Chemotherapy for Pet Cancer: Correcting the Misconceptions
Getting a cancer diagnosis is always a bit frightening, especially if your dog is involved. Once told about the diagnosis, most likely, you will not be able to hear your vet explain the options for treatment, which will almost certainly entail chemotherapy.
In the treatment of specific cancers, chemotherapy is a drug that may be used in solitary or in combination with radiation therapy and surgery. Before surgery or in rare cases, chemotherapy could be used to lessen the size of tumors or help eradicate cancer cells that are small enough to be surgically removed. Following surgery, chemotherapy may be recommended to reduce or stop the spread of cancer throughout the body in situations where spreading is a primary concern.
Myths Versus Facts
As a pet owner, The first thought you have is to seek out information from every source that you can find as well as your family and friends will almost surely share their views. There are many myths, and many people use what they have learned about the treatment of human cancer on dogs when this is not the appropriate time for it—knowing the specifics of this treatment and how it can help you make the best decision for your pet.
1. My pet is too old for chemotherapy.
Age isn’t a cause of disease. Oncologists will base their treatment guidelines on your pet’s general health rather than age. Oncology experts will run several tests on your pet to determine her overall health and formulate a treatment plan which is adapted to her particular needs. No matter what age, vets may develop a regimen that includes a variety of cancer treatments. Chemotherapy is generally safe for dogs and cats of any age otherwise healthy.
For specialist and emergency treatment, facilities like Bluegrass Veterinary Specialists + Animal Emergency can help you with your problem. They offer specialized and advanced animal care together with emergency treatment.
2. My pet is likely to suffer awful side effects.
If pet owners discover that their pet will receive chemotherapy, they are usually worried about horrible, devastating adverse effects. However, veterinary chemotherapy is not as harmful as human chemotherapy. Chemotherapy for pets can cause less or milder adverse effects than human chemotherapy because the doses are less and are more evenly distributed.
Dehydration, severe inappetence, diarrhea, and vomiting can occur in a few chemotherapy patients. Most of them may undergo the same treatment with a dosage decrease and preventive medications.
Taking good care of your pets can bring headaches, especially in emergency cases. The fact that you can never know when an emergency involving your pet will happen, you need to get in touch with an emergency veterinarian.
3. My pet will be hospitalized for a prolonged period.
The objective of your pet’s cancer therapy is to make sure that she lives as normal as possible. The majority of patients are not hospitalized for treatment, even though she requires regular examinations and injections of medicine. If complications develop, this is the only time they will require hospitalization, and it is not often needed.
Chemotherapy medications come with a variety of methods of administration. Most chemotherapy treatments are given orally at home, along with frequent hospital visits to check on your pet’s health. Oncology specialists inject medications over a short time. Then they arrange chemotherapy appointments, which include lab tests and health evaluations your pet needs to reduce visit frequency.
If your pet is diagnosed with a severe illness, you need the assistance and help of a specialist. Severe ailments like cancer need the specialty of a vet oncologist. If you ought to know more about it, you can type in “veterinary oncologist near me” in your search bar for best results.
4. My pet has a poor prognosis, and treatment will be useless.
The belief that a dog’s cancer diagnosis could be fatal is a common misconception. Through chemotherapy and other treatments, most cancers can be reversed or treated, permitting your pet to go back to a normal lifestyle. A therapy may delay the spread of cancer and allow you to spend more time with your pet when a cure may not be feasible.
Your pet’s final days or months should be as comfortable as possible, and treatments may help relieve several side effects of cancer, including fatigue and nausea.
5. My pet will be bed-bound and will have to stop their daily routine.
Chemotherapy-treated pets live primarily normal lives, despite frequent appointments with their veterinarians. Many dogs remain in their daily routine during therapy, and post-treatment fatigue is not uncommon and lasts only a few days.
There’s no reason to keep chemotherapy-treated dogs apart from other household members. The pets can take strolls with their owners, lie in their own beds or participate in other routine activities.
