Lymphoma in dogs, or lymphosarcoma, is a common cancer that can affect the liver, spleen and lymph nodes, among other organs. This is an aggressive cancer with a high mortality rate. Here's what you should know about this dangerous canine cancer.
Risk Factors for Canine Lymphoma
Dogs of any breed or gender can develop lymphoma. Lymphoma usually affects middle aged to geriatric animals older than eight years of age.
Symptoms of Lymphoma in Dogs
Symptoms of canine lymphoma can vary depending on where your dog's tumor is located. Many lymphoma tumors grow in the lymph nodes. The only symptom of this type of tumor is swelling of the lymph glands in the armpits, groin and throat. Up to 80% of dogs show no other symptoms of lymphoma.
Lymphoma tumors in the gastrointestinal tract can cause diarrhea, vomiting, decreased appetite and weight loss. Tumors in the chest cavity can cause shortness of breath; they can also muffle the sound of your dog's heart beat. Lymphomas of the skin occur as visible lumps that can become irritated, ulcerated and itchy.
Diagnosing and Treating Lymphoma in Dogs
Chemotherapy is a systemic cancer, meaning that it affects your dog's whole body system. This means that surgery and radiation therapy aren't effective treatment options for this type of cancer. Your dog will need chemotherapy.
There are a number of different chemotherapy protocols that can help your dog go into remission from lymphoma. Popular chemotherapy drugs include prednisone, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin and vincristine. Your dog will need weekly injections of chemotherapy drugs for several weeks.
Your vet will most likely use the protocol he feels most comfortable with. However, there are a range of different treatment protocols and they all vary in effectiveness. New treatments for canine lymphoma are constantly appearing. You might choose to visit a veterinary oncologist to discuss your dog's best options for remission and survival.
Canine Lymphoma Prognosis
Dogs with lymphoma can expect to live for four to six weeks from the time of diagnosis unless they receive treatment for the disease. If you choose not to treat your dog's lymphoma with chemotherapy, your vet can prescribe oral prednisone to reduce the swelling and discomfort associated with the disease. However, if you're planning to treat your dog's lymphoma with chemotherapy, you should know that administering oral prednisone prior to chemotherapy treatment can reduce the effectiveness of the chemotherapy.
If your dog undergoes chemotherapy treatment for lymphoma, he could live for a year or more; because of this, most vets consider lymphoma one of the easiest canine cancers to treat. However, you should be aware that most dogs with lymphoma don't live for more than a year after diagnosis, even if they do receive the chemotherapy treatment they need. Most dogs tolerate chemotherapy quite well and experience few side effects, so don't worry about chemotherapy treatments reducing your dog's quality of life. Your dog should be able to enjoy a normal quality of life, even while undergoing chemotherapy treatment.