Dog Cancer Treatment Cost

If your veterinarian has diagnosed your dog with cancer, you will want to consider treatment options immediately. Dog cancer treatment depends heavily upon the type of cancer and its progression, as well as the breed, age and overall health condition of your dog. Unfortunately, treating cancer is usually a costly procedure. However, if you detect the cancer early enough, you stand a better chance of saving your dog’s life and of spending less money in the process. Read on for a brief overview of dog cancer treatment costs and other considerations.

Basic Costs of Cancer Treatment

Initially, plan to spend around $200 for the diagnosis and evaluation of your pet, plus the meetings to discuss treatment options. This cost will depend somewhat upon your veterinarian’s rates and the number of tests that he conducts.

If your vet determines that a surgery will be necessary in order to excise any cancerous tumor or growth in your dog’s body, the cost of the procedure will include the hospitalization, anesthesia, surgery time and labor, and any aftercare and medicines used to follow up. The cost of the surgery is also dependent upon the location and size of the tumor. For instance, tumors on the surface of the skin are much easier to excise than those attached to internal organs. Overall, the cost of surgery to remove a single cancerous growth usually ranges from $1500 and up.

In more severe cases of cancer, chemotherapy or radiation may be necessary. These treatment options require multiple hospital visits during which your pet is treated with chemicals designed to target and eliminate cancerous cells. These treatments may be used in isolated cases, as well as in cases in which the cancer has spread throughout the body. Again, the cost of the treatment includes the necessary hospitalization, anesthesia and time and labor costs. Be aware that these treatment regimens typically require multiple visits. In more severe cases, chemotherapy can range up to $2000 in total, while radiation therapy can cost around $5000 in total.

Other Considerations

On top of the costs of surgery and other treatment methods, expect to spend several hundred dollars on pain medications and antibiotics to relieve your dog’s suffering and prevent infection.

There are many different types of cancer, and each case is entirely unique. As such, it is advisable to consult with multiple veterinarians before beginning any treatment program to address your dog’s cancer. Prices can vary widely depending upon the doctor and the treatment plan.

In some cases, veterinarians will advise that you make the effort to ease your pet’s pain and suffering through drug treatments, but that a full treatment program will either be too damaging to your pet’s health or too costly to follow through. If your dog has complicating health factors that could interfere with the cancer, or if your dog’s health is poor in general, it may be necessary to consult with multiple veterinarians in order to find someone able to help.

 

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