How to Treat Osteosarcoma in Dogs
Osteosarcoma is one of the most aggressive forms of canine bone cancer. Approximately 75 percent of osteosarcoma cases start in the long bones of the legs, usually involving only one limb. The average survival time ranges from four to 12 months. As a pet parent, your mission is to help preserve your dog's quality of life throughout whatever treatment you pursue.
Things You'll Need
- Veterinarian and/or veterinary oncologist
- Anti-cancer nutritional aids
- Financial resources
Instructions
-
-
1
Understand the disease. Learn all you can about osteosarcoma, and don't be afraid to ask your veterinarian every question you need answered. Your veterinarian may not have all the answers, so don't hesitate to seek a second opinion from a veterinarian with more experience successfully treating osteosarcoma.
-
2
Choose how you'll treat the disease. Osteosarcoma is typically treated with one or all of the following: palliative care, which involves managing pain through narcotics; surgical amputation of the affected limb; chemotherapy to kill the cancer cells or radiation therapy to manage pain. Each level of treatment provides incrementally better chances at longevity, but there are no guarantees. A board-certified veterinary oncologist can help you decide on the most promising treatment for your dog's health situation.
-
-
3
Decide where you'll obtain treatment. If you live near a university's veterinary teaching hospital, consider going there for care. These institutions have the most advanced medical equipment, surgical techniques and treatment protocols in the world. Many also allow patients to participate in clinical trials, which are ethical, structured studies performed by the university in order to improve cancer therapies. Participants are compensated through discounted and/or free medical services.
If you seek treatment in a private veterinary office, be sure to get referrals, and seek veterinarians with experience treating osteosarcoma.
-
4
Start your dog on a cancer-fighting diet. Dogs with cancer have compromised immune systems and need extra nutritional support for preventing the spread of the disease. Gradually changing your dog's food to healthier foods improves the odds of a better survival time. Adding certain nutritional supplements, such as krill oil and digestive enzymes, can help maximize the nutritional benefit of a cancer-fighting diet.
-
5
Reduce stress and stay positive. This is as much for your dog's benefit as yours. Veterinary cancer specialist Dr. Demian Dressler says "Mind-body tools like meditation, visualization exercises and touch therapies can dramatically impact our health, and by extension, the health of our dogs."
Cancer therapy is a stressful and emotional time for both humans and their dogs, and a positive outlook can help increase survival rates.
-
6
Know how to assess quality of life for your dog. Osteosarcoma is an aggressive disease that's always fatal. Before the disease progresses, determine the point at which your dog won't be happy despite further attempts to prolong his life. To assess how much treatment to pursue, measure the average life expectancy of your dog against the quality of life he's experiencing at the moment.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Visit dog cancer online communities to talk with other pet parents who have shared the osteosarcoma experience with their dog.
Thoroughly research any holistic remedies and self-proclaimed cancer cures before purchasing any supplements or health aids.
