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!
Hello,
I was so sad when I read your post. We have two 7-month old Russian Blues, who are like sons to us. Their breeder is the most knowledeable person I know when it comes to cats (especially cat nutrition and natural healing). Her website is www.blue-majesty.com and she even has a lot of information on the website, including book recommendations. Whenever our cats are not feeling well, we treat them with homeopathic medicine or bach flowers. It might be worth exploring natural remedies for Sketchie (in addition to treatment proposed by the vet).
I’m sending Sketchie and your family lots of positive thoughts!
Marlies
P.S.: I received your cookbook yesterday and it is amazing!!
I’m so sorry to hear about Sketchie — I can’t imagine anything happening to my dog, so I know you must be crushed. What a thing to have to deal with amidst everything else!
Hi Angela,
So sorry to hear about sketchie :( My heart feels for you as we lost our dog Mac to cancer a few years ago. I still tear up whenever I think about that day but know he is in a better place and free from pain. Wishing you, sketchie and Eric the best with this situation.
Alex
As a fellow pet lover, that post broke my heart. I hope you are able to feel at peace with whatever course of action you decide upon. It’s not easy. Hang in there! xo
I’m sorry to hear about the newest health updates for your cat. Pets become so much a part of our family, and it’s deeply painful when we face something like this. I hope that things go smoothly with treatment and he responds well.
my thoughts are with you, eric & sketchie. XOXOXO
Sending hugs and thoughts to you and Sketchie!
I so sorry to hear the news about Sketchie. When I had read your post about Him having to get surgery I was really hoping for good news, unlike what my mom and I got with our cat. We had just gotten a 6month old Savannha kitten in December and we got her from a local shelter after she had been dumped by her breeder and he said there was no hope for her , just put her down :( Well the shelter didn’t want to do that so she was getting treatment for a month and finally she was put up for adoption. Along came my mom and I, and we were not looking to get a cat we were just there visiting since we put our cat before down in Oct. well we ended up adopting our cat which we named Mochi. She was a little skinny , kind of walked funny, and was said to have IBS just like Sketchie. So we were giving her medicine for that and everything was going fine. Well two months later in Feb. one morning, my mom woke up and she was laying in her urine, so I put her in the litter box and she just collapsed. We later that day took her to an animal emergency clinic where we as well got terrible news. Mochi had FIP which is an uncurable disease. How the disease works is it messes with their neurological system, shuts down their organs, and they eventually die. After only two months of having our sweet kitty, my mom and I were not ready for the decision we had to make, but it was what was best for Mochi. We had to put her down and that’s why I was really hoping for a better turn out with Skechtie for he is a gorgeous cat and I hate seeing thse things happen to undeserving animals. I hope you find a treatment for him and things get better!
Oh no…my heart goes out to you guys. Animals return our affection, they bask in our love…it’s such a perfect system…and then illness appears out of nowhere. You are such a caring person, as demonstrated by the life choices you have already made, that being a steward of a sick animal will cause you pain of your own. Living with an open heart is the bravest thing you can do…hugs to all:)
Hi. Sorry to hear about your cat. I wanted to let you know that my cat Riley has small cell lymphoma in his intestines as well. We live in suburban Philadelphia so he is being treated at the University of Pennsylvania Veterinary hospital. Not sure where you live but I can tell you from previous experience with another cat, the oncologist that you work with is EXTREMELY important. The oncology service at Penn is great. They have a comprehensive approach to treating cancer, designed yo make things easier for you and your cat.
Lymphoma is really treatable, although not curable. Please make sure that your oncologist is treating your cat, not his cancer. While the protocols for lymphoma are fairly generic, they can be customized depending upon your cat’s needs. Same thing with the meds. Some docs will tell you there is only one way to treat. Also not true.
Please feel free to reach out with questions. I know this is a sad and scary time for you.
Donna
Donna,
I am not sure if you still follow this, but I was curious to know what protocol your cat was on for small cell lymphoma?
Hi Angela,
I am so sorry to hear the news about Sketchie. I was researching online and I came across this website http://www.naturalcatcareblog.com/2013/06/from-incurable-to-cancer-free-in-one-year-how-nate-the-cat-survived-high-grade-lymphoma/
I hope some of that information helps. There are natural supplements and treatments that can help your cat, especially because it’s small cell lymphoma. I’m sure anything to boost Sketchie’s immune system will be of help. Stay positive, he will fight this!
ps. Congrats on your incredible cookbook. I’ve been a reader to your blog for many years, and you truly are an inspiration. Can’t wait to get my hands on your book very soon!
I wish you, Eric and Sketchie the very best to fight and overcome this! xo
I’m so sorry to hear about Sketchie :(. I have seen the same problem in a Bengal cat in the vet practice I work in, she was being treated with Chemotherapy and she lived 6+ years past her diagnosis. There is hope, don’t give up quite yet see what options are out there and what os best for him. Also don’t be afraid to seek out 2nd opinions and expert advise. Exhaust all resources! I work with a Veterinarian who specializes in chemotherapy so if you need advise I could try and help you out just drop me an email. I’m glad though that he is doing better <3
This breaks my heart – I have been reading your blog for years and always love seeing sketchie.
I hope you get some good advice on his treatment.
My kitty had really bad digestive issues and skin allergies for years until I switched him to a raw diet. I know sketchie’s health issues right now are more serious, but sometimes diet can play a large part (as you know!). Here’s a comprehensive website that has great info on the subject:
http://feline-nutrition.org/
I have also emailed them with questions and they respond–
<3
Hi there, I have a similar story: My favorite cat Poncho passed away 1 year ago from intestional lymphoma. He had always been obsessed with food but had lost weight so we took him to the vet. They did an ultrasound and found suspicion of lymphoma. They said there was nothing they could do or I would have done surgery to remove it too. I was giving him prednisone and feeding him with a syringe for about 2 weeks since he wouldn’t eat himself. Within a week of the ultrasound he was gone. You are very lucky, so happy for you that he is doing well after surgery.
I’m so sorry to hear about Sketchie. It is great that he is recovering well though, I’m sure all the love he has from you and Eric helps him!
I just watched your Canada AM interview and it made me crave some overnight oats! I think I’ll make my favorite for tomorrow morning (your oatmeal raisin cookie VOO yummm).
So sorry to hear about the lymphoma diagnosis, it’s so hard when our babies have to go through things like this. Your Sketchie and both you and Eric are in my thoughts today, praying for the right treatment to be found quickly. Hugs!!!
I’m so sorry to hear about Sketchie and I’m so hopeful that everything goes well for him! My cat Fry was really sick a few years ago so I can totally relate to the pain you are feeling. Stay positive and show him all the love you can. My thoughts are with you all.
-Alanna
Ps my cookbook arrived recently and I am in love with it! Thank you so much for writing such a great book! Congrats :)
I am sorry to hear this news. My very young cat underwent many rounds of treatment of chemo before it finally became clear the treatment was not working. He was treated at one of the most advanced veterinary schools in the country and received excellent care. However, at no point did any of the veterinary students or their supervisors give the impression that stopping treatment was an option. Please just keep in mind that it is not their job to view things from a spiritual, or even practical, perspective. They are trained to exhaust all possible remedies to the extent you are willing to pay. Looking back, I fear that some of the choices I made were motivated more by my fear of losing my pet that by my consideration of his best interests. We project so much human emotion on to our pets that we lose objectivity and forget that they do not understand that the (often invasive or otherwise painful) treatments are intended to help them. They are often ready to let go well before we are. While going through all of this with him, I was not able to be objective or take my emotions out of the picture but I wish I had been in contact with a person or group of people who had more objectivity. So if you have a “devil’s advocate” type person in your inner circle, you might want to consult with them from time to time as the treatment plan progresses. And remind yourself that no matter the outcome of his illness, you have given Sketchie an amazing life.
Thank you so much for the inspiring work you do.
Sorry to hear about your cat! Have you ever heard of using a raw meat based diet for your cat? Its supposed to help tramendously with degenerative diseases for cats. A good book on it is called “Dr. Becker’s Real Food for Healthy Dogs and Cats” by Beth Taylor. It would probably work best by slowly changing your cats diet. Just a suggestion! :)
Hey Claire,
Thanks for your help. We actually tried this diet when we were experimenting with a cure for his digestive issues. Unfortunately he wouldn’t touch any of the food and he stuck his nose up at it everytime! I think we might give it another try with another company just to see if he might take to it. We’ve had him on grain-free for a while and that seems to be helping.
Keep up hope. My own kitty at two years old was diagnosed with a genetic heart condition (HCM), with a partial blood clot in his back legs. The first thing they asked me was whether I wanted to just put him down because he had such bad chances. Making the stupid/emotional choice and ignoring statistics I told them to do their fancy expensive tests and try and extend his life as much as possible. The internet was pretty sure that he would die in about 6 months, the cardiologists were implying it was probably sooner. I was pretty torn up.
He was put on a daily 3-4 pill medication regimen (Pill Pockets are a godsend), which was easy enough for him to follow because food is his life. 4 months after diagnosis I got him another EKG (on a student’s budget… ouch) and the vet informed me that I had a miracle cat and his heart had actually improved. I felt like I had won a victory over veterinary science.
I didn’t, obviously. He still has the disease, I still am not sure if I will come home to a fluffy stiff body, but I’m happy for the extra time that I have with him. I count it as ‘extra’ because it all could have ended at the first vet visit. The decision you have to make is harder because Lymphoma is more progressive than HCM, and I have a lot of sympathy for what you’re going though.
Trust the vets on treatment, if not always on prognosis. Don’t give up hope. Know that Sketchie only cares how he feels, not what he looks like. Also, know that a few more years can still be precious and meaningful. Sympathy and positive thoughts for you and Sketchie!