En AnimalWised We know how important your dog's he alth is to you, whether it is affected by a parasite or develop a more serious ailment.
Cancer is a disease that increasingly affects a greater number of domestic animals, as if to remind us how similar they are to humans.
Faced with a condition as delicate as this, it is normal to be confused about the most appropriate treatment for the animal, even with the appropriate veterinary care. That's why we want to talk to you about how does chemotherapy affect dogs?
What type of cancer affects dogs?
Having a pet with cancer at home can be as hard and as difficult to assimilate as having a family member suffering from this disease. However, you have to be willing to take on the challenge that this implies and provide the dog with the necessary care to improve her quality of life
There are certain types of cancer that are usually the most common in dogs, and only a few of them are treated with chemotherapy. These are:
- Lymphosarcoma, is a neoplasm in malignant lymphocytes that affects the liver, spleen and other organs.
- Mastocytoma, affects mast cells, it is a skin cancer in dogs that can end up affecting some internal organs.
In what cases is chemotherapy applied?
Before deciding to use chemotherapy to treat your dog's cancer, the veterinarian will do several studies on the location, size and stage of the tumor. Chemotherapy alone cannot be used to treat the tumor , as it is not effective. Chemotherapy is performed in the following cases:
- When it is impossible to operate on the dog, because the cancer has spread throughout the body.
- When there is a risk that the metastasis will spread the cancer to the organs around the tumor.
- When tumors cannot be completely removed with surgery. In this case, it is common to start chemotherapy treatment after surgically removing as much of the tumor as possible.
- When the tumor is too large to be removed and it is intended to stop its growth with the use of chemotherapy.
- When the tumor has been completely removed, so chemotherapy is prescribed to eliminate the rest of the cancer cells that may remain in the body.
Even if any of these reasons occur, before prescribing chemotherapy the veterinarian will carry out a general study on the state of he alth of the dog, to avoid a possible negative deterioration of the animal. In the case of dogs with metastases and advanced cancer that affects several vital organs, this type of therapy is usually discouraged.
How does chemotherapy work in the dog's body?
The cells that cause cancer divide much faster than the rest of the cells in the body, so they spread in the body very easily. Because of this, it is used for chemotherapy to reduce or stop the reproduction and division of these cells, since the drugs used in this type of therapy destroy them.
This option is used in the case of small tumors or tumors with proven rapid reproduction, since the chemotherapy drugs detect the activity malignant cell faster. In already grown and stationary tumors, the treatment loses efficacy.
One of the reasons why chemotherapy is contraindicated is that the drugs are unable to "identify" malignant cells from normal tissue, so they destroy everything alike, even he althy tissue in which accelerated growth is detected. Despite this massive destruction, the tissues are able to continue to grow when the therapy has been had, since its effects are not irreversible.
How is chemotherapy given?
The type of chemotherapy to be administered, as well as the frequency and dosage must be determined by a veterinarian. However, we can tell you that sometimes it is administered orally, through pills that you can give the dog yourself at home, or throughinjections which, in most cases, do not imply that the dog remains hospitalized.
The duration will depend on the dog's he alth and the body's response to the treatment. Some dogs may need chemotherapy for the rest of their lives, but an application of weeks or months. is usual.
What effects does chemotherapy have on dogs?
Despite what you might think, chemotherapy does not have the same side effects in dogs as it does in humans. In the canine species, negative effects are manifested only in 5% of cases. On many occasions it happens that the life of the dog can only be extended one more year, because the treatment is not curative, but palliative, so it is intended to improve the quality of life of the animal, but not to annihilate the cancer completely.
In dogs, side effects are concentrated in:
- Digestive problems: Chemotherapy can affect the inner lining of the intestines, causing diarrhea and vomiting, as well as a considerable decrease in appetite.
- Low defenses: produced by the weakening of the bone marrow, responsible for the production of white blood cells. By reducing these blood cells, the immune system is weakened, making the dog more prone to infections.
- Hair loss: is rare in dogs, but usually affects short-haired dogs, especially on the tail and face. Why? Hair follicles are affected by chemotherapy, which damages them, causing hair loss. You may need to clip their hair in certain places if your vet tells you to.
Although these are the most frequent effects, you should be aware of any weakness or unusual behavior in your dog, and let him know immediately your vet.
