Roo (roughly 13-17 years old --unknown)'s Story
by Mandy
Roo came to us in 2003 as an adult stray, and until late 2011 was a fairly healthy cat. Unfortunately, Roo developed a nasal tumor in October of 2011, only a month or so after we'd let our Sweet Sammy go. His symptoms were nasal discharge and sneezing, sometimes with blood. We had an ultrasound of his nose done by a specialist, and were able to take a series of biopsies, which led to us learning it was lymphoma, but also that nasal tumors are usually highly treatable with radiation therapy (many times they are a "contained" tumor). We paid to have other ultrasounds done on his body and additional blood tests to try to rule out any other cancer (and determine if it had spread). It appeared completely contained in his nasal cavity. We took Roo to the Colorado Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Fort Collins, CO. It's now called the Flint Animal Cancer Center at CSU. There, Roo had a specialized computer topography made of his tumor and a treatment plan of attack. Radiation therapy was successful (only 3 treatments needed during a week's stay). He had to go under anesthesia for each treatment, and waking up was a little harsh. Other than that, Roo seemed fine and didn't have any adverse effects (he didn't even seem a little bit ill for the entire procedure). He ate and drank well throughout the entire discovery and treatment process. He seemed strong and healthy. We were advised to consider follow-up treatment with chemotherapy to make sure we "got it all," but we did not want to go that route because we were still badly burned for how it turned out for our Sammy just a few months prior. We also felt due to Roo's FIV status that chemotherapy would not be a wise option. However, none of the doctors gave us that impression, it was simply our fear. We went home and Roo enjoyed roughly 8 months of perfect health. Then, suddenly he slowed down. We discovered he now had renal lymphoma, and there is very little you can do to treat that. We kept him going on sub-q fluids at home for a few days, and when it became clear he was no longer interested in eating or sleeping by us, we let him go peacefully by euthanasia at home with our in-home vet, Ben Brown (The Travel Vet, Davis County UT). Roo was a very funny and sweet natured boy who kept me company in our garden every summer. I miss him every day. 
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Roo (roughly 13-17 years old --unknown)
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