Pluses and minuses of social media
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Phantom goes from virtual consultations with a specialist vet to his first hands-on exam
WE ALREADY know about the impact of social media on our lives. The lives of pets dominate large sections, with anyone who owns a reasonably attractive dog or cat posting photos and video clips of their pets.
You may not realise, though, that social media have also had an impact on medical diagnosis and treatment.
I’m thinking specifically of my elderly cat Phantom.
Last year, as soon as he was diagnosed with an Eosinophilic granuloma, a skin tumour, in his gum, my vet contacted a veterinary oncologist for advice. Even though Phantom’s tumour wasn’t cancerous, the specialist would know the proper treatment for the condition.
My vet contacted this specialist through Line, and when he had time, he Lined back. The treatment was a high dose of steroids, to be gradually reduced when the tumour disappeared.
The tumour didn’t seem to disappear. It would shrink, then grow again. A few months ago, we discovered another tumour on Phantom’s eyelid, and two more on his nostrils.
Talk about losing hope. As I’ve mentioned before, surgery would not remove the tumour; it would simply grow back. Besides, Phantom is so old that he might not be able to handle the effects of the anaesthesia during the operation.
All this information was conveyed by Line. My vet never actually talked to the specialist. He’s quite busy, I understand, and a phone call would quite possibly interrupt him during a consultation with another client or even an operation.
Using the social media would help both vets maintain courtesy and respect towards each other.
Meanwhile, in the last few days, Phantom has been showing a new burst of energy I’ve never seen before. At five in the morning, he breaks out of his bedroom and runs down the stairs to me.
“Wake up!” I think he says. “You’re wasting the day. I’m hungry!”
After breakfast, he patrols the house, ignoring the other cats, unless they start screaming. So far, they’ve all kept quiet, probably surprised to see the boy wandering around.
He’s certainly enjoying all the new sights and sounds. I even have to pull him out of the kitchen sink, where he’s exploring the water coming out of the faucet.
Wan-Wan, my little poodle, is having problems though. She’s so used to ordering all the other cats around that she’s not quite sure what to do about Phantom.
Even though he’s lost a lot of weight, he’s still much larger than she is. Wan tries barking and jumping around. Her attempts to herd him fail completely. Phantom responds with a hiss and then simply ignores her.
Then, I notice that Phantom is bleeding from his mouth again. It isn’t very much, but if he has another infection on his tumour, he needs antibiotics and another stay at the vets.
Again, my vet contacts the specialist through social media. This time, she sends photos of all the tumours and asks for his advice. He recommends that the tumours be tested again. Samples are sent to the lab.
The results are a complete surprise. The lab cannot find any evidence of a tumour anywhere. Phantom is tumour-free!
With this boy, however, nothing is clear-cut. Along with this amazing news is some bad news. The tumours have left behind massive infections and inflammations. You’d think antibiotics and medicine to fight the inflammations would solve the problem.
No. There’s also dead tissue. The specialist insists that the only way to solve the problem is surgery.
Of course, he’s the expert, but he’s never actually seen Phantom, just photos of his gums, eyelid and nose.
Could an 18-year-old cat survive this surgery?
Two days from now, Phantom is scheduled for his first face-to-face with the expert, who will finally touch the real Phantom.
Social media can go only so far.
