My dog has lymphoma and is suffering. How do I know it's the end?

Hello, I am so sorry for your concerns about Rocco. If he is still eating & drinking, & happy just to be with you, then you might try giving him some Pepcid to reduce stomach acid & hopefully help his appetite a bit more. A 23-pound dog would receive 5 mg every 12 hours. If any of his normal behaviors deteriorates further, or he begins to vomit regularly, then I think it will be time to say goodbye to your friend. He has put up a good fight, & we do not want him to suffer. You will know when the time is right. Take care & thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hi there! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is a common question I encounter as I only see cancer patients and lymphoma is very common in my practice. Prednisone is good for lymphoma though as you are noticing, lymphoma will eventually progress, as noted by peripheral lymph node enlargement. Normally, lymphoma will not cause clinical signs for some time until it enters more of the end stage. Lymphoma is not typically a painful disease and it is more of a debilitating disease. For this reason, what you will notice at the end is clinical signs such as lethargy, decreased appetite and Brandi just not being interested in the normal things that she enjoys. The median survival time of dogs with multicentric lymphoma just on prednisone is about 2 to 2 and 1/2 months. Usually I tell my clients that the time to consider humane euthanasia is when they are not doing 3 out of their 5 favorite things. Good luck with your girl!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I only see cancer patients and as you can imagine, I see terminal cancer patients on almost a daily basis. First of all, sorry to hear about Timmie. Give her lots of love, treats and all the good stuff that she deserves and wants. Usually regardless of the cancer type, I recommend treating any symptoms if they occur. Meaning that if Timmie develops any decreased appetite or nausea or vomiting or diarrhea, these are treated with medications. Otherwise, if you not pursuing cancer therapy, there is really nothing else to do. This decision is hard to make, no question. However, what I tell my clients is to consider making this decision if they think that quality of life has been severely affected. This means when Timmie does not seem to be enjoying herself anymore. You could consider doing it if Timmie stops doing 2 out of her 3 favorite things (that could be eating, playing, running, etc). Best wishes for you and Timmie!

I am so sorry for this sad news. I would call your vet and see if they can give her any fluids to help hydrate her and get her started on an appetite stimulate. They could also possibly give her an infection of cerenia or Zofran which are great to help with nausea and vomiting. Unfortunately, she may need something to help with the nausea so she feels better and more willing to eat and drink. If you can figure out a way to make her eat and get the pred in her, it will make her feel better. The vet may even have an injectable form of prednisone or some other type of steroid that could be beneficial if you can't get the oral type in her. If these things don't work and you don't want to take her to an oncologist, then I would conisder her quality of life and euthanasia may be the best option for her. I hope this helps and I am so sorry you are having to deal with this. Hang in there!

I'm sorry Katie has lymphoma. Lymphoma generally is not painful. The clinical signs usually are weakness and lethargy, poor appetite, exercise intolerance and sometimes difficulty eating and breathing if the lymph nodes in the neck get very large and put pressure on the throat area. This cancer is fairly responsive to chemotherapy and the dogs often go into remission for several months depending on the drug protocol. When the cancer returns though usually the dogs decline quickly and need to be euthanized when their quality of life is poor. I hope she can maintain a good quality of life for a while longer. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Katie.

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear about Louie. I'm so sorry that you and him are going through this. I usually tell clients that once he stops eating, drinking, develops difficulty breathing, becomes severely lethargic, etc. it's time to start thinking about euthanasia to prevent suffering. So those are the guidelines I suggest. Again, I'm so sorry you are going through this. I wish you the best in the coming days. Remember, this is the hardest thing that humans will go through in this life. Follow your heart. Louie will tell you when he's ready. God Bless

Hi there! Thanks for letting us take care of you today! Sorry to hear about Ruger. I definitely know where you are coming from as I mostly see cancer patients. What I usually tell my clients is that the time to consider humane euthanasia is when they stop being themselves. For example, when they stop doing 3 out of their 5 favorite things (eating, playing, or whatever these are), it is time to let them go without suffering. Of course this is if not considering treating the cancer. There are always palliative medications you could consider like prednisone and anti-nausea medications (as cancer can cause nausea depending on the type) just from a palliative standpoint to try to make Ruger feel better in the meantime. Sorry you are going through a rough time.