Often the diagnosis of cancer leaves owners feeling that there is no hope for their pet. However, Chun says that many times the cancer can be treated, and the pet can continue to lead a fulfilling life. We use the same types of drugs that they use in human medicine, but because we really want to maintain a good to excellent quality of life in our patients we tend to use lower doses at less frequent intervals. Veterinarians have designed their chemotherapy protocols for animals so that pets don't become terribly ill, Chun said. Less than 5 percent of the animals develop severe vomiting, diarrhea or a drop in their blood counts and need to be hospitalized.
Owners always worry about the animal's hair falling out.
Animals that always have to go to the groomers, those are the ones we worry about losing their hair. But once chemotherapy is over, the animal's hair grows back in. Cost is a significant factor in deciding to go through with the cancer treatments. For many people, their pets are more than just animals, so the owners want to do everything that they can to prolong their lives and keep them feeling good. If we look at it solely from the animal's point of view, and are able to buy them another eight to 12 months to maybe even a year and a half, that's a very long time from that animal's point of view.