Dog Disease - Treatment for Dog Lymphoma

When your dog has cancer, which is referred to as Lymphoma, there are treatments that can be administered to help prolong the dog’s life. Your dog’s immune system is destroyed which prevents your pet from being able to fight off viruses or infections. The pet will lose weight vomiting at an accelerated rate. Next, your pet will start to urinate more than usual and is always thirsty. There will be lumps in the dog’s skin that you will be able to feel with your hands. Finally, the cancer will spread to the vital organs of your pet, which will eventually cause the pet to die.

Treatment Programs
We all love our pets and want to do the very best that we can to preserve their life for a longer time. One of the treatment programs that your Vet may use on your pet is Chemotherapy. Chemotherapy has proven that it will increase the life span of your dog. Actually, Chemotherapy is known to put the cancer in complete remission. When it comes to using Chemotherapy, there are two different programs available that your Veterinarian will be able to select.

The type of Chemotherapy the Veterinarian selects will depend on the dog’s condition. It is also based on what the family can afford to pay. The animal does not need to suffer during this time so your Veterinarian will probably prescribe a drug known as Prednisone. This will help relieve the pain that your dog is suffering. The use of Prednisone Therapy will only extend your dog’s life about sixty days. It is recommended that your animal be given a multi-drug regimen, which will put the cancer in remission.

When this type of Chemotherapy is used, it takes about eight weeks before the cancer is put into remission. This is the most recommended type of Chemotherapy because of its effectiveness. The mixture of drugs used is Prednisone, L-asparaginase, vincristine, cyclophosphamide and doxorubicin. The use of these drugs helps cure the dog of the cancer within about eight weeks but it is a very expensive treatment plan.

A bone marrow transplant is another method that is used to help cure Dog Lymphoma. This is the most expensive treatment and it is used on show dogs and specialty animals to help prolong their life in an active manner. It is up to the owner to decide which type of Chemotherapy method that they want their Vet to use on their pet. The most used method of treatment for dogs who suffer from Dog Lymphoma is a form of Chemotherapy. Since bone marrow transplants cost around $20,000, most pet owners do not elect to use this form of treatment.

In some cases when the pet is too far gone with the disease, the pet owner will keep their pet on Prednisone until its demise. This is the most humane way to help your pet when it suffers from Dog Lymphoma. The pet will not suffer while taking the drug Prednisone.