Soft lumps on surface of skin

[Brigitte Cowell]

It depends, was your F3 tested for Coronavirus when he arrived in your home? He may well have come exposed to Coronavirus, as I said they estimate 80-90% of cats have been exposed. It's NOT FIP that the test measures. The test measures exposure to Coronavirus and that is NOT FIP. The FIP form is a mutated form. For all you know, your other cats gave it to your F3...unless they were all tested before he arrived, you have no way of knowing.

I absolutely do NOT recommend getting rid of cats for carrying Coronavirus! Maybe this is why your vet hates to talk about it, because people tend to panic. His error was calling it FIP virus though, it is not accurate and it inspires panic.

The so-called "FIP vaccine" has not been shown to actually give protection against FIP, so it is a useless vaccine...why give it? I don't recommend the FeLV vaccine as it is generally only recommended for indoor/outdoor cats and I don't home my Savannahs in indoor/outdoor homes.

 

[Patti]

Diane, I think if you are uncomfortable with your vet then you should definitely look for a second opinion, it sounds like your current vet is not doing a very good job of communicating with you. Your cat could not possibly have had FIP since 2009 and still be alive today. Many vets refer to the corona virus as FIP (no idea why, maybe it's easier to say), but although up to 90% of the cats carry the corona virus, probably less than 2% actually ever convert to FIP, which is a mutated (and deadly) form of the corona virus. Don't worry about where Newton got it from, it's very possible that he was first exposed as a kitten before he even came home to you.

As for the murmur, I think it would have been prudent to investigate further when it was first diagnosed in 2009 with an echo and cardiologist evaluation, however if it has truly disappeared over the years and was only heard again when Newton was stressed then is most likely a physiologic murmur, meaning when the cat is stressed the heart beats faster and harder which causes some turbulence of the blood as it passes through one of the heart valves creating a murmur, and when he calms the turbulence resolves and the murmur disappears. These types of murmur almost always remain benign throughout the cat's life.

Regarding the biopsy, you do need to weigh risks and benefits - if he's had these spots for a few years and they haven't changed or grown then they are less likely to do so in the future. However, without a biopsy you will never know for sure. Anesthesia does have its risks, but just giving a local anesthetic and cutting on a fully awake and alert cat I would imagine would stress Newton quite a bit more than if he was sedated during the biopsy... just something to consider...

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

Patti has a good point that a local anesthetic and being held still for the biopsy might well be more traumatic than being anesthetized. There are different options for short-term anesthesia and intubation for example would not be needed. My vet often uses domitor for short-term procedures..

 

[Patti]

Agreed, my vet has quickly gassed down my cats without induction agents for simple procedures and we've never had any complications.

 

[Diane]

It depends, was your F3 tested for Coronavirus when he arrived in your home? He may well have come exposed to Coronavirus, as I said they estimate 80-90% of cats have been exposed. It's NOT FIP that the test measures. The test measures exposure to Coronavirus and that is NOT FIP. The FIP form is a mutated form. For all you know, your other cats gave it to your F3...unless they were all tested before he arrived, you have no way of knowing.

I absolutely do NOT recommend getting rid of cats for carrying Coronavirus! Maybe this is why your vet hates to talk about it, because people tend to panic. His error was calling it FIP virus though, it is not accurate and it inspires panic.

The so-called "FIP vaccine" has not been shown to actually give protection against FIP, so it is a useless vaccine...why give it? I don't recommend the FeLV vaccine as it is generally only recommended for indoor/outdoor cats and I don't home my Savannahs in indoor/outdoor homes.

Yes my vet does not like to talk about it he says because of people getting scared. Newton is going on 10yrs old and seems to be doing fine...especially eating...he doesn't gain weight though, but he sure loves those freeze dried chicken treats....

 

[Diane]

Diane, I think if you are uncomfortable with your vet then you should definitely look for a second opinion, it sounds like your current vet is not doing a very good job of communicating with you. Your cat could not possibly have had FIP since 2009 and still be alive today. Many vets refer to the corona virus as FIP (no idea why, maybe it's easier to say), but although up to 90% of the cats carry the corona virus, probably less than 2% actually ever convert to FIP, which is a mutated (and deadly) form of the corona virus. Don't worry about where Newton got it from, it's very possible that he was first exposed as a kitten before he even came home to you.

As for the murmur, I think it would have been prudent to investigate further when it was first diagnosed in 2009 with an echo and cardiologist evaluation, however if it has truly disappeared over the years and was only heard again when Newton was stressed then is most likely a physiologic murmur, meaning when the cat is stressed the heart beats faster and harder which causes some turbulence of the blood as it passes through one of the heart valves creating a murmur, and when he calms the turbulence resolves and the murmur disappears. These types of murmur almost always remain benign throughout the cat's life.

Regarding the biopsy, you do need to weigh risks and benefits - if he's had these spots for a few years and they haven't changed or grown then they are less likely to do so in the future. However, without a biopsy you will never know for sure. Anesthesia does have its risks, but just giving a local anesthetic and cutting on a fully awake and alert cat I would imagine would stress Newton quite a bit more than if he was sedated during the biopsy... just something to consider...

Patti, I would love to find a good specialty hospital to bring Newton for his checkups every year. The nearest one I know of is called Midwest Bird & Exotic Animal Hospital near Chicago.... to far to drive.. There is other Animal Hospitals in Rockford that I haven't checked yet. Yes, your right about the biopsy for those lumps...he should be put out when doing it, but he's had them for a while too. I don't think I want this vet doing it though because he seems like a space cadet saying Newton had FIP since 2009!

 

[Patti]

I don't think you necessarily need to find a specialty hospital as much as you need to find a vet that will communicate with you and that you can have confidence in. Check out veterinarians in your area on Yelp and other online review sites and see if you find anyone who sounds hopeful that way. You can also ask friends and family for recommendations as well.

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

Agreed, it sounds like you just need a good vet that you trust the opinion of!