Pumpkin update: Is it a tooma?
Today I invested all my spoons in a trip to the vet to check out Pumpkin's lump.
The vet had no trouble finding the lump on his chin and made concerned noises, and also confirmed that it was his lymph gland where I could feel the other lump. It is possible that he has an abcess, and the lymph gland is responding to the infection. The location might just be an unfortunate co-incidence. To cover that possibility she gave him a shot of antibiotics and instructions to keep an eye on it. If it goes down, no problem. If it doesn't he has to get it removed.
On the bright side, I correctly identified the lymph glad of a cat - I must have levelled up my amateur vet skills lately.
Personally I'd found the lump's location on his chin rather difficult to overlook and was at first reassured by the possibility that it might just be an abcess. It's not far from where he had a tooth removed quite recently, which might have had something to do with it. I didn't feel a great deal of confidence from the vet when she said it *might* just be an infection, but we have to eliminate that as a cause before going on.
Hello medical rollercoaster, we meet again. For now I put my emotions on hold and wait out the week (or two) it will take to be sure that the antibiotics are effective or not. And then we reassess, one day at a time.
It must be said that the great advantage pets have over humans with cancer is that they don't go through the same psychological trauma on hearing the news. Unlike people they'll be sensitive to only a mere fraction of the distress in the humans around them. And the big one - pets don't have to suffer the pain and discomfort of extended treatment.
The vet had no trouble finding the lump on his chin and made concerned noises, and also confirmed that it was his lymph gland where I could feel the other lump. It is possible that he has an abcess, and the lymph gland is responding to the infection. The location might just be an unfortunate co-incidence. To cover that possibility she gave him a shot of antibiotics and instructions to keep an eye on it. If it goes down, no problem. If it doesn't he has to get it removed.
On the bright side, I correctly identified the lymph glad of a cat - I must have levelled up my amateur vet skills lately.
Personally I'd found the lump's location on his chin rather difficult to overlook and was at first reassured by the possibility that it might just be an abcess. It's not far from where he had a tooth removed quite recently, which might have had something to do with it. I didn't feel a great deal of confidence from the vet when she said it *might* just be an infection, but we have to eliminate that as a cause before going on.
Hello medical rollercoaster, we meet again. For now I put my emotions on hold and wait out the week (or two) it will take to be sure that the antibiotics are effective or not. And then we reassess, one day at a time.
It must be said that the great advantage pets have over humans with cancer is that they don't go through the same psychological trauma on hearing the news. Unlike people they'll be sensitive to only a mere fraction of the distress in the humans around them. And the big one - pets don't have to suffer the pain and discomfort of extended treatment.