Could my dog's lung cancer be from secondhand smoke exposure?

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.

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.

It could be cancer. Dogs who live in a home of smokers are believed to have a higher chance of developing lung cancer. It could also be heart disease. You need to take Tobius into the vet for this. He needs blood work, a urinalysis, and chest x-ray. I'd take him into a vet in the morning.

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.

Poor girl. : ( Tumor can develop at any rate in pets so yes 6 months is plenty of time for a tumor to develop and show up. However, if there is a lot of fluid there, a tumor may not be readily visible on an x-ray. A CT or MRI scan is more sensitive to picking up small tumors or tumors that are obscured by fluid. A lung tumor or advancement of her heart condition are two likely possibilities to these symptoms. We have to keep in mind that heart disease can't be cured but only managed to a certain point with medication. It is possible that these symptoms are simply an indication that the heart condition may have surpassed medical management capabilities. If you are however still looking for options and cannot commit to advanced imaging (CT, MRI scan), then you can inquire with your vet about possibly increaseing China's medications. Lasix has a wide range of therapeutic index so it may be able to be increased. Another heart medication called Pimobendan also can be added to her treatment regimen. I am not sure if you meant to include this with your list of medications, b/c one of the medications seems to have been autocorrected to say "veterinary". Best of luck with your pet China and I hope that you can get her stabilized soon! Take care.

Unfortunately once cancer has spread to the lungs, there is no treatment that can prolong his survival rate. Your vet is right in the sense that spending thousands of dollars doing radiation therapy and surgery (risky now because Ceasar has lung lesions) is not the best course of treatment. Palliative care (making him comfortable) is the best treatment for him at this stage of his cancer. I am so sorry your pet has cancer and I wish you all the best in the days to come. Take care.

Hello, thank you for your question about Poncho. Based on the x-rays that you've attached I would agree that my primary concern would be cancer. The pattern within Poncho's lungs are consistent with metastatic cancer. Metastatic cancer means that Poncho likely has a primary tumor somewhere else in his body and it has now created secondary tumors in his lungs. The only other disease condition that is consistent with this pattern is fungal disease. Depending on where you live and what symptoms Poncho is showing it is possible that he has a fungal infection. However, I think this is much less likely. I am very sorry.