot. We will do everything in our power to help Ludwig heal by following your recommendations - he means the world to our family. My daughter reached out to your administrator Amy (on your HomeVet site) to possibly book a consultation with you. Also, thank you for sharing the videos - Aviva is simply stunning so as the other kitty and Archie.

Dr. Christina:

Thank you. I will get myself familiar with the Fundamentals. I am too truly hoping for his recovery.