Like humans, dogs can develop many different forms of cancer. If your dog is diagnosed, this can be a scary time for you. Here’s what you need to know about their treatment and odds of survival.
First, it’s important to remember that dogs can develop many different types of cancer. And the type of cancer will play a major role in not only their treatment, but their expected life span after diagnosis. The more common forms of cancer seen in dogs include:
- Lymphoma or lymphosarcoma
- Skin cancer
- Bone cancer
- Fibrosarcoma
- Mast cell tumors
- Adrenal cancer
- Mammary cancer
- Bladder cancer
- Pancreatic cancer
- Lung cancer
- Liver cancer
Many dogs don’t live out their full life spans with cancer, because owners often opt for euthanasia to prevent suffering toward the end stages of the disease. Therefore, it’s difficult to predict exactly how long your dog will live. The important thing to know is that you do have options, both for treatment and to ease their pain.
But as in humans, the type of cancer, your dog’s overall health, how early you catch it, and the treatments you pursue will all influence your dog’s odds of survival or at least living longer.
For some types of cancer, surgery and removal of the tumor might be all you need to do. We will, of course, follow up to be certain the cancer is completely gone.
In other cases, radiation or chemotherapy might be recommended. And as the dog’s owner, you will need to assess whether costly and uncomfortable treatment should be pursued. We can help you balance the downside of these options with the possibility of remission. Ultimately, the decision is up to you.
In the event that your dog is diagnosed with a form of cancer, we will endeavor to provide you with all of the latest information, so that you can make the decision that is right for your pet. And as always, remember that routine examinations and screenings are the best way to keep your pet in good health for as long as possible.