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20/02/03 – 27/06/17

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Maggie’s Story

Maggie is expressive when she's not feeling the best. One of her teeth wasn't in a good condition, so we took her for an extraction.

A week later, her right cheek had blown up. The vet suspected she had an abscess, which was odd... there was no discomfort, and she was eager for us to give her face scratchies. Still, we left her to get the 'abscess' drained and cleaned.

After a few days of no real change on antibiotics, the vet told us he suspected she had a cancerous tumour. He was right this time.

This blog documents her treatments; her highs and lows, and everything between.

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Sibling (un-)rivalry
“I need this”
The happenings
Another very sad day
A very sad day…

Helpful Links

Elizabethan Collars in Cats Luckily, Maggie didn’t need one of these, but she would have if she had fiddled with her stitches.
Feline Feeding Tubes After her surgery, Maggie had a feeding tube inserted into her throat. All of the other post-operative cats had one too. If this was too irritating for her, it could have been inserted directly into the stomach.
Hill's Prescription Diet a/d Critical Care Canine/Feline Food We were given a sample of this from VSG that Maggie really enjoyed. It’s easily digested and higher calorie, is very soft, and is high in potassium and protein. It can be used with a feeding tube or syringe.
Kidney Failure in Cats Maggie has kidney failure that was picked up while she was at VSG. A few of our older cats in the past have had that happen, and it seems to be quite common in old cats.
Maxillectomy This link is focused on the surgery humans, but this is what Maggie had done to remove a majority of her tumour.
Orbitectomy in Dogs and Cats This is the surgery Maggie had to remove parts of the tumour around her eye. Scroll down to the section on tumours of the orbit.
Soft Crate When Maggie was allowed home, she had to be confined so she didn’t do anything to increase her blood pressure too much, or catch her stitches on anything. We didn’t get this in the end, but I’d recommend it.
Squamous Cell Carcinoma This is the type of cancer Maggie has. It’s important to note that this information site focuses on cancer caused by excessive sun exposure. It’s suspected that Maggie’s cancer was not triggered by this.
Veterinary Specialist Group These are the specialists we take Maggie to. It’s quite a trip for us (Howick in East Auckland to Mt Albert in West Auckland, New Zealand), but I thoroughly recommend them. You need a referral from your normal vet.

Maggie's Medication

Amoxicillin (Antibiotic) This is some information about the antibiotic Maggie was on.
Buprenorphine (Pain Medication) This is some information about the pain relief Maggie was on.
Epi-Optic (Feline and Canine Ear Cleaning Solution) Here’s some information about the medication Maggie is on to keep her right ear clean and lessen irritation caused by the lack of fur.
Metacam (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Solution) Here’s some information about the medication Maggie is on to reduce inflamation.
Metoclopramide (Anti-Nausea Medication) When Maggie had her feeding tube, she suffered from a bit of nausea. This was given to her to allevate that.
Mirtazapine (Antidepressant Appetite Stimulant) Here’s some information about the medication Maggie is on to stimulate her appetite.
Omeprazole (GERD Medication) Maggie was on this drug (also used in humans) while she had her feeding tube. She was suffering nausea and other gastrointestinal issues at the time.
Palladia (Chemotherapy Drug) Here’s some information about the chemotherapy medication Maggie is on to slow cancerous cell growth. A recent study showed that cats taking this lived on average 128 days more, vs. 45 days for those not treated with it.

Timespan

Post-Cancer Surgery
Post-Death
Post-Dental Surgery
Pre-Cancer Surgery
Pre-Dental Surgery

bad news biopsy bloods bucklands beach vet cancer chilling cuddles eating fun good news grooming hiding lump medication milestone naughty oncologist outside pre-op sleeping toilet vet visit vsg weight

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Posted on April 27, 2017April 27, 2017 by jessifalloon

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