Can we take our cat to a oncologist for a second opinion

See an oncologist? Fatty cyst or fibrosarcoma Our cat had a fibrosaroma in a back knee last Oct & was amputated. She was fine & then got histo (which they initially thought was lung cancer but wasn't) in March. She's now better after itra, but just got a lump on her shoulder. Her vet thinks it's sarcoma or fatty tissue. He wants us to wait & see if it gets bigger. Can we go & see an oncologist before knowing if it's cancer for 2nd opinion? The vet thinks only see onco if it's known cancer but we want to be on top of this. Been through much!

  • Vetinfo

    By: Kara McCarty El Segundo, CA

    Replied on 04/19/2011

    Whether your veterinarian handles your cat's case or you go to see an oncologist he or she won't be able to tell you much until the lump is removed or biopsied and submitted to a veterinary histopathologist for diagnosis. Was a fine needle aspirate attempted but not diagnostic? Fibrosarcomas can be difficult to get a sample from on aspirate and can be spread by a needle if you're not very careful so some veterinarians don't bother but if the aspirate is diagnostic it is helpful.

    You can choose to take your cat to whomever you wish but a specialist will be more expensive and won't be able to do much more for you than a regular general practitioner will until a diagnosis is achieved. Once a diagnosis is achieved a veterinary oncologist will be very helpful giving you options for chemotherapy or radiation therapy depending upon what the diagnosis is.

More Questions on Cancer

  • Feline leukemia

    I just had to put down my 2 year old cat today because of felv and i have 3 more cats related to this one that they want me to bring in for testing. They are active and eat well. The one I had to put down was showing signs so I understand the need for her being put down. If i bring them in and they test + for felv do i have to put them down? I live in Texas and I am unsure of the laws when it comes to something like this. I cant deal with putting them all down in one day. Thanks, Brittany

  • Cat cancer: Fibrosarcoma

    My 14 year old cat was just diagnosed with Fibrosarcoma. We found a small lump (a bit smaller than a marble) on her back, just to the side of her spine. Our Vet removed it right away and quite a bit of surrounding tissue, resulting in an app. 5 inch scar. We were told we got it early and the lab report said 10 - 25% chance of recurrence. Now we're just waiting. Should we be doing something else such as consulting an oncologist?

  • Found feline leukemia positive stray, can she live with my vaccinated cat?

    My cat is 6 years old and she is FeLV negative. She has had the vaccine for two years with the appropriate booster the first year. Unfortunately or fortunately, we found a starving stray cat in our neighborhood. I took the stray cat to the vet today and she has feline leukemia. I want to keep her and take care of her, if at all possible, but I am worried for my six year old without feline leukemia (but with the vaccine). How effective is the vaccine? Any statistics you could give me would help!

  • My 13yr old cat may have cancer, what can I do?

    My cat is 13. I took her to the vet and she has lost 2 lbs. They tested for hyperthyroidism and the test was neg. they said her kidney function was borderline and that it is probably cancer. they said there would be no reason to test because of her age. it does not seem good enough. i switched her to indoor dry cat and bottled water in the spring but she is back on tap now. she gets 1/2 can fancy feast eaceh night. Her appetite has been fine. I just do not want to give up on my girl. Thx

  • My cat has nasal lymphoma, should I go with aggressive treatment?

    My 6 year old cat has nasal lymphoma, should I go forward with aggressive treatment?I am having trouble deciding whether to treat my cat. Her lymphoma is localized to the nasal cavity. The radiation oncologist suggests 6 weeks of radiation, and 25 weeks of chemotherapy. That is approximately 7 months of weekly vet visits. An IV every time, multiple anesthetics, and the side effects/complications that go along with this serious treatment. It seems like too much to put her through. Even with a good prognosis, she can't tell me how is she is suffering or what she is feeling.

  • My cat has a large lump on the underside of her stomach

    My cat has a large lump on the underside of her stomach,it went away but grew back. What could it be? Is it a tumor of some kind?

  • Does my cat have cancer, bleeds from his gums, swollen lymph nodes

    Does my cat have cancer if he keeps bleeding from his gums and has swolen lymph nodes? i have a male cat who is about 14 months old. I had him sterilized about a month ago. he was sent home still groggy and escaped from his basket and stumbled on the stairs. there was a little blood in his mouth and the next day he was fine and normal. Around ten days later he developed some bleeding from his mouth. His gums appeared black and swollen as if there were clots in them. I took him to the vet thinking this was a complication of the fall. The vet cleaned his mouth and gave him a shot of antibiotics twice over three days. However the bleeding did not stop. My husband is a doctor and thought we can give him clindamycin and prednisone for a week.The vet had also given him vitamin k but it did not help. Neither did our prednisone and clindamycine.He also had swollen lymph glands in the inner thighs and his neck.In addition he developed a red spot on the back of his shoulders as if his skin was breaking down and one of his back legs became really swolen but did not seem to hurt if touched or pressed gently. so we went back to the vet who suggested a blood test. The cat had a low platelet count and in addition anemia with a haemoglobin count of 5. he also had raised number of lymphocytes . his liver function and creatnine were normal. The vet then started giving him oxytetracycline shots and prednisone shots. these were given for five days. He stopped bleeding from his mouth but had rectal bleeding. we felt it may because of the prednisone so we treated this with flagyl and two days later all bleeding stopped and he was eating better - upto six times a day. previous to this he was still eating but needed coaxing. He had fever in all this but no diarrhea excep one stool which i noticed was liquidy. Also no vomitting. He has been drinking water too. so now we took him back for a check up after his two good days. But he sitll had fever and so the vet suggested we give him some vibramycin. I was reluctant too as his course of flagyl had not ended yet. And now this sunday he started bleeding from th mouth again and looks miserable and will not eat and is listless. all these days i also noticed he would try to eat the gravel of his ltter box or lick the pavement outside or the walls when i took him out for a bit. i assumed this was some sort of Pica because of the low haemoglobin. We live in Karachi Pakistan where not a lot of diagnostic tests are available and where vets are not that well trained. So i have no idea what this is. can it be some kind of lymphoma, or can it be dengue fever. Dengue fever is widespread here amongst humans and we have to be careful to not get bitten. Can cats get Dengue fever? I am really at a loss here. I rescued this cat from a garbage

  • How do I keep my cat with cancer as comfortable as possible?

    Lung mets from mammary cancer - how do I keep my cat as comfortable as possible? My 10 1/2 yr old female cat had a mammary strip 9 months ago for aggressive mammary adencarcinoma. Her cancer has now come back, and the chest x-rays look suspicious. Assuming that she has mets now in her lungs, please can you tell me what I need to look out for in terms of symptoms, and whether anything can be done in the early stages to alleviate them? I want to make sure she doesn't suffer unnecessarily, and keep her comfortable for as long as possible. Many thanks.

  • What is wrong with my cat is it a tumor?

    he is going crazy meowing loudly hitting his head on hard things frothing at the mouth walking around in circles he seems really confused he is also eating and drinking a lot more.he is also bleeding at the nose.

  • Can feline leukemia be spread to other animals?

    We are thinking of getting a ferret and one of our cats has feline leukemia. Can the ferret catch this?

  • How do I know if it's time to put my cat to sleep?

    How can I possibly know when it's time to put my cat down? She has been diagnosed with cancer but she is still eating & drinking - very little but still doing it. This morning she came in from the garage, into my bedroom to let me know she was hungry. She is having difficulty walking and is extremely thin. Reality is - I don't want to have to make that decision. She's 15 years old. Please advise.

  • Pain Relief for cat with Kidney Lymphoma

    I have a cat that was diagnosed with a kidney lymphoma and was given 2 weeks to 2 months to live. Well, it has been 2 1/2 months, and a few weeks ago I noticed swelling around the kidney areas and behavioral changes (wanting to be alone mostly). He is currently on blood pressure meds and prednisone, but is there anything more I can do? Is he in pain? If so, what can we do to relieve the pain?

  • Feline fibrosarcoma- full chance of recovery or shortened lifespan?

    Hi My 5 year old cat has just had an operation. She had a rapid growing lump on her back. (probably around vaccination area) The lump has been removed and she is currently recovering. However,today, I have received news that the lump was a fibrosarcoma. I understand that it is very important how the operation is carried out and there is a 50% chance of another tumor to occur. But I wonder if there is a chance for her to fully recover again. Is it now certain that her lifespan has shortened?

  • See all questions in Cancer

Please do not use our site to attempt to diagnose or treat your pet. Your veterinarian is the best source of health advice for an individual pet.

Please do use our site to become better informed about the medical problems your pet may have. We will do our best to ensure that information presented is accurate and up-to-date. The most current information will be at the top of each page. Remember that veterinarians often disagree about the best treatments for pets. There are often several perfectly acceptable ways to treat the same condition. Just ask a lot of questions!

For all emergency situations, please contact your local Emergency Pet Clinic or on-call Veterinarian. Answers are not provided in real time. We can not guarantee an answer to every question, nor can we provide timely responses to urgent questions in many instances.