Chemo- recent experiences?

Dogstar

Dogstar

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My 11.5 year old Ridgeback has unfortunately been diagnosed with malignant mammary tumours. The tumours have been removed with a margin but one was quite large -6cm -(fast growing) and the biopsy said they were aggressive/invasive. Although the lungs were clear and the lymph nodes felt OK, the vet felt the chance of mets appearing was high and recommended chemo. I am inclined to at least give it a try, as the dog is otherwise very fit and 'young' but I don't know exactly what I am letting her in for so if anyone has had the misfortune to have a similar experience I would be interested in any comments. Thanks.
 
A friends 9yr old king Charles recently had chemo, not sure on the type of cancer but was told chemo wasn't going to cure her but if she went into remission it would buy her time.
It was a tough decision as didn't want to make the dog ill but decided to give it a shot. The dog responded well to treatment, wasn't sick and saw an improvement and the growths shrunk. The dog was fine for 6 weeks after the treatment stopped but then went downhill very rapidly and was pts.
Hope this helps you make a decision, her main concern was not ruining the time the dog had left but in her case it was worth it as it improved the dogs quality of life for her remaining time
 
Thank you for your helpful reply. Sorry the King Charles didn't make it. My girl doesn't seem to actually have any mets at the moment, so maybe it would be more worthwhile for her... Thanks again.
 
I'm afraid I wouldn't (and didn't) put an older dog through chemo. Our 8 year old Rott was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in December last year, amputation was the only option apart from PTS. We did that after much deliberation and were told like you that it was fast growing and aggressive and we might be lucky to have him 5 months, apparently the median survival period for post amputation osteosarcoma patients. We discussed chemo with our vet and they said the level of trauma etc in their view was considerable, and they advised against it. I'm pleased to say we definitely made the correct decision, very nearly 6 months later my beloved Rott is sitting next to me on the decking having had a lovely run on the beach this morning! On three legs admittedly but he's had 6 months he wouldn't have had if we hadn't amputated, and had we gone with chemo he might well not have been nearly as happy and healthy during that time as he has been.
The advantage of faster growing tumours, is that they are sometimes found before they have had a chance to spread. We still hope that might be the case with him, but even if he goes downhill tomorrow he's had a lovely few months, and let's be honest, the life expectancy of the bigger dogs isn't that extensive anyway.
But I wish you well with your decision whatever it is and hope you get as long as possible to enjoy with her.
 
I posted recently on here about a friends dog we were looking after while they were on holiday and who is on chemo for a rare tumour which is too far deep in his shoulder to be amputated. As far as I could see there were absolutely no side effects as he is still full of energy and life.
If your vet is recommending and your dog suffers no side effects then I see no reason why not. However as in people everyone is different and I know some people said their pets had not had a good reaction to chemo.
I wish you all the best it's very hard when they're ill.
 
The problem with malignant mammary tumours is that they have often spread before surgery. Not always visible on radiographs. I lost my dog this year to histiocytic sarcoma, chose not to go for chemo and I don't regret the decision xx
 
Thanks for the various viewpoints. I think there probably isn't a definite right answer. The biopsy report was 'guarded' about how far it had gone. My vets recommended the chemo and said she could go into remission. They suggested trying one dose and seeing how she coped, if not well then just not to do do any more. My initial thoughts were against chemo but as someone else on here said, I read that dogs often have little in the way of side affects as the dosage they are given is very low. So I think I will give it one dose and reassess. Thanks everyone.
 
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