Cat with enlarged intestinal lymph nodes
Question :
My sweet, beloved cat, Sebastian, just had surgery yesterday to remove a partial blockage in his intestine. Once in, the vet found thickening of the intestinal wall and several enlarged lymph nodes. One was 3 inches! She took biopsies of both and sent them out to a pathologist. I won't get results until next week.
My questions is...is there a chance this could be anything but lymphoma? I have done alot of reading on the web about lymphoma and inflammatory bowel disease. AFter reading, I'm convinced his tests will come back positive for lymphoma. He has always been vaccinated for Feline Leukemia and has never tested positive.
He is primary an indoor cat, only allowed outside for short periods when we are home. He hunts but doesn't eat his kill. He has always had occasional bouts with vomiting. He will vomit undigested food right after eating. Every summer, he usually goes through a period of daily vomiting. I will bring him to the vet and she will give him a dewormer, although she has never found worms in his feces, which seems to stop the daily vomiting. HE seems to have always been uncomfortable when the vet pushes in the intestinal area. He had an enema as a kitten because she thought this was due to constipation. These symptoms lead me to think inflammatory bowel disease, but nothing I have read indicates there would be enlarged lymph nodes, nor has he ever had diarrhea.
There have been no changes in his demeanor. This trip to the vet was initiated after 4 consecutive days of vomiting. She gave him the usual dewormer shot and a shot to stop the vomiting. It didn't help. After taking x-rays, she found an elarged area of his intestine and recommended exploratory surgery to relieve the blockage.
We are so depressed and fear the worst.
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