My cat with mammary cancer won't eat before surgery. What should I do?

Hi there! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sasha is gorgeous! Some dogs can develop lethargy and inappetence within 1-3 days post vaccination. Even if she has tolerated her vaccines well before, she can still develop side effects at any time. Her clinical signs are unlikely to be related to her mammary tumors. I would mention this to your veterinarian tomorrow when she is in for the surgery so that they can run some pre-operative bloodwork to make sure that everything looks right before anesthesia. Have your veterinarian submit the masses to the laboratory so that a diagnosis can be reached. If they turn out to be malignant (only about 50% of them are), feel free to set up a consultation with me for further information on that type of cancer. Good luck! Keeping my fingers crossed that it is something benign and nothing to worry about!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If she really is doing this poorly, it is very important to have her seen by a veterinarian as soon as possible as I worry she may be unstable. If this is all confirmed to be due to her cancer and you are not proceeding with treatment of the cancer, euthanasia may need to be considered.

As she recovers from surgery, the best things that you can do to help her recover as seamlessly as possible include giving her the pain medication prescribed by her vet, keeping an e-collar (cone) on her to prevent licking of the incisions, and restricting her activity for the next 10-14 days. Keep Tashi indoors exclusively during her recovery and try to prevent her from running, jumping, or playing until her sutures are removed - typically 10-14 days after surgery. Keep a close eye on her incisions for any redness, discharge or swelling, and call your vet if you notice any of these changes. If Tashi still seems painful (lethargic, eating less, vocalizing), call your vet to discuss additional pain medications, but do not give her any human medications as none are safe for cats. I hope this helps and that Tashi is feeling better soon!

Hello. I am so sorry that Oscar has such a sad diagnosis. Unfortunately, either one of these can cause a significant loss of appetite. The only two appetite stimulants we have for cats are mirtazapine & cyproheptadine, & even these are not miracle drugs. Some cats prefer foods that are warm, some prefer them when cold, so you can try this. Hand feeding may work a bit as well. You can also talk to your vet about the possibility of adding some anti-nausea medication like Cerenia. Hopefully, you can at least get Oscar to eat a little more for as long as possible. Good luck & thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I am sorry he was diagnosed with this tumor. This is unfortunately a very aggressive cancer. If he is going to just be on palliative care at this point then the focus would be more on making sure that he is comfortable and eating and feeling well. Prednisolone is a good idea. Another medication that just came out in the market is Entyce which is an appetite stimulant that I have been using in cancer patients which may improve his appetite. At this point you can feed him whatever he prefers though something that is tasty and they tend to like is canned tuna so you can try that. The Entyce has worked great for my cancer patients so far and he may have a better appetite afterwards. Also, an anti-nausea medication like ondansetron. Your veterinarian could prescribe these if that would be ok with his medical history. Good luck!

Oh dear, I'm sorry to hear that you and Bonnie are in this situation. Bonnie's weight loss could be caused both by her lack of appetite, as well as any cancerous process and/or subsequent kidney disease. You can try to tempt her to eat with bits of boiled white meat chicken, small amounts of tuna, or even meat-based baby foods. Also discuss appetite stimulant medications (cyproheptadine and mirtazepine are two commonly used drugs) with Bonnie's veterinarian since they may be helpful. However, if none of these strategies improve her appetite and her overall quality of life is declining, it may be time to consider euthanasia. I hope this helps and that all goes well for Bonnie.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I’m so sorry to hear about Pepper. Cats need to eat everyday to prevent organ damage. If he stopped eating, I would be concerned the cancer is causing him too much discomfort to eat. When we talk about quality of life and when to make end of life decisions, I measure good days and bad days. When the bad days outweigh the good ones, then quality of life is declining. Good days are doing things he likes to do (like be social if he likes to be social, get petted, sleep in his favorite area, eating, using the litter box). Bad days are not eating, vomiting, diarrhea, hiding, lethargy, weight loss. If Pepper has been eating well since his diagnosis but suddenly stopped, I would consider it a bad day. I hope this help when determining his continued care. If you have more questions or concerns, please submit another question. Kisses to Pepper!