Dogs, just like humans, can suffer from cancer. Despite the understandable fright of each owner, it is advisable not to succumb to cancer when making a diagnosis. With today’s knowledge and possibilities of veterinary medicine, today it is possible to treat an oncological problem in the vast majority of cases.
On the other hand, it is often necessary to accept the reality that the disease may not be curable. Read more about incurable cancer here. However, long-term stabilization of the disease can be an alternative for your canine companion, bringing in practice the same as a cure.
Also, be reminded that the animal does not think about its future and therefore does not suffer from a mental point of view. Here is all you need to know about treating cancer in dogs:
Cancer and its diagnosis
The most important thing is the early detection of the disease. If you suspect an oncological disease, do not hesitate and go to the veterinarian in time. This can keep you ahead of the disease.
The second important step is to make an accurate diagnosis. The so-called oncological screening is used for this. It is actually a comprehensive examination of the patient, determining the oncological diagnosis, and determining the stage of the disease in which the patient is.
The initial examination determines the diagnosis, reveals the extent of the disease, and evaluates the overall health of the animal. Only now is it possible to decide on the most appropriate treatment procedure. The goal may be the full cure of the animal patient, or the aforementioned long-term stabilization of his disease. At this point, the doctor is already discussing with the owner all the specific contexts of treatment.
The “balance” of the possibilities of medicine is the key here: The chosen treatment procedure is always highly individual. The quality doctors have learned during their practice that the daily well-being of the owner and the animal is more valuable than striving to achieve maximum survival.
CBD Oil and the quality of life
In the stabilized phase, the patient lives with minimal or no adverse signs of the disease. However, weight loss, loss of appetite, or pain maybe some of the side effects of the condition. In the case of both curable or terminal cancer, your animal can be relieved from its pain and side effects of cancer by using natural medicine.
For more information, visit https://www.holistapet.com/ to learn more about how you can help ease the suffering during the time of dealing with cancer by using the products containing the natural cannabidiol which relieves the dogs from pain, increases their appetite and has positive effects on their brain to fight with stress and anxiety.
Multidisciplinary care
Ordinary surgery is very often minimalist, while oncology tries, by the logic of things, to be maximalist. Timely appropriate surgery can cure the patient directly for many diseases. The greatest benefit in the treatment is an experienced surgeon coordinating the operation with a clinical oncologist.
The clinical oncologist usually starts after the surgeon with other protective treatments, such as most often radiotherapy, chemotherapy, or biological treatment. It is this joint, multidisciplinary care that achieves the best results, in humans as well as in animal patients.
Radiotherapy – the surgeon’s hand
Another method of treatment is radiotherapy. Where the tumor cannot be removed surgically, for example for the presence of vital organs, radiotherapy is used. Just like in case of the surgery, radiotherapy is a topical treatment, not burdening the whole body, unlike chemotherapy.
The goal of treatment is to destroy the tumor with the least possible impact on the surrounding healthy tissue. Irradiation is most often used as a supplement to surgery, but it can also be a separate treatment for advanced and inoperable tumors. The dogs do not emit anything after radiotherapy and they are returned immediately to their owners.
Chemotherapy
An integral part of the treatment of a cancer patient is the often-mentioned chemotherapy. It is a so-called systemic treatment, where its application always more or less affects the whole organism. The doctors most often use it as a supplement to surgery or radiotherapy.
For some cancers, such as lymphoma or leukemia, chemotherapy is the primary and sometimes the only possible form of treatment. Here is how chemotherapy works.
Chemotherapy is most often administered intravenously, when the drug is administered in an infusion solution, usually in the presence of the owner, for greater peace and well-being of the dog.
At present, the so-called metronomic form of chemotherapy is increasingly being used. It does not cause the much-feared side effects due to the small doses of the drug prepared individually for each patient. The capsules with the medicine are administered by the owner at home. In general, canine patients tolerate chemotherapy better than humans.
Biological treatment
It is a modern variant of oncological treatment, which is currently developing the fastest. Unlike chemotherapy, biologic therapy has minimal to no side effects and is targeted, similar to surgery or radiotherapy.
In veterinary medicine, this treatment is used, for example, in cases of cancer of the lymphatic system – lymphomas. The second type of tumor in which biological treatment can be used is the so-called melanoma, in all its forms. Surgery or radiotherapy is followed by the administration of a therapeutic vaccine.
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