As with humans, surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy can all be useful cancer treatments for dogs. In some cases, treatment may leave your pet cancer-free, while in other cases, it may simply improve their quality of life in the time they have left. The exact course of treatment offered by your vet will depend on the type and location of the tumour, whether it has spread, and what’s best for your dog.
Surgery can be an effective treatment option for cancer in dogs, especially those with skin cancers. With mammary cancer, surgery may be followed by chemotherapy to stop cancerous cells spreading. Chemotherapy drugs interfere with the ability of abnormal cells to divide, but they can also cause side effects, such as a compromised immune system or nausea.
It’s only natural to worry about putting your dog through chemotherapy, but dogs generally tolerate the treatment very well, and fewer than one in five will experience side effects. Breeds with continuously growing coats, such as Poodles, may experience some hair thinning, but dogs having chemotherapy don’t usually suffer fur loss.
Another treatment your vet may suggest is radiation therapy, which involves directing a beam of radiation to kill cancer cells – usually under a brief general anaesthetic, so your dog doesn’t move around. Recently there have also been huge advances in immunotherapy, where an animal’s immune system is stimulated to destroy the cancer. This treatment is gradually becoming more widely available, and there is a new vaccine against oral melanomas for dogs.