How to Care for a Dog Diagnosed With Breast Cancer

Breast tumors in dogs are most common in five to ten-year-old, unspayed females. These days canine breast cancer is not an automatic death sentence. If caught early, there's a fifty percent chance it can be successfully treated. There are many things that can be done to care for a dog diagnosed with breast cancer to make sure she heals well and bounces back to health quickly.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Set an appointment with a canine oncologist once your regular vet confirms the diagnosis through blood work and x-rays. Your veterinarian will probably suggest someone and perhaps make the arrangements for you. The second vet will examine the lab findings and suggest treatment options. These days, most experts agree surgical removal of the tumor is the most effective treatment for breast cancer in dogs.

2. Educate yourself about other options, which include chemotherapy, radiation and anti-hormonal drugs. While none of these have the success rate of surgery, you need to be informed about any non-invasive treatment regimes available.

3. Monitor nutritional needs of your pet while she's healing from surgery. While you don't want to force her to eat, your dog will need strength-building foods to help her stamina return. This is a good time to provide more protein in her diet. Another advantage of surgery over chemotherapy is that dogs can suffer from malnutrition from excessive vomiting, a side effect of chemo. Let your vet know about any side effects as there are special drugs that can help.

4. Return to either your regular veterinarian or the oncology vet, whichever one is suggested, about two weeks after surgery for suture removal. After that, your dog can probably return to her usual activities.

5. Learn how to do breast exams for your dog since she can't perform her own. You'll need to feel around for more lumps once a week for the rest of her life. As with humans, cancer can return, so stay on top of things and massage her all over, paying special attention to her tummy area, where the mammary glands are located.

6. Take your dog to be groomed on a regular basis if she has any degree of coat. Lumps sometimes get hidden under a dog's fur.

7. Get active with your dog. Make sure she gets her usual amount of exercise after surgery. Remember, many dogs live long lives after a bout with breast cancer. Take extra good care of your dog and the two of you should have many years left to enjoy each other.

Tips & Warnings

• Always listen closely to what your veterinarian has to say. These trained professionals have years of experience and training, so they will know what is the correct course of action to take. If you feel the need, get a second opinion from a different veterinarian.

• Dogs should be spayed or neutered by the time they are six months old. The risk of breast cancer is very low in dogs spayed before their first heat.