Cancer Type
Laverdia for Dogs: A Pill for Lymphoma
Laverdia for dogs is a tablet to treat lymphoma. This medication is convenient and less expensive than traditional chemotherapy!
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Transitional Cell Carcinoma: The Most Common Dog Bladder Cancer
Transitional cell carcinoma is the most common dog bladder cancer. The good news is, it is treatable and you can improve your dog’s quality of life.
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Do Tagamet and Benadryl Cure Cancer?
Do Tagamet and Benadryl cure cancer in dogs? Sadly, it’s not that simple. Learn the role these drugs can play as PART of your dog’s cancer treatment plan.
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Senior Dog Rectal Cancer Surgery
John’s senior dog has a rectal tumor that might be cancer. But John is worried about complications. Should he go ahead with the procedure?
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Hemangiosarcoma: The Last Days
Sharon calls in wondering — is her dog gagging the hemangiosarcoma spreading to the lungs? Or something else? Dr. Trina Hazzah advises.
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Stelfonta for Dogs with Mast Cell Tumors: New Injectable Drug!
Dr. Sue Ettinger, AKA Dr. Sue Cancer Vet, is very happy about this mast cell tumor treatment. Stelfonta is an injectable that may help your dog.
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Dog Bone Cancer Symptoms & Amputation & Treatments 2021 Update
Why do veterinarians skip biopsies for bone cancer and go right to amputation? Why is there such urgency about amputation? Dr. Dressler gives a high-level overview of dog bone cancer and osteosarcoma symptoms, treatments, and amputation.
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How to Use the Mitotic Index to Make Decisions About Mast Cell Tumors
Is using the mitotic index mast cell tumor diagnosis useful? In some cases, not as much as others. But when it’s useful, it’s REALLY useful!
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Tripawds: Community Forum & Help for Three Legged Dogs
This amazing site offers lots of help for three legged dogs. A must-join for anyone who is facing osteosarcoma or amputation.
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Is Your Dog Eating Grass, Vomiting, and Getting Sick?
Is your dog eating grass, vomiting and getting sick? Could be the pesticides and herbicides — war weapons — we use on our green spaces.
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Are Overweight Dogs at a Higher Risk for Cancer?
Are overweight dogs at a higher risk for cancer? Yes. It turns out that being chubby isn’t nearly as cute as we once thought.
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Food and Nutrition for Dogs with Mast Cell Tumors
Dr. Dressler’s Dog Cancer Diet is appropriate for most dogs, but dogs with mast cell tumors need a few modifications. Read this if your dog needs a low-histamine diet.
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Worried about Oral or Nasal Tumors? You Should Be!
You should check your dog every month for dental and nasal tumors. Yes! They are way more common and aggressive than you might think. Here’s how.
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Checking Your Dog for Anal Gland Cancer
Unseen Does Not Mean Undetectable It’s great to develop a habit of performing regular check-ups of our dog’s body by physically running our hands down their legs, looking in their ears, and sneaking in some extra neck rubs while we feel for lumps and bumps. Some dangers however, develop internally. Knowing how to detect these…
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Checking Your Dog’s Legs for Signs of Osteosarcoma
Taking it in Stride: Those Amazing Legs Osteosarcoma (bone cancer) is a common cancer in our dogs, and it usually develops in the long bones of the legs and the ankle or hock joint. It is more common in some breeds than others, and although there are certain reasons a dog is predisposed to bone…
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Is It OK to Use Leftover Drugs If My Dog Gets Sick?
Should you use those old prescriptions if your dog’s symptoms return? It turns out you probably shouldn’t. Dr. Stacy Branch, our resident pharmacologist, explains why.
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Metronomic Chemotherapy for Dogs with Cancer
What is Metronomic Chemotherapy? Metronomic chemotherapy is a relatively new type of chemotherapy that uses low doses of oral (pulse) chemotherapy given on a continuous treatment schedule. Since it is given daily or every other day, the chemotherapy is given at lower doses then typical chemotherapy, often with a reduced toxicity profile. That reduction in…
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Prepare for Emergencies with Senior or Ill Dogs
The Call We Don’t Want to Make This is a tough one to write, and it will probably be a tough one to read. But part of being my dog’s champion, guardian, friend, and ‘parent’ means I have to be prepared to help. We all do, like it or not. It’s been over three years…
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Winter Dangers for Dogs with Cancer
Even as I begin writing this post I sigh at the title “Winter Dangers”. It just seems that everywhere we turn there is a threat! And constantly being on guard can be exhausting! So I offer this to you both from the perspective of caring for your dog with cancer, who may be more vulnerable…
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Checking your Dog for Testicular Cancer
One for the Boys Intact males (those who have not been neutered) may, in later years be more prone to bladder, prostate or testicular cancer. Dr. Ettinger’s post “Spay/neuter and the association with cancer in dogs: part one” discusses the pros and cons of neutering in more detail, and is a wonderful read. When my…
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How Important Are All Those Expensive Diagnostic Dog Cancer Tests?
You could easily spend over $1,000 just to diagnose your dog’s cancer. Are any of those tests worth it? Which ones?
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Prednisone for Dogs: When to Start with Lymphoma
Prednisone for dog lymphoma may be recommended. It’s true, it treats lymphoma, and is used a lot in chemo. BUT … using it too soon could be a mistake.
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Primary Lung Tumors, part 2
Unlike people where lung cancer is one of the top five cancers and the leading cause of cancer related deaths worldwide, primary lung cancer is very rare in dogs. Dogs are often diagnosed with lung cancer as in incidental finding during a routine geriatric screen. Lung Cancer Symptoms in Dogs Often dogs have NO clinical signs,…
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Uncommon Tumors: Primary Lung Tumors, Part 1
As a boarded oncologist, I see not only the common cancers in dogs like lymphoma, mast cell tumors, osteosarcomas, hemangiosarcomas, and mammary cancers. But I also see the uncommon ones. Recently I have been seeing more of the uncommon tumors, and what’s even strange to me, I am seeing more that one within a few…
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Spay/neuter and the association with cancer in dogs: part three
Spay Neuter Golden Retriever: Early spay and neuter have several profound long-term effects for one of our favorite breeds.
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Spay/neuter and the association with cancer in dogs: part two
Spay Neuter Rottweiler: Susan Ettinger, DVM, Dip. ACVIM (Oncology) continues her discussion on how spaying and neutering dogs can increase their risk for certain aggressive cancers.
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Chemotherapy for Osteosarcoma
In my last two posts about osteosarcoma (OSA), we discussed treatments that address the tumor affecting the bone. We discussed amputation, Stereotactic RadioSurgery (SRS) like Cyberknife, palliative radiation, and limb-spare surgery. While these treatments are important for the malignant tumor destroying the bone, metastasis (cancer spread) is inevitable. So even if the primary tumor is…
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Osteosarcoma: when amputation is not an option, part 2
In my last post, I went through some “alternatives-to-amputation,” including palliative radiation and limb-spare surgery. Now we will review stereotactic radiosurgery. Stereotactic RadioSurgery: radiation instead of surgery RadioSurgery is used INSTEAD of surgery, when traditional surgery with a scalpel blade is impossible or would cause unacceptable side effects to the patient (for example, in brain…
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Low Dose Chemotherapy Better for Canine Hemangiosarcoma?
Chemotherapy in dogs is normally given at doses that are as high as possible without causing too many side effects. This is to try to rid the body of as many cancer cells as we can, although some dogs will have occasional side effects related to the use of conventional chemotherapy. For this reason, there…
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Osteosarcoma: when amputation is not an option
In my most recent blog, we discussed amputation for limb osteosarcoma (OSA), the most common local treatment for the primary tumor in the bone. We discussed that amputation is not an easy decision for pet Guardians, even though most older dogs with average, moderate arthritis usually do well on three legs. If my clients are…
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