Luna's Lip & Laser Surgery

About a month ago, I noticed a little black/grey spot on Luna's lower lip, so I took her to the vet for a checkup. We went to a new vet this time, because I have heard a lot of good things about her. Dr. Samsell's practice only focuses on cats - it's called Catcare Ltd. - and she's been practicing for 34 years. She volunteers her services to local cat groups (like Stray Cat Alliance) and get this, she refuses to declaw any of her patients!

Anyway, she took a look at Luna's lip and said that it was the beginning of a little tumor, and recommended that we remove it before it gets any bigger. Of course, Luna will have to be anesthetized for the procedure, so the doctor recommended doing a dental at the same time since she had a bit of built-up tartar.

I asked if she would use laser surgery to remove the growth on her lip, and she said that they didn't have the equipment, and that it was so small that the conventional method of removal would probably be fine. She mentioned that there won't be a whole lot of room to work with, being that it's right on her little lip, and that hopefully she won't have to suture it (I think that's what she said, maybe she said "stitch") afterward.

Later, I got to thinking at home, and thought "wouldn't laser surgery be perfect for this type of procedure? It dramatically reduces bleeding, pain, and healing time. I would want laser surgery if something like that was on *my* lip! Maybe I should bring her somewhere that does this?"

So I called the vet's, and the receptionist asked the vet whether or not she thought that laser surgery would be the preferred way to go in this situation, and she said that she felt comfortable doing it the non-laser way, but she said that if it would make me feel more comfortable, she could refer me to a good vet in town that does laser. She told me I could fill him on the details of the case and see what he thinks, and maybe bring Luna in to get his opinion. She gave me his name and number, and I think I'm going to call him tomorrow. He's been a vet for over 30 years, so he's pretty experienced too.

My question is, have any of you had any experience with something needing to be removed from your kitty's lip, or other sensitive areas? Also, do you think I'm thinking correctly about the laser surgery being the best way to go, or should I just trust this new vet with the great reputation, and let her do it the other way?

Thanks. I know I'm probably acting like the worried parent here, but this is the first time Luna and have had to go through anything like this, and I'm really nervous for her.

 

I would definitely consult the other vet, at least to hear other options before making a decision. Maybe he'll say that laser treatment is not necessary and just to have it done the other way? It's always good to shop around.

I know how you feel about being a "worried parent". I'm exactly the same way when anything happens to my cats. Keep us posted. And give Luna a hug from me! Poor girl.

 

I would never disagree with getting a second opinion. At the very least, it should give you more peace of mind.

My cat has something similar on her chin. But, it is a little bigger and looks almost like a brush burn. I took her to the vet for it and the doctor said it's probably sensitivity to the food bowl or something. She said not to worry if it doesn't bother my cat.

But, now I wonder if I chould check again...

I'm sure whatever you decide on will go well. But, I would by worried, too... it's natural!

 

Please go for the second opinion. Either way, I'm sure Luna would recover well. The growth is very small right now. :m10:

 

I'd also go with a 2nd...but in defense of a regular sugery I had a dog who developed a growth on her cheek right under her eye. She's had a little lump since puphood (most likely it was the result of a bite from a littermate or she got poked with something). When the lump started to show signs of getting larger we had it removed. It was removed surgically and she never had a problem with it. Stitches out in a week and life went on.
And with a dog I grew up with she developed warty things on her face - eyelids, mouth area and we had them removed - she never had a problem.
But if someone had access to doing something like that with a laser and it wasn't as invasive for the pet I'd go that way.

 

Theres no harm at all in getting a second opinion, the benefits that you mentioned, faster healing, reduced blood loss etc is always a plus. Lips usually heal up pretty quick though (and your vet probably did say suture.....its just the same as 'stitch' but most medical people will refer to it as a suture). For my own pet with the same situation I personally wouldnt be worried which procedure was done, Ive had both precedures done on various rescues/fosters that Ive had and there are some things that I would prefer laser surgery for, like the feet, especially the pads or inbetween the toes, tails and ears. So I think you should talk to the second vet and then make your decision, theres nothing wrong with getting as much information as you need to put your mind at rest and to make the decision that is right for you and your pet.

 

Thanks everyone! I called the laser vet (sounds so futuristic, LOL) and we had a very helpful conversation. He's been doing laser surgery on pets for the past 10 years, and he said that he swears by it for sensitive facial areas that involve lots of (I'm terrible remembering medical terms unless I write them down) small blood vessels/capillaries. He felt strongly that given the option of laser removal or old fashioned scalpel and cauterization (stoppage of bleeding with some sort of mineral) on the lip, he would choose the laser. Although he said that if the growth is as small as I made it sound, then either way would probably be fine, but that there would be much less bleeding, pain, and healing time involved with the laser. And there would be no need for stitches, or their subsequent removal.

He gave me a good confident feeling on the phone, so I decided to make an appointment for next Friday for the removal and a dental cleaning/exam. He has a lot of veterinary experience (I previously said that it was over 30 years, but it turns out that it's "only" 26) and I liked everything that he said. He specializes in eye surgery for pets, so this tiny lip growth should be a piece of cake for him. I'm feeling good about this, and he came well recommended by my regular (albeit new) vet. The one thing I don't like about this guy is that he does perform declawing, unlike my own vet, so I will only use him for his laser services when needed in the future.

Thanks so much for the input, everyone!

 

Sounds like you made the right decision. I hope everything turns out fine. I'm sure it will. Keep us posted.

 

Good to hear that you talked to him and feel confident. I hope Luna gets through the appointment fine (and I'm sure she will!).

 

Thanks for the well wishes. I'm sure that Luna will come through this just fine. Although I am still worried about her, I think she'll be in good hands with the vet that will be performing the surgery. I found a web page full of pictures of him entitled "A Day in the Life of a Mobile Vet." I guess he also does mobile services, which is good to know. I wish he could perform Luna's procedure here at home, but I don't think his laser can be moved.

You can see the page here:
http://www.efn.org/~hkrieger/vet.htm

I'll let everyone know how she makes out. I'm going to ask if I can show up early and sit with her as she recovers, or if I'll just be in everyone's way. Anyone here ever do that? I don't like the idea of Luna waking up and wondering where her people are, but I don't want to be the "concerned parent from hell" to the vet or anything.

 

Is Luna's appointment today? Good luck - I'll be thinking of her!

 

Yes, Luna's appointment was today, thanks for asking Halaroo! It went very smoothly. She went in at 8:30am and was back home by 11:30am, which was about 5 hours shorter than the other non-laser vet wanted to keep her. The little wound on her lip is just a little bigger than the growth was. The vet said that as small as it was, he couldn't imagine getting it out with a scalpel anywhere near as neatly as he was able to do with the laser. He said that the lab results may show that the growth may actually turn out to be some sort of impacted(?) or clogged hair follicle and not a tumor.

One of the worst parts of this whole experience was withholding food from her for 13 1/2 hours prior to her exam. By this morning, her cries for food were becoming almost frantic sounding. She began using her "distress" meow that she usually only reserves for car rides to the vet. She couldn't understand where her dish went, or why we weren't feeding her anything. It was so hard!

She ate as soon as she got back home, and her lip doesn't seem to be bothering her at all, at least when it comes to eating. She has spent most of her time sleeping off the ordeal, and it's hopefully already beginning to feel like some sort of bad dream to her.

I'm so glad that this is over, and hopefully the next time she'll have to endure a vet visit will be a year from now at her next annual checkup. Thanks again for the positive thoughts!

 

What an ordeal. Poor Luna. I guess sometimes kitties don't understand what we are doing, but sometimes I do think that they realize that we are trying to help them.

I'm glad everything turned out well; and sounds like Luna will be back to herself in no time.

 

That's great that everything went so well. You must be very relieved you looked into the laser option.

 

I'm so glad that Luna's ordeal is over. :m10: When will you get the lab results? I can't imagine going without food and water for 5 hours, let alone 13 1/2 hours. It's good to know that she's back to normal without having the discomforts of surgery.

 

Here’s how Luna’s lip is looking now. It seems to be healing just fine:



Thanks Sunset05. One thing I’ve noticed is that she never seems to hold a grudge after a vet visit. She always seems to be a little more affectionate afterward, either to say that she doesn’t have any hard feelings about the ordeal or just to help comfort herself. I’m always afraid that she’s going to be mad at me about putting her in a cage and bringing her to a scary place where she gets poked and prodded by strangers, but she never is! Just relieved that it’s over, and really happy to be home.

Halaroo, I’m definitely glad that we went with the laser option, and will go with it again if something like this comes up in the future. It definitely makes a lot of sense. This short article helped me to make up my mind about giving it a try, and it explains a bit about why it can be such a beneficial option: http://www.petpublishing.com/catkit/articles/laser.shtml

Vene, the lab results will be in on Monday or Tuesday. I’m really hoping that it will turn out to be something follicle-related rather than a tumor or similar growth. I don’t want to think that Luna is prone to tumors, and of course, there’s always a chance that it’s cancer-related. About her having to do without food for 13 1/2 hours, the poor thing ended up going 17 hours without food after all was said and done. She could still have water, though, although that was little consolation to her.

One funny thing happened though, a couple of hours after I removed her dish full of kibble, she was spending a suspicious amount of time in the kitchen. I came in to see what she was up to, and I saw a piece of kibble on the floor. It turns out that she was sticking her arm under the stove, which is near where her dish is kept, and “fishing” out pieces of kibble that had fallen under there, until I caught on to what was going on and swept under the stove. There were only a few pieces under there, but enough to get her attention. She’s so resourceful.

 

Just a quick update, the vet called with the results of the analysis and said that the growth wasn't a tumor, but actually a follicular cyst made up of keratin and other "skin debris." The good news is that the lab said that he successfully removed the whole thing, but the bad news is that this may mean that Luna is prone to getting these things. We'll have to keep an eye on her for future recurrences.

 

Great news! How much did it cost for the laser operation and the lab results? Hopefully, Luna won't be getting any more growths.

 

Thanks Vene! The exam, laser procedure, and dental cleaning came to a total of $270.80, which breaks down like this:

physical exam: 35.00
anesthesia (isoflurane gas): 55.00
laser mass removal: 40.00
lab histo (biopsy) analysis: 49.00
dental scaling/polishing: 69.00
antibiotic - sm intramuscular: 10.80
hospitalization short stay: 12.00

So the laser part of it only cost $40. I am so glad that we went this route. A few short hours after the procedure, Luna's lip wound already looked like it was dry and healing, and I can only imagine what it would have been like for her if we had gone with the traditional scalpel method and had to involve a stitch or two.

Lasers are definitely the surgical wave of the future, and I'm glad that this technology is finally becoming affordable enough to use on pets.

 

The prices are awesome! :y_the_best: