Comments on: The Most Important Question in Dog Cancer Care

By: Millie

Millie — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 12:19:36 +0000

I too think this is an excellent blog. I believe it is a difficult decision no matter which way one decided to go. My decision has been for quality of life. My little dog has a MCT on her left hind leg and I chose not to do any medical intervention, however I determined I would give her the best quality of life I could with the time I have left with her. She has lived past her life expectancy of 13 yrs plus months. She is now 14 yrs plus 2 months and 9 months past her diagnosis of cancer. She is on no pain medication at all, she walks morning and evening and besides dragging her leg because the cancer has encapsulated the muscles around her upper joint she appears healthy. Eating can be a problem at times so we’ve used the information from DR D’s book using baby food when necessary. I use the alternative vitamins and minerals as well as herbs suggested in DR D’s book. I crush these and put them in her doggy treats I make. I use Mega Red daily. I make sure to the best of my ability she gets no preservatives in her food and I cook everything from scratch. It is more work and probably more expensive however it is the route I’ve chosen and as a result I believe my little dog has outlived what she would have without my interventions. I have been truly blessed finding this site and getting Dr D’s book. Of all the research I’ve done and I’ve done a lot, the book and information here is the best!

By: Jo Anne

Jo Anne — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 03:51:01 +0000

I had a 14 year old retriever dx with bone cancer in r front leg. Amputation and chemo was suggested. She was healthly in other ways. she was also a little overweight. We decided to manage pain and do nothing else except for the bisphosphonate tx. We did it one time and had the second scheduled. She was showing too much pain and I had her put to sleep the day afer the appt made for her next treatment. If she had been younger, I probably would have had the amputation. I know surgery could have spared her pain but possibleu opened too many doors for potnetial difficulties. Very tough decision in some ways; other ways it seemed like a no-brainer. Always second-guessing.
Had a dog have surgery to remove tumors on his chest. It spread like wildfire after surgery. I began second guessing myself about what if I had not had surgery. Damned if you do and damned if you don’t.

By: Nance

Nance — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 22:39:21 +0000

Excellent article. It is always such a hard decision. I think overall for me it is a quality of life. With Benji we had the surgery but the cancer would return at some time and at best within ten months. He developed other serious problems after the surgery – unrelated but requiring more intensive surgery and recovery. At this time the vet suggested it may be better for him to let him go now. Hard yes, heartbreaking yes, but I think it was the best for Benji as his quality of life would not have been what he liked