Scone's Story
by Rose
Scone was a beautiful boy. Below is a brief timeline of the years before and the weeks after he was diagnosed with gastric lymphoma. While our time together still feels way too short, I know we gave him the best life he could've had. He lived until he was 12 years old and always was very active and a great eater. He enjoyed sunbathing and being outside (when he was allowed). He tested our limits by routinely jumping over to our neighbor's balcony. I appreciated his spunk! He brought so much joy to our life in the time he was with us, and we truly miss him every day.
2014
Scone began vomiting more often than usual. We treated him through dietary changes, putting him on a hypoallergenic formula of Venison and Pea. This seemed to work for a while, but the vomiting returned in 2015.
2015
We switched his diet to the Hill's Science Diet for Sensitive Stomach. He seemed to respond to this for a time, but his vomiting returned. Sometimes, he would vomit blood or a grainy/coffee ground like texture. We were worried, took him to the vet, and they recommended an endoscopy because blood work came up empty. At the time, we couldn't afford the endoscopy and thought we could try treating it at home again with diet. This worked again for quite some time, and his vomiting actually stopped for a while.
2016
In late February, he started exhibiting signs of weakness, but there was no vomiting. He was still eating and active.
However, in early March, he became very lethargic.
3/11/16: We took him to the vet, and they did blood work, which saw high levels of lymphocytes. She did not feel any masses at the time. She gave him a shot of fluids, and he seemed a little better. The vet ordered an ultrasound, and we were scheduled to have one done.
3/18/16: He had not been eating very much. We were again concerned, and took him back to the vet. This time she could feel a mass. She hadn't felt it the week before. He had also lost .5 lbs in a week. The vet told us she only thought he had a week left to live. We prepared for the worst.
3/19/16: We took him to the ER, where they did the ultrasound. It was confirmed that he had large-cell gastric lymphoma. There was a mass about the size of a golf ball. The internist said, however, that a week only was not a good prognosis. She felt the vet was too alarmed in what the vet told us, and that he could live for another 6 to 9 months, but that was an estimate, and she couldn't know for sure.
3/22/16: Scone saw the oncologist and began chemotherapy today. We're following the six-month CHOP protocol. He began with an injection of Vincristine. He'll visit the oncologist weekly going forward. He's still taking prednisolone daily (5 mg) as well as Ondansetron (4 mg - an anti-naseua pill). We switched his appetite stimulator to Mirtazapine (1.8 mg daily) as per the oncologist's suggestion. We also did bloodwork again, which showed the cancer could be in his blood, leading to his liver. We'll monitor that going forward. We've also begun assist-feeding him A/D critical care food since he's not eating well on his own. This has been a challenge, but we're getting the hang of it.
3/23/16: We continued Scone's medications and assist-feeding in the morning. I added ES-Clear to the food. He spit out the pills, but did consume the food. We eventually got his prednisolone into his system, but that was it. I've given up on the other pills, which he hates. When we returned home from work, we found him hiding under the bed. We spent the evening trying to make him comfortable. At this point, he can barely stand or walk. He's made it to the litter box twice, but had to lay down immediately afterward. While under the bed during the day, he must've wet himself. He is very weak and miserable. I spent the night by his side. He slept the entire night through. I thought for certain this would be the night that he'd pass, but he was awake and alert the next morning.
3/24/16: I took the day off work to be home with Scone. He is still very weak and lethargic, despite being alert this morning. I was able to give him two prednisolone, which he again hated. I have a syringe of food nearby, but he's so exhausted from the pilling, I've decided to wait a few hours. He keeps trying to get up and off the bed. He'll take a few steps before collapsing. He managed to jump onto the floor but again collapsed. I am thinking it might be time to say goodbye. I hate seeing him like this so much.
3/25/16: I've continued to assist-fed Scone several times a day, aiming to at least hit half of the A/D can, which hasn't been easy. Pilling is still a struggle, though I've been able to get the Prednisolone into his system. Unfortunately, he continues to weaken. In the middle of the night, he made his way from the bed, past the litterbox, onto the spot where the litterbox used to be. Luckily, I had a towel down, as he urinated on the towel. Around 3 a.m., I found him still on the towel, and brought him back to bed with me. He made his way back out into the hallway, where he remained for the next several hours, not moving an inch. Today, I left work early, came home, and we spent the day on the balcony, one of his favorite places. He's only walked once today, and that involved a cry of pain. Last night and today has shown me that the chemotherapy has not worked, and that his system is shutting down. We've made an appointment for 9 p.m. this evening to put him down. I am heartbroken.
3/25: Scone passed away peacefully at 9:35 p.m. We took him to our local vet, where we were given privacy in a special room. We talked to him, petted him and let him hold his favorite toy. When the vet administered the sedative, he seemed immediately relaxed and his breathing became more regular. When he passed, he truly did look like he was at peace. It wasn't easy -- probably the hardest thing we ever had to do -- but we know it was for the best.
We still miss him very much. He will forever hold a special place in our hearts. 
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New Jersey, USA
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Scone
[ click photos to enlarge ]
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