Cancer Treatment Options Forum - July 4th, 2010 - 9 Comments
My cat has cancer and I want to try chemo – has anyone gone through this with their cat?
please don’t post unless you have gone through chemo with your cat. this is not like human chemo so this doesn’t help me with my question.
Yes, a few years ago I did chemo with my cat who had lymphosarcoma of the stomach.
First we started with weekly chemo. He would go to the hospital for it, then my vet would give the vincristine shot and I would give the pill (it’s been a while I can’t remember the name). We did that for a while, then it went to every other week for a few months, then every third week etc. It took about a year of doing this and then he went into remission for 4 years until the cancer came back and we opted for euthanasia since he was over 17 at that point.
He tolerated the chemo pretty well, hated the 40 minute car ride to the specialist more than the chemo I think. It took longer for me to drive there and back then it did for him to get his treatment. And he didn’t lose his hair. He did have some stomach upset, but that didn’t last more than a day.
If the vet feels it’s cancer that would respond well to treatment, I would go for it. It’s probably expensive, I think all totaled it was about 3, 000 for the entire course of treatment, but I believe it was money well spent. My cat had a great quality of life and we had years together that we wouldn’t have had.
Hope this helps…much luck to you and your cat.
The only place that does it in our state is Madison, I had to turn it down for our cat and go with the operation instead (he had cancer in his lower jaw).
Chemo is very hard on animals, and they need to have it every day for a certain number of days. They loose their fur, have a hard time feeling like they should eat….it’s a decision you need to make with your vet.
It’s expensive too, and can’t really be worked around time-wise if you have a regular 8 hour job you need to be at. Good luck with your decision, it’s not an easy one.
I haven’t been through it but I know people whose cats have.
I can tell you that cats can tolerate it alot better then humans
One of the people I know did have success. I wish you only the best and best healing vibes.
if you don’t know about chemo than u should ask a vet.
hahaha its a cat
not a human
look, I’m going to give you an honest answer so dont get mad at me. I love animals, and have had cats that live to be 18 years old. I’ve had many people I’ve known had their cats get sick, and spend all kinds of money, and the cat dies anyways, (always)…so, keep your cat home, make her comfortable and let her die….if it gets real bad, take her and put her down. shes going to die trust me….I am only trying to save to hundreds of dollars and many tears…
really, my best 2 u, I know how you feel..
can i just say how sorry i am to hear that your cat has cancer and you want chemo for him/her.
i personally have nt gone through it but this information should help you as what to be expected should you go down the road of chemo for you cat..whatever you decide i know you have the cats interest at heart.. i wish your cat and you the best of luck.god bless you both.
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Chemotherapy in Dogs and Cats
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Chemotherapeutic drugs are used in veterinary medicine to treat a variety of different types of cancers. Many neoplasms are responsive to the drugs that we have available. Use of chemotherapy often provides our patients the best chance at prolonged survival.
How does chemotherapy work?
Chemotherapeutic drugs stop, or slow the replication of cells. Unfortunately, these drugs are not yet sophisticated enough to only target cancerous cells; other rapidly dividing cells in the body (such as the cells of the gastrointestinal tract and the cells or the bone marrow) are affected as well. It is when these "normal" cells are affected that we see side effects of the drugs.
What are the side effects?
Most common side effects include vomiting and diarrhea, due to destruction of the cells of the gastrointestinal tract. Often, this will be transient and resolve without medical attention. If the cells or the bone marrow are affected, the number of white blood cells usually drops. If this happens, your animal is more prone to obtaining secondary infections, such as respiratory or bladder infections. These infections will need to be treated with antibiotics. Occasionally, in about 5-10% of our chemotherapy patients, an infection becomes serious enough that your animal may need to be hospitalized for intravenous antibiotics and fluid support. If there are specific side effects to be expected from a drug used on your pet, we will provide you with that information on the day of treatment.
But I don’t want my animal to be sick from the chemotherapy.
Most of us have had experience with a person with cancer who received chemotherapy as a treatment. We are familiar with what human patients go through; nausea and vomiting, extreme lethargy and weakness, hair loss. In our animal patients, our goals are different. We don’t aim to cure the cancer, but to palliate our patients. This means that we aim to strike a balance between slowing the progression of the disease and giving our patients a good quality of life for their remaining time with us. The doses used in veterinary medicine are selected to meet this goal.
What do the treatments consist of?
Generally, the first couple months of treatment are very intensive and can be costly. Most drugs are given intravenously, and sometimes your pet will have to stay for the day to receive the drugs slowly. Sometimes there are oral medications to be given at home. You must be committed to this treatment course, which means getting your pet to the hospital for frequent treatments and evaluations. The drugs used, the duration of treatment, and the intensity of treatment are all dependent on the type of cancer your animal has, and how sick they are at the time of diagnosis. Generally, your pet receives 2 months of one protocol before decisions are made as to whether we need to change to other drugs or alter the schedule of treatment. Some animals will need to receive chemotherapy for the rest of their lives, whereas others who go into remission may have treatment discontinued.
Not my cat, but a friend’s cat – she did very well and is in remission. Her vet told her that animals do much better with chemo than people do, for whatever reason. If you can afford it, and the vet feels he’s a good candidate, then go for it!
I have never had chemo with my cats. Two of them have (had) cancer and they have been treated by a homeopathic veterinarian in MA (I live in CA).
I am the "owner" of the Yahoo group felinebladdercancer. A member of the FelineCancer-Holistic group and a member of the regular Yahoo group feline-cancer which has at least a thousand answers. So I have joined in those groups and read the postings for over two years. You cann go to: http://www.pets.groups.yahoo.com/groups
You can join any or all of those groups. Members will be happy to tell your their experiences with chemo, costs, how far they had to go for it, how many times, etc.
You will get your best information from the members of these groups.