How Long Does My Dog Have?
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: January 10th, 2019
It is very important to do what we can to avoid ongoing depression when trying to cope with cancer in our dogs. Ongoing depression is exhausting, steals our reserves, and clouds judgment.
It decreases your dog’s chances of good life quality during a life with cancer. Yes, your ongoing depression.
Please do not misunderstand me. There are many legitimate reasons for guardians of dogs with cancer to be depressed.
Here are some of these reasons:
Take a look at median survival times with conventional care (chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery):
- Hemangiosarcoma of the spleen: median survival time after spleen removal without chemo is about 2 months, and with chemo is up to 6 months.
- Transitional Cell Carcinoma of the bladder: median survival time on piroxicam alone is about 6 months.
- Melanoma of the toes: following removal of the affected toe, this cancer will take the life of half the patients within a year, assuming there is no evidence for spread at the time of surgery.
- Lymphosarcoma: patients receiving the Wisconsin chemo protocol have a median survival of roughly 6-10 months.
(For more specific data on median survival times with different cancers and protocols, see The Dog Cancer Survival Guide.)
So there is every reason to have sadness. But….continued sadness is not helpful to you or to your dog. After experiencing the grief, it is time for an expectation analysis. Time to organize yourself and move forward.
Suppose your dog was diagnosed with lymphosarcoma, and seems to be having good overall life quality 6 months later. Guess what? This is very good news! Median life expectancy with chemo being 6-10 months, about half the dogs with lympho have passed away in as little as 6 months after being diagnosed.
And that is with chemotherapy!
If you have a dog with lympho and your dog is doing well 6 months after diagnosis, you are already beating the curve, since median survival is as low as 6 months in some cases with the chemo.
Get a copy of the Dog Cancer Survival Guide for more helpful information and tools
What if your dog has lympho and is on pred only? Median survival for those dogs is roughly 2 or 3 months. So you are ahead of the game if your dog has good life quality 2 months after diagnosis.
If you were to look at some of the other statistics above, you can see that if you had a dog who underwent spleen removal 8 weeks ago, is not on chemo, and is still maintaining, you are beating the odds. This is very, very good news. This is successful treatment!
An integration of these statistics in one’s mind allows for a realistic picture of where we stand with conventional cancer care.
We really must take into account how short these survival times are in our expectations! We need to redefine success in malignant cancer management.
An understanding of these figures also tells us how we are doing with the addition of our “outside the box” treatments discussed here and in The Guide.
Once we get past the grim reality of these numbers, we can alter our expectations and begin appreciation with gratitude.
The practice of gratitude for each of these days, realizing the odds, is they key to avoiding continued sadness.
Best to all of you,
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.
My white boxer Jessie who is an angel was brought to the vets for a cough and she spit up a little blood once. We left the office after the xray with Vet sadly telling me she has a big tumor pressing on her lung. My son and I are so upset. I did some research on an over the counter drug when I googled how to shrink tumors in boxers or dogs. They said get benadryl 25 ml and tagamet 200mg give twice a day if there is a tumor and once a day to prevent one. The xrays the woman showed the tumor shrunk in three months. I gave it to her last night and her breathing in one day was so bad. She is 9 and they do not recomend surgury. I dont know what to do. They didnt give me prednisone or pain meds and said to try to enjoy the next few weeks and were sincere. During the day she still wants to walk to the beach, eat, play and then at night is tired and breathing heavy. She is like a daughter to me as my son is 21 in his last yr in college. I think during a physical especially for a boxer an xray should be suggested. I may have had time to catch this. When I went in for her last physical I asked the doctor if they fealt any lumps and that I was worried she could get cancer. Im not a vet—instead the vet said it was just fatty tissue. I know my finances are low but why would they say lets do an xray on her since she is 8???? It should be required and if the customer wants to decline oh well, however I wouldnt have. To quick of a visit that does cost money but leaving without all the facts. A simple xray. I shouldnt have known that after loosing my parents at 60. Please pray for Jessie, I have a copy of her xrays if anyone knows how to read them to tell me what they think. Im now missing work and staying home with her ans I am self employed. Please pray for my Jessie the best dog I have ever had and loves everyone!!! Linda in Marshfield Ma
Hello,
I have never used one of these forums before, but i am hoping someone who has been in my position can help. My Maltese schitzu has just been diagnosed with a huge tumour in her left lung and the tumour is bleeding into her lung and tummy, vet actually showed us a tube full of blood that they drained. She is seeing a specialist soon however, i want to know if anyone has ever been in the position of having treatment or not with a dog like mine and what the outcome was. She is tired all the time and coughs so much she tires just from walking down the hall way…… Please help!
Thank you… One very worried mummy
I just found out three days ago that Munson, my 9 yr. old male English Bulldog, has hemangiosarcoma and that surgery and/or chemotherapy are not realistic treatments due to the advanced stage of the cancer. My vet informed me he has only a few weeks to live. I have been searching websites to understand cancers in dogs and found this one. I realize that I am not alone in my suffering. From reading a lot of the stories here, a lot of people have to endure the same grief as I am going through right now. Like one poster mentioned, I am also grateful that I have a little time left to cherish him and realize that each day left is a gift. Good luck to each and everyone out there who has an animal w/ cancer.
My dog that is 11.5 yr. in the last 2 weeks has gone completely blind. The vet said that the retinas are fine and no cataracts. He suspects that he has a brain tumor. I thought he had doggie Alzheimers but this makes sense. I decided with the vet to take it day by day, and at times he seems so full of life, but the last week at night he has been very restless panting very hard. He has started having accidents. About once a week in the middle of the night he wakes me up crying and trying to stand but can’t them after about 30minutes gets up and walks fine. I just don’t know what to do. Any advice would be appreciated.
My little dog has bladder cancer & she can no longer urinate. Could you tell me how much longer she can live without urinating. You cannot even look at her & tell she is sick.
Its heartbreaking to read all of these messages from people concerning their pet. We lost a wonderful dog to kidney disease two years ago, and she far outlived other dogs with the same disease. However, I realize that it is a pure crap shoot; diet, her (dog) will to live, etc., all played a part. Now my beautiful Siberian Husky has just been biopsies for lumps popping up all over her body. The vet has already noted malignant looking cells, so I am not hopeful. I love this dog so much! I’ve only had her two years, having rescued her for euthanasia and curing her of heart worm. She deserves better, and I know she is a tough dog and a fighter. That said, I have to consider her quality of life, and ask myself if I’m doing it (prolonging her life) for her or for myself. Everyone has a right to their opinion, so I will state mine here. I realize that the cancer will kill her, and I realize that soon she will be suffering. As much as I never want her to go, no amount of diet or medicine will save her. I am just so happy she got to experience the last few years of her life on her terms. Good luck to all of you, I hope you make decisions that are best for you pet and you.
Thank you for your post Dr. D, my 6 year old Siberian Husky Kodiak was diagnosed with stomach cancer 2 days ago. My vet told me it is not time to put him down yet, That he still has a little bit of quiality life left I overcome with intense sadness and grief, and hating myself for every minute I didn’t spend with him because I went off to the beach or the mall or whatever, and left him home with my other dog, or wishing I had done this or that differently. Last night he was sleeping on my kitchen fllor, ad I just got a blanket and pillow and laid on the floor next to him and cried myself to sleep, with him in my arms. But he had a wonderful day today..He ate well,, he ate lots actually, he barked, he played ball, he was happy. I guess I should be thankful that I have time with him, to cherish him, and say goodbye on my own terms. Each day is a gift, the lessons he taught me in 4 years will certainly last a whole lifetime, sometimes you don’t realize what you have till it’s gone, I get to let mine know how much hes loved for a little longer. I just wish I knew how to be as brave as he is.
Thinking of you
Dr D
My 10 year old Jack Russell, Moses, has both bladder cancer and an enlarged heart. He was diagnosed with cancer in February of 2011 and has been on Metacam. In January of 2012 he was diagnosed with an enlarged heart and was started on enalapril, pimobendan and disal. A week ago he began to have labored breathing and his heart rate was 240. After doing an EKG the vet added spironolactone and diltiazem to his current meds. I had cut way back on his metacam as it was irritating his stomach. Since starting the new meds his abdomen is very swollen and he is drinking all of the time. He is trying to urinate but with the bladder cancer cannot keep ahead of the water. Should I limit his water intake to make up for the fact that he cannot urinate as well? I know I cannot save my boy but I do want him to be comfortable and have a quality of life. Your thoughts would be much appreciated.
Dear Theresa,
this is a patient cardiac management question and I need to refer you to your vet ASAP. Do not restrict water as Moses is on diuretics which dehydrate him. You likely will be starting spironolactone and possibly rutin, but I am not sure as I don’t know the cause of the swollen stomach. I hope this helps
Best
Dr D
My dog Snow tcell lympoma with a mass near his chest he was on chemo and pred. for 6 months.Within 4 months on chemo he got megaespogas and asprition pnunomina can the chemo cause this?Also after the 6 month he got very sick for two days he wouldnt eat or drink and just threw up yellow bile.I took him to the er they gave fluids and antibiotic but nothing was working I was told the best option was to put him to sleep .I feel awful like maybe there was something else I could have done he was only 9 years old and he was my life.
Dear Melissa,
the key now is to realize this was not your fault!
a post for you:
https://www.dogcancerblog.com/blog/grief-can-be-complicated/
All my best
Dr D
I thought I might add some interesting info on my Papillion. Flash will be 9 in July. Last October he was diagnosed through exploratory surgery with lymphoma. It was seen on many of his organs and confirmed with biopsy. We chose to sew him up and bring him home for what ever time remained.
Our Internal Med Vet put him on Prednisone daily, Leukeran once a week and a high fat/protein food. It is now the end of May and we still have our little guy. He gives no sign of the horrible symptoms he had in October. One never knows…….