Your first job is to find the veterinarian who will provide cancer treatment for your dog. See below the the most important factors to consider when looking for a vet. Choosing the right vet is important, but don’t take too long.
The Cancer is Progressing!
It’s important that you like and trust your vet, and feel comfortable taking your dog to the clinic. If at any point you are unhappy for any reason, you can switch to a different vet.
Find a Veterinarian
Until the 1990s, there were no “veterinary oncologists” at all. There was not yet a specialty in veterinary medicine for oncology. No vets were trained to give cancer treatment to animals. Today, there are only about 390 veterinary oncologists in the U.S. If there are 390 specialists, and many thousands of dogs with cancer, obviously not all of them are being treated by a veterinary oncologist!
Most cases do not require a specialist. Many General Practice veterinarians are expert at giving cancer treatments. If a General Practice vet encounters an unusual problem during a dog’s cancer treatment, they will consult a veterinary oncologist.
Find a Vet Who Has Time
A message from Zen’s mom:
Zen made it through surgery wonderfully Tuesday and came home Tuesday night. Wednesday she was quiet and spent most of the day sleeping with a decreased appetite, which we thought was normal after the extensive surgery. Thursday, she was very sedated. We called the vet at 9 am. They did not get back to us, so I called again at 11. They said they had several emergencies, but I pushed and got an appointment at 4 pm on Friday. The vet did not call us back as I had requested.
On Friday, they said that Zen was in full kidney failure! They thought she had an unknown old kidney injury, and the anesthesia plus the stress of surgery caused the kidney failure.
If only I had been able to have her examined on Wednesday… I keep going over the what-ifs. I can hardly bear it!