Tips For Taking Care of Your Dog While Suffering Canine Lymphoma

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It will be a difficult time for you and your dog if your dog has been diagnosed with lymphoma and is undergoing canine lymphoma care. But it's important to remain positive and enjoy as much as you can with your dog every day. Dogs are really sensitive, and this may evoke a similar emotional reaction from them if they feel like you're down and upset. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to please your dog, and they will still have a decent quality of life even in such unfortunate circumstances. Any quick steps you should take to help ensure the best possible result when coping with a diagnosis of canine lymphoma are as follows: 

Speak to the veterinarian

Keep in good contact with your veterinarian and/or veterinary oncology specialist first and foremost. Not only is it vital to ensure you are staying on top of your job to help your pup's care, but veterinarians can be a great source of relief in what can be a very stressful period. They will reassure you that your loved one receives the best possible care and can also help you understand during the treatment of canine lymphoma what to expect from your dog.

Train your dog according to your instructions

When your dog is treated for canine lymphoma and faces an uncertain future, you may tend to stay with them at home so you can keep them happy and enjoy them all the time. Exercise, however is beneficial for dogs in general and can benefit cancer staff. A type and amount of exercise to help your dog remain so healthy as possible during care is recommended by your veterinarian. Furthermore, it's nice to walk outdoors, or play with your dog, as a workout, as a stress reliever.

Keep alert and watchful

As we note in our blog the signs of dog distress, dogs rarely "complain" anything other than crying sometimes to go out or to starve. It is also necessary to remain alert and notice changes in everyday habits and patterns for your dog and notify your veterinarian of any unwanted findings. Sometimes these subtle changes will give you a sense of how the lymphoma and/or the medication cause your dog distress or pain. To identify early signs of pain will enhance the prognosis and care approach for your veterinarian and help to make your dog easy.

Feed as much as your veterinarian tolerates and approves 

The appetite of your dog can differ significantly during canine lymphoma treatment. Make the most of your hungry times and feed them as much as they eat (with the permission of your veterinarian, of course). Dogs that fight cancer must be well nurtured to preserve their strength. But don't abandon your route to make them feed, or make any drastic adjustments to their normal diets—such as "people food" in their bowl—if you haven't done so before, unless your veterinarian suggests it.

Mobility help

Treatment for any severe illnesses such as canine lymphoma, will cause your dog's weakness. It may make getting into and out of the vehicle, ascending stairs or even standing in some cases difficult for them. Speak to your doctor about the correct and safest approaches to support your pet with mobility. Be alert and polite regardless of the tool you use. For most dogs, the inability to do things by yourself is a new and familiar experience.

Limit improvements to their home atmosphere

 

Although dogs can adjust over time to changes in their environment, try to limit any significant changes to your home and its environment. Since they are still experiencing some lymphoma-related unfamiliarity and any care they are undergoing, sticking as much as possible to their usual home/environment routines will help keep additional stress to a minimum. Moving homes also can be very stressful for your dog, and yourself.

Find some opportunities to enjoy fun together 

Ideally, the treatment of cancer would help put dogs in remission for as long as possible. The truth, however is that you don't know how long you'll have with them. Take the time to do some of the "special occasion" things they enjoy. They love walking the trail. Go for a drive with the windows down. Have a gentle playdate with their favorite furry friend. It will be a good experience for you to watch them have fun as well.

Keep positive and motivating

 

Dogs are animals who are really intuitive, and they can sense your mood. Although keeping your spirits up when your dog faces a serious health problem can be hard, do your best to maintain an optimistic attitude, as during their dog lymphoma treatments, that will have a positive impact on them. Dogs are people-pleasers, and your encouragement can give them the energy they need to make it through tough times. 

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Prednisone Treatment for Canine Lymphoma

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Lymphoma in dogs or canines is a kind of cancer described by a proliferation of malignant lymphocytes within solid body parts such as the lymph nodes, bone marrow, liver and spleen. The most common presentation of lymphoma in dogs is peripheral lymph node enlargement, in an otherwise healthy dog. This kind of animals disease also may infect in the eye, skin, and gastrointestinal tract. The disease also known as lymphosarcoma. 

Chemotherapy is the main treatment for lymphoma in dogs. Chemotherapy treatment is considered the gold standard for this aggressive form of cancer and usually consists of a combination of oral and injectable drugs given on a frequent basis. The exact treatment protocol will vary depending on the veterinarian and financial resources of the dog's family.

Prednisone Treatment for Canine Lymphoma

Prednisone therapy is the other dog lymphoma treatment. Prednisone is one of the most widely prescribed drugs in veterinary medicine, and also one of the most controversial. Prednisone is a corticosteroid that can kill tumor cells. However, it is not as effective as chemotherapy for treating lymphoma in dogs. Prednisone is primarily used to manage symptoms of the disease.  Prednisone at high doses is extremely immune suppressive, making it a key drug in the treatment of a wide variety of inflammatory and immune-mediated diseases.

There are several side effects of Prednisone treatment.

a) The most common side effects associated with prednisone treatment consist of increased urination and thirst, increased hunger and weight gain, and panting. 

b) Muscle wasting, which can result in severe hind limb weakness, decreased stamina and perceived decrease in quality of life despite the patient achieving complete remission of the lymphoma.

c) Changes in behavior: Prednisone use also results in dogs becoming restless and even aggressive.

d) Loss of hair and changes in coat: Hair loss is a frequent side effect of using prednisone on dogs. In some cases, not only does the dog's coat become thinner, the healthy sheen also disappears. Some dogs will also develop hard to heal skin infections.

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Company Pursues First Lymphoma Drug for Dogs

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An anti-cancer drug originally developed for use in people is in the hands of a veterinary pharmaceutical startup that aims to make it available for dogs within two years. 

Veterinary Emerging Technologies Development Corporation, or VetDC, announced recently that it has raised $1.5 million to develop an agent it calls VDC-1101 into what could be the first drug specifically designed to combat canine lymphoma. 

Lymphoma is one of the most common cancers in dogs and highly deadly.   

“Anything new that has the potential to enhance quality of life and improve the disease-free interval is a blessing,” said Dr. Greg Ogilvie, an oncologist and director of the Angel Care Cancer Center at California Veterinary Specialists in Carlsbad. 

Ogilvie, who is not associated with VetDC, said he sees about 300 cases of lymphoma per year. “Lymphoma is not just one disease but many different diseases,” he explained. “Without therapy, the average dog lives one or two or three months. If treated appropriately, they have a chance of doing well for up to a year.” 

Only two cancer therapies are available in the United States specifically for use in dogs, and neither combats lymphoma. Palladia in 2009 became the first canine cancer drug to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It is designed to treat skin-based mast cell tumors. 

In 2010, the U.S. Department of Agriculture granted full licensure for Oncept, a DNA vaccine to treat oral melanoma in dogs.

All other cancer drugs used in veterinary medicine originally were developed for use in humans and are not approved for use in other animals, according to the FDA. Although not specifically approved for use in veterinary patients, the “extra-label” use of human oncology medicines is permitted under the Animal Medicinal Drug Use Clarification Act of 1994. 

In a twist on the theme, VetDC aspires to develop for veterinary use treatments, tests and devices researched for use in people but abandoned, according to a company profile in Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News .  

  

VetDC was launched in 2010. A year later, it acquired a license from Gilead Sciences, Inc., for GS-9219, an investigational molecule that selectively targets and kills cancerous lymphoma cells. VetDC renamed the agent VDC-1101. 

Steven J. Roy, president and CEO of VetDC, said in an interview that Gilead stopped pursuing development because the drug didn't meet the company’s expectations for human use. 

"They did a large amount of testing in dogs with lymphoma before going into human trials,” Roy said. “They demonstrated an 80 percent response rate and showed tremendous promise, but they were a human company and not looking to make a veterinary medicine."   

He added: "Vets hope to manage cancer like they do on human side, and treat it like a chronic disease where you can keep cancer at bay much longer. Hopefully, we can manage this in a way to give a pet four or five years instead of several months."  

Roy said he hopes the drug will be available within a couple of years.

Ogilvie, the clinical oncologist, said data on the prospective drug are encouraging. “We hope it will result in survival times suggested by the manufacturer. They suggest a 50 percent increase in survival. We are really hoping that will be true,” he said. “It's just going to ... take a while to get a good, clear understanding of the true benefit of it.” 

Source: http://news.vin.com/VINNews.aspx?articleId=25533

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Blood Test for Canine Lymphoma may also help people

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U.K.-based Petscreen has developed a blood test that detects early stage lymphosarcoma in dogs using biomarkers. The company found the test may also benefit human patients and is developing a similar screening process for people. The test won’t be available for humans for at least three to five years.

Petscreen has already launched a test to diagnose lymphoma in dogs and the business, which has won almost £100,000 of government-backed funding for its research, is now developing a simple blood test to determine if a human has early-stage lymphoma.

Their test uses biomarkers – a marker found in blood or urine that changes when a certain disease is present – to detect the cancer.

“What we’re looking for are proteins that can be easily detected in a non-invasive way, ie just from a simple blood sample which would then indicate the presence of a tumour. You want to be able to pick up the tumour early, confidently and non-invasively,” said Kevin Slater, Petscreen’s chief executive.

“The holy grail is to try to make these tests specific,” he added. Petscreen achieves this, said Dr Slater, by using an algorithm to measure a number of different biomarkers.

Through their research to develop the canine test, he added that “almost by serendipity”, Petscreen discovered that a similar test could be applied in humans.

With a £99,000 grant from the Technology Strategy Board (TSB), Petscreen last month began trialling its method in 100 patients with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Petscreen’s initial trial will take a year and any human test could take three to five years to get to market. If successful, it could simplify and speed up diagnosis, as well as monitor remission. Currently, lymphoma – the sixth-commonest form of cancer in Britain – is diagnosed through a biopsy and scan.

Petscreen was established in 2004 by Dr Slater, along with Graeme Radcliffe, a former journalist, after the pair met at a cricket match.

Dr Slater said the TSB funding will help Petscreen develop a ‘proof of concept’ and the business will later need further investment or a partnership with a major pharmaceutical company.

Source: www.animalhealthfoundation.net

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Canine Lymphoma Treatment Cost

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Canine lymphoma is defined as the presence of malignant tumors in the above listed organs of your dog. Typical untreated life expectancy of a dog with lymphoma is usually nine to twelve months. However, it isn’t very difficult to force canine lymphoma into remission, allowing a much longer and happier life for you and your dog together. Like human forms of cancer, canine lymphoma travels (metastasizes) quickly and causes death in the same manner, it causes the internal organs to fail and shut down, at which time death occurs. Just like in humans, stress can increase the rapidity of the spread of lymphoma in dogs.

The initial visit and tests, along with setting up the treatment plan with your vet will probably cost around $200. If surgery is used, that will cost around $1,500. Chemotherapy can cost in the area of $2,000 for three to six months of treatment. Radiation therapy, if used, can cost between $2,000 and $6,000. These costs can be significantly defrayed by purchasing a canine health insurance policy before your dog is diagnosed with cancer.

Canine lymphoma, if caught at an early stage, has a very high rate of remission and treatment success.

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T-Cell Lymphoma in Dogs

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T-cell lymphoma in dogs, also known as canine lymphosarcoma, is a type of malignant cancer that attacks white blood cells known as T-cells. The disease usually begins in the lymph system or in the bone marrow, and it will eventually spread to the rest of the body if not treated.

Symptoms

Symptoms of T-cell lymphoma in dogs vary depending on which organ systems the cancer has spread to first. In most cases, the first sign of this disease is a swollen lymph node, which may grow to such an extent that the dog’s owner notices it through touch. T-cell lymphoma may also cause small tumors on the skin (normally around the chest or leg areas) or in the mouth. Additional symptoms of this disease include: loss of appetite, vomiting, lethargy, depression, fever, weakness, abdominal pain and weight loss.

Diagnosis

The most definitive diagnosis of canine lymphosarcoma is obtained through a microscopic examination of lymph tissue. The tissue is obtained through a biopsy, which is collected while the dog is sedated. Microscopic evaluation of the tissue will determine whether the dog’s symptoms are caused by canine lymphosarcoma or another type of condition (such as leukemia), and the evaluation will identify if the cancer is T-cell lymphosarcoma or B-cell lymphosarcoma.

Treatment

Chemotherapy treatments administered through intravenous routes are the most effective treatments for T-cell lymphoma in dogs. These treatments are given on a weekly basis for approximately 6 weeks and then reduced to every two weeks and then to every three weeks. Dogs tolerate chemotherapy very well and usually do not experience the side effects that are associated with chemotherapy treatments in people.

Prognosis

Canine T-cell lymphoma has a poorer prognosis than B-cell lymphoma cases, but with both of these cancers, dogs do not usually live longer than two years after their diagnosis. Dogs with T-cell lymphoma tend to have less of a response to chemotherapy treatments and a shorter remission period. However, if the disease is caught in the early stages, a dog’s chances of extended survival are much better; for this reason, it is important to see your veterinarian immediately if you notice any unusual lumps on your dog or additional symptoms associated with this disease.

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