How long does cancer take to spread in a dog?

Question

My dog has recently been diagnosed with cancer he had a tumor removed from his face, which is healing well, he is still happy and doesn't appear to be in any discomfort. He had a chest x ray last week which came back clear and the vet seems confident that it hasn't yet spread to anywhere although he said it is likely to. Does anyone have any idea how quickly this happens and how long a dog may survive with cancer?? (while enjoying good quality of life) Any info would be appreciated. Thanks

Answer 1

First of all I'm so sorry for you! Basically, as a dog's metabolism is faster than a humans. it can spread pretty fast. Having said that however, it depends on the cancer, and it's great news that it hasn't spread so far. Once it gets to the lungs, it's over pretty fast, sadly. I've had this in my hounds, mostly in old age it has to be said, more often than anything else. Mostly it's been lymphosarcoma, and the average length of life from diagnosis to the end has been around 6 months - of good quality life. The boy I have here (the last of my line) had a tumour found at the back of his mouth - during a routine dental last October. I was told it was malignant malinoma, and 'aggressive'. We put him on some homoeopathetic treatment (for me, chemo was too stressful for him at his age - he was 11 at the time), which was intended to boost his immune system. The tumour started to grow and in January we had it taken off. Unfortunately it wasn't all got off, and a month ago, we had it taken off again, which is sadly when another, on his pharynx, was found, along with others in his mouth. It's obviously now over a year from the initial diagnosis. It's not spread to other areas, but the pharynx tumour will 'be the one that gets him' (quote vet).



His sister went the same way, in 2008 although her cancer wasn't in her mouth. We never discovered where the primary was, but it spread, quite fast, over about 7 months. However, it went to her lungs (the secondaries) and as I said earlier, once the cancer involves the lungs, it's quite quickly spread throughout.



Truly you just have to go day by day - and I'd say in your case you won't be looking at 'fast'. Quality of life, obviously, has to be your first consideration. I do sympathise because for me the worst thing is knowing!! Everytime they twitch, you panic. So try to enjoy the time you have with your dog, and push the what might bes into the background.

Answer 2

Like humans it varies from person to person, where the tumour was and the grade off the tumour.



One of my dogs had a sarcoma removed from her leg eighteen months ago and it was a 'guarded' prognosis on the pathology report and she is still fine with no problems yet.

Yet a friends dog with bladder and bowel cancer was gone in eight weeks.



Ask your vet for a photocopy of the pathology report and that may give you an indication of the tumour type and grade and they often put a prognosis and indication of expected spread.

More importantly it will tell you whether the incision margin took all of the tumour away or did not cover it all.



Another of mine recently had a very rare blood vessel tumour removed from his thigh and it was reassuring to know that the excision margin was good and it all came out in one go. I currently know as a result of seeing the report and tumour classification that it will re occur in th same area but will not spread anywhere else. Where it is situated means eventually if we keep having to cut it out he will get some functional loss.



Ask questions again with the vet when you go back for a check. Dig deeper than the basics for information. Show the vet you want to know more in better detail and he should tell you.



And remember that whatever happens and you will know when later on you must go for QUALITY and not QUANTITY of life with your dog. We all regret in the end not doing something sooner by letting our emotions rule the day.

Answer 3

It depends on the dog..

I had a 5 year old German Shepard and 6 or 7 months ago we found out he had bone cancer in his leg and we had to amputate his leg and we did kemo twice. The vet seemed confident that he would have at least another year. He was happy and didn't show any disconfort at all. Then two months later we found another tumer. He was still really happy but at night he would be in so much pain he could barely move without screaming. So we had to put him down when it got to the point that it was happening every night.It was so hard to do.



The cancer got him within about 5months..



So who knows how long.

Answer 4

The tough thing about cancer is that it's so unpredictable. Sometimes it moves rapidly through the body and the dog is gone within a matter of weeks; at other times it moves slowly, and you have years with your dog. We had a Corgi cross who at about 12 years old started sprouting tumors all over his body. After two surgeries we stopped having them removed, because the surgeries were so hard on him. He lived to be 16 years old. We just put him down last year. The best advice that we can give you is: it's not about quantity (how long) it's about quality. Spend as much quality time as you can with your pet and you'll both benefit from it no matter how much or how little time Artex has left.

Answer 5

There are many different forms of cancer in dogs just like people and the prognosis varies depending on the form. Ask your veterinarian if the tumor was biopsied if it was it may take a couple of weeks for the results to come in depending on where the lab is located. Treatment options have grown and for the most up to date methods contact a veterinary college for treatment options once you know what type of tumor your dealing with. If the margins were clean and it is a noninvasive form you may have little to worry about. Good luck

Answer 6

remember dogs wont show discomfort but im sure u know him enough to notice a difference my boy started with a lump in his face and spread down to his neck in 2 weeks it spread so fast i could not believe it it worth it to go get an opinion but most of the times its better to let him be happy and not put himtru chemotherapy that will just slow him down at least my dogs cancer wasto agressive i hope ur dog is not as sick and uc can save him all the luck to u and ur friend

Answer 7

My dog had breast cancer which she had surgery to remove the lump but less than 3 months later it grew back even bigger than before,she had more surgery to remove that too,



although she seemed fine in herself the cancer quickly spread she broke out in skin sores that wouldn't heal turned out she now had skin cancer too,



and she seemed alert but suddenly one day she had problems breathing it had got to her lungs and the strain of it caused her to have a major stroke so she was put to sleep,



the vet gave her between 3-6 months to live from diagnosis but she only lived for just under 5 months, the speed at which it spread was shocking as when the vet said she would only live for that long it seemed so unreal to me as she seemed as active and alert as she always was,



but she went down hill very fast and was so brave even wagging her tail to the end i miss her so much.

Answer 8

It depends.

There are too many variables here and tons of info needed to even make a guess(type of cancer? etc.), so this would be a question better suited for your vet.

Answer 9

that depends on the type of tumour, my dobe had a tumour removed from his face 18 months ago and one 1 month ago, he is happy and naughty!!



keep a close eye on him , and have a look at holistic approach to boost his immune system. omega 3 , live yoghurt, ect are meant to help immune system. and a good quality food.

if in any doubt , ask your vet. and good luck, its hard for you i know but help him get the most from life xxx

Answer 10

Unfortunately, in most cases once a dog has been diagnosed it is usually too late. All you can do is make sure it's not in pain and listen to the vet when he says it's time go - sorry