Cancer.
There’s simply no good way to approach the topic. Or even say the word.
According to Dr. Laura Weis, DVM, CVH, of Doylestown Veterinary Hospital, we are still losing the war against canine cancer. The disease, she notes, remains the main cause of death in dogs. Almost half of the canine population will develop cancer (and approximately 1/3 of all cats).
“Dogs are getting cancer at the same rate that people are,” Dr. Weis says. “Most cancers in humans are accelerating, as well.”
The most common cancers afflicting our pets are mast cell tumors in dogs and lymphoma in cats.
The most common question arising from the diagnosis? “What do we do now?”
What Should I Do If My Dog Has Cancer?
“I find there’s an interesting sort of synergy,” Dr. Weis continues. “The diagnosis of cancer is a diagnosis of a physical problem. It concerns cells that are no longer responding to appropriate signals and are growing out of control. But the energy—and what happens—following a diagnosis follows that same pattern.”
Almost immediately, pet owners become overwhelmed. They face so many decisions and so many choices. “And they feel like they have to do ‘all the things’,” she says.
What most clients do after receiving the heartbreaking diagnosis—something that is horrible to hear, let alone process—is allow their minds to wander.
“Some people have a family member or loved ones or a friend who had cancer, so they immediately go to that place in their mind. They think about the human experience,” Dr. Weis says.
“Others have known a previous animal in their lives who had cancer, and so they start thinking about that. And, immediately, there are all of these assumptions about how terrible this diagnosis is. Then they go home. And they jump online. And that’s when they get completely overwhelmed.”
Dr. Weis has watched pet owners walk through the doors of her veterinary hospital having purchased every supplement that has been touted to help.
“They’ve loaded their pet up on herbs and nutraceuticals and changed their pet’s diet around. And they’re just searching for something they can do.”
It’s one thousand percent understandable, and yet, once the diagnosis has been given, pet owners require guidance—not gimmicks.
“You need to be a lot more directed in what you’re doing,” Dr. Weis says. “And the first thing is to understand diagnostically what needs to be done.”
Understanding Diagnostics
Because cancer can mean so many different things for a dog and their family, the most important initial step is to determine precisely what’s happening in our pets’ bodies.
“We need to understand if this is a localized tumor or if we have a malignant process where we have a metastatic type of cancer,” Dr. Weis says.
Veterinarians like Dr. Weis utilize various measures, from blood tests to urinalysis, X-rays, ultrasounds, biopsies, and more, to pinpoint the type and severity of a cancer diagnosis. From there, a referral to an oncologist is often essential.
The Vital Role of a Veterinary Oncologist
According to Dr. Weis, the field of veterinary oncology has advanced by leaps and bounds, making a second opinion from a specialist a critical part of a pet’s cancer journey.
“A board-certified oncologist is going to have much more information regarding prognosis and treatment options once the basic diagnostics have been completed,” she says. “They’ll be able to give you a much better picture than a general practitioner.”
Weighing Options
Once all the information has been assimilated, pet owners often must evaluate the situation and, occasionally, make some very hard choices, says Dr. Weis.
Treatment, of course, can range from surgery to chemotherapy to canine cancer vaccines that have shown great promise in recent years.
Many decisions made in conjunction with a general practitioner focus on alleviating an animal’s pain and suffering, as well as extending life—as long as quality of life can be preserved.
“So, treatments are much less aggressive than what we’d use in people,” Dr. Weis says.
Of course, while it is wholly unpleasant to consider while aiding a sick friend, the cost is also an unavoidable discussion point.
“Treatment, between diagnostics and surgery, and maybe chemo or radiation therapy, can run thousands of dollars,” Dr. Weis says. And even then, that price may only buy families a few short months.
“It’s horrible to think about. And trying to grapple with that is so hard because people think, ‘Gosh, I’m trying to put a price tag on my pet’s life.’ And it’s not that at all. But it has to be part of what you think about when you’re making decisions.”
Creating Quality of Life
While official quality of life scores exist, Dr. Weis says the process of making our pets comfortable is so much more intuitive.
“It’s really a matter of, ‘What makes your cat or dog happy?’” she says. “What do they like to do every day? Is it a long walk? Do they enjoy snuggling with you? If they’re still able to enjoy those activities, then that’s your marker when making sure their quality of life is uncompromised.”
Once conventional options have been explored, veterinarians also focus on supporting an animal that is going through treatment.
“That’s when we discuss targeted diet changes, supplements, and herbal therapies,” Dr. Weis says. “But those have to be coordinated very carefully with both the general practitioner and the oncologist to make sure that there are no contraindications for any therapies being used. We have to be very careful, too, because some of the conventional therapies might cause nausea or loss of appetite, and the last thing we want to do is dictate, ‘Your dog has to eat a new diet and take these five supplements,’ when all they want to do is eat their normal food.”
Normal is the New ‘New Normal’
Maintaining a regular routine—as ordinary as possible—is perhaps the most important thing owners can do for a beloved pet.
“Dogs don’t know they have cancer,” Dr. Weis says. “It’s only us who know. If it’s a very aggressive cancer, they might have symptoms, like pain, that we can work on alleviating. But they don’t have this finite concept in their heads.”
For humans, cancer is such a scary word. It’s a scary thing. A scary diagnosis, and a scary ordeal.
For dogs, they just know someone who loves them is trying to help them feel better.
“Trying to normalize their life as much as possible, I find, often leads to acceptance in pet parents, as well,” Dr. Weis continues. “It helps them see, ‘My dog is still my dog.’”
