Creating Awareness: Caring for Cancer in Your Petg

No one likes to think about bad things happening to those we love. And at Deceased Pet Care, our pet is a member of the family. There is little more painful than watching someone or something you love suffer. That’s why, as hard as it is, we need to talk about cancer. May is National Cancer Awareness Month. In this blog, we’re going to briefly cover awareness, treatment, and in the worst case, end of life care for your beloved pet. At Deceased Pet Care, we want your pet to experience the best in all stages and seasons of life. Dealing with Cancer is just one difficult, but necessary part.

Facing the Frequency
It’s difficult to acknowledge, but cancer is the number one natural killer of dogs. It’s also the number two natural killer of cats. With 50% of all dogs, and 30% of all cats developing cancer at some point in their lives, as owners we need to be responsible and increase our awareness of a disease which affects so many.

Understanding the Cause
While there is no single factor that leads to cancer, it is often a mix of genetics, diet, environment, and time. It is nearly impossible to predict and most times impossible to truly prevent. As medicine and veterinary care steadily improves with time, so does life expectancy in your pet. The leading cause of cancer is time, so with more time, the chance your pet develops cancer increases as well. If we acknowledge this, we can in turn be more intentional about creating and living the best life for our pet regardless of their age.

Seeking the Signs
Like all cancer, the earlier it is discovered, the more likely the chance of recovery. Look for the following signs and symptoms in your pet to provide the best chance of catching cancer before it catches your pet:

weight loss, bad smell or breath, sores that do not heal, lethargy, weakness, loss of appetite, refusal of activity, difficulty swallowing or drinking, lameness, limpness, or growing lumps and/or swelling.

If you notice any of these signs in your pet, it’s important to seek advice from your veterinarian as soon as possible. Again, the earlier the diagnosis, the better the prognosis.

Types of Treatment
There is a myriad of options when it comes to treating your pet’s cancer. You can seek traditional methods like surgery or chemotherapy. There are also various holistic and non-traditional methods for treating cancer. Regardless of the path you choose, only you and your veterinarian of choice can decide the best method, timetable, and treatment for your pet.

Preparing for the Pain of Treatment
No matter the outcome of your pet’s diagnosis, it’s important to shower them in support and love during what is likely to be a very challenging season of life. It’s important to respect the journey they are going on. Remove loud noises, increase physical comfort like bedding and resting places, and be extra conscious of proper diet.

There might come a time when you are unable to further assist your pet. During this difficult time, try and stay positive and love extra hard. Your pet will pick up on your emotional state. One of the best ways you can provide comfort is to surround them with emotional stability, support, and a positive environment.

At Deceased Pet Care, we want our pets to know they are loved and they are family, regardless of circumstance. If cancer ever happens to be a chapter in your pet’s story we invite you to research the best methods of care, the most effective modes of concern, and above all shower them with love, support, and a few extra snuggles. What better way to make each moment special?