Cancer Care

Cancer in pets or humans can be a scary event. Should your pet get a cancer diagnosis we can offer comprehensive cancer care, including cytology (cell examination) on a tumour,  treatment, medication, pain medication and hospice treatment to keep your animal calm, and plenty of assistance to you in this process. In order to provide the finest treatment for your animal, we collaborate with specialists, including surgeons and oncology experts. We are also aware cancer treatment can be expensive and an unexpected cost. Once diagnosed our vets can take you through option available and where possible the likely costs involved.

While some are malignant, the majority are harmless and pose little to no risk of spreading to other parts of the body. There have been tremendous breakthroughs in our understanding of veterinary cancer over the past decade, leading to increased longevity and better quality of life for many patients. Some forms of cancer are more aggressive such as skin cancer and feline carcinoma are two examples of the more dangerous types of cancer seen in cats, despite the fact that feline cancer isn’t as frequent as canine cancer.

Cancer is treated mostly with chemotherapy and surgeries (radiation treatment is less accessible for dogs in New Zealand). Also the greatest shot of a recovery is with earlier detection and the right treatments. One of the typical symptoms of cancer progression is weight loss. One of the causes of this, among others, is pain. Most patients with a malignancy that causes discomfort should be provided pain medication. Your veterinarian can discuss and prescribe the correct medication and dosage for your specific pet. Do not give human medications to your pet unless your veterinarian instructs you to do so; they can be extremely harmful.

Should you pet have cancer you should consider their diet and if a change is needed. A loss in appetite can be caused by a variety of factors during cancer treatment. Tumours, for instance, can literally impede with the eating, swallowing, and digesting of food. In order to preserve your pet’s vigour, increase survival chances, enhance quality of life, and optimize therapeutic response, proper diet is crucial throughout treatment for cancer. It’s been demonstrated that adequate dietary assistance can shorten the length of hospitalisation, lessen problems following surgery, and speed up the recovery time. We can assist with nutritional advice during cancer care as well.