Help Available For Animals With Cancer

Of all the illnesses our pets may face during their lives, none elicits such fear and dread in us as a diagnosis of cancer.

Cancer is an emotionally charged disease, implying fatality and the impending loss of our beloved family member. If this should happen to your pet, know that your veterinarian now has cutting-edge treatments that can treat and possibly cure this disease.

Cancer is diagnosed in many different ways, but there are common threads among very different cancers. Sometimes a pet develops an abnormal lump or bump. Sometimes there is a behavior change such as decreased activity, increased sleeping, difficulty getting up and down, decreased appetite or increased thirst. The Veterinary Cancer Society (www.vetcancersociety.org) has developed a list of the top 10 warning signs for cancer.

1. Abnormal swellings that persist or continue to grow.

2. Sores that do not heal.

3. Unexpected weight loss.

4. Loss of appetite.

5. Bleeding or discharge from any body opening.

6. Offensive body odor.

7. Difficulty eating or swallowing.

8. Hesitation to exercise or loss of stamina.

9. Persistent lameness or stiffness.

10. Difficulty breathing, urinating or defecating.

It is said that the color of cancer is black. We must replace that blackness of fear with the light of hope. Cancer is best faced from a perspective of cautious optimism.

And, while some diseases, such as diabetes, congestive heart failure and kidney failure, cannot be cured, cancer is the most curable disease our pets may face.

Thanks to early detection and appropriate intervention, we can cure cancer much of the time. With our technology, understanding of disease, and standard of veterinary care, it is untrue to think that when a pet has cancer that “there’s nothing we can do.” There is always something we can do to help, even when we can’t cure it. Our job is to take charge, gather facts, make a plan, and then work with the veterinary team.

When you choose the members of your pet’s cancer-fighting team, look for an optimistic veterinarian to coordinate your pet’s cancer management. Carry a notebook in which you can write questions as they come up. This also gives you a place to make notes when you talk to the veterinary team.

Answering questions is the most important (and most labor intensive) part of preparing to battle cancer. Finally, help is available.

“Pets Living With Cancer: A Pet Owner’s Resource,” by Dr. Robin Downing, (AAHA Press, $19.95) is a slim volume written in clear, concise, easy-to-understand language in a question-and-answer format. By providing a factual, comprehensive overview of cancer care, this book can provide answers to questions you haven’t even thought of. Veterinarians are buying this book for their clients, team members and themselves.

Despite our best efforts, we cannot cure cancer all of the time. Sometimes cancer care provides a period of remission followed by a return of the cancer. There may come a time when the quality of the animal’s life is far more important than the quantity of time it has left. At that point, our focus shifts from “cure at all cost” to “aggressive comfort treatment” - the pet equivalent of hospice and palliative care.

Hospice and palliative care focuses on living with dignity in the face of illness; it is a philosophy - not a physical place. For the pets whose cancer has returned or is untreatable, it is safe, kind, pain-free, end-of-life home care.

Hospice and palliative care are no substitutes for euthanasia. Often we will still need to assist our animal companions in their transition from this world to the next. Euthanasia remains our final gift of caring if we need to bring an end to a no-win struggle.

Remember, cancer is the most curable chronic disease our animal companions face. It is best approached with cautious optimism. Replace fear with fact. Arm yourself with knowledge and the care of your trusted veterinarian because facing and fighting cancer is truly a team effort.