Empower yourself to make informed treatment decisions. When your dog is diagnosed with cancer, your role is essential. Of course, you will be in charge of their home care, but you can also participate in making treatment decisions.
While your vet is the medical expert, you are the expert on your personal finances and beliefs. You know your dog best. With just a basic understanding of canine cancer treatments, you and your vet can decide on a treatment plan together.
Treatment Decisions
Start now! Learn the basics on this website.
Your veterinarian cannot tell you everything you need to know in a single appointment. Empower yourself by exploring our resources. Learn the basics quickly and efficiently. Time is critical when dealing with cancer.
You need a crash course in canine cancer.
This website offers you a crash course in canine cancer. Make use of our two highly trusted resources to gain the knowledge you need. Use this website and the award-winning book Help Your Dog Fight Cancer.
Ensure that your dog will receive the best care possible and give him/her the best chance to beat cancer.
Remember:
Your Dog—Your Money—Your Decisions!
4 Types of Treatments
Surgery
Surgery is often the first step in treating tumors. The goal is to remove the entire tumor and leave no (or few) cancer cells behind. Clean margins aren’t always possible, In such cases, additional treatments may be needed.
Your dog might require a second surgery or follow-up treatment like chemotherapy or radiation. Discuss these options with your veterinarian to help determine the best course of action for your dog’s recovery.
More on pages 79-81 in Help Your Dog Fight Cancer.
Chemotherapy
For certain types of cancer, like lymphoma, chemotherapy is the best treatment.
Usually, there are several protocols that can be used for a certain type of cancer, but one that offers the longest potential survival time.
Electro-chemotherapy can be very effective during surgery to remove a tumor.
More on pages 101-123 in Help Your Dog Fight Cancer.
Radiation Therapy
One radiation protocol may call for treatments every day (Monday through Friday), for five weeks. Another may require three treatments a week for four weeks. Discuss your preferences with your vet about the number of treatments, and the strength (aggressiveness) of treatment you would like your dog to be given.
In a great many cases, the radiation protocol that a vet calls “curative” is not (the cancer returns). While a lighter protocol that a vet calls “palliative” is not (the cancer never returns).
More on pages 93-101 in Help Your Dog Fight Cancer.
Holistic & Alternative Treatment
Holistic and alternative therapies can play a supportive role in managing cancer and improving your dog’s quality of life. Holistic veterinarians can help with supplements, Chinese herbs, acupuncture, and other natural treatments.
These therapies can strengthen your dog’s immune system, reduce inflammation, and alleviate side effects.
While these methods are usually not cures, they complement traditional treatments very well.
More on pages 143-159 in Help Your Dog Fight Cancer.
Clinical Trials
Clinical trials are treatments that are experimental. They are being tested but have not yet proven to be a good way to fight cancer.
If researchers find that a treatment does work, more testing is done to determine what dosages are most effective, and how often treatments should be given.
Clinical trials are most attractive when:
- The primary (best) treatment for your dog’s cancer did not work.
- You cannot afford standard treatment but there is a trial available that covers the costs for you.
When considering a clinical trial, look for articles published in Veterinary Medical Journals.
If you cannot find published peer-reviewed articles, the treatment has probably not been successful.
There are always many clinical trials, especially for cancer. Unfortunately, only a tiny percentage of all clinical trials will result in a successful new treatment.You can find a good list of current clinical trials HERE. More on pages 159-163 in Help Your Dog Fight Cancer.
After Treatment
PLEASE think ahead!
No one wants to think about the end of their pet’s life. But please do think about what you will do at the end. Will you take your dog someplace for euthanasia or have a vet come to your home? Did you ask your vet if s/he does home visits? Are you planning for cremation or burial?
Make these decisions in advance, so that on that last day you can be there for your dog as a warm, calm, loving presence in his/her last moments. Not distracted and stressed about what will happen.
Palliative Care
There are several situations when a dog with cancer maybe switched from treatment to palliative care.
- Treatment is no longer working;
- There is no treatment available;
- The owner can’t afford treatment fees;
- A dog’s age or health rules out treatment.
In palliative care, the goal is not to try to get rid of the cancer. The goal is to provide a dog with a good quality of life, pain-free and with lots of love, as long as possible, until the cancer progresses to a point where the dog’s quality of life is minimal.
Palliative care does not necessarily mean the end is imminent! Often, palliative care continues for a long time.
More on pages 250-210 in Help Your Dog Fight Cancer.
Euthanasia
Whether treatment is successful or not, at some point you will need to think about the end of your dog’s life. Be prepared to help your dog through euthanasia when it is time. You gave him a great life! You don’t want him to suffer at the end of his life.
Most owners are afraid they will not know “when it’s time” for euthanasia. A Quality of Life Scale will help you evaluate. Print one out and fill in the answers. You can fill a new one in every week or every day, depending on your dog’s condition.
Links below to some excellent Quality of Life scales:
- Quality-of-Life Assessment from Lap of Love
- HHHHHMM Quality of Life Scale by Dr. Alice Villalobos
- Dog Life Quality Assessment by Dr. Mary Gardner
More on pages 210-216 in Help Your Dog Fight Cancer.
* All references to pages in Help Your Dog Fight Cancer: buy the book HERE.