With advances in health care, the options for cancer treatment for dogs have increased. There are many choices out there and the effectiveness can vary depending on the type of cancer your dog has and what your veterinarian recommends. There is chemotherapy and radiation, both of which can be used alone or in combination with hyperthermia for greater effectiveness. There are also treatments like antiangiogenic therapy, photodynamic therapy and surgery.
Several treatments can be minimally invasive; the least invasive option may differ from dog to dog depending on the type of tumor the dog has. Stomach cancer treatment for example may require a more invasive procedure than a small tumor on near the surface of the skin that can easily be treated with radiation. Options for less invasive procedures include the following:
Antiangiogenic Therapy
This treatment is an option that is newer and not as commonly used by most veterinarians. Antiangiongenic drugs work by depriving the cancerous tumors of the necessary oxygen and blood supply that allows the tumors to grow. The antiangiongenic drugs can be combined to work in multiple areas, which can increase the effectiveness of the treatments. The advantages to antiangiongenic treatment is that it is effective in treating a wide variety of cancers and is given in doses that are not as high as doses of chemotherapy therefore antiangiogenic drugs are less toxic to the dog.
Chemotherapy
Most people are familiar with chemotherapy as a cancer treatment. While chemotherapy is not invasive like surgery it does involve a high concentration of toxic medications. The medications do work at killing the cancer cells, but they can also damage healthy cells in the process.
Holistic Cancer Therapy
Acupuncture, massage and herbal treatments have gained popularity with people as treatment for themselves and their canine friends. Holistic treatments have a positive track record however, they are unconventional and finding a true holistic veterinarian can be difficult.
Other Cancer Treatments
Other forms of cancer treatment include radiation, cryosurgery and photodynamic therapy. While all of these can be effective on certain kinds of cancers they can damage surrounding healthy cells. These treatments often have to followed by surgery as they are used to reduce the size of tumors, but don't usually get rid of them all together.
When looking for dog cancer cures they are difficult to find. Most canine cancer treatments simply treat the tumor and allow the dog to live a little longer a little more comfortably. When you are deciding on a cancer treatment it is important to look at how invasive the treatments being recommended are. Depending on your dog's type of cancer your best bet for noninvasive cancer treatment is to find a good holistic veterinarian and look to them for more natural forms of cancer treatment.