Sunday, September 23, 2012

Check Your Pet For Masses

Meet Lilu -my 9 yr old gray kitty that I was suckered into caring for when she was only 4 weeks old. I was a foster mom for the Humane Society of Broward County - Florida. I would take young kittens, foster them until they were 8 weeks old and then return them to the shelter for adoption. It was very difficult to give them back but I knew if I did, I could help more kittens!

Well - Lilu was the last kitten I was fostering before I left for vet school... and she stole our heart and we become foster  failures! :)  It wasn't hard for her to steal our hearts.... she did the 'Superman' on dad's chest her first night at home, and that clinched the deal!

Actual picture taken on her first night at home. She knew who to snuggle with!

Just the other day, Lilu was cleaning herself and made her way to the fat pad on her belly. So I had to rub on it - how can you resist the kitty fat pad - and that is when I felt a mass! AUGH!    Being a vet, I know what masses could be.... they may simply be fat (adipose tissue) - or possibly cancer.    So I immediately took a small sample with a needle and we found 'spindle cells'.  Unfortunately - it is not just fat.  Lilu will be having surgery Tuesday to have the mass fully removed and sent away for pathology.  And hopefully the results will show a benign type of cancer (at the same time we will take xrays of her chest to make sure nothing has spread to the lungs).

The moral of this story - is to examine all your pets at least monthly and if you feel any mass or see any weird discoloration, have your veterinarian check it out!

I will keep you posted on Lilu's surgery and pathology reports.  And you better believe that I will be booking my own consultation with our Oncologist so that I make the best decision for my little girl! Click here to read about Dr. Karri Miller


Dr. Mary Gardner
Lap of Love Veterinary Hospice - South Florida



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