Although we cannot cure lymphoma in our pets, we can often manage it, and give them a better quality of life.
How long they may live for depends on what, if any, treatment we use
Your vet will check your dog regularly, and check in with you to see how things are going
The aim is to give them the best quality of life we can, for as long as we can
As there is no cure, inevitably your vet will need to discuss euthanasia with you - this is often the hardest, but always the kindest, decision we make for our four legged friends
Lymphoma is one of those words you don’t want to hear as a pet owner. It is also a word many of us are familiar with as a lot of people know someone who has or had it.
How long can I expect my dog to live with lymphoma?
In veterinary medicine, lymphoma is something we can manage depending on how advanced it is. Unfortunately, is it not something we can cure, as high doses of chemotherapy would not be fair to our pets if we can’t explain that they are going to be very ill. Moderate doses of chemotherapy can be used with only a small number of side effects which would be discussed with you before you consented to treatment.
With chemotherapy, we can expect our dogs to live a good quality life for somewhere between 6 and 18 months. Of course, every dog responds differently to medications and if you find that chemotherapy doesn’t agree with your pet then you and your vet may decide to end that treatment path. You may be able to try an alternative treatment, change the dose, or you may decide with your vet to stop treatment altogether..
Steroids are an option for dogs that are either too ill or elderly to go through chemotherapy or where chemotherapy has resulted in too many side effects for your pet. With steroids, we can expect a good quality of life for somewhere between 3 and 12 weeks.
In some cases your pet may be too ill at the time of diagnosis and it may be that you take them home for a weekend to spoil them and make memories before saying goodbye to them very quickly after the diagnosis.
Following a diagnosis of lymphoma we can be almost certain that at some point our pet parents will need to make the decision, with the help of the veterinary team, to allow their pet to pass peacefully. Your vet team will be there to support you, and our team of vets at MyDogDoc can help too, providing a listening ear, support, and reassurance. We know the decision is heart-breaking and we can be there for you, before and after.
