Herpes and sore mouth.

Dr. Marie replied:

Hi Louie...sorry to hear that you and Bender are going through this.

The prognosis for this lump really depends on what it is. I can think of a few possibilities. It sounds like your vet was covering all of the bases by treating with a steroid (the depomedrol) in case it was something called an eosinophilic granuloma as well as an antibiotic in case it was an abscess.

If it was an eosinophilic granuloma many cats do have these come back again. I have a number of cats in my practice that have to get a steroid shot a couple of times a year to control them. If it is only a couple of times a year then this is not too bad, but if the shot is needed really frequently we can see some side effects and there is a risk of the cat developing diabetes.

If this is an abscess, some abscesses don't totally heal until they are opened up and lanced which is something that would have to be done under an anesthetic. Often an abscess will go away with medication but come back again.

If this were my case, I would likely be recommending that we put Bender under an anesthetic and try to open up the swollen area and take some biopsies of it. The biopsies will tell us exactly what is causing this lump. And if it is an abscess then we have a chance to cure it.

If it does end up being an eosinophilic granuloma then it may be able to be controlled with the steroid shots. If your vet is worried about side effects you can talk to him or her about using a medication called atopica. You might need to do it a few weeks in a row and then stop until the problem comes back again.

Another thing that sometimes helps (if it is an eosinophilic granuloma) is to make sure that Bender doesn't eat or drink from any plastic dishes as some cats are allergic to the plastic and can develop these lumps. And also, you can try him on a hypoallergenic food.

I hope he does ok!

Dr. Marie.


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Dr. Marie replied:

Awww...what a cutie...he's a big boy!

Yes, if this were my case I would want to figure out what the cause is. Finding out the cause should tell us whether this is going to be a long term problem and whether he needs to be treated with multiple vet visits or if there is something that can be done at home.

Hope that helps!

Dr. Marie.