saavedra77 | Puig Update

Since getting Puig’s test results on Saturday (which revealed that he has hyperthyroidism and very likely has cancer), I've gotten a second opinion from a veterinarian friend, Aimee. She helped me clarify my thinking about Puig's situation:

Aimee said that she doesn't recommend cancer treatment for cats. The treatments are not really about curing them, but about halting the progress of the disease. But it generally comes back. The treatments also can be hard on the animal--who, of course, doesn't know what's going on. Aimee questioned whether it was really worthwhile to pursue the additional testing required to confirm or rule out cancer, given how little I could do with this information.

On the other hand, Aimee said not to dismiss the possibility that Puig’s symptoms are rooted in the illness we definitely know about, the hyperthyroidism--even the apparently neurological symptoms which the other vet suspected were signs of metastatic cancer. Certainly, this provides a very likely explanation for the weight loss.

So Puig has been on thyroid medication, as well as an all-wet-food diet, since Sunday. He’s definitely gained some weight back, seems more energetic, but still very, very wobbly—you can push him over with a feather, basically. Still, it’s an improvement.