If my dog is diagnosed with lymphoma cancer, how much will his chemo sessions cost for me?

Question

If my dog is diagnosed with lymphoma cancer, how much will his chemo sessions cost for me?

Answer 1

Putting an older dog through it? No. Both of my experiences come from dogs under 8 years old. I had a dog diagnosed with Lymphoma at 6 years old. We did the chemo (along with a million natural therapies to try to offset the damage from the chemo). When he died 14 months later, he was technically in remission. I have a good friend whose 7 year old Malamute was diagnosed. She decided against the chemo, not wanting to prolong the inevitable, and lost him about 5 months later. He was happy until the very last week of his life. My point is that these were relatively young, otherwise healthy dogs...and even then my dog only got a another year of life from the chemo. It made him sick, he was vomiting and lethargic after therapy sessions. I felt terrible for him. IMO, it wasn't worth it and I wouldn't do it again. I really don't think I'd put a poor old dog through it. I would care for and love the dog until he lost his quality of life, and then it would be time to let him go. I'm sorry I don't have a more optimistic outlook for you...but I just haven't seen the benefit your vet describes.

Answer 2

If there are any major veterinary colleges near you, maybe you should consider transferring his care to them. We had a ferret with lymphoma several years back. We took him to the veterinary college and they made an arrangement with us...if we allowed them to do certain tests on him (like gene sequencing, and occasional scans) so that the vet students could learn about lymphoma, they would absorb a great deal of the costs themselves. It's what vet colleges do. They did not subject him to anything experimental or unproven. They sent me home with chemotherapy medications that I had to give him, and I had to chart his daily progress or decline. It was a bit scary at first because I had to put on a gown and gloves each time I mixed the chemotherapy medications, but I was up for the task. I also had to agree to allow them to do a necropsy when he passed, but they ended up just taking a few biopsies and had him cremated for us. We still ended up paying about $2500 (USD) but that was only about 1/3rd of what the total bill was. He had a few blood transfusions, some plasma infusions, tons of medications, 3 or 4 CAT Scans, a couple of ultrasounds, blood work, biopsies, oxygen, ICU care.....you name it---we tried it. They genuinely treated him well and, since the senior vet had several students around her all the time, you know she couldnt mess up!! The ONLY down side was that I think we ended up dragging it all out a little longer than we should have. He suffered some.....not a lot, but more than I believe I would normally have let him suffer if it wasnt for the fact that 20 students were doing research papers on him. We eventually called-off the study (which we were still given the right to do) and had him put to sleep. Remember though---he was a ferret....not a dog. The cost cant be compared accurately, and neither can the outcome. Dogs are not as frail as ferrets and, as long as you're willing to learn how to do his treatments and commit yourself to his care, he has a lot better chance of being alright than my ferret did. The chemo will not be cheap, so prepare yourself for that. Ask your vet about referring your dog to a teaching college. Not all animals are accepted into the teaching program though so call the college ahead and ask if that is an option. I should think a dog with lymphoma would make a good subject for treating and teaching at the same time. (Note: here in the US, a teaching college will treat any animal that walks in the door but will charge fees comparable to other vets. You have to get him into the teaching program, where they use him for case studies and student learning, in order to get the discount.) Best of luck to you and your dog. He's young and strong (and has you) so at least he has a fighting chance.

Answer 3

If the tests come back positive for lymphoma you will probably be referred to a canine oncologist and they will give you an estimate of their costs. Chemo is not cheap and not all oncologists charge the same fees.



How sad that your young boy has probable lymphoma. I wish you the best of luck and I hope he pulls through ok.

Answer 4

I can't help with your question but wanted to tell you how sorry I am that this is happening. I commend you for wanting to do what you can for him, so many people on this site only care about money, but you clearly care about your dog. I wish you both the best of luck, but, please keep in constant contact with your vet to be sure of what is going on and how your guy is feeling, sometimes the treatment is worse than the disease and I'm sure you don't want him to suffer.

Answer 5

if you are in canada, i muight suggest to you a natural substitute Called HMS90. Mean human milk Supplement, it took 90 times to get the mixture right :)

I am a Distributor and a user and we have animal formula also.

in the united states its called Immunocal.

Do a google search and you may find it.

Other wise email me Law Professor

Answer 6

Green tea: This powerful antioxidant can transfer fat and ramp up your metabolism by 20 percent.

Answer 7

Time your eating and exercise appropriately. Never eat before you work out, and wait 30 to 60 minutes after training to make certain you catch your metabolism at its highest.

Answer 8

Without a doubt, the 70s diet still retains sway. Low calorie, high fibre celery will minimize you snacking, and contains high levels of calcium which help to reduce the fat content in other foods. Tip: Eat braised oatmeal with roast chicken to negate your bird’s calorie content.

Answer 9

Not sure but I had to tell you that I am sorry to hear about your collies cancer.

It is a difficult thing to have to deal with. I wish you all the luck and strength to deal with the decisions that will come your way.

Good luck

Answer 10

A lot. Most likely, your dog will be put on a protocol which rotates among three or four medications. Chemo drugs vary in cost, and cost will be based on the weight of the dog. Lymphoma is one of the cancers which is most responsive to chemotherapy, particularly if treatment is started immediately. The duration of time a dog will get for a remission is not predictable, but some dogs do quite well for quite a long time. If a dog comes out of remission, it is usually possible to start chemo over again.



I would ask your oncologist about the use of half-body radiation. It has been a few years since I was having a lymphoma dog treated, and half-body radiation was just beginning to be used and showed considerable promise. It is important that that be done as early in treatment as possible, at least that was the recommendation six or seven years ago.



I would suggest you begin a home prepared diet, either raw or cooked (I had no problems with immune suppression and raw even after almost three years of almost continuous chemo). You want to eliminate as much of the carbohydrate as possible. You also might want to do a one-time consult with a holistic vet experienced in dietary supplementation for cancer dogs. There are some medicinal mushrooms and herbs and such which may be very helpful. There are some canine cancer groups on Yahoo which might be resources for you and I also HIGHLY recommend the Yahoo group K9Nutrition (enter it exactly that way in the Yahoogroups search box).



I wish you and your dog all the luck in the world, and will be thinking of you both.



*** ADDED ***

Don't expect the kind of side effects from chemo that humans experience. Most dogs do not have any adverse responses to the medications at the dosages at which they are used. My dog had a couple of days when she seemed to feel just a little bit punk. She had excellent quality of life during her treatment.

Answer 11

People who plan their weekly meals will be more successful at losing weight than those that don’t. Plan your dishes to include healthy carbs such as fairly sweet potato and wholegrain pasta, vegetables and lean proteins, buy every one of the ingredients in advance and don’t be tempted you can eat out or order in.

Answer 12

Go bland. Plain, uncomplicated, unseasoned food such as grilled chicken, plain rice and a bare baked potato are nutritious but your palette will tire of these people quickly, unlike salty moreish processed food, which keeps you snacking and piling for the pounds.

Answer 13

Cinnamon: Just half a teaspoon of cinnamon a day, sprinkled into your breakfast cereal, will assist you to shift an amazing one kilo each month.

Answer 14

I'm sorry something like this has happen to your dog but if he is positive mostly likely the doctor will tell you to put him to sleep the cost is way too much and the pain will be too much on both of you

Answer 15

ok