Chemotherapy is cure for pets with cancer

The diagnosis of cancer and the prospect of chemotherapy treatment can be both stressful and difficult for pet owners. It is unwarranted that how many days will the animal survive from the treatment of chemotherapy.

Having some knowledge on chemotherapy drugs and about the treatments can help the pet owners take a decision wisely whether such therapy will be suitable for their pets. To treat animals with cancer, chemotherapy may be used in two different ways; either as a single treatment or by combining it with other treatments. Chemotherapy in pets should only be recommended for cancer that has already spread to the other parts of the body, for tumors that occur on more than one place, or for tumors that cannot be removed surgically. There are a few cases where chemotherapy is used to take out some kind of microscopic cancer cells by reducing the size of tumors, which are large in size before surgery which is not possible to remove during surgeries. Cancers which are detected at an early stage can use chemotherapy as its treatment after surgery or radiation therapy so as to bring down the rate of development of cancer cells.

Chemotherapy in use

While the cells are in the process of growth and development, the drugs used in chemotherapy helps to slow down the cell division. Certain drugs used in the chemotherapy treatment damages the DNA of the cells which prevents it from spreading into other parts of the body. But there is a drawback of the chemotherapeutic drugs as they cannot make out the difference between normal cells and the cancer cells. Chemotherapy is sensitive to all the multiplying cells which divides at a rapid pace. There can be many side effects seen after the treatment of chemotherapy. After chemotherapy the side effects caused are rarely permanent as the normal tissues starts growing and continue to repair themselves.

Side effects of chemotherapy

The side effects of chemotherapy in animals are less compared to that of humans. This is because lower drug doses are used on animals and the therapy for human combines various kinds of drugs as medicines. The most sensitive tissue in the treatment of chemotherapy are the bone marrow, intestinal lining, and the hair follicles.

The effects on the gastrointestinal tract is severe and therefore is responsible for vomiting, diarrhea, and decrease in appetite. The effects depend on different animals being mild or severe. Some pet animals may need to be hospitalized or undergo fluid therapy due to severe diarrhea.

Different components used in chemotherapy can act differently by causing various kinds of side effects. Medicines such as antiemetics are prescribed for the complications, if your pet is treated with drugs which may cause side effects.

Expectations from chemotherapy

In many cases, doctors are unable to cure the veterinary cancer patients although they try to improve the quality of the pet's life. As a result, chemotherapy is used to slow down the progression of the disease or to minimize the severe suffering caused by a tumor. For more information on various types of tumors, the oncologist provides the exact life expectancy of the animal with and without treatments.

The decision whether to give chemotherapy treatments to your pets may be difficult as it includes medical concerns, financial responsibilities etc. It is best advisable to consult an oncologist before making any decision.