Caring For Your Pet With Cancer

Cancer. The word is frightening in part because there are so many myths and misperceptions about cancer. However, almost all dogs and cats with cancer can be helped. Empowering yourself with appropriate information allows you to begin finding ways of joining with your veterinary health care team to help your best friend. Your pet shares not only your home, your life, and your experiences but also your heart. Seeking the most appropriate care will allow you to spend as much time as possible with your special friend.

Empower Yourself with Information
You can defeat the darkness of cancer with knowledge. Work with your veterinary health care team to learn as much as possible about the disease and its treatment. Be proactive. Ask questions and obtain resources to tear away the many misconceptions about cancer and caner therapies. Tackling the emotional aspects of cancer can enhance your ability to think clearly, make decisions, and begin to find the hope and opportunities that lie before you as you deal with your pet’s cancer.


Pick a Good Team
As your pet’s primary caregiver, you are in the best position to know and meet your pet’s needs and desires. Your greatest task is to find a veterinary health care team that is experienced in cancer care and committed to working with you as a member of that team. Once the right team is forged, everyone can provide true compassionate care. Compassionate care means that your pet is as free as possible from the adverse effects that may be associated with cancer and cancer care. This includes freedom from pain, nausea, and starvation. Ask your veterinary health care team about what supportive care measures can be undertaken to enhance the quality of your pet’s life


Empowerment Tips

• Take notes. Record all discussions about your dog’s disease or recommended treatments with the veterinary health care team. Repeat the information back to them to ensure that you understand completely.

• Seek support. Bring a friend or family member with you when you talk to the veterinary health care team.

• Include the whole family. All discussions should involve everyone who is intimately associated with your dog, including children. Allow everyone, including your children, to ask questions and to voice their opinions.

• Ask for printed material. Obtain resources to help you understand your dog’s disease and the treatment options. The Internet can be a powerful resource of both truth and misinformation. Work with your health care team to understand the validity of all information you obtain.

• Understand that there are no correct decisions, only decisions that are right for you. Don’t worry what other people will think about your decisions. You know your dog better than anyone else in the world. Once you are empowered with the information you need, listen to your heart, and you will make the right decisions.

Questions You May Want to Ask Your Veterinary Health Care team:

About your pet’s cancer and treatment:

• What is the name of my pet’s tumor?
• Is the tumor benign or malignant (cancerous)?
• How often does this type of tumor metastasize (spread to other parts of the body)?
• If left untreated, what will the cancer do to my pet?
• What diagnostic tests do we need to perform to determine the location and extent of the cancer?
• What are all the treatment options, and what are the costs, side effects, time involved, and effectiveness of each treatment?

About your pet’s pain management:

• Is my pet in any discomfort?
• How do you treat cancer pain?

About ensuring your pet does not have an upset stomach:

• How can I tell if my pet has an upset stomach?
• How can we prevent nausea and vomiting?
• Who do I call after hours?
• What can we do to enhance appetite and ensure good nutrition?