How to Treat Dog Cancer

A diagnosis of cancer in a beloved family pooch is never easy to hear. However, treatment of cancer in dogs has advanced significantly in the last 20 years as dogs are now benefiting from human cancer treatments. Dogs have many of the same cancer treatments available to them that humans have. Determining which cancer treatment is best will be based on the type, location, and severity of the cancer. Using more than one treatment may also be a possibility. Deciding what is best for your dog will be easier if know some of the basic treatment options available so you can discuss these with your veterinarian.

Things You'll Need

• Veterinarian
• Type of cancer

Instructions

1. Proceed with surgery to remove the tumor. This can be done to remove the tumor itself; or perhaps a leg affected by cancer may be amputated. In some cases, the vet may not be able to remove the entire tumor and may also use other treatments before or after surgery.

2. Use radiation to kill the cancer cells. Radiation therapy can be used to apply intense x-rays directly to the area affected by the cancer to reduce or kill the tumor.

3. Administer chemotherapy to treat cancers that have or are likely to metastasize. Cancers that have spread throughout the body will likely need aggressive medications or chemicals to kill them.

4. Support the immune system with immunotherapy, a new field in the treatment of cancer in dogs. This technique uses the body's own immune system to kill or reduce the cancer. Specialized diets and supplements such as astragalus are used in Eastern veterinary medicine to help the immune system fight cancer. Research into using vaccines as cancer treatments is also underway.

Tips & Warnings

• Dogs with cancer are often in a great deal of pain. They can be given medications and/or acupuncture to help with the pain.

References

• Care Hospital: What you should know about cancer in animals
• dvm360.com
• Integrative Treatment of Cancer in Dogs