Topic: Mandibulectomy (Read 14792 times)

alisonandarchie · « **Reply #47 on:** December 11, 2015, 20:46:12 PM »

So pleased to read the news and see his lovely pic

Have a lovely Christmas

Lyn (Slugsta) · « **Reply #46 on:** December 11, 2015, 20:40:27 PM »

How lovely to get such a positive update

I wish you and Rulos a very Happy christmas too.

Susanne (urbantigers) · « **Reply #45 on:** December 11, 2015, 18:55:32 PM »

He looks wonderful

Nice to hear from you and get an update on Rulos.

Gill (sneakiefeline) · « **Reply #44 on:** December 10, 2015, 18:56:29 PM »

Have to say he looks great in that pic

Happy Christmas too you and Rulos

Lenkolas · « **Reply #43 on:** December 10, 2015, 18:37:11 PM »

Rulos says hi

He's very healthy, eating like a champ, not taking any medication (we stopped all chemo, even that gleevec he was supposed to take for the rest of his life) aside of his vitamins. Going for a full check up next month. We are all very happy!

Happy holidays everyone!

Lenkolas · « **Reply #42 on:** December 29, 2014, 04:51:29 AM »

Rulos says "I know"

hahaha thank you everyone for your opinions and nice comments!

Rulos will go for his tooth filing on Jan the 5th. In the meantime, he just wants junk food. I don't know what's going on with him since we never EVER gave him or any of the cats human food. They all eat their raw food preparation/canned food and that's it. Now he throws a tantrum for ham, salami, chicken from a sandwich with mayonnaise, raw salmon from sushi (I know that's a no no) and tuna fish from a can. It is very weird. I successfully disguise his meat with some tuna fish juice, and he does eat some canned food. I hope after the tooth filing he can start eating properly again...

hot, summer hugs for everyone!

Gill (sneakiefeline) · « **Reply #41 on:** December 27, 2014, 21:32:12 PM »

Sorry cant make and comment on the procedure but Rulos is so handsome

Lyn (Slugsta) · « **Reply #40 on:** December 27, 2014, 21:17:38 PM »

What a handsome chap he is!

My boy who had jaw fractures had to have teeth removed and filed for similar reasons. He did very well afterwards.

Kay and Penny · « **Reply #39 on:** December 27, 2014, 11:16:21 AM »

filing his teeth sounds like a sensible procedure to me, and one which should not cause him any after effects

as you know, fibrosarcomas do often come back, as the initial tumour puts out long fingers which cannot be removed, but they don't usually metastise, so it's perfectly reasonable to go on treating his symptoms and keeping him comfortable

perhaps he'll put on some weight now he is able to eat better

and he couldn't be in better and more loving hands than yours, bless him

Lenkolas · « **Reply #38 on:** December 27, 2014, 02:31:04 AM »

Merry Christmas everyone!

Just to give you and update on Rulos, and some questions for the ones with experience.

Rulos' lower canine was striking the roof of the palate causing what in my human eyes seemed to be a very painful wound. We took him to a new vet and he said the best option was to remove that tooth completely. So we did, and my oh my why didn't we do that before! Rulos immediately started eating like a champ and seemed so happy and relieved.

A week went by and since I usually check his mouth (yes, I'm a little bit obsessed. I know. I shouldn't. It is just that I'm so scared...) I realized that, canine gone, now back teeth (a huge sharp molar) was piercing the back palate leaving an ugly wound! I called the doc and, a little bit upset, asked him if this was not something that could have been predicted 'cause we just want Rulos to be happy and every ride to the vet is torture for him and now this means yet another visit to the vet! He said teeth anatomy in cats is jut as in human beings, different in every case. There was no way to predict what's left of his lower jaw would cause his back teeth to puncture the palate... he said the best course of action would be to file (I have no idea if this is the verb used in this cases... sorry) those teeth so they're not that sharp. How does that sound to you? I know with humans there's a good amount you can file down without causing any damage, so I guess it is the same with cats. Doc said removing those molars would be painful and traumatizing for him.

My other comment/question has to do with this metronomic chemo. He's taking 40 mg gleevec and 4 Cyclophosphamide. This has caused him to lose a lot of weight. Oncologist said he has to take this daily until the rest of his life. We have serious doubts, but we don't want the cancer to come back... what to do. Many people has offered alternative medicine (graviola, essiac, bloodroot, and a long etcetera) but we're just so afraid to make a mistake.

I know I should probably face the fact that the cancer might come back and just enjoy whatever time we have left with Rulos. It is so very difficult to do.

I live you a pic of a very happy Rulos inside a bike helmet's box, his new bed (I wonder why we have bought all those cat beds if they always prefer the box...) Thanks everybody and thanks for your message Senga!

faerienuff · « **Reply #37 on:** December 05, 2014, 17:12:52 PM »

Hi Lenkolas

Hope Rulos is doing well

Senga

Gill (sneakiefeline) · « **Reply #36 on:** August 21, 2014, 18:04:52 PM »

Sue P (Paddysmum) · « **Reply #35 on:** August 21, 2014, 17:49:07 PM »

Aw bless him - he looks so sweet and so at ease.

Lyn (Slugsta) · « **Reply #34 on:** August 21, 2014, 17:25:21 PM »

Bless his heart! I am so glad that he has done so well, thank goodness you acted and took him home when you did!

Lenkolas · « **Reply #33 on:** August 21, 2014, 16:57:59 PM »

Rulos - a month after surgery.

(attachment)

Gill (sneakiefeline) · « **Reply #32 on:** August 21, 2014, 12:07:24 PM »

Well done you for helping Rulos so much................great to have a good vet but useless if staff are bad and pain isnt treated.

I am so plesased he is doing well and so pleased your BF acted.

I hope that Rulos has a long life with you and that he continues to do so well

souffle · « **Reply #31 on:** August 21, 2014, 10:50:30 AM »

I am also pleased to hear how well he did and how well YOU did in getting him the care he needed by yourselves. I hope he enjoys a long and happy life with you now

Sue P (Paddysmum) · « **Reply #30 on:** August 21, 2014, 07:15:09 AM »

Hi Lenkolas. How lovely to hear from you again and to learn how Rulos is doing. You must be so relieved, although am very very sorry to learn that your after care at the surgery was not what you would have wanted. Well done you, for acting on your instincts.

I always think we know our cats better than anyone else, and we can sense when all is not well. You must have been delighted when Rulos began eating again on his own.

Sending a very respectful but loving ear rub for your handsome Rulos and wishing you all the very best for the years ahead. May they be plentiful and fun filled.

Lenkolas · « **Reply #29 on:** August 21, 2014, 03:13:20 AM »

Hi everybody! I'm sorry it took me so long to reply. These last months have been incredibly busy.

Rulos is alive and well, now a half-jawed cat as loving and handsome as always. The whole post-surgery and recovery stage was a complete nightmare (most of it due to the lousy post-operative care -we actually brought our Rulos home 2 days after surgery instead of the 5 they told us before- after we went to see him and found him in clear pain, all cold and wet with no staff around taking care of him -my bf opened the recovery crate, grabbed him and put him in his arms and yelled "we're taking our cat home TONIGHT whether you like it or not" leaving no choice to the veterinary staff who had just came to check what was going on and was just staring at us in fear) Then at home, and after receiving all sorts of apologies from our vet surgeon who actually came home to see him and give him the official all clear, he was not prescribed with any pain medication besides traumeel (natural pain killer) -vet argued that NSAIDs were too dangerous to use. After some research and seeing that Rulos was miserable we decided to use ketoprofen in small dosage for just 2 days. His relief was such that he actually started eating by himself, running around the house, cuddling with the rest of the cats... I can't believe I made him suffer for more than 24 hours with no pain medication whatsoever (traumeel=useless) Then we suffered all sorts of issues with the feeding tube, and Rulos clearly despised it... then, 7 days went by and he wouldn't poo so the vet suggested to use some Vaseline... I could talk to you about our ordeal for hours!

Quoting Sue P, "Nothing to do with cats is ever for the faint hearted" SO true.

...but the only thing that matters is that Rulos is more than fine. He eats like a champ and has gone back to his usual cuddly playful self. Drooling is not like a big issue but he does drool specially when sleeping with half of his tongue out (I clean him and that's it, no biggie). I have managed to switch all 4 of my cats to raw now, so they are eating healthy, home made food.
The vet is treating Rulos with metronomic chemotherapy (gleevec, drug name imatinib) in which we have spent a little fortune. I wish I could talk to someone else about it -our vet is actually really good, not just a random vet but the best cat oncologist in the country (which is probably not a lot to say being this such a small country) but I have read virtually everything I can in three languages on the Internet about gleevec and metronomic chemo for cats and basically what they say is that initial reports are promising but long term effects are unknown since the therapy is so new...

Well thank you all for all your positive thoughts and good vibes, I really appreciate it. I was so sad and scared and your words helped a lot.

I'll post some pics soon

Lenka

Sue P (Paddysmum) · « **Reply #28 on:** May 09, 2014, 07:45:48 AM »

Hello Lenkolas - welcome to Purrs to you and to Rulos. Am sorry it's under such worrying circumstances, but hopefully from Kendal's story you can see that there can be a quality of life after the surgery, and faerinuff will be able to give you first hand knowledge of her and kendal's experiences.

Rulos is young, and that's a big plus point in terms of the ability to recover.

By the way farinuff - I love kendal's dashing little bib, and a very practical solution, too.

Am sure all of us here are sending very positive thoughts to Rulos, and hoping that you will let us know how you get on.

Lyn (Slugsta) · « **Reply #27 on:** May 08, 2014, 23:52:33 PM »

Hello and

Lenkolass, I am sorry that you are here due to such a sad situation

I hope that Rulos responds well to treatment and you have many more happy years together

(your English is perfect, by the way!).

Sam (Fussy_Furball) · « **Reply #26 on:** May 08, 2014, 21:54:42 PM »

Lenkolas I'm so sorry to hear about Rulos ... but I hope the information and support you get here will be of help to you

faerienuff · « **Reply #25 on:** May 08, 2014, 20:47:36 PM »

Hi Lenkolas

Really sorry to hear about Rulos especially when he is so young. Although the operation is big Kendal coped straight away and ate food as soon as he came home from the vets. He still eats dry food as this is a particular favourite of his.

The main thing that you might notice after the operation is an increase in drooling, as part of the jaw is missing this means the cat will drool down the front of their fur and paws. I came up with a design for a cat bib to help keep him clean.

If there is anything you would like to know about the operation or what to expect let me know.

Senga

Gill (sneakiefeline) · « **Reply #24 on:** May 08, 2014, 19:58:34 PM »

to Purrs and sorry you had to find us for this reason.

I hope that Rulos will do well and that the infomon this thread will help

Lenkolas · « **Reply #23 on:** May 08, 2014, 19:41:51 PM »

Hi everybody... I'm new here, I found you guys Googling "mandibulectomy" in the hopes I could find some answers...

My cat was diagnosed with fibrosarcoma on Monday. We're still waiting for some results (x rays and stuff) but if everything goes "well", he'll need a mandibulectomy (half) if we expect to give him a few more years of happiness, free of pain and discomfort. So I'm on your exact situation, Senga... (your kitty is beautiful, I'm glad he's doing better).

When the vet started explaining how aggressive fibrosarcoma is and how the mandibulectomy procedure was the wise, "only" option I almost fainted, literally. Someone had to bring a chair and a glass of water for me. It sounded awful and extreme. My first thought was "no way I'm putting him through all that horror". Now I've been reading about it I think this is a good course of action. The vet still wants to try chemo after surgery and... well, sorry, I'm an emotional wreck. That's all I can think of right now. We are shocked. Rulos is just 4 years old and very strong, and nothing seems to be wrong with him besides that tiny lump in his gum...

Thank you, and sorry if I made any mistake; English is not my mother tongue.

My dear cat's name is Rulos. We're from Chile.

Thank you everybody!

Sam (Fussy_Furball) · « **Reply #22 on:** January 08, 2014, 20:54:44 PM »

Quote from: Sue P (Paddysmum) on January 08, 2014, 07:08:02 AM

Nothing to do with cats is ever for the faint hearted. So pleased to learn that things went well in terms of the op, and delighted to hear that Kendal is eating already. That's such good news. He's a gorgeous cat, and there isn't anything that's going to diminish his good looks, that's for sure.

I'm reminded of "The Velveteen Rabbit" when the well worn skin horse in the nursery is explaining to the little toy rabbit about becoming "Real" [well loved]:

"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.

"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."

"Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?"

"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."

That's beautiful xxx

Lyn (Slugsta) · « **Reply #21 on:** January 08, 2014, 16:25:47 PM »

So glad to hear that your lad is home and doing well

My Chivvy broke is jaw in 2 places and lost a back nleg due to a car incident. when he came home he used to drool terribly. Eventually he would get fed up of it and shake his head - which resulted in drool flying everywhere and chivvy falling over

He did very well though and lived for another 16+ years

Gill (sneakiefeline) · « **Reply #20 on:** January 08, 2014, 14:27:32 PM »

So pleased Kendal is home and eating. Loads of good get well vibes

Sue P (Paddysmum) · « **Reply #19 on:** January 08, 2014, 07:08:02 AM »

Nothing to do with cats is ever for the faint hearted.

So pleased to learn that things went well in terms of the op, and delighted to hear that Kendal is eating already. That's such good news. He's a gorgeous cat, and there isn't anything that's going to diminish his good looks, that's for sure.

I'm reminded of "The Velveteen Rabbit" when the well worn skin horse in the nursery is explaining to the little toy rabbit about becoming "Real" [well loved]:

"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.

"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."

"Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?"

"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."

Sam (Fussy_Furball) · « **Reply #18 on:** January 07, 2014, 21:39:24 PM »

So pleased it all went well and he is eating. Sending lots of healing vibes xxx

faerienuff · « **Reply #17 on:** January 07, 2014, 20:53:13 PM »

The vet said to give it a a clean with some cotton wool but he is drooling down his front and onto his paws, but he can drool as much as he likes if thats the only side effect :-)

Their isn't skin on the other side of his jaw as part of this had to be removed with the tumour, hopefully the fur will grow in a bit. This is only visible looking from the right hand side and the remaining side of his jaw has moved across to meet up with the middle of his top jaw.

We were really apprehensive as it was a really big operation for him as there isn't much room for error in the small mouth of a cat and the vet has only carried out the procedure twice before even though he is a very experienced vet with numerous years experience and he did warn us it wasn't for the faint hearted.

Senga

souffle · « **Reply #16 on:** January 07, 2014, 20:37:25 PM »

So glad the op went well and that he is eating again already. That is half the battle

I did read that they adjust to the looseness of the skin and the drooling should resolve as they heal up. Did the vet say to keep it dry with a soft cloth or anything for now?
I am sending healing vibes for a speedy recovery for your beautiful and handsome lad x

faerienuff · « **Reply #15 on:** January 07, 2014, 20:33:35 PM »

I picked Kendal up at the vets tonight and the vet is hopeful that he has managed to remove all of the tumour. He's lost the whole one side of his lower jaw but I was pleasantly surprised that it's not as bas looking as we had feared. You only notice if you look at his face straight on or from the right hand side. He seems to be drooling alot not sure if this will improve or if we will need to buy him a bib

When we got home he headed straight for the dinning room and the food bowls!! He's had two teaspoons of mushed up pate so we're incredibly relieved that 2 days in and he is eating. He'll probably be demanding silver service by tomorrow

So glad to have my beautiful boy home

Senga

Gill (sneakiefeline) · « **Reply #14 on:** January 07, 2014, 20:26:36 PM »

Could be Hills ad which is used for convalesing cats and most cats love it

Lyn (Slugsta) · « **Reply #13 on:** January 07, 2014, 16:50:56 PM »

When Chivvy had his jaw fractured the vet gave us special tinned food that looked like pate but became more liqued as it was stirred, so it was easy to get the thickness just right for whatever stage my lovely lad was at in his recovery.

Sam (Fussy_Furball) · « **Reply #12 on:** January 07, 2014, 12:46:55 PM »

Done a bit of reading up on this op and it seems that it is relatively straighforward with a quick recovery time. Most patients are usually eating within a few days

Sue P (Paddysmum) · « **Reply #11 on:** January 07, 2014, 07:39:04 AM »

Senga, sending lots of love and positive thoughts for Kendal and his op.

I wonder if it's worth trying to blend some of his usual favourites with some spring water, or trying a pate-style food and again blending with water or a little hooman gravy, if he'd take that? Necessity really is the mother of invention in cases like this, but I do hope that all goes smoothly.

Gill (sneakiefeline) · « **Reply #10 on:** January 06, 2014, 18:52:37 PM »

Sending loads of good wishes and hope everything goes to plan

faerienuff · « **Reply #9 on:** January 05, 2014, 22:26:41 PM »

Thanks for the link and the support.

We will just need to hope for the best and try all his favourite foods in a soft easy eat variety. He will be staying at the vets until at least Tuesday night to make sure that he has started eating and drinking. We expect that he will loose 1/2 his lower jaw so hopefully he will adapt to being able to eat on one side.

Senga

Lyn (Slugsta) · « **Reply #8 on:** January 05, 2014, 20:09:20 PM »

Poor Chap! I do hope that the op goes well and he recovers smoothly.

Author Topic: Mandibulectomy (Read 14792 times)