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What are the symptoms of cancer?
Cancer symtoms in pets appear similar to those in people. Persistent and growing lumps, nonhealing sores, abnormal bleeding, swollen lymph nodes, unexpected weight loss, loss of appetite, dispiritedness, pale gums might be precursors of cancer. These symptoms might also be signs of many other diseases aside from cancer. They should be checked by a veterinarian as soon as possible.
Is there a definitive cure for cancer?
There are more than 100 types of cancer. Biological makeup and treatment procedure for each one is different. Some types of cancer cannot be treated but its growth can be stunted and the life quality of the patient can be improved. Same applies to some stages of cancer. By determining the type of cancer, its grade which shows the metastatic risk and the stage, one can define the curability, metastatic behavior and treatment methods.
How will the treatment process be and how long will it last?
In veterinary medicine, cancer treatment is tailored specifically for each patient considering their overall health and the condition of the cancer. Like people, animals can also be treated via tumor removal, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy and a combination of these methods.
Animals usually do not suffer from the side effects of these treatments and continue with their lives as before during the process. How long this process will take depends on the disease and the treatment protocol. During oncological consultancy, patient owners are informed about all the options in a detailed manner and this is when the length of the treatment is decided.
What are the side effects of chemotherapy?
The priority in cancer treatment for animals is to maintain quality of life, therefore the patients. In veterinary medicine, chemotherapy has minimal or no side effects. The potential side effects are diarrhea, constipation, fever or hematuria. Side effects usually disappear in a week. If the animal who is administered chemotherapy suffers from side effects, medication can be used for symptom relief or chemotherapy protocol or dosage can be changed.
What are the side effects of radiotherapy?
Side effects of radiotherapy are generally only specific to the area it is applied to. Depending on the tissues in the area, side effects vary, but mostly a skin reaction is expected in the area where the treatment is applied to. These effects usually subside in 2-4 weeks. Side effects of radiotherapy might emerge during treatment or even months or years later. Since potential side effects depend on the area where radiation is applied to, oncologist informs the patient’s owner of the details specific to the case.
What are the types of cancers and how often do pets get cancer?
There are more than 100 types of cancer that pets might be prone to get. Cancer is especially widespread in older dogs. 50% of all dogs above the age of 10 suffer from cancer. Statistical information for cats is not sufficient but we know what some types of cancers like lymphomas are encountered more frequently in cats than dogs. Dogs most often get skin cancer, breast cancer, bone cancer, soft tissue cancers and lymphoma (lymph node tumors).
What do you charge for cancer treatment?
Costs for cancer treatment depend on the procedures that are undertaken. Costs associated with diagnosis and treatment of cancer are determined during oncological consultancy. Pet owners are informed of the possible costs for each stage in the first consultation. You can find the rates of our general services on our website.
