feline vaccine-caused cancer, hope wanted
Our dear cat Dayhunter just had a tumor removed from his right hind leg. It's vaccine-caused fibrosarcoma, VERY upsetting - we had never known of such a thing. The surgeon says she got it all - had to graft skin down from another section of his leg due to the size of the tumor. (It showed up fast - we spend a lot of time w/ DH and handle him a lot, and this was sudden!)
This cancer apparently doesn't spread thru the body, but will likely reappear at the site. Some vets are very negative about the prognosis, but
1) "DH" (his nickname) so far has healed better and faster than the vet "could even hope"
2) He is only 8 and quite vigorous, people call him things like "supercat" and "ubercat"
3) We know human "outliers" and have ourselves had complete healing from things conventional docs told us would be chronic or couldn't help us with at all. They are good at some things but don't know the whole story!
So right now I veer between despair and hope, and am researching holistic vets in the area to learn how to take a load off his immune system. The conventional treatments range from radiation to chemo to removing the tumor whenever it shows up to amputating that leg. I'm asking a lot of questions about all of that, too. So far it sounds like amputation is the longest, cancer-free choice - though psychologically, the most difficult.
I want find a good holistic practicioner for both cats that will use the lightest possible vaccination routine. Little elf is 100% indoor and needs less, Dayhunter is/was indoor-outdoor - he was a barn cat for the first 2 years of his life and we were never able to get him to accept 100% indoor life, and we have tried several times. (We abhor the danger from cars and the killing of wildife, but he has driven us insane even after 10 weeks indoors and we relent.) He became ours when he was hit by a car and his owner would have shot him. DH, very smart, made it to our porch despite a broken pelvis, and has been our guardian for about 6 years. DH probably won't get any vaccines again. We are talking about how to keep him in - or control/protect his outdoor jaunts when he is mended. This guy has roamed our rural village like a very small Bengal tiger, but I'm afraid that this surgery will impair his ability to escape danger.
Please send good vibes, prayers, butterflies, animal angels, and helpful info. And thanks for listening to this disjointed mess. :o