Many people are initially hesitant to use chemotherapy to treat their pet's cancer because they
do not want to compromise their pet's quality of life. An owner may be concerned that
treatment with chemotherapy will cause severe side effects in their pet and will make their pet
feel poorly. While side effects are possible with chemotherapy and are described in detail
below, the main goal of chemotherapy use in veterinary patients is different than it is in human
patients. Our primary goal in using these drugs is to provide the pet with a good quality of life
for as long as possible. We treat cancer as aggressively as we can but not at the expense of the
pet's quality of life. If the pet starts to experience significant chemotherapy-related side effects,
we alter our treatment plan. Fortunately, most dogs and cats tolerate chemotherapy much
better than human patients.
Generally, dogs and cats that receive chemotherapy feel normal the day they are given the
drug. Perhaps 3 to 5 days later, an owner might report that their pet does not feel 100%. But
within 24 to 48 hours, the pet is back to his or her normal self until the cycle continues with the
next dose of drug. After each dose of chemotherapy, we discuss with an owner whether or not
the side effects seen in his or her pet would warrant a change in the pet's therapy. If everyone
agrees that the pet's quality of life is good, and as long as there is evidence that the
chemotherapy drug is working against the pet's cancer, we continue with the treatment.