tpvets_logo.jpg (2726 bytes)TOA PAYOH VETS
toapayohvets.com
      Date:   18 November, 2010  
Focus: Small animals - dogs, cats, hamsters, guinea pigs & rabbits.

Toa Payoh Vets Clinical Research
Making veterinary surgery alive
to a veterinary student studying in Australia
using real case studies and pictures

 
The snoring cat
Dr Sing Kong Yuen, BVMS (Glasgow), MRCVS
Upd
ate:  18 November, 2010

 
toapayohvets.com 
Be Kind To Pets
Veterinary Education
Project 2010-0129
1.  INTRODUCTION
A brand name vet practice opens doors...


2.  FIRST CONSULTATION & BIOPSY
cat malignant cellular infiltrate, likely a malignant melanoma of the nose - toa payoh vets singaporeThe cat snores day and night. No surgery in case the cat dies on the operating table. So, a biopsy was taken without sedation as promised.






nose cancer 8 year old cat malignant tumour inside nose, toa payoh vets3. THE SNORING NOISE RETURNS. The nose cancer doubles in size in 7 days. The owner decides on surgery despite poor prognosis and that the cancer will recur.




4. THE SURGERY TO EXCISE THE NOSE TUMOURS
The cat went home the next day after surgery to excise most of the tumours. The owner phoned me today and said that the cat was eating. The nose bleeding on Sunday morning after I had pulled out the swab which stopped inside the nose bleeding was no more. The family had decided on no chemotherapy. "Can you do surgery when the cancer returns?" the father asked. "No," I said. "There is a big hole on the top of the nose, now covered by the skin. This malignant tumour doubles in size every 7 days and I expect that the cat will not live long." Chemotherapy is not guaranteed and may cause the cat to lose appetite. So, what's the advice?
"Try chemotherapy in low dosage first," I advised. There was nothing to lose as the wife was quite close to this cat. Chemotherapy does not cost thousands of dollars unlike the case in human cancer treatment. "Euthanasia will be the only option when the cancer recurs and bacterial infections of the right nostril causes pain and suffering," I said. This cat had no infection from this surgery because she had been on antibiotics 6 days before surgery and after surgery. So she responded well and could eat and drink normally at home post-operation, much to the happiness of the wife. But death is really at the door. If chemotherapy helps, it will be a happy ending.

FOR MY RECORD
Weight: 3.5 kg. Cat.

Anaesthesia. Domitor 0.1 ml IV. Zoletil 100 0.1 ml IV. Atropine 0.5ml SC. Intubate. Gave oxygen. Duration of anaesthesia was nearly one hour. A few seconds of isoflurane gas was given towards the end of surgery. It was taking one hour to do it. IV saline and baytril drip given 24 hours.

Post-operation.
No Antisedan antidote was given so that the cat could be sedated and wake up with less pain. The cat was observed breathing normally through its left nostril (forceps into nostril confirming no cancer cells from right nostril). He slept for many hours and was fresh as a daisy on the next morning after surgery.

Surgery on Friday at 4 pm. Incise with scalpel. Undermine skin. Nasal tumour grows from inside the nose, break through nasal bone is 2.5 cm x 1 cm long and much deeper inside the nose.

Electro-surgery separates tumour as much as possible from nasal bone. Excised. Large hole in nasal bone eaten by the tumour seen. Around 1 cm x 0.5 cm. Round fatty tumour cells seen from inside the nose and excised.

I put a gauze swab into the nasal hole and pull it out from the nostril using forceps (see picture at www.toapayohvets.com). This stops bleeding. Electro-coagulation of the tissues inside the nose helps but does not stop the bleeding.
nose cancer 8 year old cat malignant tumour inside nose, toa payoh vets nose cancer 8 year old cat malignant tumour inside nose, toa payoh vets  
  nose cancer 8 year old cat malignant tumour inside nose, toa payoh vets nose cancer 8 year old cat malignant tumour inside nose, toa payoh vets
  nose cancer 8 year old cat malignant tumour inside nose, toa payoh vetsnose cancer 8 year old cat malignant tumour inside nose, toa payoh vets nose cancer 8 year old cat malignant tumour inside nose, toa payoh vets
    nose cancer 8 year old cat malignant tumour inside nose, toa payoh vets
nose cancer 8 year old cat malignant tumour inside nose, toa payoh vets nose cancer 8 year old cat malignant tumour inside nose, toa payoh vets http://www.kongyuensing.com/pic/20101127tn_malignant_nose-cancer-cat-male-8years-toapayohvets-singapore.jpg
tpvets_logo.jpg (2726 bytes)3894 - 3905. Nose cancer in a cat. The cancer cells double in size in 7 days. What the owner is worried is that the cat dies on the operating table. The vet is expected to deliver a live cat at the end of surgery.

Goes home on Sunday at 10 am after I pull out the gauze swab. I smelled the gauze swab. Not smelly and this is a good sign that there is no bacterial infection. Red blood oozed out of the nostril. Owner asked to wipe the blood off regularly. The bleeding stopped on Monday and the cat has been normal for the 3 days post-surgery as I write this article to share my experience of this nasal surgery with a vet student studying hard for his 4th year examinations in Murdoch University.

He has his horse examination today, Nov 18, 2010. The sheep and cattle examinations were completed the last two days. It is extremely tough to study so many animals for the final year examination. Human medical students study only one species but vet students must study so many!  After he graduates, the pet owners expect him to know everything and operate on every animal in this world!
 

BE KIND TO OLDER DOGS & CATS --- GET TUMOURS REMOVED EARLY --- WHEN THEY ARE SMALLER.  More case studies, goto:  Cats  or  Dogs

To make an appointment: e-mail judy@toapayohvets.com
tel: +65 9668-6469, 6254-3326

toapayohvets.com 
Be Kind To Pets
Veterinary Education
Project 2010-0129
tpvets_logo.jpg (2726 bytes)Toa Payoh Vets
Clinical Research
 

Copyright © Asiahomes Internet
All rights reserved. Revised: November 18, 2010

Toa Payoh Vets