Sage's Case Study  

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Other Diseases/Conditions: None Story: Sage is a wonderful, beautiful, 7 years old cat who has been living with me for 1 year and 3 months. She has a very cuddly personality and always wants to be wherever I am in the house. She loves all her fluffy cat toys, but really loves chasing a rolled up aluminum ball the most. She has a special bond with Harry the orange tom cat and they spend lots of time chasing each other and playing. On the 1st Aug 2010 I noticed Sage was spending a lot of time hiding under my bed and not really socializing as much as usual. She was still eating, but only small amounts. By 4th Aug she just didn't seem herself, although she was still eating small amounts and hadn't been sick, I took her to my local vets. He checked her out and took her temperature, which was slightly elevated, and gave her a shot of the antibiotic Convenia. Over the next few days she seemed to perk up a bit, however, this was short lived. Sage began to become very lethargic, taking only a few, what looked like, painful steps before lying down. Her fur looked matted and she just looked so depressed and sad. We returned to the vets on 9th Aug where she had a blood test which revealed low RBC, low neutrophils and low glucose. The vet recommended further tests and an x-ray. So, poor little Sage was back into the vets on 10th Aug for a day of tests. Dropping her off that morning was one of the hardest things to do. The vet called in the afternoon and told me the x-ray revealed a "mass" in her chest. I went there straight away to collect her (brining a friend with me as I was in tears) and to talk to the vet about what this meant. It was recommended that Sage see an oncologist, so on 11th Aug we went to a specialist veterinary hospital. The oncologist noted that Sage still had an elevated temperature and after looking at the x-rays diagnosed the "mass" as an enlarged lymph node and Sage also had an enlarged spleen and a couple of other slightly enlarged lymph nodes in her abdomen. Following an ultra-sound and directed needle aspirate, a sample was sent off for analysis. The next day (12th Aug) I received a call in the morning saying the results were back and Sage was diagnosed with lymphoma. Chemo began that afternoon using the Madison-Wisconsin protocol. Sage received an infusion of Vincristine and was started on daily doses of Prednisone. I was amazed the effect these drugs had on her. For a day and a half Sage looked a bit nauseous, not eating and still hiding under the bed. By the evening of 14th Aug, Sage was eating, nearly the same amounts as she was before she became ill, was able to walk without seeming in pain and was becoming more sociable. By 18th Aug, she was running up and down stairs and playing again with Harry! She had her 2nd weekly treatment (Cyclophoshamide infusion) on 20th Aug. Even though she had been eating well all week, Sage had lost a little more weight (she now weighed 6.9lb), but didn't have a fever. To help counter-act the nausea, Sage was also prescribed Cerenia - I would recommend this to anyone whose cat is experiencing vomiting / nausea after chemo or any other treatment. I wanted to add Sage's story after reading other case files on this site. It opened my eyes to the highs and lows of this disease and my heart goes out to all the other cats and owners who have been through so much. Outcome: Sage and I are currently right at the start of her 25 week therapy. Her quality of life is very good at this point, and she is being totally spoiled in any way that I can!! - By Tracey Sage's Mom -

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