Well, this is a post I thought I would never write. To say that my heart broke after receiving this news is an understatement. We were so excited to bring Sketchie home from the vet last week. As you may recall, he had exploratory surgery in an effort to determine his health issues (see this post for more info). I was convinced that he had IBD. To be honest, I was second-guessing our decision to proceed with the surgery. Would it even help him? Was it worth it to put him through all of this? I felt so unsure and conflicted.
Eric picked him up from the vet last week and I stayed back to finish up some work. He was gone a really long time which I thought was unusual. When I heard the door open I yelled, “Sketchieeee!!” like I always do in a high-pitched voice whenever I see him after being out. I ran down the stairs to greet them both and stopped in my tracks when I saw the look on Eric’s face. I knew something was terribly wrong.
After seeing Eric fight back tears I could only get out “what’s wrong?” in a choked up voice.
“Sketchie has lymphoma.”
I just collapsed into Eric’s arms. Completely lost it. The whole day was like one long nightmare. I wasn’t prepared for any of this. Even though the vet mentioned lymphoma might be a possibility, I thought “not Sketchie”. Eric explained that it’s small cell lymphoma (in his intestines) which apparently has a decent chance of responding to the treatment. I kept reading things online that treatment could help them live a few years (a few years?, I’d wail) and then I had to just stop reading about it. It was too much to process.
To make matters worse, Sketchie was still in a fair amount of pain, totally not himself and unsettled. Seeing the 15+ staples in his shaved belly was hard. It was a really difficult few days, but we gave him so much love and attention to try to help him feel better. His eyes looked so sad, obviously not knowing what the heck happened to his body. I’m so grateful though that the surgery went well without any complications.
So here we are a week and a half later still grappling with the news and trying to figure out what course of treatment we’re going to take. If anything, I’m so grateful that we were able to get the exploratory surgery to determine the root cause of his digestive issues and low B12. And that we caught it early. Knowledge is power!
I just want to thank you for thinking of Sketchie over the past couple weeks. Many of you left lovely comments and tweets and it really means a lot to me. I’d love to hear from those of you who might have had a similar experience with your pet and what treatment options you used. Right now, we’re open to exploring our options while keeping in mind his quality of life, above all.
The good news is that Sketchie is recovering well from his surgery! He’s a trooper! After 4-5 days, he seemed much more like himself. His appetite is back which is reassuring because he lost a lot of weight over the past 6 months. The spark in his eyes is back. Today he gets his staples out which I’m nervous about, so I hope it goes well and he’s not too traumatized by going back there so soon.
He’s still a young cat (7 years), so I’m hoping he will respond well to treatment. I know this one is not going down without a fight.
Now go on and hug your pets for me, will you?
+++++++++++
Updates:
In lighter news, I wanted to thank you for your incredible comments on my Cookbook Launch & Sneak Peek Post this week. I was on cloud nine all week seeing your tweets, Facebook messages, and comments come in. It really helped cheer me up and take my mind off things.
Newsletter:
I sent out the second cookbook newsletter yesterday, so be sure to check your spam box because they have a tendency to end up there. If you still haven’t received any newsletters yet, please add “[email protected]” to your email contact list to ensure that you get future newsletters. That should do the trick! If you’d like to read the 2nd newsletter in the meantime, you can do so on my book page (it’s linked near the bottom of the page).
New OSG Virtual Cookbook Blog Tour Reviews:
Check out these new reviews and don’t forget to enter the giveaways!
Dreena @ Plant Powered Kitchen (review, recipe, giveaway)
Kate @ Cookie + Kate (review, recipe)
Kaila @ Healthy Helper Blog (review, recipe, giveaway)
Kiersten @ Oh My Veggies! (review, recipe, giveaway)
Kathy @ Healthy Happy Life (review, recipe)
Cadry @ Cadry’s Kitchen (review, recipe, giveaway)
Abby @ The Frosted Vegan (review, recipe, giveaway)
Nicole @ A Dash of Compassion (review, recipe, giveaway)
Livvy @ 86 Lemons (review, recipe, giveaway)
Ashley @ {Never} home maker (review, recipe, giveaway)
Emily @ Daily Garnish (review, recipe, giveaway)
Sarah @ The Sweet Life (review, recipe, giveaway)
Jess @ Get Sconed (review, interview)
Canada AM:
Lastly, I had two fun TV appearances this week. The first one was Tuesday morning on Canada AM. I somehow managed to get through LIVE TV without passing out. hah. You can find the link to watch the video at the bottom of my book page. Thanks to my friend Karly for the screenshot above!
Steven and Chris:
The second appearance was a taping for the Steven and Chris show. It was also a total blast! We made my Empowered Noodle Bowl with Orange-Maple Miso Dressing. I don’t have an official air date yet, but I will let you know as soon as I find out. It should be within the next week or two. I hear that it’s syndicated on the Live Well Network in the US, so hopefully those of you in the US can watch it online as well.
[a couple behind the scenes photos from Steven and Chris. Thanks to Ange for the bottom photo!]
Thank you again for making this week one I won’t soon forget. Have a great weekend!
I am praying for beloved Sketchie and your sweet family, may god be with you at this time and always. All of my love, Lisa
I’m so sorry to read your loved one is dealing with a lymphoma diagnosis. My wife and I received news earlier this year about one of our babies having cysts covering her lungs. We chose to treat her with organic botanical herbs, and a multivitamin that claims to help with shrinking all types of cysts. So far her symptoms have decreased, and thats what we’re really focusing on at this point. I hope you find some comfort in knowing that you and your husband are giving Sketchy the greatest gift, which is a loving family, and a wonderful life. Best wishes to Sketchy, and many more hugs.
So so sorry to hear about Sketchie. I lost my dog late last year and it was the hardest thing but I am also so grateful I had her in my life. She could have ended up in so many homes; how lucky was I that she came into ours! No matter what, you know you gave Sketchie the best life a cat could ask for, and with any luck, she’ll be around for many, many years to come. Sending you love and support, from one animal lover to another. <3
Hi Angela,
I am so sorry to hear about Sketchie, He will be in my prayers with you and your husband. Praying for full recovery!!!
My heart goes out to you and Eric. As someone whose animals are like children, I cannot even begin to imagine what this news entails. (My own sweet girl goes in for surgery tomorrow morning to have a lump removed…praying it’s benign and that she heals okay.) I hope you find strength in knowing he has lived an amazing life through your love and kindness. Here’s something that may give you a chuckle: Sketchie is the reason I am reading your blog! My sister sent my mom and me a link saying how gorgeous this cat was. I took a look at the link, and then started exploring your blog more, and have hung around for almost five years. Needless to say, Sketchie isn’t the only thing bringing me back, but he was the reason for my first visit. :) Sending you a million hugs for this difficult time.
Angela, I’m so sorry to hear about Sketchie. I know what it’s like to be scared for a beloved pet’s life. I’m glad that you know what’s wrong so you can start treatment soon. Cookie and I will be sending lots of healing vibes from Kansas City!
Sad news indeed about sketchie. One of my dogs had that a long time ago and she received chemo treatments as well. She lived another 7 years from the time her treatments ended. Sketchie is lucky to have you. Hugs to you all.
Oh no! This breaks my heart for you. We had a similar situation with our cat a few years ago and I know just how hard it is. Sending you much love!
Hi Angela,
My heart goes out to you with the news of Sketchie’s diagnosis. Our cat, Henry, a 5 year old Himalayan, was diagnosed with lymphoma in August 2012. He was vomiting blood, losing weight, and acting lethargic when we took him to the vet. He was found to have a large tumor on his stomach that was causing the bleeding. His prognosis was very poor, but we made the decision to give chemo a try, even though it is not something I personally believe in for humans as a former oncology nurse. I searched everywhere for natural and supplemental treatments, but even the hollistic vets feel that chemo is best when it comes to lymphoma in cats. Henry responded well to the chemo and quickly began feeling better, even the vets were surprised by his response. Henry never had side effects from the chemo, but he hated the vet visits. The tumor shrank and Henry was in remission by February 2013. He was going for treatments every two weeks, then monthly. I supplemented his treatments with heat extracted Coriolus mushroom pills, which are used with chemo in Japan to reduce the drop in immune response, and probiotics. I tried to work in as much of a raw diet as Henry would tolerate, even though doctors and vets will tell you raw food and chemo are a no no due to risk of infection.
In December 2013, Henry suddenly began acting lethargic and was not as interested in food. I noticed his breathing was labored, so took him to the vet. His lungs were filling with fluid and it was suspected the lymphoma was back with a vengeance. We made the decision at that time to say goodbye. There is still a huge hole in our hearts.
The chemo was a gamble, but we got another 1 1/2 years with Henry, where he would not have made it another week without it. Our vet said she would see cats make it anywhere from 6 months to 3 years on the chemo, so the hope of another 3 years was a huge factor in our decison. Henry felt great while he was in remission, so we never felt like we were doing something selfish. We knew eventually the cancer would be back, but it made us appreciate every single day he was here. I would make the same decision, if I had it to do all over again.
Hi Andrea, Thank you for sharing Henry’s story. He sure was lucky to have your love and support! Sketchie recently started chemo (after speaking with many vets and coming to the same conclusion as you) and he is doing great so far and haven’t noticed any side effects yet. We’re hoping that since we caught it fairly early Sketchie will have a good chance of living a longer life. Ultimately, like you, his quality of life is #1 to me and I would not continue treatment if I felt like it was his time to go and his health was failing him. It really does make you appreciate every day with them though. Thanks for your comment…love to you and Henry!
Angela – I am so sorry to hear about Sketchie. Animals are such wonderful friends, and so often show us joy and love when we need it most. I am sure that Sketchie also feels the love you and Eric have for him. Some people believe animals have a 6th sense for things… well nothing can be stronger than his sense of how much “his people” love him! I hope that you all arrive at a healing solution for everyone.
Feel better Sketchie! My family dog is going through some health issues as well. The vet gave her a pretty grave prognosis, but she is responding so well to treatment and is more and more herself every day. I have so much faith that Sketchie will respond just as well! Sending you love.
It’s so hard when a furry loved one is sick. I’m so sorry to hear it! It’s so incredible that he has a family like you that will stick through it with him. Wishing you and Sketchie all the best during this difficult time!
Angela,
I am just seeing this post now and wanted to let you know how sorry I am to hear about Sketchie. My beloved dog passed away from cancer last summer, but she lived much longer than anyone thought she would. I wish for you that Sketchie will do that same, and will be showing his cute mug on this blog for many years to come. I have always heard that lymphoma is the “best” cancer to get because it’s so treatable.
Although this news is never easy to hear, I am glad that you at least have some distractions–your new book and your pregnancy!–to take your mind off the sadness. These things do not take the pain away, of course, but I hope they will help keep your heart full of joy as you navigate his treatments and care. Sending love your way.
Xo,
Tanya
Oh Angela I am so so so so sad and sorry about this. I am sending you many prayers and thoughts. Gosh what a whirlwind you have right now! Hope you have some place to breathe and embrace all the goodness and the stress. Xo
I am new to your blog via the wonderful Sarah Britton. I just found this post for kitties with cancer on the Natural Cat Care Blog. I hope this helps you. Best wishes for Sketchie.
naturalcatcareblog.com/landing/fighting-cat-cancer/
Love your blog and am glad to have found it.
Oh man. I’m so sorry. My dog had lymphoma. If you’re considering treatment, we did chemotherapy for him, and he tolerated it beautifully. Animals tolerate it much better than people do, and it bought us a lot of time. Best of luck, and big hugs. If you have any questions, lemme know.
Sending love and healing energy to Sketchie in this challenging time for his health. I have spent many years caring for kitties with health issues and I empathize with you on this path.
saying a little prayer for sketchie……
just discovered you blog. a friend shared your new cookbook on Facebook. now, i’m following you.
My heart goes out to you, Eric, and Sketchie. This post was actually shared with me by a coworker of mine that follows your blog, as I have recently had a cat diagnosed with lymphoma. As I started reading, and got goosebumps at how hauntingly similar our experiences are. Read on to see why…
My cat Blackjack stopped eating and started vomiting the entire day on 3/2/14. I took him to the vet first thing the next morning; since his vitals and exam were normal, they gave him fluids, meds, special food, and told me to monitor him for the day. The vomiting stopped, but he still wasn’t eating and stopped drinking as well.
The next morning I dropped him off for X-rays and blood work. A few hours later they called and asked me to take him to the Emergency Vet for an ultrasound. This resulted in emergency surgery; they found an intestinal tumor and 2 very swollen lymph nodes. I got to take him home 2 days after surgery, but a week later I got the biopsy results… lymphoma (likely exacerbated by IBD). I was devastated; I never, ever expected this.
My baby is also only 7 years old. He also has intestinal, low grade, small cell lymphoma. And he and his brother (actual brother, they’re from the same litter) are the light of my life and bring me so much joy. They’re my babies, especially since don’t have the human variety. Your second photo of Sketchie brought tears to my eyes & a smile to my face… that’s exactly what my boy looked like after his surgery (same shaved parts, but my baby’s all black, part Siamese). His recovery from surgery has gone well, but the thought of losing him so young terrifies me. I thought I still had at least another 7 years with him, hopefully more.
There are only a few hundred veterinary oncologists in the US; fortunately one of them is right in my city and so far I think he’s great. We started Blackjack’s treatment almost 3 weeks ago: 1 prednisolone daily (2 per day for the first week), and a chlorambucil (chemo) pill every 2 weeks with a anti-nausea, all for the rest of his life. Fortunately I get to give him his pills at home, and he generally takes them very well. For the first 2 months, he goes in every 2 weeks for a CBC (complete blood count, to make sure his white blood cells & platelets haven’t dropped too low), then every month for 2 months, then every 3 months for life (he will see the oncologist every 3-6 months for life). So far he’s responding well to his treatment – he’s only lost a little weight (mostly from his week of not eating before and after surgery) and his first CBC last week had good results. Since I’ve read and heard that so much that the early part of treatment often suggests future outlook, I have high hopes. But it’s still devastating news and hard to deal with.
Unfortunately his other brother is also now having health problems, and he’s also only 7. What they thought was oral cancer is now hopefully an embedded root fragment and infection; he goes in for sedation, new rads, root fragment removal, and perhaps a biopsy on Wed morning, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed.
These boys have been through so much in their short lives (more than I’ve mentioned here… this is just the past month), they deserve a break. And I deserve an emotional and financial one. Fortunately they are loved beyond belief, get tons of attention, and have lots of friends that come visit (they’ve never met a human, even a non-cat-loving one, that hasn’t fallen for them). And every penny I spend is well worth it, even if I’m paying it off for the next 5 years. They are my family. They bring me joy like nothing else. And when I rescued them, I made a vow to always look out for them and give them all I could. They deserve the best, and as much as I can control it, that’s all they’re going to get.
Hi Angela,
I am so sorry to hear the news of Sketchie. My heart goes out to you and Eric. I am behind in reading my emails and hence the posts. I just saw the one about your exciting news and commented how baby Oh She Glows will have a pal to play with when baby gets older. Sorry if you thought that was cold but I read that prior to reading about Sketchie. I completely understand the emotional reaction as I have kitties too and now how our pet children are such a part of our families and our lives. All the best is wished for Sketchie and hope to stay on top of my email, blog updates.
All the best,
Adriana
I don’t think anything wrecks me so horribly than hearing about a very sick pet – especially cats. Sometimes I wonder if I’m some kind of sociopath cause I often worry more about them than I do humans (did I actually just say that out loud?) But they give us so much happiness and we, in turn, love them so deeply and feel so responsible for their health and well-being it is unbearable when there is nothing we can do for them (although you have done everything possible).
Although I’ve never had to deal with disease (knock on wood), one of my most-loved rescue cats Fluffy got out of our house unnoticed six years ago on Canada Day (with a basket of fresh baby kittens in my bedroom closet). We believe the explosion of fireworks frightened her onto the road where she was hit by a car. She was not killed right away and while she tried to move off the road and people who saw it happened were calling the Humane Society, she was hit by a second car. Unbelievably, she was still alive when the Humane Society got there but there was nothing they could do. We spent all night calling and looking for her and didn’t find out till the next morning what had happened. I literally don’t think I’ve been the same since, knowing how scared she must have been and how much she suffered. The guilt for not realizing she’d gotten out will never leave me. I ended up keeping all four of her very special kittens, nursing them with a doll’s bottle and they are all fat and sassy today.
Please keep us posted as to Sketchie’s recovery. I’m not exaggerating when I say this will keep me awake at night if I start to think about it before bedtime. I’m so sorry you (and Sketchie) have to go through this. Positive thoughts from me.
I’m so sorry to hear about what’s going on with Sketchie. I’m sending positive vibes your way & hope whatever treatment option you decide on, he responds well to :)
Hi Angela, I just want to say congratulations on your baby news – I read your blog all the time and I’m so happy for you. Your recipes are wonderful and your photos are lovely. Just a thought, since you have a cat and now a baby on the way, have your kitty tested for toxoplasmosis, which is highly contagious and very dangerous for pregnant mothers, and children also. It’s parasitic, and I’ve read that if your cat has spent any time outdoors, it most likely has contracted it. Once children have caught it, the parasite lives inside them forever, it’s awful, and now doctors are thinking that it may be a cause of schizophrenia and other mental health problems, so please be aware of that.
I wish you all the best! Your baby is so lucky to be born into a vegan, animal loving family. My baby was born 14 years ago (hard to believe, it goes SO fast) and he and his little sister have never had meat, and would never want it. The other day he hugged me and said “Mom, I’m so glad you are a vegetarian and raised us to be vegetarians too.” Wow. :) Enjoy every minute!
I’m so so sorry for Sketchie :( I’m sure he’s a fighter and a trooper and that he’ll get better… Something similar just happened to my cat during the weekend. His name is Minou. He’s only 3 years old. He just started vomiting all the time, was not eating, being lethargic… I decided to take him to the vet and after X-Rays, he discovered that Minou probably had intestinal obstruction and was severely dehydrated. I had to decide if I was willing to go with the surgery. I could not let him die so young. He’s my baby. So we decided to pay for the surgery. He was indeed obstructed and could’ve died. He’s now recovering. What would we do without them? xxx Sending some positive energy your way!
Saw your website after I rushed to my laptop to find the chia cracker recipe ( in the oven as I type) after a lunch when visiting Sedona and was taken with the crackers at ChocolaTree.
This is the first I have stopped to cruise around your site a bit. So sorry about Sketchie’s report. Got one myself this week. ( 19 years ago for the last Brst. CA diagnosis. ) Since I am unfamiliar with your views on anything other than fantastic food; I wonder if you are researching alternative med. approach. Just a thought.
Blessings. And congratulations on the September event.
I’m sorry, There’s no amount of words that can make someone feel better about awful news. My parents kept their German Shepherd well doing chemo for about a year. It was a good decision on their part to treat the cancer as he lived a couple of years longer and was happy, eating well and going on twice daily walks. Like people though, you never know how they’ll react to treatment.
I don’t have cats as my husband is allergic to their fur, but we currently have four adopted dogs and a menagerie of smaller pets. We’d do anything to try to treat them if there was hope of extending their life (as long as they’d be pain-free and enjoying life). Our motto is that we’d rather be paupers than live a life without them ;)
The bad news about fur-babes is that they live a minuscule portion of our own lives, but on the upside it allows us to adopt and rescue more … to give these angels our unconditional love, respect and security for the rest of their lives, which some of them have never experienced before. There’s nothing more fulfilling in life than offering them that promise.
When the “time” comes, just remember the love and security you offered Sketchie … I know he’ll remember and forever be grateful.
I know you made this post a while ago, but I had a baby a year ago so my time for blog reading has been few and far between. I always try to stop in here when I get a chance. I just wanted to tell you our story.
Our dog was diagnosed with osteosarcoma (bone cancer) which is one of the most aggressive forms of cancer. She was 11. She started limping and they put her under anesthesia to take xrays. We got the call that is was a bone tumor and we were devastated. They gave us 10 mins to make a decision – do we keep her under and amputate or wake her up and not treat? This dog was a fighter, the smartest dog I had ever met with a strong will and light in her eyes. I worked at a vet all through college so I knew what we were up against.
After a quick consult with our vet to get the stats, we said amputate. With no intervention she had 2 months to live (the bone would likely break) and she would be in pain, with amputation alone she had 4 months to live, with amputation and chemo she had a 50% chance of making it to 1 year. Of the dogs that make it one year, only a small percentage of those see two years. We amputated and then did 5 rounds of chemo. They normally do 4-6 rounds and the 4th round was very hard on her. Our vet did some research and found a statistically significant difference between 4 and 5 rounds, but not much difference between 5 and 6. So we did one more round for a total of five – it was very tough on her but she was a trooper. She did amazing with her amputation and was up and using her doggie door within days.
She was diagnosed in May of 2011 and had her amputation in June of 2011 with chemo through October of that year. Siena just passed away in February of this year for other reasons, not cancer. We think she had a stroke that left her unable to walk. She beat all the odds and we were so thankful to have those couple of years with her. She was able to meet our first child and for that we are forever grateful. Good luck with Sketchie, you know him best and will do the best for him.
Sorry to hear the sad news about lovely Sketchie, hope his quality of life improves and he has some happy more times with you and your much awaited for Daughter.
xxx
I know I’m a little late to respond. So sorry about your kitty! My cat, Henry was diagnosed with lymphoma at age 6. Confirmed with biopsy. I work as a technician in a great feline only hospital and with the guidance of great doctors we were very aggressive with treatment. Chemo, steroids and supplements. Later when he was just fed up with the constant vet visits we started oral chemo (leukeran), prednisolone, b12 infections and folic acid. I was told he would live for 6 months but I’m happy to say he lived another 6 1/2 years. He was a great patient and never really complained and I am so happy with the many extra years we had with him. Doing the chemo route can be a difficult and expensive decision to make but I never regretted it.
That’s so great to hear Hayla. :) Sketchie has been on the chemo meds (plus B12 and Prednisolone) for a while now and he and his blood work are doing great! not to mention, he doesn’t have horrible diarrhea anymore and just seems happier. I’m really hopeful that he will live several more years of a good life with us.
Hi Angela,
I’m sorry to hear about Sketchie. Recently our dog was diagnosed with a brain tumor and we were devastated. This past year, she’s survived breast cancer and almost completely recovered from heart failure, now this! I gave myself 1 day to cry, but then I put my feelings aside to be strong for my Georgie-girl because she had the real battle to fight.
We too weren’t sure of which treatment to take, but we went ahead with the chemo after plenty of research and asking friend’s who had experience with doggy chemo, and she got through her first treatment like a CHAMP! We were told we only had months left, which was the similar prognosis with the breast cancer and heart failure, so we know time is limited, although she seems to be beating the odds and wowing the vets with her other illnesses.
As for chemo, she was a bit more tired and had difficulty walking, but that was also a side effect of the other new meds (Prednisone and phenobarbital). Her mood remained good and a few days after treatment, she was back to her normal self again! So long as the treatment is helping her, we’ll continue doing it, but when it stops, we won’t let her suffer.
For now, we celebrate every day as a small victory and try not to think too far ahead into the future.
Good luck! I hope Sketchie has an easy and speedy recovery!
Hi Angela,
I know this is a bit late but it breaks my heart to hear that Sketchie has been diagnosed with lymphoma. It does sound, though, that you have a very good vet on your side and Sketchie is very fortunate to be a part of your family (and you are very fortunate to have Sketchie as a part of your family!). I have two cats of my own and I know how incredibly important Sketchie is to you and your family. I hope that he is doing well!
Hi! I had the same with my pet, she didn’t make it…
After doing some research I found out that ALLOT of health (and behavior) problems of our pets come from the food they eat, and I mean allot. The food they eat (even the big “fancy” brands) are stuffed with pesticides, waste from the waste from the waste of the meat industry,weird stuff and some more weird stuff. When eating this food day in day out, we are slowly killing our pets. Lots of stuff like cancer, tumors result from the food they eat. If I had known this, I would have given my cat better food. so NOTHING from the supermarket and not even the good brands from the pet store. Maybe if I had known this beforehand, she would still be alive. Wanted to share this, hopefully making someone aware that not only we, but also our pets benefit from GOOD, wholesome, organic food.
So sad to hear about your cat. I have 3 myself. I love them. I hope he is doing well. I’m curious, is your cat vegan/vegetarian?
How is Sketchy doing? I was so sad to hear your news. I lost my own little furry friend a few years ago and still haven’t got over it. Only people who are close to their pets will understand and think of them as friends rather than just animals or pets.
I wish I had advice for you on a treatment plan, but I really don’t know anything about that kind of thing. Sending lots of love for Sketchy.
Julia x
PS Thanks for all the recipes. You’re my vegan hero!
Doh! I obviously meant Sketchie rather than Sketchy.
:)
I don’t do much in the blogging world. I only come across them when I search for something specific- in this case kale chips. Having the tendency to get distracted, I went from kale chips to a photo of a beautiful cat, where this story popped up. I just wanted to add my two cents in case I can help any kitties out there. Cancer, putting this as generally as possible, takes over when it becomes stronger than the immune system. Feline leukemia, though a virus, is successful in the same way. There is a new treatment out for feline leukemia which actually bolsters the immune system. I have spoken with the developers of this treatment directly, and have been told that it has been quite successful with cancers. They cannot advertise as such because the treatment is only FDA approved for feline leukemia. They hope to get it approved one day for human use- treating AIDS, cancer, and other immune related illnesses.
My cat, Picasso, has been on this treatment for a little over a year now. We were very close to losing him when I discovered LTCI, which is the name of the treatment. It has gotten chillier after a hot start to September here in NY, and he just got a treatment shot yesterday. The combination has my 15 year old feline-leukemia positive cat running around bonkers with his housemates today. It is a wonderful, amazing, and all natural treatment, which has incredibly interesting science behind it for anyone who is interested in natural healing.
Hi! I just recently found your blog! I hope Sketchie is doing ok. I wanted to tell you that I had a cat with GI lymphoma. She lived with it for four years. I looked into alternative type treatments because I did not want to give her medication but from everything I read, there wasn’t anything that was effective on this type of lymphoma. We ended up using a combination of Luekeran and predisolone. It worked wonderfully for our Callie. She was a happy kitty for almost all of those four years. She ended up with some cognitive disfunction so she was not quite herself sometimes towards the end. She lived to be 18.5 yrs old. I will miss her every day. Thanks for letting me share. I hope Sketchie is doing well. I love your blog. It’s so inspiring. Thanks for being a light in the world. :)
I recently discovered your blog, so I didn’t even know you had such a cutie. I love animals, I’ve been surrounded by them since I was a little girl, and I understand how miserable one feels when they suffer and you don’t know what to do to help them.
My heart goes with you and Sketchie, I hope you will find something that will make him healthy and happy. I’m sure he’s being loved and cared for and that’s what matters.
Big hug and kiss to beautiful Sketchie.
Dear Angela and Eric,
So sorry to hear about little Sketchie….my thoughts are certainly with you! I am a veterinarian and my sweet boy Parker also had intestinal lymphoma several years ago…unfortunately, it is common in kitties :(
If I could offer any advice, I’d say to focus on one day at a time..live “like a cat”…one minute at a time, one day at a time. The thing about animals with cancer…they don’t wake up every morning knowing they have cancer. They are troopers and face each day with tremendous courage.
Sketchie is a lucky boy to have such an amazing family! Keep up the wonderful care with him. —Leigh W.
Sadly, my baby girl died from feline gastrolymphoma this past December. She had survived breast cancer twice and we didn’t find her lymphoma until it was too late (we thought it was a dental infection). If it is caught early, steroids and chemo can be done and from what we saw that does buy some significant time. I hope Sketchie has many more years ahead!
Angela and Eric,
I ran across your blog because I love to cook and I am always looking to see what other people are doing for inspiration and ideas.
I am so sorry this happened to your precious kitty. I have an 8 year young tortoushell female that has been the joy of my life. I have never had a more affectionate, loving pet. She came down with breast cancer last spring. I felt the same as you. Not my Cookie!. I’ve had a cat that lived to 23 that I was growing up. After two awful surgeries that made her and us miserable I had to think of her quality of life in the time she has left. It breaks my heart and I have seen so much pet cancer in my life. It is disturbing and I suspect quality of food, pesticides ? Hope he is doing well.
What a heartwarming story. I was not so lucky. . . Molly developed bad potty habits and the vet advised that once this starts, it is nearly impossible to reverse it. Sooooo, I did the kind thing and ended Molly’s life. She is buried in my backyard where she can watch the birds.
I had a question about brown rice syrup…I purchased it to make your Present Glo Bars, then I googled it and it says it has a high glycemic level….should I use another sugar substitute?
~Tracy
I hope Sketchie is still doing well. Went to out local farmers market and got some organic kale and looked up recipes for chips and found yours. Saw the picture of your cat and had to read the story. Just today I took my sweet Ishtar who is 13 to the vets because of what I figured was her cancer flaring up again. I was right and she won’t have long now. Just sending good energy and love to your sweet cat. We do love our animals…..and getting all the ingredients to try your wonderful recipe. Thank you.
Sooooo sorryyyyy :( I just read about this Angela. Is Archie a survivor ? Please tell me the good news because I am an animal lover .
I haven’t read any comments on what your sweet kitty is eating for food. Do you feed her raw by chance? I have been feeding my three cats raw food for many years now and many holistic vets recommend this to give them adequate nutrition and enzymes. Its the most natural way for them to eat and gives them the best chance at fighting disease.
Lymphoma in felines is caused by one thing: diet. The billion dollar pet food industry has been lying for years about the quality of their products and funding veterinary studies for decades that are flawed and have led the vastly inaccurate conventional knowledge with regards to feline nutrition. I have studied nutrition for 14 years now and can tell you the best diet for a cat is whole prey. It’s what they are designed to eat. It is extremely difficult to replace the whole prey model in pet food, but to do so required bone, marrow, intestines, pelt, as well as fat and meat. Most “primal” pet foods put too high a fat content in to their pet foods to compensate for the cost of using high quality ingredients. I will tell you one thing all human should know about, especially when caring for sick humans and especially animals. bone broth. A single chicken carcass properly slow cooked produces 2 gallons of it.
Roast the bones in the oven until deep brown and crispy, and throw it into an instant pot with about a gallon of water or less, on low heat for 42 hours, or until until the bones have started turn to meal. If you have a pressure cooker setting, turn this on for the rice setting to do a final extraction of marrow. You can strain off and SAVE the bones leftover in your pet food, and you can save this concentratred broth for a variety of dishes, especially in french cuisine. Most importantly, you can freeze this into ice cube trays and thaw it for your pets. With a little fat added, it’s actually idea nutrition for a sick cat who can no longer eat solid food, and makes an excellent treat for cats and dogs alike. Just be sure to not add salt, celery, or other spices to the pet’s broth. This yeilds over 100 grams of protein from the chicken, and furthermore it honors the chicken’s life and wastes none of it.