Pet recovering well after treatment for rare cancer

A pet cat is recovering from a rare type of cancer following care from a range of expert teams.

Misha, a 14-year-old shorthair, was found to have cancer affecting several of his organs, despite showing no signs of ill-health.

Following surgery to remove tumours, and ongoing chemotherapy, Misha’s condition is now in remission.

Cancer diagnosis

Misha’s illness was discovered when blood checks in preparation for dental work flagged a change in his liver health.

Levels of key enzymes in his liver, which had been slightly high in a routine check six months earlier, had worsened to become markedly elevated.

Further tests revealed that despite having no outward signs of ill-health, Misha had multicentric plasma cell neoplasia, also known as myeloma related disorder, which had caused tumours in his spleen, liver and on a lymph node. This type of tumour, previously known as multiple myeloma, occurs in stem cells of the bone marrow or, as in Misha’s case, in other organs.

Teams from surgery, anaesthesia, feline medicine, intensive care, oncology, pathology and dentistry at the Dick Vet collaborated on Misha’s treatment and recuperation.

Surgery was carried out to remove Misha’s spleen and lesions from his lymph node, as well as resolving dental issues. Chemotherapy was prescribed to treat the lesions on his liver.

Four months after surgery, recent scans have shown Misha’s condition to be much improved, with no visible lesions on his organs and improved enzyme levels. He continues to recover at home, with ongoing low-dose chemotherapy.  

I’m very happy that Misha is now doing so well. His illness highlights the importance of regular health checks to help spot issues that may otherwise be undiagnosed, and the benefit of treating animals early on their illness, to improve their chances of recovery.

Tobias Schwarz

Vets say Misha’s case shows the importance of addressing dental disease, which likely contributed to the fact that he was eating well again after chemotherapy began.

Owners often do not realise that their pets have dental disease, because animals do not communicate their dental pain in a way that people intuitively understand.

With advances in oncology, successful treatment of cancer in animals is becoming more common, and consequently other important diseases, such as dental disorders, need to be considered for treatment as well, if we want to improve the health and welfare of our animals.

Tobias Schwarz

About the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies 

The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies is a one-of-a-kind centre of excellence in clinical activity, teaching and research. Our purpose-built campus, set against the backdrop of the beautiful Pentland Hills Regional Park, is home to more than eight hundred staff and almost fourteen hundred students, all of whom contribute to our exceptional community ethos. 

The School comprises: 

The Roslin Institute 

The Global Academy of Agriculture and Food Security 

The Roslin Innovation Centre 

The Hospital for Small Animals 

Equine Veterinary Services 

Farm Animal Services 

Easter Bush Pathology 

The Jeanne Marchig International Centre for Animal Welfare Education 

We represent the largest concentration of animal science-related expertise in Europe, impacting local, regional, national and international communities in terms of economic growth, the provision of clinical services and the advancement of scientific knowledge.