160 Bear Christiana Rd
Bear, De 19701
302-322-6488
Dr. Jim Berg
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Dog Questions
Dear Dr. Berg,
We have a 7 year-old cocker spaniel, and our vet has told us that he has cancer. He looks like he feels OK, but
his throat is very swollen. The vet gave him anesthesia and took a piece of the lump and sent it to the lab, and
it came back as cancer. He says that we can give the dog chemotherapy, but that the cancer cannot really be removed.
I have heard awful things about chemotherapy and am not sure I want to put him through the pain.
Can you tell me what you would recommend?
A. M., Bear
Dear A.M.,
Cancer is a disease that is usually very hard to treat. There are many many different types of cancer; without
knowing the exact type that your dog has, it is impossible for me to answer your question specifically. When an
animal is diagnosed as having cancer, the particular type of cancer that it is makes a big difference in the likely
course of the disease and in how it is likely to be clinically treated. Most chemotherapy treatments are regarded
as "life-prolonging" procedures, rather than being a true "cure". Chemotherapy may be used
alone, or in combination with surgery or radiation therapy. And, you are right, chemotherapy can have undesirable
side effects, and it also has the potential of making a pet's urine and feces toxic to the humans around them.
When my clients are faced with this awful disease in their pets, I usually recommend to my clients that they try
hard to put themselves in the position of their animal. How much discomfort will the proposed treatment bring?
How much is it likely to help? How long will it take? How much will it cost? A treatment that prolongs life for
a few weeks is probably not desirable if the quality of life of those extra weeks is low. How much longer would
the pet live without treatment, and what would those days likely to be like? Your veterinarian, though his experience
in past cases of cancer can best answer those questions for you.
Hardest of all, when is it perhaps a good idea to allow your pet to leave this world with dignity and a minimum
of pain by considering "putting him to sleep"? How do you know when it is time? Trust yourself. No one
knows your pet better than you do. You know what he's like when he's happy and feeling good, and you also know
how he is when he's sad or hurting. No one reads his eyes and face better than you do. Trust yourself…. and in
your heart, you and your pet will both know when it is time.
I might share with you about a cocker spaniel that I once had, named Andy. Andy was about 8 years old when he started
to develop a large swelling in his neck on one side. His Dad being a vet, poor Andy could never escape from veterinary
treatment, so the lump was soon biopsied. It turned out that Andy had lymph node cancer, and our family had some
tough decisions to make. A few days later, Andy's eyes filled up with cancer cells and he could not see. He would
bring his favorite tennis ball to us as best he could, and would search frantically for it when we tried to give
him the simplest toss.
Andy underwent chemotherapy using a series of three drugs. After about 2 daysafter the treatment was started, it
was like a miricle! Andy's eyes were again clear, and he could snag the Frisbee right out of the air, just like
in the old days. Over the next 18 months, most of Andy's days were spent with the bountiful energy we expected
from the cocker spaniel in Andy, though he did have a few days when he was "tired". There were even weeks
when we would have to remind ourselves that Andy was sick with cancer. In the end, we were blessed with 1-½
years more of quality life from Andy. Those extras days gave us the chance to again appreciate the wonderful creature
that he was, even with the trash-digging and food stealing pranks he liked to pull. And it gave us a chance to
show Andy how much we loved him before it was his time to go.
I am so sorry that you and your pet must face such a hard future and ask such difficult questions. Your veterinarian
is your best guide to help you in your thinking. But in the end, it is YOU that must decide what the most loving
path is the best…..Your pet is counting on you, and your heart will help to guide you.
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