We believe every patient deserves a comprehensive approach to fighting their disease and this means a broad spectrum evaluation of all potential treatment options.
We explore all options in your oncology consultation. After a thorough examination of your pet and a review of all diagnostic tests, we develop a customized care plan. This is the surest way to give each family hope that their pet can enjoy an extended quality of life beyond diagnosis. No pet or family is the same, therefore, we tailor and personalize care to your and your pet’s specific circumstances. While chemotherapy is the treatment option most commonly utilized, we often recommend a combination of therapies. The extent and duration of therapeutic treatment is dependent on many factors, including the type of the cancer, stage of the disease, available therapies, and how our patients respond to treatment.
Animals experience chemotherapy quite differently than humans. In most cases they experience minimal side effects, rare hair loss, and most importantly, no psychological effects from expectations of illness or treatment. Our treatment plans may include one or more of the following options:
Diagnostics
The diagnostic process involves tests to identify the type of cancer, as well as “staging” to determine whether the cancer has spread to other areas of the body. Some of the diagnostic techniques that we use in the process may include:
- Complete Staging
- Fine Needle Aspirates & Cytology
- Solid Biopsy & Histopathology
- Blood Chemistry Evaluations
- Immunocytochemistry
- Immunophenotyping
Treatment Options
- Chemotherapy and Targeted therapies
- Radiation Therapy
- Nutrition Support
- Clinical Trials
- Palliative Care & Pain Management
Advanced Diagnostics: Molecular and Immunologic Diagnostic Testing, Advanced Imaging
With advances in our understanding of cancer and our diagnostic abilities, knowing the type of cancer is often not enough. In order to better tailor therapy and to improve prognostic accuracy, we may recommend advanced diagnostic testing.
Examples of this include:
- Testing for genetic changes that predict the most effective therapy
- Testing for specific mutations that drive the cancer
- Testing to determine a cancer subtype (IHC, Flow cytometry)
- Prognostic or proliferation panels on biopsy samples
- Advanced diagnostic imaging including
- Magnetic Resonance (MRI)
- Computed Tomography (CT)
- Ultrasound imaging
Some common signs of cancer in pets include:
- Abnormal swellings that persist or continue to grow
- Non-healing sores
- Weight loss despite adequate food intake
Common cancers diagnosed in dogs and cats include:
- Lymphoma
- Osteosarcoma
- Mast cell tumor
- Mammary tumors
- Bladder tumors
- Melanoma
- Hemangiosarcoma
- Soft tissue sarcomas