Pet Owner Resources
DR. SUE HAS COMPILED SOME OF HER MOST USEFUL ARTICLES, TIPS AND MORE.
FAQ ABOUT CHEMOTHERAPY IN PETS
In veterinary oncology, chemotherapy is often recommended to control a pet’s cancer, prolong survival and maintain a good or even excellent quality of life. What risks should clients know about, and what can they expect during the process? This client handout contains insights from Dr. Sue Ettinger, or “Dr. Sue Cancer Vet,” as her clients call her.
HELPING A PET THROUGH CHEMO AT HOME
The good news? 80% of pets have little to no side effects from chemotherapy treatment. And of the 15 to 20% that do, they are often not severe. So, whew. Still, being prepared for any signs of illness or side effects goes a long way to reassuring clients after a cancer diagnosis. Use this handout, developed by oncologist Sue Ettinger, DVM, DACVIM, to help walk clients through how to care for their pet before, during and after chemotherapy.
FAQ ABOUT METRONOMIC CHEMOTHERAPY
Metronomic chemotherapy is becoming a common way to treat some forms of cancer in dogs and cats. To help inform pet owners about this form of treatment.
THE DOG CANCER SURVIVAL GUIDE
If your dog has cancer, you need this book. No matter what you’ve heard, there are always steps you can take to help your dog fight (and even beat) cancer.
Dr Sue’s Facebook Feed
🇨🇦 What was a highlight of my short 3 day trip to Toronto?
🐕 The Dog Fountain. Clearly the artist loved pugs. Definitely worth IMO seeing if you get to Toronto ♥️🇨🇦Great day 1 at the #hillsglobalsymposium in Toronto
💩 it’s all about the microbiome and prebiotics, probiotics and well, poop.
🤳🏽The afternoon changed gears and covered storytelling and social media, and included a few selfies. I was honored to be asked to join the panel of social media experts
👏 @hillspet is hosting an amazing conference and it’s being live-streamed too. Cannot wait for tomorrow
📲 Check out my stories for more of the fun @ The Carlu🐶 Luke is different than most dogs with lymphoma
🤒 He was sick. Most dogs with lymphoma are actually pretty healthy at the time their cancer is diagnosed. He was so sick his family brought him in on emergency where I work.
👉🏼 Also the location of his lymphoma was also less common. It was involving the lymph nodes inside the chest cavity (called mediastinal) and not the more common peripheral lymph nodes.
⚠️ This causes something called pleural fluid - fluid that accumulates around the lungs making it difficult for the lungs to expand and poor Luke to breathe well. It can lead to a respiratory crisis.
💉 Our criticalist tapped his chest - called a thoracocentesis - removing the fluid to allow him to breathe better and also confirmed the diagnosis
👩🏼⚕️ So that’s where I come in. Chemotherapy time. That’s the treatment of choice for lymphoma. Very high response rates. And very well tolerated in most dogs.
🧬 But before we started chemo and steroids I needed a few more tests. I was so glad no one started Luke on steroids to stop the fluid while he got into see me. I need to run a test called flow cytometry to determine if he has B or T cell lymphoma
📊 Most dogs with lymphoma have B-cell, but dogs with mediastinal lymphoma tend to be T-cell, so this important test let’s us know for sure
🤷♀️ Why do I care? B vs T is the most important prognostic predictor, and I also change his chemo protocol based on this information
✔️And I have had T-cell dogs do better and live longer that B cell dogs. So yes, in my opinion, it is worth treating both
♥️ And I hope Luke will be different that the statistics. And live so much longer. And continue to feel great. Because I love him already
🆕 Looking for more info on steroids and cancer? Check out my newest YouTube video.
youtu.be/JTAfwVaBL5w
🆓 I also have tons of videos on dog lymphoma and chemotherapy. Please check them out, tag someone who might need info, and please do not forget to subscribe