Q: Our 8-year-old dog, Milty, has been diagnosed with lymphoma.
The vet has offered to send us to a specialist to see how he can be
treated. Is this a good idea? Isn’t this a deadly cancer?
Q: Our 8-year-old dog, Milty, has been diagnosed with lymphoma. The vet has offered to send us to a specialist to see how he can be treated. Is this a good idea? Isn’t this a deadly cancer?
A: The answer is yes to both your questions. Yes, lymphoma is a deadly cancer of the body’s lymphatic system. But yes, it would be an excellent idea to seek the advice of a veterinary oncologist.
Milty’s swollen lymph nodes, those big glands under his neck and around his legs are an indicator of his cancer. In many cases, swollen glands are the only early symptom. The patient doesn’t have to feel ill. But without treatment, lymphoma overtakes all the glands, including those internal nodes in his abdomen and chest.
Most patients with untreated lymphoma live only a few short months. That’s the bad news. On the other hand, there are many different treatment methods available to deal with this disease. Nothing can cure this cancer. But some medications can help a patient achieve complete remission which can be maintained for over a year and sometimes even longer. Let me give you an example.
Charlotte is a Welsh Corgi who was diagnosed with lymphoma. She had all the classic signs (swollen nodes, etc). She was treated with a typical type of chemotherapy: her first treatment was a single injection that was repeated 1 week later. Within 4 days, her glands had receded to near-normal size, and her energy level had returned to its usual bouncy self.
Charlotte continued with a combination chemotherapy that involved weekly medications and finished her first round of treatments in about 2 months. Since then she has remained in remission for over eight more months, and life has been very normal.
We know that Charlotte will eventually fall out of remission, and that she will likely need another round of chemotherapy. Further down the road, chemotherapy won’t be able to keep the cancer in remission. But for now, she’s at the lake enjoying a wonderful summer with her family.
Response to chemo treatment can be variable, but in many instances, dogs don’t experience the negative side effects that most people associate with these medications. There’s no hair loss, and usually no nausea. The initial response in most dogs treated for lymphoma is very, very positive.
Response to treatment depends on the level or severity of the disease. An oncologist or a veterinarian with a special interest in cancer treatment can help you determine the severity of Milty’s disease (and how he might respond to treatment) with an evaluation called “staging”. Knowing the stage of the disease helps to ease the decision whether or not to proceed with treatments.
I always recommend that people at consider chemotherapy treatment as an option. The results can be very positive for so many patients. Seeing an oncologist is the first step and it can help you make the very important decisions that you and Milty must face.
Q: Wally, our 6-year-old mutt, broke a tooth chewing on something (probably a rock or piece of wood). The vet says the tooth should be extracted, but we wonder if that’s really necessary. He still chews on everything and seems to have no pain. Do we need to have this procedure done or can he live with a chip off the old tooth?
A: This is a question that comes up all the time. Usually, if a tooth cracks and the fracture line goes into the internal part of the tooth (called the pulp), an infection follows and the tooth dies. In many cases, it falls out later. Sounds simple enough. But occasionally, infection can become more serious.
Infection into the root, or worse, the jawbone can be much more of a problem. This condition, called osteomyelitis, requires extensive surgical treatment. Osteomyelitis can be very painful and expensive problem. Wally’s broken tooth should be carefully evaluated. If it is just a small chip off the crown of the tooth, the only problem might be some potentially sharp edges. But if the crack is larger, dental treatment is a good idea. Here are two options:
Extraction of the tooth, as described by your vet, is one way to deal with this problem. Once the tooth is pulled and the gumline has healed, there is rarely any followup treatment necessary. But another option to consider is a visit to a veterinary dental specialist.
The nearest office for this specialty is in Belmont, just south of San Francisco. Dr. Steve Holmstrom and his staff have the abilities to do almost any dental corrective treatment. This includes making a crown for a damaged tooth and even doing a root canal when necessary. They have performed some minor miracles on some of our patients that had dental difficulties.
Whether or not Milty needs a specialist’s treatment depends on how badly his tooth is cracked. Ask your vet whether he thinks a specialist’s evaluation and treatment would be a good idea.
Q: We have a 9-month-old Burmese kitten that we bought a few months ago. She is so cute, but she also looks as though she is starting to go into heat. She’s yowling all over the house and seems forever agitated. How long will this last? How often do cats come into heat?
A: I’m afraid you might be in for an unfortunate surprise. Female cats are induced ovulators, meaning that they don’t always end their estrus (or heat cycle) unless they are bred. If your little girl is truly starting her first estrus, she may be a real challenging housemate.
Estrus behavior in cats is often loud and unruly, and intact females can make poor pets because of their hormone-induced change in behavior. And this can go on and on for a long time.
At 9 months of age, she’s too young to breed. In fact, this is a young age for puberty and may indicate a problem. I’d suggest she be examined by your vet to see if she might have a health problem.
Raising kittens and puppies is a lot of hard work. Many breeding animals don’t make the type of loving pet that people want around their home. The bottom line? You might want to consider spaying her if you really want her as a couch companion. Her yowling will otherwise only get more annoying.
