When dogs are diagnosed with cancer, the recommended treatments have traditionally been surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, or a combination. However, new treatments and other options are now also available. As with any cancer diagnosis, there are no guarantees, but if your dog is diagnosed with cancer, it’ll be helpful if you understand the options that may be presented.
Of course, you will want to first consider if cancer treatment is worth pursing at all. Even if your dog’s life is extended as a result of treatment, it’s important to consider his or her quality of life after cancer treatment. If the prognosis is poor, or if there will be pain, depression, and suffering after treatment, you may want to reconsider and determine if euthanasia is the more loving and humane action. If you choose treatment, the following treatment plans may be options.
Conventional treatments include surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, or a combination. In some cases, dogs diagnosed with cancer might be eligible to take part in a clinical research trial that’s testing new cancer treatment drugs for dogs. There are also oncologists who specialize in cancer treatment in dogs, as well as high tech therapies, such as stem cell transplants.
Surgery can range from removal of a cancerous tumor to removal of a limb or other body part. Laser surgery is becoming more prevalent, which has improved cancer surgical procedures and reduced recovery time.
Radiation frequently follows cancer surgery, especially when the cancer has been localized in the form of a tumor. Newer forms of radiation treatment involve implanting radioactive beads into cancerous tumors and targeting tumors with a rotating beam of radiation. In a few clinics, radiation has been replaced by drug laser therapy in which a drug is injected and then activated by a laser light.
Chemotherapy is usually done when cancer cells have metastasized or surgery isn’t possible. It involves intravenous or oral cancer medication. The down side to chemotherapy in dogs is that it can become a permanent procedure, for as long as the dog lives.
Stem cell transplants and anti-angiogenic therapy are two of the newest cancer treatment plans for dogs. Angiogenesis involves the growth of new blood vessels and the starving of tumors by cutting off their blood supply.
Just as with human cancer patients, some dog owners opt to enroll their dogs in cancer treatment drug trials. Because most clinical cancer treatment trials are funded by their sponsors, dog owners whose dogs participate are generally charged very a little.
If your dog is diagnosed with cancer, take the time to carefully evaluate the entire situation before embarking on a cancer treatment plan. There are many options, but the long-term welfare of your dog should always be foremost in your mind.
Reference:
- Animal Cancer Foundation
