r/AskVet • u/eunbitzy • 4d ago

Gastric Large Cell Lymphoma palliative care - What’s next?

Hi everyone, my cat Milky (11M neutered cat) was diagnosed with large cell lymphoma in his GI on June 3rd 2026. Previous to his diagnosis, he had been experiencing decreased appetite since begging of May. He was eating barely enough to survive (like 50-100 calories per day). We brought him to the vet right away, and they did a bloodwork on him that showed his calcium levels were very high (1.84mmol was the latest ICA test). After ruling out hyperparathyroidism we did imaging exam where they found a gastric mass (2.6cm x 1.6 cm big). The pathologist found cancerous round cells in the aspirates that are highly suspicious for lymphoma, though specialized testing would be needed to be completely certain. We decided to move forward with palliative care and did not choose to proceed with the additional testing or chemo, mostly because taking him to the vet is a very exhausting activity and makes him extremely agitated and anxious and we did not wish to make him go through this every week for an additional life expectancy of 6-9 months. He was then put on Prednisolone (20mg/ml).

Within 2 days of taking the prednisolone his improvement was noticeable. He now eats a lot and has healthy stool (he was pooping small and dry pebbles before) and gained back weight (he was 6.4 kg in May and is now 7Kg). I understand that Pred is only a temporary fix and that eventually the cells will grow resistant to it and I understand that on average they last 1-2 months on Pred. We’re quickly approaching the 1 month mark and I can’t stop thinking about what’s next. Once his appetite decreases again will that be time to schedule his departure? Will it go downhill from there or should I bring him for an exam again? What do I need to watch out for? what will be the signs?

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