Probably. Brian noticed a lump on his back a few months ago. I thought "lipoma" but it grew. I'm not used to them growing.
Then, last week, I noticed one of his back toes was swollen. There was a little bloody spot at the base of the claw. It didn't seem to bother him.
But it bothered us. So, I called last Thursday and the first appointment available was for this afternoon. We both went.
The vet checked Rocky over, wasn't really pleased with the toe and the lump. He said he'd like to take x-rays. One of the possibilities was some sort of lung cancer that metastasized to other areas of the body. He aspirated the back lump (put a needle in it and pulled out some cells). Both he and the cat went into the back of the clinic. Rocky had two x-rays taken, one of his chest and one of his paw. Nothing bad showed on either of them, so it was a soft tissue problem with the toe.
After he looked at the aspirate under the microscope, he knew what it was. Remember Chandler had that fungus that ate away at his nose? The fungus that finally won the battle and we had to say goodbye to Chandler? Well, it's the same sort of fungus (cryptococcus). Except it isn't in his nasal cavity or lungs, it's presenting differently that Chandler's did. Thank goodness.
So, he's on meds twice a day for a month to start with and the lump on his back should start getting smaller and the toe problem should resolve. But this fungus is a tricky one for the immune system to beat, which is why it will take so long to get rid of. Rocky is only twelve, so we've got the time. He said there's a titer test for a definitive diagnosis, but what he saw on the slide leaves no doubt in his mind what we're dealing with. If this had been like Chandler's, he would have advised the test. But it's expensive and if medicating him as we will be doing helps, there will be no need.
He doesn't like the taste of his meds.
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