[miranda99]

Hi, I'm new but needed some advice. Our 10 year old female cat has had a large lump on her neck for several months. She also had swollen lymph nodes a few months ago, but all but the one near the lump are no longer swollen.

She had two biopsies but both came back as "reactive tissue" and not cancer. After the first biopsy, the vet thought it might be a lymph node cancer, but the second biopsy was salivary gland tissue. The vet could not remove the mass, because it was near her main artery in her neck. The vet said to let her know if we want to pursue it further. She wasn't specific about what else could be done.

This cat is my lap cat, but she's very shy and is terrified of going anywhere. Our last cat ended up having inoperable cancer after visiting several specialists, so I guess I'm torn about what to do. I'm also just scared, I think.

 

[miranda99]

Just wondering what would other people do? Take her in again to the same vet? Try another vet for a second opinion? Call a specialist directly? What kind of specialist would you try?

I just want to do the right thing for her. She's a dear friend. Thanks.

 

[blondie1483]

Hi there,

When you say "The vet said to let her know if we want to pursue it further. She wasn't specific about what else could be done." - that would lead me to believe you need a second opinion.

Good luck and keep us posted! Hopefully others will weigh in on this issue.

 

[laurief]

When dealing with a difficult or complicated diagnosis, my recommendation is always to try to get the cat to a university vet school clinic for evaluation. That's where you'll find many different veterinary specialists under one roof, so if the admitting vet needs a specialist consult, (s)he can usually find it right down the hall. Miranda, if you provide your location, I'll be happy to try to locate your nearest university vet school for you.

Laurie