Cat with brain tumor: Can he regain mobility and quality of life?

Sorry to hear about Babygirl. Unfortunately, without advanced diagnostic imaging it will not be possible to tell you with certainly the cause of her seizure activity. An MRI would be the only way to accomplish this positively. Based on her age and no previous history of seizure activity, a brain tumor or tumor elsewhere in the central nervous system would be the most likely diagnosis. Much lower down on my list would be some sort of infectious or inflammatory process. Even lower would be extremely late onset epilepsy. Based on what you are telling me, it sounds like humane euthanasia is probably the best decision you can make for her. I know it's hard but I hope it gives you some solace knowing that you are bringing her to peace.

Oh no, poor Andy! And poor you, I can imagine how heartbreaking this is for you. I would be very concerned that he does have cancer, especially if he has had all these growths have shown up over his body in such a short period of time. I would have him seen by a vet immediately. With this spread, it's not likely that he can be cured, but there may be medications he can be given to help make him more comfortable. I would also consider that it may be time to let him go peacefully with euthanasia. If he does have cancer, he will be feeling extremely ill, and he's showing it by not eating and lying around all the time. Please take him into a vet now so he can be evaluated and a plan be made to look after him. I'm so sorry you are facing this, you have my condolences as I personally know how hard this is to go through :-(

It may not be his time yet but he does need to be examined by the veterinarian today. The disorientation and potential blindness is concerning for low blood sugar, hypertension, a brain tumor and a few other conditions. Some of these conditions respond very well to treatment and some don't but first, you must know what is happening so you know the treatment options. Just like humans, diseases are best diagnosed and treated early so have him examined today. I hope he gets this figured out quickly! Please feel free to post any additional questions.

Hi, it could be a number of different things. Does her head move from side to side when she is moving ? Or does it occur also when she is still ? In order to be able to pin down a list of differential diagnosis, a full neurological exam should be performed. Quite often, further advanced imaging is necessary such an MRI or CT scan. In absence of other neurological signs it could be that the cause of this condition is to be found in the cerebellum. It could be a tumour but it could also be something else. Hope you can have further work up done, it your vet has not come across this before, then perhaps seeing someone who is specialised in neurological conditions is the bast way forward.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm so sorry to hear that your veterinarian suspects that Sky has a brain tumor. There are some clinical signs/neurologic abnormalities that can increase suspicion for a brain tumor, such as abnormal behavior, circling when walking, seeming blind or staring off into space, seizures, etc. Advanced imaging such as a CT scan or an MRI would be the way to definitively diagnose a brain tumor. Prednisone is a common steroid medication with anti-inflammatory properties that can help decrease some of these clinical signs and make dogs feel better. Making the decision to euthanize a pet is never easy, and I'm sorry that you are faced with this right now. If Sky is improving, it is not wrong to delay her euthanasia. I recommend thinking about Sky's ability to do things she normally enjoys, and if she is still able to do a lot of those things, maybe it isn't time to euthanize just yet. I hope this is helpful - my thoughts are with you during this difficult time.

Hi Linda! I certainly understand your concerns for Bugger and am sorry that he has such a large cancerous mass. The challenge in this situation is that it's difficult to know which treatment options would be best since the type of cancer is unknown. The ideal situation would be to take Bugger to an oncologist, as they would be able to advise you as to whether or not he would be a good candidate for chemotherapy and/or radiation. If that isn't something you're interested in pursuing (which is completely understandable), then unfortunately, there likely isn't anything that can be done to treat the cancer itself aside from gently cleaning the area and making sure that his eye is comfortable. If Bugger's eye is unable to blink normally, it could become dry and ulcerative, which is quite uncomfortable. You can very gently clean the eye area with a sterile eye wash solution (available in most drugstores), and you may want to ask your vet if they have concerns about his eye comfort. It's possible they may recommend eye lubricants and/or oral pain medications. While it sounds as though Bugger is still loving life now, the growth of this tumor is undoubtedly starting to affect his quality of life. This page has some helpful food for thought when it comes to assessing a pet's quality of life at home: https://vet.osu.edu/vmc/sites/default/files/import/assets/pdf/hospital/companionAnimals/HonoringtheBond/HowDoIKnowWhen.pdf. I'm wishing you and Bugger all the best!

Hi, I am sorry to hear that Lola is going through all this at the moment. I think your vet is right in suspecting a brain tumour affecting her cerebellum (part of the brain). I think I would consider euthanasia as it must be distressing for her to go through these episodes of circling and falling down. We can’t say if for example she is suffering with headaches as well, we wouldn’t be able to tell but surely to circle continuosly must be distressing. Hope this helps.