Siamese, Snowshoe

Hopi's pictures show her ear tumor, which was removed last summer. However, it has now returned deep in her ear and she needs further vet care - we are presently trying to shrink it with steroids but further surgery ($1600) may be needed at the referral vet's. Hopi is our little lynx-point snowshoe Siamese mix who was originally a dumpster-diving semi-feral rescued from the former IHOP pancake house on Devine Street several years ago. She quickly tamed down and was briefly adopted a few months later, but became ill and it turned out at that time one of her kidneys had died and would in turn cause her death if not removed. We were assured, however, that Hopi could live a normal lifespan with just one kidney, so she underwent major surgery and became a one-kidney kitty. This surgery and follow-up vet care cost over $1,500. Hopi soon recovered and was perfectly healthy until recently, when she developed a purulent infection in one of her ears that wouldn't resolve despite various antibiotic and steroid ointments. Soon a tumor could be seen in the ear canal, and it quickly became huge and bled profusely when touched. We consulted the same veterinary surgical specialists who had removed her kidney, and last summer Hopi's ear tumor was successfully removed - another $650+! Unfortunately, although the tumor was not cancerous, these types of tumors sometimes come back, and unfortunately, a year later, Hopi's has returned although it is not yet visible to us - only to the vet upon examination. We have tried a special steroid ointment to try to shrink the tumor, but so far it hasn't really worked, although the tumor doesn't appear to have grown either. We are still treating it and hoping that Hopi will not have to have further surgery. She has lost a little weight and developed a chronic upper respiratory condition , but is otherwise doing well. Donations towards Hopi's ongoing vet care are welcomed - you can mail a donation to us at P. O. Box 210705, Columbia, SC 29221 or use the Paypal button at the top of this home page.