My dog has lymphoma. Is starting chemo too late after two weeks?

I hate to hear that about Lennon. It’s so tough when they have multiple health concerns. I do agree that you should find out if he has lymphoma or not. This will at least allow you to make informed decisions and to understand an appropriate prognosis and timeline as to what you should expect. There are several ways to diagnose lymphoma and one common and very easy way to do it is with a aspiration of the lumps. This procedure is virtually painless and does not require sedation or stitches. It can generally diagnose lymphoma but is not 100%. Once you know if there is lymphoma present or not, you must decide if putting Lennon through chemotherapy makes sense for you and for him. There is no wrong or right answer to this question. The main thing is you will not let Lennon suffer and realize that without chemotherapy, he will succomb to his illness a lot faster. I hope this helps to point yiunin the right direction and that you found it helpful. Please feel free to post any additional questions.

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!

I am so sorry to hear of Brooke’s diagnosis. Other than some good old TLC (tender loving care), I would hold off on giving any medications until you are told to do so by the oncologist, because a lot of medications may interfere with your treatment options moving forward. 20 days is an awfully long time to wait; you may want to call and ask if you can be on a list to call if they have a cancellation, or call around and see if you can get in somewhere else sooner. You can also ask your family veterinarian if they have an oncologist they can call to try to help you expedite the process. Again I’m so sorry to hear of Brooke’s diagnosis, but lymphoma does tend to respond quite well to chemotherapy, and usually the treatment is well tolerated. I wish you and Brooke the best of luck. Fight the good fight, Brooke!!

In my experience lymphoma is a cancer that responds well to chemotherapy. Generally the lymph nodes shrink quickly and the dogs quality of life improves while in remission. Due to your dog's age and stage of cancer you may not get a long period of remission but Fei Fei should feel well during that time. So if you are seeing improvement in his clinical signs I would continue the recommended chemotherapy protocol. Remember to enjoy everyday with Fei Fei. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to get answers to your veterinary questions.

I am so very sorry to hear about Lucy. It is always heartbreaking to get this news. If you cannot afford chemotherapy I would discuss the possibility of treating with just prednisone (a steroid) alone. This can provide temporary improvement in some pets and is not expensive. As far as how long she has left, it really can vary by dog. I have seen some decline very rapidly after diagnosis, within a week or two. That is the more rare case. Others on prednisone may live for another several months, and occasionally we will have one live 6 months or longer. The average is about 2 months. You can read more about the disease at http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=575

Poor Millie. Chemo is an option but you will need to have access to a veterinary oncologist. I would talk to your vet about referring you to an oncologist if you have one in your area. If not, the best option would be to start her on steroids. Steroids isn't a cure but it can help improve her symptoms/clinical signs. It will help make her have a good quality of life during her time left. I hope this helps!

Cutaneous lymphoma unfortunately has a poor prognosis. Certain types of chemotherapy can help, and are really the only option for this cancer, with the main goal is to keep his quality of life as good as possible. I recommend discussing what options are available to you, even potentially getting a referral to a veterinary oncologist who can help you decide what treatment protocol would work best for Indy.