Surgery, prednisone, and chemotherapy are the three main therapies for feline intestinal lymphoma, and they are frequently used in combination to assist achieve the best results.
Your cat will have a better chance of survival and remission if her intestinal lymphoma is treated more quickly and aggressively.
Understanding Prednisone and Chemotherapy
The corticosteroid prednisone is frequently given in large dosages to cats who have intestinal lymphoma. In the treatment of this type of cancer, prednisone is quite effective. It can add many months to a cat’s life on its own.
Prednisone is an effective medication that comes in oral, topical, and injectable forms. However, it has a number of unfavorable side effects, such as the following:
- Increased thirst
- Water retention
- Increased urination
- Kidney disorders
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Ulcers
- Muscle weakness
Chemotherapy, which simply refers to managing cancer without radiation by using pharmaceutical or chemical methods, can potentially cause negative effects. Your veterinarian could continue to recommend it as a preventive measure if the cancer has been successfully treated. However, when used in conjunction with other cancer treatments, it can result in a full remission, especially in cases with low-grade intestinal lymphoma. Thankfully, they’re not as intense as you may think. In truth, many cats don’t have side effects including sickness and infection. Additionally, hair loss brought on by chemotherapy typically affects only the whiskers and not the fur.
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