My dog has squamous carcinoma. What are chemo and radiation options?

Hello, I'm sorry to hear about Foxy's squamous cell carcinoma. The decision to pursue radiation and chemo is a very personal one, and it's difficult to offer specific input without any knowledge about how aggressive Foxy's tumor is, and specifically where it's located. I'm gathering from your reference to cherry eye that the tumor is growing at the margin of the eye.

The goal with radiation and chemotherapy in dogs is often a bit different than with people. In people, the goal is to be as aggressive as it takes to try to cure the cancer - and in the meantime, people can consent to feeling pretty crummy throughout treatment, because they understand the final goal. In animals, since they cannot consent nor understand the long-term benefit of chemo, our goal is more often to slow down and shrink the cancer, with the hope of buying more time with our pets - but it is much less commonly curative. Generally the oncologist with a dog will try to find the dose of chemo that will slow/shrink the tumor, while allowing the dog to continue to feel pretty good.

So, there really is no right or wrong answer. For what it's worth, I think if financial aspect of the treatment is feasible, then there are few downsides to pursuing treatment. However, if there are financial limitations, it is important to keep in mind that usually these treatments do not cure the cancer, but simply slow it down for awhile.

Again, this input is all without having specific knowledge about Foxy or her tumor - so I do encourage you to have this conversation with your vet, or request referral to an oncologist. Even if you choose not to pursue chemo/radiation, the initial consultation fee may be worth doing in order to have all of your questions answered and discuss all the pros/cons of different courses of treatment. Hope this helps.