Theresa My Baby Girl Options

[Tom's Dad]

For those of you that follow my Welcome Tang post, you know my little girl cat Theresa.

She came to me by way of PartSmart adoption center 03/2007. She was about 4 1/2 at the time and had no adoption fee. I got her primarily as company for my Sir Thomas (RIP 12/08/2010) From the onset she had to deal with crippling inner ear and upper respiratory infections. But since then (other than a mild case of worms) she has been my rock health wise. Emotionally so when I lost Tom.

Today it looks like her luck has run out. I took her to the vet because she'd been drooling and bleeding from the mouth (I thought she'd been over grooming when I'd find red patches in her fur) My brave baby girl has an inoperable tumor on the base of her tongue The vet gives it about 4-6 month before she may not be able to eat at all even soft food. Perhaps longer with steroid injections. Chemo is way beyond my ability to pay for, and the vet feels it would just make her miserable anyway. I have this sickening feeling her time may come around December. Anyone who's read my post about Sir Thomas knows why that would be sadly ironic. I am devastated but determined to make her as comfortable as I can with the time we have left. She's fighter, so who knows.....

[moon_beam]

Hi, Tracy, thank you so much for sharing with us how your precious princess Theresa is doing. Tracy, I can so understand your concern for your precious girl. Trying to look at it from her standpoint I can just imagine what she would say if she could talk to you in a common language "what is this stupid thing on my tongue? It is so annoying. If I could just lick it off it would go away." So the only way she has of trying to lick the tumor off is through grooming herself - - frequently - - vigorously - - thus making the tumor bleed. The tongue, as you know, is composed with numerous blood vessels which - - of course - - can bleed quite a lot when injured in some way. Apparently the tumor / growth has quite a lot of blood vessels in it so when she frequently / vigorously grooms herself it is prone to bleeding - - and at times bleeding a lot. So the volume of blood from her most recent grooming event could just be a normal occurrence under the circumstances. As a suggestion - - if you're not already doing this, or haven't thought about it yet - - you might want to consider keeping a journal of how your precious girl is doing - - eating, eliminating, engaging in her environment and with you and Tang, the events of when her tongue bleeds, etc.. This will not only help you when you take your precious girl to see Dr. Mills, but it will also help you keep track of her quality of life, etc.. It's just a thought for whatever help it might be to you.

Also, when our companions become chronically ill they do experience depression just like we do - - which includes withdrawing from their normal activities and interests. After all it's no fun having a growth on the tongue that makes eating unpleasurable and grooming a major mess. I know you're doing everything in your power to help your precious girl. This may be another topic you will want to talk to Dr. Mills about at her next appointment.

I'm glad you're going to ask Dr. Mills to be straightforward with you. You can't make proper decisions for your precious girl unless you have the facts. Just trying to surmise the possibilities a bit - - up until this point Dr. Mills may have been trying a "wait and see" approach so that he can get a better evaluation of how your precious girl is doing before offering you more definitive information. He may also be waiting for you to ask - - as some clients don't want to know the straightforward facts. From what you have shared with us, it seems you and Dr. Mills have a good relationship, and I feel confident that he will answer your questions to your satisfaction. The important thing, of course, is knowing what is best for your precious girl. Please know your precious Theresa, and you and your precious Tang, are in my thoughts and prayers that Dr. Mills will be able to offer you the support and answers you need to make the proper decisions for your precious girl. Please let us know how things go with her next appointment.

I hope today is treating your precious Theresa, and you and little Tang, kindly, and that you and your precious companions will have a peaceful, blissful, cozy evening blessed with your beloved Sir Thomas' sweet Living Spirit to comfort you. Please know your precious girl, and you and little Tang, are in my thoughts and prayers, and please let us know how your precious Theresa, and you, are doing.

Peace and blessings,
moon_beam