Raggs has been dx'd with Hemangioma or Hemangiosarcoma

[hazelrunpack]

Originally Posted by dbg10

This morning he was bright and smiling, behaving normally.

Bless his heart!!

You know the are heading your way in droves!

[rainbow]

Raggs is such a little trooper and glad to hear that he is still doing well.

Lots more for it to continue.

[dbg10]

I had to laugh last night Sam and Raggs had a show down . Sam is the 13 1/2 yr old king of the cats. They usually fight over territory and Raggs is somewhat afraid of him probably because Sam planted a claw in his nose at some point. At first we were by the TV and Sam jumped in my lap. He prevented me from handing Raggs's treats to him so Raggs got up went to the other end of the room to pout. I put Sam back on the floor and he lay where Raggs usually lies. Then Raggs came back and chased Sam under the coffee table by getting up really close to Sam's face and barking at him. So this went on for another hour or so with them trading places. Then Raggs got up and headed to bed. When I went in I found Raggs lying with a big smile on his face in a position that blocked Sam's entrance to the bedroom and Sam was lying outside the door in the hall and I swear he was glaring at Raggs. I had to get them both up and out of the bedroom, to clear up this stalemate.

After what I thought the other day, this really showed me Raggs has a lot of living still to do. I thought all of you would enjoy this exchange after all the support you've given us

[Chris21711]

Good news to hear that Raggs is feeling feisty

[chico2]

dbg,that is funny,I can just picture it
My Vinnie will lay right across the door-way to my den to prevent Chico from coming in and believe me Vinnie is big enough.

[14+kitties]

Wonderful!! Raggs is telling you he may be on his way out but he's going to do it with a flourish!! He sure has been!! Thank you for sharing.

[MaxaLisa]

What a huge milestone and wonderful to have the extra time with Raggs, I'm so happy to see this. I know he is getting closer, but it sounds like he is still doing well, considering the dire circumstances. What a great gift of time you two have had. ((Hugs and ear scritches))

[hazelrunpack]

I would have loved to see that, dbg! What a hoot! Give Raggs an extra hug for me, and when Raggs isn't looking, sneak in a few lovin's on Sam, too, pls!

[rainbow]

LOL @ Raggs ....that's his way of showing you he's still doing okay.

We have the "showdown" every night here as Logan purposely lies in the doorway to block the others from entering the bedroom.

[rainbow]

Is Raggs still doing well?

[dbg10]

He seems to be doing well Today I gave him his first meal and he refused to eat but I know he will eat it later. I then asked him if he wanted to go for a 'car ride' and he shot upright so fast with a big smile on his face that I knew he had been missing his rides. In the last few weeks I haven't taken him with us because it has always taken a lot out of him and I have thought he has had a bleed afterwards because he has had to rest so much after each trip.

He got so excited when he saw me getting ready and almost couldn't stand up while I put his coat on. (the rescuer gave me a coat for him when I adopted him). He then ran around again until we took him out to the car. He was so happy to sit in the car and look at all the people at the store. He came home and is now sound asleep on the floor but I'll wake him up for TV time.

Time will tell if this outing causes a relapse but at least he's happy.

One of the reasons I wanted to take him out was he started scratching his ears and rubbing them on the floor and I think I may have to take him to the vet to have his ears cleaned properly. In the meantime I've cleaned them and put some drops in them. I wanted him to have an outing when he wasn't going to the vet. I filled his metacam script again today because the last one I purchased was the small size because he hadn't been well. This time I bought the bigger one because I'm hoping he'll be around for awhile.

Thanks everyone I thought you'd like that story about Sam and Raggs - they kept up their games last night too. Sam climbs in my lap and does get his scratch and brush every night even with Raggs objecting. Later in the evening I always put Sam back on the floor so I can play with Raggs. Sam doesn't like it and yowls his displeasure but Raggs needs time too.

[hazelrunpack]

Sam and Raggs sound like typical sibs!!

Glad to hear that Raggs enjoyed his ride!!! I hope you can get his ears comfy for him soon! We always seem to have more ear trouble in spring as the snow melts and things get damper. Flop ears and dampness don't seem to be a good combination...

Pass along a big hug from ol' hazel, please!! And keep one for yourself

[rainbow]

Thanks for the great update and it sounds like Raggs really appreciated his car ride.

Sending lots of for his continued well being.

[dbg10]

Another good day He wanted 2 meals today and ate the first one at a reasonable hour so they weren't back to back like they have been the last few days.

I've found his ears are quite tender so will make a vet appt for him on Monday. I would like to ask her to do more blood work but I think his original results may have been bad because he was so stressed out with it. I'll see when I take him. Also want to get a weight and see how much he's gained.

In the updates, I forgot to mention that Smokey has been all over Raggs, rubbing his body under Raggs's chin and kissing him. Raggs looks away when this happens but doesn't seem to mind now. Sam and he were still at it last night and today. Obviously they both think they're alpha to the pack and the war is continuing

Thanks everyone for your continued support

[14+kitties]

It always makes me so happy to open this thread and read how well Raggs is doing. I think I've cried quite a few tears over it as well. He is quite the little man, isn't he? What a story. What a fighter. Reminds me so much of my angel and his fight.
Keep up the good work Raggs and Mom! You are both extraordinary!!

[Love4himies]

I am so happy for you and Raggs .

[hazelrunpack]

Aw, Smokey and Raggs

Sounds like you had a great day!

I hope his ears check out okay!

[ScottieDog]

Sending lots of hugs for Raggs. Glad his last few days have been good ones.

[dbg10]

Thought I should post an update. Raggs is still doing well though spending a lot of time in bed sleeping. He's still eating later in the evening and often his 2 meals are back to back in fact I've had to add his second meal to his unfinished first meal a couple of times this week. But then he gobbles it up and yesterday wanted more after he finished both meals. Have to keep an eye on his weight though he looks like he's gaining and that has made his hind end a little weaker.

Sam and he have kept at it every night and last night Sam took a swing at Raggs but didn't connect and Raggs just barked at him so Sam took off . Smokey has been insistent on loving up Raggs but Raggs seems to like it now and expects it when he sees Smokey. The other 2 Tiger and Bailey get barked at the minute they start to eat their canned food. (I give them their canned food at night while I'm watching TV on the table beside me because they weren't eating it in their bowls and it is much better for them than the dry I leave out.) Raggs seems to think he should be sharing their food.

He has been showing his unique personality this past week. I've been trying to trim the hair on his paws and he has turned it into a game where he jumps up the minute I get ready to cut and runs away, only to come back almost immediately and lie down in front of me again just to start the whole thing over. I've also been trying to de-scruff his fur but that has been another game that I lose. I know he's trying to be alpha, but he is so funny that I can't help but laugh and the games he designs are so cute. We have also been for 2 more car rides and hasn't shown any signs of a significant relapse.

I have cleaned his ears every night and put drops in them. He seems comfortable and they are no longer hot, so I haven't taken him to the vet, yet. I check him out every day and will take him if they get hot again or show signs of getting worse.

Just thought I should post an update, so far so good Thanks everyone you are a very caring group

[hazelrunpack]

I had to laugh at the toe-hair trimming routine! Grace is like that. On toe-hair trimming day, I just take to carrying the scissors around in my back pocket so I can have them handy when she's napping. She often sleeps on her back, alternating which paw is up, so if I'm patient, I can snag the proper foot and remove the offending toe hair before she can do anything about it! She always forgives me, though...

Glad to hear Raggs is still enjoying life and takin' it to the kitties when they don't share their food!

[rainbow]

How is Raggs doing?

[dbg10]

Thanks for asking Rainbow, unfortunately we've added a new symptom and I took him to the vet today. I was going to post last night but it got late and I forgot so I decided to wait until we'd been to the vet. I was a little concerned that she might say he needed to be PTS.

The tumour on his belly is about double the size of what it was in December. It also was all pink and hairless then. It has been progressively getting more dark blue parts, like blood pooling under the skin, about 1/3 is now dark blue.
You can see it in this picture of Raggs
What I noticed the other day was a very red angry looking area on the bottom of the tumour where it would touch the floor when he's lying down. At the center of the reddened area the skin was wrinkled, As he doesn't lie on his back it is difficult to see except when he's lying on his side, but when I try to look at it, he jumps up so I can't really look at the entire tumour. I knew when I saw this that he had to go to the vet. I was trying to think of a way to put a bandage on it but anything I thought of would stick to his fur around the tumour once he wore it for awhile. I thought of putting a piece of gauze on it and wrapping it with vet wrap but I think he would object to it so I waited until we saw the vet.

She weighed him first and as I thought he'd gained a couple of pounds so I need to cut back on his treats because the weight gain definitely isn't helping the strength in his hind legs. She put him up on the examining table and looked at the tumour. She said it is showing signs of having necrotic (dead) tissue in the center and will start to ooze soon. She suggested I put a bandage inside a T-shirt and put the T-shirt on him with a draw string to keep it over the tumour and protect the area from further contact with the rugs and floors. I haven't tried it yet but I suspect the T-shirt I have that Pepper wore after her surgery, won't be long enough to cover the tumour. So I'll be back to the drawing board to find something to cover it. She checked and cleaned his ears but couldn't find any problems there, took his temperature, clipped his nails and examined his body for new tumours. She said he was nowhere near the point where he would need to be PTS, as long as I understood that the day would inevitably come and I was very happy to hear her say that (you all know that I am well aware that the day will come, hopefully later rather than sooner).

He is tired tonight after his appt at the vet and hasn't eaten yet. He is still eating 2 meals a day and having his treats at night in front of the TV. I'll have to find a way to reduce his food or treat intake so that he loses a couple of pounds. He's still playing games with the cats and Smokey has been loving him up every night.

I wish I had the camera with me when Smokey lay down on Ragg's front paws the other night and Raggs just sat there looking at me. It was so cute but of course I didn't.

If anyone has any suggestions for covering the tumour so it doesn't make the area worse. It looked to me as though he had scraped it on something or rubbed it on the rug.

I am concerned that when the area starts oozing it will easily become infected so I'm praying that it will heal now to give him a little more time.

Thanks everyone

[14+kitties]

for you dbg10. And Raggs - you simply rock!! Hang in there big guy!

[rainbow]

Aww, I'm sorry to hear that his tumour is looking worse ......but, so glad to hear that he is still doing well.

Big hugs to you both and, of course, lots of as well.

[ScottieDog]

I know in an odd way you found comfort in the vet's words that it isn't near time. It is coming, but not now, so that is good. Sorry about the new symptom. It is wonderful Raggs is still eating well.

From the photo (handsome face BTW) it looked like the tumor is behind his forelegs near the chest. Would it be possible to get a very large male dog belly band and wrap it around the chest with the velcro over his back? You could put sanitary pads in the band that would be soft and you could change if the place oozes. I would think you could put some medicated ointment on the pad as well. The other thing I can think of is the thundershirt. It velcros around the body and gives a gentle compression. Of course, given his spleen issues, you would probably want to consult the vet to make sure something like that is safe. I'll be thinking about ideas to protect the area and post again if I can come up with something.

Thank you for the update. I can just see Raggs and his kitty friends with their daily routines. I think of you and Raggs each day. Glad he is holding in there. You are a great momma!

[chico2]

dbg,I am sorry you and Raggs have another new worry,but happy he's still hanging in there...your stories about him and the kitties always puts a smile on my face
Hopefully you'll find a solution to covering the tumor up,I think Scottie-Dogs idea is a good one..

Lots of,for you and sweet Raggs

[hazelrunpack]

If it's not one thing, it's another. Did you find a shirt long enough to work for Raggs?

I'm glad the vet found his other vitals were still good, though! But nothing wrong with his ears? Sigh...we've had that with Macie--her ears look great, but she's shaking and scratching them. Normally we treat it with Quadritop or Panalog (the same stuff, only Quadritop is more the generic form of Panalog, I guess, and much cheaper). The vets all tell us that it's safe to use as needed and/or just occasionally to keep down inflammation and it seems to work well for Macie. We treat with Quadritop one day, clean the next, give her a day off and start the cycle again the next day.

[dbg10]

Thanks Scottiedog for the suggestions. Duh I had never heard of a belly band and had to google it to find out what it was. I tried the T-shirt I used on Pepper and remembered that after it had been washed it didn't fit her at all and of course I couldn't get it over his head. So I contemplated using kling bandage with vet wrap on top of it but he wasn't particularly co-operative, so I gave up. Today I will be going out to see if I can find anything and a belly band may be just what I'm looking for. Your idea of a sanitary pad is excellent. Yes the tumour is essentially right below his rib cage and above his abdomen. Not sure how they fit so will have to check to make sure he can still pee with it on. I found a place that shows how to make one and that may be the answer. I'll let you all know what I come up with. I just don't want it to get worse when he's lying on the carpet and pulling himself along it to get to a treat which he does every night. I am also not sure if a T-shirt will work as it may not be long enough to cover the tumour. She suggested putting a draw string in it to keep the bandage in place but that could be done with a belly band too. If I could put his coat on upside down that would do the trick but he'd be so excited thinking he was going out he'd never settle down.

I expected something to happen with the tumour eventually as it is getting bigger and hangs down a bit more than it did before, almost like it's not as firmly attached to his body. He still is more energetic than he was a few weeks ago, but I do notice he is breathing very rapidly a lot of the time. His gums are not as pale as they have been, which is a good sign. The vet was pleased and surprised that he has lived this long and she didn't want to take more blood work because she said it wouldn't tell us anymore than we already knew. That's the reason she checked his temperature, if it had been elevated it would have indicated infection as well as a tumour. I know if she thought he was ready for the rainbow bridge she wouldn't hesitate to tell me.

hazel I've been using Suralan which is an antibiotic ear drop and my vet said to keep using it when he's rubbing his ears on the floor. It does settle him down for a day or two when I use it, so obviously something in there is irritating him. She found nothing when she cleaned them and told me I must be doing a good job when I cleaned them.

He was really hungry yesterday and demanded 2 full meals and then wanted more later at night which I didn't give him because of his weight. Lately he has been eating one meal later at night with his second meal often added to the first. However, when I do this I often cut back on the rice and just give him the meat and fish as extras.

I posted the funny stories of the cats and Raggs because I wanted to lighten up this thread when he was having good days. It amazes me how much he's come to accept his place in the pack since arriving here in January 2010 with no prior experience with cats.

Thanks everyone for your support and suggestions

[hazelrunpack]

He really did settle in nicely, didn't he! He sounds like such a fine ol' gent--wish I could meet him!

If you can't find a regular T that will work, what about a night shirt? They tend to be a little longer than a regular T and might even be long enough to work in those draw strings.

Glad to hear he was hungry enough to get demanding yesterday. That's always a good sign!

[ScottieDog]

I'm so glad that his appetite is good. That makes me happy too along with the images of him playing with his kitty friends.

It is good you didn't know what a belly band is. Having shared my home with my elderly senior male, I learned what these were. My mother made some very cute ones for my little guy and I put the sanitary pads in them. It seemed that if you could get one large enough to fit around the chest, it would work on that end as well, plus the pads would offer cushioning to his ouchie. When we brought Cassie home, she wasn't housetrained. We just got in a habit of taking Mac out when we took her out. We found out that the old guy's bladder just needed 2 or 3 extra walks per day and he was able to get out of the belly bands except if we were gone for a longer time or were visiting. The only time he wore the bands much during his last year was during his vestibular disease episode. I'm happy he was able to get rid of them. I'm glad you haven't faced continence issues with Raggs or any other pets.

I'm also thinking the night shirt is a very good idea. Even a young girl's night gown might give the length you need. Hugs to the sweet old guy and his kitty friends.