My dog has cancer that spread to lungs. Is comfort care best?

Hello, I am so sorry to hear this about Niza. Typically, cancer is in its final stages when it has metastasized throughout the lungs. This means that preparations for palliative or end of life care need to be made. Medically, the focus shifts to keeping Niza as happy and comfortable as possible. This may involve pain managing medications or cough suppressants. My own dog has had cancer for a while, and I am experiencing some of the same heartbreak and anticipation grief in my own home. I would recommend consulting with your vet that gave Niza this diagnosis to come up with the best possible plan for her. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. You will be in my thoughts.

It depends on whether or not it is a primary lung tumor metastatic disease. Ideally, you should take your pet to see a veterinary oncologist to discuss the best treatment plans(surgery vs. chemotherapy). Discuss referral with your veterinarian.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I’m sorry to hear that Leo has very advanced cancer. When there are tumors in the chest, these are often inoperable, so our goal is to keep Leo as comfortable as possible. At some point, however, especially if Leo is having a hard time breathing, he is likely suffering, and it may be time to consider having him humanely euthanized. It is always hard to let go of our pets, but sometimes it is the best decision when it means we can eliminate their suffering. I hope this is helpful, best of luck with your decision for Leo.

I am so very sorry to hear your baby has a tumor! That is devastating! Depending on what type of tumor it is and it's location (if it is in the bone vs in the spinal cord) can vary the average life expectancy of the animal, so it is really difficult to say without knowing these things. There are definitely treatments/medications that can help improve Caesar's quality of life for as long as possible. Additionally, some tumors respond favorably to radiation treatment or potentially chemotherapy as well, so that may or may not be an option for Caesar. If you aren't doing further treatments, then often adding in steroids to reduce swelling and inflammation can potentially make Caesar's quality of life as good as possible. I would discuss medication and expectations with your vet, as they will hopefully be able to give you more information based on what they are seeing in the x-ray. I would also focus on how he is doing day to day and how comfortable he is. Not every dog "reads the book" on how cancer progression is suppose to go and we always hope for longer time than the average. I would consider getting area rugs or carpet runners to give Caesar more grip when he is walking. Hard wood floors and tile can be difficult for any older dog to walk around on, so giving him more traction may help. I would also discuss pain management with your vet. Sometimes if they are more painful, we can adjust their medication for the "bad" days. Ultimately we look for good quality of life. If Caesar quality of life is starting to decline ("bad" days outnumber the "good" days), then I would consider humane euthanasia. It's never an easy decision for any owner (vets included!) but ultimately it is the last kind thing you can do when there is nothing else you can do for him. Again, I am so very sorry for you and your boy!

I'm sorry to hear about Duchess. If the lung cancer involved a single tumor (this is rare), surgical removal of the affected lung lobe is possible but is a very invasive surgery that requires a board certified veterinary surgeon. Due to the level of invasiveness and small chance for the surgery being curative, I do not usually recommend pursuing this. If the lung cancer involves numerous small metastatic tumors in the lungs (which is more common), there are frankly no good treatment options. Chemotherapy can sometimes slow the spread and growth of those tumors, but by the time the cancer has spread to the lungs, chemotherapy rarely provides a significant change in the prognosis. For these reasons, I usually do not push too hard for referral in cases of lung cancer, but instead focus on supportive care and trying to maintain quality of life for as long as we can keep the pet comfortable. I hope this helps. All the best to you and Duchess.

I am so very sorry to hear about Tess. Osteosarcoma is a particularly nasty and aggressive form of cancer. If there is evidence of metastasis to the lungs, I usually estimate 4 weeks or less for a prognosis. Some dogs make it a little longer, some a bit shorter. I’ve had some pass within days of diagnosis. Please note, this time frame is not usually very much extended even with aggressive treatment. The usual signs of deterioration are weight loss, loss of appetite, lethargy, and sometimes cough. The original bony lesion (usually on a leg) can be EXTREMELY painful so pain managment is the bulk of what I do for these patients. I am so sorry for your family and for Tess’s diagnosis. Please reach out to me via the consult link below if you have any further questions or concerns. Best wishes and peace to you and Tess. Dr. Kurth

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Lung cancer can be either primary (one tumor that starts in the lungs), or can be metastatic (cancer somewhere else that has spread to the lungs, leaving lots of small little tumors). Metastatic disease that has spread to the lungs carries a poor prognosis, meaning they don't live very long. Primary lung cancer is also not very good, but has the potential of maybe being responsive to surgery or chemotherapy. In general, lung cancer means they don't have too much time. The amount of time is unknown, and depends on your dog's body, the type of cancer, and how strong your dog is at this point and how much of the lung is affected. I would however expect the disease to progress, and would be thinking in terms of weeks, not months or years. They tend to start to have trouble breathing and then go downhill quickly after that. I am sorry about your little one, I hope your dog feels ok.