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To Pet Owners Whose Dogs Have Been Diagnosed with Cancer (Malignant Tumors)
Malignant tumor = cancer. When your beloved dog is diagnosed with cancer (malignant tumors), it is natural to want to pursue treatment to cure the disease completely. However, there are many cases where the aggressive treatment aimed at curing cancer ends up causing immense suffering to the dog, sometimes leaving it in a worse state than before treatment.
While it is ideal if the treatment leads to your dog being diagnosed with cancer → receiving cancer treatment → regaining energy and appetite, there are instances where the dog receives cancer treatment → loses energy and appetite, deteriorates further. If you find that the latter is the case, it might be worthwhile to pause and carefully consider whether continuing the cancer treatment is the best course of action.
This page has been created to encourage pet owners to reflect on their mindset so that, even if their dog has been diagnosed with cancer, the family and the dog can still share happy moments together. We hope this platform serves to help your dog enjoy better times.
Preparing to Live with and Fight Cancer
It is difficult to stay positive when your dog is diagnosed with cancer. However, worrying and crying will not improve your dog’s condition.
For the sake of your dog, at the very least, try to maintain a cheerful demeanor around it. Act as if you are living a joyful life full of smiles.
Just like in humans, cancer treatment in dogs does not always guarantee success. In fact, it is often the case that the expected results from treatments provided at animal hospitals are not always met.
In canine cancer treatment, surgeries, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and the use of steroids or antibiotics are commonly practiced, but these conventional treatments have their limitations.
It’s not uncommon to feel overwhelmed and helpless when your dog is diagnosed with cancer.
However, don’t panic. Stay calm.
Unlike a traffic accident, cancer does not take a life in an instant. Just because cancer has been detected does not mean that your dog will pass away today or tomorrow.
Take the time to consider what kind of treatment would be best for your dog, and think about their diet and lifestyle habits. By implementing methods that seem promising, it is possible to coexist with cancer.
To maintain your dog’s QOL (quality of life), it is important that pet owners take the initiative rather than leaving everything to the veterinarian. Engage in activities that can benefit your dog.
To enrich the time you have with your dog, we encourage you to try various approaches and start activities you can perform at home.
The methods you can employ at home are meant to enhance your dog’s fun moments without taking them away and are designed to boost their strength and immunity to fight cancer.
Approaches to Canine Cancer Treatment
Understanding the Reality of Canine Cancer Treatment
Unfortunately, in the current state of veterinary medicine, it is considered difficult to consistently control cancer except in its early stages. Even in cases where early-stage cancer is surgically removed and believed to be completely flushed out, recurrence and metastasis are not uncommon, leading to severe prognosis in many instances.
With current treatment methods, it is challenging to completely eliminate or destroy all cancer cells. For example, even in the case of malignant lymphoma, which is said to respond best to chemotherapy, it is hard to eradicate cancer cells, and recurrence is frequent even after remission.
The same issue exists for solid tumors. Even if a surgery successfully removes the tumor thoroughly, many dogs still experience recurrence. Postoperative chemotherapy to prevent such recurrences often proves insufficient.
Therefore, in addition to typical cancer treatments, it is necessary to initiate complementary and alternative approaches to overcome cancer.
Changing Your Perspective
While it may be difficult to completely eradicate cancer cells, thinking in terms of “controlling the growth of cancer” makes it an achievable goal. If you can control the growth of cancer so that your beloved dog maintains its energy and appetite until its natural lifespan, then that would be almost equivalent to “conquering cancer” or “coexisting with cancer.”
When considering eradicating cancer from the body, this typically involves surgical removal of organs and rigorous chemotherapy treatments. However, if these treatments inflict significant damage on your dog’s body, it may lead to a substantial decrease in immune strength, lessening of energy and appetite, and potentially hinder your dog from living its life authentically.
Moreover, there’s a risk that enduring such harsh treatments might actually shorten its life span.
At our company, when cherished pets like dogs, cats, rabbits, and ferrets fall ill, we aim to offer life extension that does not leave them bedridden, but rather allows them to remain as active as possible and enjoy their meals. Even if that’s not entirely feasible, we want it to be a life extension that brings happiness to their owners. This is our perspective.
When Your Dog Receives a Terminal Cancer Diagnosis
Things to Check Before Undergoing Chemotherapy
When your dog is told by a veterinarian, “It’s terminal cancer,” and “If untreated, it has 1-2 months to live,” it’s natural to feel despair and think that you have no choice but to entrust everything to the vet.
However, don’t give up, even after a terminal diagnosis.
Even if diagnosed with terminal cancer, your involvement can significantly influence the effectiveness of the treatment and the prognosis of your dog.
If you are told, “With chemotherapy, your dog might live six months; without it, 1-2 months,” this statement only applies if the chemotherapy is highly effective and comes with minimal side effects.
It is recommended to ask your vet whether chemotherapy will necessarily extend your dog’s life, whether it won’t lose its energy due to side effects, and whether you can expect definite results.
There are cases where chemotherapy might be beneficial, and other cases where it might not be. If you find it difficult to consult with your vet, please feel free to reach out to us for advice.
There Are Still Things You Can Do, Even After a Terminal Diagnosis
Even if your dog has been given a terminal prognosis, there are still things that can be done. There are many cases where dogs, after being told they only have 1-2 months to live, show remarkable recovery and continue to live energetically for several years.
The important thing is to first properly regulate their immune system and build up their strength.
We completely understand the feeling of being overwhelmed and unable to act, but please contact us to help calm your concerns. Let’s aim for coexisting with cancer and overcoming it with hope.
At our laboratory, we are researching whether administering Cordy can help regulate the immune system and potentially have an effect on cancer. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
監修獣医師：林美彩 所属クリニック：chicoどうぶつ診療所
代替療法と西洋医学、両方の動物病院での勤務経験と多数のコルディの臨床経験をもつ。 モノリス在籍時には、一般的な動物医療（西洋医学）だけでは対応が困難な症例に対して多くの相談を受け、免疫の大切さを痛烈に実感する。
ペットたちの健康維持・改善のためには薬に頼った対処療法だけではなく、「普段の生活環境や食事を見直し、自宅でさまざまなケアを取り入れることで免疫力を維持し、病気にならない体づくりを目指していくことが大切である」という考えを提唱し普及活動に従事している。
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