End of Life Care in Dog Cancer
Dr. Demian Dressler is internationally recognized as “the dog cancer vet” because of his innovations in the field of dog cancer management, and the popularity of his blog here at Dog Cancer Blog. The owner of South Shore Veterinary Care, a full-service veterinary hospital in Maui, Hawaii, Dr. Dressler studied Animal Physiology and received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of California at Davis before earning his Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from Cornell University. After practicing at Killewald Animal Hospital in Amherst, New York, he returned to his home state, Hawaii, to practice at the East Honolulu Pet Hospital before heading home to Maui to open his own hospital. Dr. Dressler consults both dog lovers and veterinary professionals, and is sought after as a speaker on topics ranging from the links between lifestyle choices and disease, nutrition and cancer, and animal ethics. His television appearances include “Ask the Vet” segments on local news programs. He is the author of The Dog Cancer Survival Guide: Full Spectrum Treatments to Optimize Your Dog’s Life Quality and Longevity. He is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, the Hawaii Veterinary Medical Association, the American Association of Avian Veterinarians, the National Animal Supplement Council and CORE (Comparative Orthopedic Research Evaluation). He is also an advisory board member for Pacific Primate Sanctuary.
Updated: December 7th, 2018
The end of life stage can be very hard on everyone. It often is gut-wrenching to see your dear companion start to say goodbye.
Like any weighty decision, sometimes the emotions involved can paralyze our ability to choose.
During these times it is so important to gain some clarity by seeking support in counselors, support groups, spiritual leaders, old friends and the like.
For more on gaining some clarity during these difficult times, see The Dog Cancer Coping Guide.
If a decision is made to try to make your dear friend comfortable during the departure stage (as opposed to letting him or her go), I would like to go over a few items.
a. Diet: at this point we forget about the standard dog cancer diets. Most dogs in this state don’t want to eat much and appetite stimulants (B complex, prednisolone, anabolic steroids, cyproheptadine) don’t do much to help. Go ahead and tempt your dog with the good (tasty) stuff.
b. Pain control: essential. Try Tramadol, amantadine, NSAIDs like Metacam or Deramaxx, gabapentin, fentanyl patch, and long-acting morphine. Combinations must be used, and these drugs require veterinary supervision.
c. Hydration: you want to give your dog about 1 ounce per pound in a 24 hour period. So a 12 lb dog gets 12 oz over 24 hours. Try flavoring with a little low sodium broth or bullion. Have your vet teach you how to give subcutaneous fluids if you can’t hand-hydrate.
d. Prevent bed-sores: decubital ulcers (bed sores) happen in large dogs who don’t move much laying on hard surfaces. Roll your dog over, by rotating the legs under the belly/chest to flip, at least every 8-12 hours. Pad the surface well.
e. Prevent urine scald and fecal soiling: sponge bath at least two times daily if your dog cannot make it outside.
f. Improve life quality: bring your dog outside, go for a drive, massage, brush, stroke, talk to, sing to, tell your dog his or her life story from start to finish, and play with toys if possible. Apologize for anything and everything you could have done better. Touch therapies and acupuncture are options too.
This is a very tough time. However, if you are able to take the time to do things the right way, your dog’s goodbye can seem more like a farewell for now, my friend.
All my best,
Dr. D
Dr. Demian Dressler is internationally recognized as “the dog cancer vet” because of his innovations in the field of dog cancer management, and the popularity of his blog here at Dog Cancer Blog. The owner of South Shore Veterinary Care, a full-service veterinary hospital in Maui, Hawaii, Dr. Dressler studied Animal Physiology and received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of California at Davis before earning his Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from Cornell University. After practicing at Killewald Animal Hospital in Amherst, New York, he returned to his home state, Hawaii, to practice at the East Honolulu Pet Hospital before heading home to Maui to open his own hospital. Dr. Dressler consults both dog lovers and veterinary professionals, and is sought after as a speaker on topics ranging from the links between lifestyle choices and disease, nutrition and cancer, and animal ethics. His television appearances include “Ask the Vet” segments on local news programs. He is the author of The Dog Cancer Survival Guide: Full Spectrum Treatments to Optimize Your Dog’s Life Quality and Longevity. He is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, the Hawaii Veterinary Medical Association, the American Association of Avian Veterinarians, the National Animal Supplement Council and CORE (Comparative Orthopedic Research Evaluation). He is also an advisory board member for Pacific Primate Sanctuary.
Hi to you all. I write this as I sit with Guiness my mongerel, with lots of Suluki
(and their love of pillows- its true, look it up , its a breed trait) And we are aproaching the difficult months. I appreciated the Dr’s comments above- My ol mate has mouth Cancer, he had a large tumor removed 3 mnths ago and we know its grown back but so far its not effecting him too much- he’s 11 1/2 and its hard to see just how big its got as it is right at the back of his mouth behind his rear molars at the bottom and he’s not keen on opening his mouth big but dispite a special diet and lots of supplements we know it has grown back quickly . He also has lots of lumps and bumps all over him so I am fairly sure it may have spread to other parts althought its the tumour type that doesnt usually metasise .. He’s tired and we are just waiting for the day when he cant eat any more or seems to be in pain.. we are having lots of quality time -but its hard to believe he wont be with us much longer… I love the bit about ‘telling him his life story’ and ‘apologising for what you could have done better’ I wnt to the graveyard today to put flower on my fathers grave- he died 4 years ago.. I told Guiness that Grandad would be waiting to see him so not to be scared.. How bonkers am I?? Thanks for listening..M x
The one constant in my life for the last 13 years has been Keiko, my akita. She has seen me through the best and the worst. She never judged me. She always has loved me unconditionally. And she even saved my life one night when a man had me at knife point. We have traveled the country together and had many adventures. Now my heart is breaking because I have to send her on a journey by herself. How do I explain to her why I can’t go along? How do I explain to her brothers why “Big Sis” isn’t coming home. She is such a proud and noble dog. So, I have decided to let her go while she still can hold her head high. I might have keep her at home also were it not for her furry brothers. I think watching her slowly decline would be to much for them. Reading all of your post has given me hope that I am doing what is right for her and the other dogs. I will never forget her and my love will go with her on her next adventure. I love you Baby Keiks and I will see you again!
Dear Andrea,
thinking of you and Keiko during this time of departure. All my best,
Dr D
Tinha uma Pinscher que faria 13 anos dia 31/10/10.Foi diagnosticada com cãncer de fígado .Só fui saber que algo estava errado pois ela teve uma convulsão.Fiz todos os exames pedidos, constatou-se um tumor de 7 cm, ela comia normalmente, dormia bem e teve a vida praticamente normal.Quando completou 1 mes do diagnostico, ela acordou impaciente, tomou dipirona, tramal, alcort(No mesmo dia)e a drenagem da barriga já estava com sangue.Opteu pela eutanásia.As vezes me pego penssando que sou malvada, e fico muito triste, eu errei em fazer esta opção??
I appreciate all the stories. My handsome and sweet 3 y/o Pitt named Patterson was diagnosed 3 weeks ago and we removed the tumors only to have three more pop up before he even recovered. I can’t put my sweet boy through countless operations and now chemo is said to maybe be able to prolong his life for some months. I cant afford chemo so I have decided to let him live his life and keep him loved and happy as long as possible. Since deciding this, all I do is cry. Patty has started having seizures so I know it’s not good. I pray for all of you and your doggies. I know I love my boy like a child and he is my best friend that goes everywhere with me. I will miss him very much and will be very lonely for awhile.
Stephanie
My almost 14 year old large mix breed dog has a fungus on her lungs and a tumor in her chest cavity which showed up on an x ray. Vet stated that it is probably cancer. She is still eating and drinking-trouble getting up but right now she is still with me. I have no desire to keep her alive longerthan she wants to be-but my vet wants to do a sonogram, bloodwork…. . Am i nuts for not wanting to put her through that? AND how do I know if she is in pain?
I read all the articles and they are all so touching and hard to read. I had to put one of my boxers down in November and now I am trying to make the right decision for his companion. Phoebee will be 13 in October she is full of cancer her appetite is starting to slow down and she sleeps most of the day. She tends to wander at night time the past few weeks going in every room in the house. She is starting to throw up her food in the evening the last three nights. And I can just tell she does not feel well. I don’t know if I should just let her go on her own or take her and have her put to sleep. It is so hard to let go of your friend. But, with your pet you do have the option of not letting them suffer and I thank god for that. My other boxer Buster just started having seizures three weeks ago and they think it is a brain tumor. So we are really going through a rough time with our little brown children. And then Abby my 6 year old boxer has a tumor that just appeared. We had four now down to three but, all have health issues. They are special all you can do is love them and enjoy every second that you have with them. Thanks for the wonderful article!
Dear T
Thinking of you and your loved family members.
Best,
Dr D
[…] a leg. During his remission, he went on walks, swam, and played. 3 legs and still his old self. Cancer came back and he has since passed. He taught me about enjoying each day and how even on our last day here on earth, even if we have […]
today is sunday august 2nd, as i have already blogged about taz having
liver cancer. he is so much worse today. if things go as planned, we
will be taking him to our vet tomorrow august 3rd,5:30 to have him put to
sleep. i can hardly type because of all the tears. my husband and i both are loosing it but we can’t let him suffer. he just looks at us with those black eyes and you can tell he want’s help. please say a
extra prayer for us. we plan on having a proper burial for him and have a headstone made for him. some people may think we are crazy but
he has been our baby and best friend. renee thanks for your response, my heart goes out to you. life will never be the same for any of us anymore. thinking of all of you dog owners, DR D, thank you for being such a caring human being. this world needs more people like you. love and prayers to all. patty, john and our beloved TAZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My Molly is a 11 year old yellow lab. I found out she had a massive cancerous tumor in her spleen almost 4 months ago. The regular vet told me to “go home and take pictures”. I took her to an oncologist here in Portland who is wonderful and she did surgery and removed it. Otherwise she had maybe a day to live. Now 4 months later she has started having seizures. It has spread to her liver and possibly her brain. I only live hand to mouth so afford $500 a pop chemo was not an option for us. This tore me up. BUT we did get 4 more months and have just started (5 days in) a low does (MUCH cheaper) at home chemo she gets every 48 hours. This will not cure her. Just trying to slow it down and make her comfortable at this point. Today she has gotten quite weak and isn’t wanting to eat much. I’m trying to stay positive for her. She is my everything for 11 years now. I’m 31. I don’t know what my adult life would even be like without her. May sound crazy but I miss her already. I don’t know if I have days or weeks or what but I’m trying to make it as positive and happy as I can for her. This is the hardest thing I think I have ever done in my life. Thank you for this article.
PS good luck to you Patty.
I’ll pray for you guys too.
Please pray for us.
reneedeanne@gmail.com
DR. D
I FIND THIS ARTICLE SO HELPFUL. I HAVE A 14 YEAR OLD SHIH TZU THAT HAS
BEEN DIAGNOSDED WITH LIVER CANCER.MY HUSBAND IS HAVING A TERRIBLE TIME
DEALING WITH THIS. HE SIT’S AND CRY’S, I KNOW TAZ CAN SENSE SOMETHING IS WRONG. I WILL PASS THIS ARTICLE TO HIM AND HOPE THAT HIS SPIRITS WILL LIFT FOR TAZ’S SAKE. SAY A PRAYER FOR US AS THIS IS THE MOST DIFFICULT TIME IN OUR LIFE. WE HAVE BOTH LOST OUR FATHERS BUT THIS SEEM’S TO BE MUCH HARDER TO DEAL WITH. MY HEART GOES OUT TO ALL THAT MUST GIVE UP THEIR BEST FRIEND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!