My dog has cancer. What are the treatment options and survival rates?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Dog | Bichon Frise | Male | 5 years and 1 month old | 25 lbs
Hi we live in Iran and need some advice on the attached exam that we have received from lab in Iran, My dog docter said it is first step of Cancer, we are worried about my dog he is 6 years old, please let me know what would be next step for us Regards Hamid
2 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on January 30th, 2018
Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Lymphoma is in fact a cancer. This is typically treated with chemotherapy. There are many chemotherapy options that can be considered such as a multi agent protocol called CHOP. There are other chemotherapeutic medications that can be considered depending on what your veterinarian has available. In general, chemotherapy is well-tolerated in dogs when done appropriately. If not able to proceed with chemotherapy, there are other options like prednisone therapy alone which in itself can help dogs with lymphoma though for a very short amount of time. The prognosis with chemotherapy varies and depends on the type of lymphoma he has (B-cell vs. T-cell) and the treatment chosen. The prognosis varies between 6 to 12 months with chemotherapy and about 2 months on just prednisone. Please feel free to request a consultation with me if you have more specific questions. Good luck!
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Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on August 29th, 2017
Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I am so sorry to hear about Baxter. The goal of chemotherapy in pets is different than in people. In people, we aim to cure cancer, so we typically use higher doses which results in more side effects. In pets, we aim for remission. This allows them to stay feeling relatively well during the chemotherapy process and be home with you. Lymphoma is not cured, but put in to remission. Unfortunately, at some point, lymphoma does come out of remission and new chemotherapy agents may be tried. The time until relapse varies with each individual patient. There are some oncologists that offer half-body radiation in addition to chemotherapy that can sometimes lengthen remission times. I hope that you are able to find the best protocol for Baxter that allows him to have a great quality of life with you during this time.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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