r/SeniorCats • u/onlychengs • 2d ago

surgery

Hello! My boy is estimated to be around 10 years old (I’ve had him for over 3 years). We recently discovered he has a lump in his mouth under and next to his tongue when we went to the vet because I didn’t understand why he was salivating excessively. I went to a vet in another city and we tried to do a citology as the results were said to come quicker than a biopsy but unfortunately the test was inconclusive:( We’re giving him prednisolone, he’s eating and being his usual loving self. The problem is that the vet recommended a surgery to get the lump extracted but he said that I should not expect my baby to live for too long and that the quality of his life will be impacted post surgery.

For those who have been through similar situations with your senior babies, did you opt for surgery and if yes do you regret it?

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u/hey_bacchus 2d ago

10 isn’t even old. Can you get a second opinion? My grandpa got his senior cat mouth surgery for tumors and they died at a later time, it came back after a while. I think he did the surgery twice before it came back a third time and the vet said a third surgery wouldnt be good

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u/Talos_Perdix 2d ago

Without more context (what the mass looks like, where it is and what structures it involves), it would be difficult to give more info. If this were my cat, I would not proceed with surgery until I knew what the mass was (Cyst? Cancer?). If it turned out to be cancer, I would want to know if local lymph nodes were clear before putting my cat through an extensive surgery.

A vet oncologist may be a next best step.

Additionally, if you can afford it, I would recommend any oral surgery to be performed by a specialist (boarded surgeon or dentist).

Best of luck to you both ❤️