Veterinary Oncologist Perspective
Treating Dogs with Cancer As If They’re My Own
Can I treat a dog in my care as if he were my own?
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Should My Regular Veterinarian Give My Dog Chemotherapy?
Here’s a touchy subject for us to look at: why can’t my regular veterinarian give my dog chemotherapy? Do I really need to see a specialist? I am often asked these questions by clients, and my answer is always the same: no. That might sound harsh, but let’s look at this a little closer. If…
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Common Dog Cancer Mistake: Doing Too Many Diagnostic Tests Before Seeing the Oncologist
When you first hear your dog has cancer, you may panic and feel that everything must be done, and now. It’s true, cancer is an urgent situation, and it’s a great idea to find out as much information about your dog’s cancer as is possible. But how many diagnostic tests should you have your vet…
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Common Cancer Mistake: Starting Your Dog with Lymphoma on Prednisone Too Soon
It happens all the time, so don’t beat yourself up if you’ve done it. But if you can, avoid the use of steroids (such as prednisone) before chemotherapy, or before the diagnosis of lymphoma is confirmed. Now, I’m not bashing prednisone across the board. Steroids are used for many things in veterinary medicine. For example,…
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Primary Lung Tumors, part 2
Unlike people where lung cancer is one of the top five cancers and the leading cause of cancer related deaths worldwide, primary lung cancer is very rare in dogs. Dogs are often diagnosed with lung cancer as in incidental finding during a routine geriatric screen. Lung Cancer Symptoms in Dogs Often dogs have NO clinical signs,…
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Uncommon Tumors: Primary Lung Tumors, Part 1
As a boarded oncologist, I see not only the common cancers in dogs like lymphoma, mast cell tumors, osteosarcomas, hemangiosarcomas, and mammary cancers. But I also see the uncommon ones. Recently I have been seeing more of the uncommon tumors, and what’s even strange to me, I am seeing more that one within a few…
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What’s my dog’s prognosis?
Once you have been told the horrible news that your dog has been diagnosed with cancer, so many thoughts start racing around your head. One of the common questions I get is, “How long will my dog live, Doc?” Despite all my training and experience as an oncologist, this is so hard to answer. During…
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Chemotherapy for Osteosarcoma
In my last two posts about osteosarcoma (OSA), we discussed treatments that address the tumor affecting the bone. We discussed amputation, Stereotactic RadioSurgery (SRS) like Cyberknife, palliative radiation, and limb-spare surgery. While these treatments are important for the malignant tumor destroying the bone, metastasis (cancer spread) is inevitable. So even if the primary tumor is…
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DogCancer.TV: Should You See an Oncologist for Your Dog’s Cancer
Dr. Ettinger and Dr. Dressler discuss the decision as to when and why a veterinary oncologist should be seen and how to find a veterinary oncologist.
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Osteosarcoma: when amputation is not an option, part 2
In my last post, I went through some “alternatives-to-amputation,” including palliative radiation and limb-spare surgery. Now we will review stereotactic radiosurgery. Stereotactic RadioSurgery: radiation instead of surgery RadioSurgery is used INSTEAD of surgery, when traditional surgery with a scalpel blade is impossible or would cause unacceptable side effects to the patient (for example, in brain…
Read ArticleThe chemotherapy appointment, demystified
Ever wonder what happens at your dog chemotherapy appointment? The idea of chemo may conjure up an image of a bunch of people sitting around in chairs hooked up to their IV chemo lines, but how do we do that in dogs? Let’s break a typical chemo appointment down, with Charlie as my example. Charlie…
Read ArticleWhat is safe? Thoughts of an oncologist and mom
After a pet Guardian finds out their dog has cancer, I am often asked, “What caused my dog’s cancer? Was it the water, the food, the food bowls, the shampoo, the cleaners I used around the house, the herbicides or pesticides used on my lawn?” While there is so little evidence directly linking chemicals and…
Read ArticleStaying on the cutting edge of veterinary oncology
I’ll be honest; this blog is a little bit hard for me to write. I am not my typical focused self. I am preparing to leave for Paris for a week with my husband. While I would prefer the trip to be entirely vacation, half the trip will be devoted to veterinary oncology. (I know…
Read ArticleThe Oncologist’s Perspective on Statistics: Part Two
In last week’s post, Statistics Part One, I discussed why statistics can be very helpful to the pet Guardian. And while stats are an important part on oncology, my years in practice highlight their limitations. So before we dive into some common statistical terms (in my next blog), I think it is important to remember…
Read ArticleThe Oncologist’s Perspective on Statistics: Part One
I know what you are thinking. Statistics … ick, boring. I agree. I was never a fan of learning about stats. In fact, statistics was one of my least favorite classes in undergrad. But when you are dealing with the overwhelming diagnosis of cancer, there are a ton of statistics to learn. How long will…
Read ArticleThe Oncologist’s Perspective on Chemotherapy and Low White Blood Cell Counts: Part 3
Finally, part 3 of my posts on chemotherapy and low white blood cells counts. (You can read Part 1 and Part 2 to catch up.) Today I will talk about severely low white blood cell counts and sepsis. Happily, this is NOT common in dogs getting chemotherapy, but you should know about it anyway if…
Read ArticleThe Oncologist’s Perspective on Chemotherapy and Low White Blood Cell Counts: Part 2
This is the second of three posts about low white blood cell counts and chemotherapy. Please be sure to read Part 1, so you are all caught up. Oncologists monitor the white blood cell count closely and often! It is key to remember that the neutrophil only lives 18 to 24 hours in the blood…
Read ArticleThe Oncologist’s Perspective on Chemotherapy and Low White Blood Cell Counts: Part 1
In recent posts, I discussed gastrointestinal, or GI, side effects resulting from chemotherapy treatment. The goal of chemotherapy is to target and kill your dog’s rapidly dividing cancer cells. Unfortunately some normal cells in the body are also potentially damaged from treatment, because these normal cells also rapidly divide. The most commonly affected cells are…
Read ArticleIncidentalomas: when you find a cancer you were not looking for
Recently, there was an article that caught my attention in the New York Times. In A Tumor is No Clearer in Hindsight, Denise Grady wrote about whether Steve Jobs had made the right decision to wait 9 months to go to surgery after finding out he had a type of pancreatic cancer. The article goes…
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