Do you feel alone?
You are not alone!
After learning their dog has cancer, most people say, “I can’t believe my dog has cancer… Now what?” They don’t know what to do. They never had a dog with cancer before. The first steps are easy:
- Choose a vet.
- Find out what type of cancer it is and decide on a treatment plan.
There is almost always more than one way to treat cancer in a dog. Find out what all of the possible treatment options are that might help your dog. Not just the one your vet recommends. Consider the age and health of your dog, your financial situation, and your dog’s ability to tolerate treatment and recovery. Then decide which treatment plan works best for you and your dog.
My dog has cancer: Now what?
There are so many diagnostic tests! Do we need all of them?
Some testing is necessary. A vet cannot give a dog cancer treatment without confirming that it is cancer, and without knowing what type of cancer it is. But there are a thousand tests that can be done! Not all of them are needed. You don’t want to put your dog (or your wallet) through tests that are not necessary.
Ask your vet to help you rule out the tests that are not necessary. Tests that are not necessary are the ones that will not have any effect on the treatment plan. Ones that don’t render any information that is needed to diagnose and treat your dog.
My vet chose a treatment for my dog. Should I know more?
A vet’s job is to inform, not to choose. Your vet’s job is to inform you about ALL treatments that could help your dog fight cancer. Then, it is your job to decide which treatment plan is best for you and your dog.
Your vet is not aware of your financial situation, your personal, philosophical, religious, or spiritual feelings about cancer treatment. And he doesn’t know your dog as well as you do. If your vet tells you about only one way to treat your dog’s cancer, get a 2nd opinion and do some research.
After I decide on a treatment plan, what else should I do?
Learn what the side effects are to cancer and to the treatment. Find out what side effects might be caused by the treatment, and be prepared to manage them.
Feed your dog an anti-cancer diet with low carbohydrates and high Omega-3 fatty acids. O-3 fatty acids provide your dog with nourishment and may also protect your dog from cancer cachexia. If you want to prepare your dog’s meals yourself, you’ll find a complete illustrated guide to Bullet’s Cancer Diet in the book, on pages 168-175.
Support Groups
You may find that your friends and family, who usually provide moral and emotional support, cannot help you now. They can’t understand or relate to your efforts to help your dog fight cancer. That’s okay! Do not lose any friends because of this!
Online support groups for canine cancer are populated by many people helping their own dogs fight cancer, and helping each other by sharing support and information.
Pet Cancer Support
LymphomaHeartDogs
BoneCancerDogs
Tripawds.com
CanineCancer