Dog Cancer Knowledge Base

These knowledge base articles are the core of DogCancer.com. Every article is carefully vetted. Each one is researched, written, and medically reviewed by at least four independent experts (veterinarians, cancer researchers, and science journalists. The result is organized, easy-to-understand explanations of everything relating to dog cancer. Whether you need to find out more about a prescription drug, a supplement, a food, or a medical procedure, these knowledgebase articles will give you medically sound, nuanced, and complete information. We update articles regularly, so you can always rely on the information you find.

Latest Articles

Pets are family for most Americans.

Pets Are Family

If you feel like your pets are family, you aren’t alone. And science is beginning to show you’re right to feel this way. read full article

The Cost of Dog Cancer: The Four Budgets

It’s not only money you need to budget to treat dog cancer. You also need enough time, emotional bandwidth, and plain physical strength. read full article

The mitotic index is a way to measure how many cells are dividing in a sample.

Mitotic Index

The mitotic index provides valuable information about your dog’s cancer, and it should be included on any pathology report. It gives you an idea of how fast a tumor is growing, which can help determine... read full article

Foundations and grants may help with vet bills for dogs with cancer.

Help With Vet Bills from Grants and Foundations

Foundations and grants can help with vet bills for your dog’s cancer treatment. There are many application opportunities, and crowdfunding is becoming more and more popular. Strict qualifications for applicants may limit your options, so... read full article

Vitamin E for dogs isn't often necessary to supplement, because dietary sources are often enough.

Vitamin E for Dogs

Vitamin E is an essential nutrient that helps protect cells in the body and maintain a highly functioning immune system. read full article

Cancer is a multifactorial disease, which means many things have to go wrong for it to happen.

It’s Not Your Fault: Cancer as a Multifactorial Disease

Cancer is relentless and sneaky. It’s not your fault that your dog has cancer. It’s not just one thing that causes it, but a cascade of complex events that ultimately lead to cancer development. read full article

Digestive enzymes for dogs may be helpful if your dog needs digestive support.

Digestive Enzymes for Dogs

Digestive enzymes can be useful when the gastrointestinal system, particularly the pancreas, is compromised due to disease. Veterinarians most often recommend digestive enzymes for dogs with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, a disease process where the pancreas... read full article

Krill oil for dogs may be a good idea if your dog needs omega-3 fatty acids.

Krill Oil for Dogs

Much like fish oil, the omega-3 fatty acids in krill oil can be useful in killing cancer cells and even boost the efficacy of chemotherapy. Krill oil is a nice addition to your dog’s diet... read full article

antioxidants for dogs are a good idea, but not in excess.

Antioxidants for Dogs

Antioxidants are natural compounds found in many common fruits and vegetables. They can reduce free radicals and minimize the oxidative stress that contributes to canine cancer. Adding antioxidants to a dog’s diet is an easy... read full article

SAM-e for dogs is a good idea if there is a possibility of liver damage.

SAM-e for Dogs

SAM-e is a safe and well tolerated nutraceutical supplement with minimal side effects. It is a useful antioxidant for many inflammatory disease processes including cancer. Veterinarians may recommend SAM-e for dogs when using other drugs... read full article

Milk thistle for dogs with cancer is often recommended

Milk Thistle for Dogs (Silymarin)

Milk thistle is a supplement with powerful antioxidant properties that is used to treat and protect against liver damage. Milk thistle supplements may be especially beneficial for your dog when used with certain types of... read full article

Coconut Oil for Dogs

Coconut oil contains medium chain triglycerides that quickly provide a direct energy source to the liver, brain, and body. read full article

Wei Qi Booster for dogs may be recommended if your dog has cancer, but be sure not to double dose herbs.

Wei Qi Booster for Dogs

Wei Qi Booster is a Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine (TCVM) formula that contains a combination of herbs used to boost the immune system. Pronounced “way chee,” the phrase translates to “defense system,” or as referred... read full article

Exercise for dogs with cancer is an excellent idea. Do it!

Exercise for Dogs

Exercise has many benefits and is an excellent way to help your dog build and maintain muscle mass, strengthen their cardiovascular system, preserve their cognitive health and even reduce the severity and progression of cancer.... read full article

Parsley, basil, oregano -- pungent and potent herbs that can bring a lot of flavor and phytonutrients to the dog cancer table.

Parsley, Basil, Oregano: Herbs That Are Good For Dogs

These three herbs have not only become culinary staples in cuisines across the world, but have also garnered attention for their potential anti-cancer properties thanks to some of the powerful bioactive compounds they possess. read full article

If your dog has Kidney disease dog cancer diet guidelines might seem confusing. It's easier than it seems to balance the two.

Kidney-Friendly Diet Advice for Dogs with Cancer

You can feed your dog a diet that his kidneys love and his cancer hates! read full article

Veterinarians recommend probiotics for dogs who need digestive support.

Probiotics for Dogs with Cancer

A boost of beneficial bacteria that can help support your dog’s gastrointestinal health and heighten their immune system. read full article

A low histamine diet for dogs may be helpful for dogs with mast cell tumors or allergies.

Low Histamine Diet for Dogs

A low histamine diet may be beneficial for some dogs with certain cancers. Too much or too little of anything is not beneficial, and moderation is key. read full article

Meditation for dogs isn't weird -- it's leveraging their instincts!

Meditation for Dogs

Meditation is a practice of awareness in the present moment. Its use in medicine has increased in recent decades due to building evidence of its health benefits and better understanding of its overall purpose. The... read full article

Tellington Touch is a gentle, non-invasive touch therapy developed for horses that dogs also love.

Tellington Touch for Dogs

Tellington Touch for dogs is a safe type of body work that can decrease anxiety, and possibly increase healing, while strengthening the bond with your dog. read full article

Fenbendazole for dogs is a dewormer that is being investigated for repurpose as a chemotherapy.

Fenbendazole for Dogs

Fenbendazole is a deworming drug used in many animals that is now under investigation as an anti-cancer drug. read full article

Elspar for dogs with lymphoma is a drug commonly used as a rescue protocol.

Elspar for Dogs

L-Asparaginase (brand name Elspar) is an enzyme and an anti-cancer medication. Veterinarians use Elspar for dogs with certain immune system cancers, particularly lymphoma. This medication is fast-acting and has a high success rate, but it... read full article

masitinib is approved for use in the EU to treat mast cell tumors.

Masitinib (Masivet, Kinavet)

Masitinib is a chemotherapeutic approved in the EU for the treatment of Mast Cell Tumors (MCT). read full article

Vincristine for Dogs

Vincristine is a chemotherapy drug best known for its part in the CHOP protocol to treat dog lymphoma. read full article

Meloxicam for dogs is an NSAID that helps dogs with osteoarthritis.

Meloxicam For Dogs

Meloxicam is a well-tolerated drug that can help with pain management and is being studied as a possible treatment for certain types of cancer. read full article

Blood in dog stool is scary, but it's not necessarily serious.

Blood in Dog Stool

Blood in your dog’s stool is a reason to pay attention, but not to panic. Causes can range from minor one-time ailments to something much more serious, including cancer in your dog’s gastrointestinal tract. Thankfully,... read full article

Diarrhea in dogs is upsetting, messy, and makes dogs miserable. Finding the cause is the key to getting it to stop!

Diarrhea in Dogs

Diarrhea in dogs is one of the most common reasons owners call their veterinarians, but its cause isn’t always immediately obvious. Diarrhea is usually not a cause for concern in healthy dogs, but dogs diagnosed... read full article

lethargy in dogs almost always warrants investigation to find the underlying cause.

Lethargy in Dogs

Lethargy in dogs is typically a symptom associated with a larger underlying health issue. Determining the underlying clinical factors driving your dog’s lethargy is key to formulating a treatment plan that will lead to their... read full article

Neoplasene for dogs with cancer should be used only under veterinary supervision.

Neoplasene for Dogs

Neoplasene is a supplement that is made from bloodroot, a native North American herb. Sanguinarine, its active ingredient, shows promise as a future anti-cancer drug but is still in need of more research and clinical... read full article

veterinarians recommend cimetidine for dogs with many different types of cancer

Cimetidine For Dogs

Cimetidine (brand name Tagamet) is a drug most often used to control acid production in the stomach but there is research showing potential to boost the effectiveness of other cancer therapies. read full article

doxycycline for dogs is an antibiotic that is sometimes used for its anti-cancer benefits.

Doxycycline For Dogs

Doxycycline is a commonly used antibiotic that shows promise for repurposing as a cancer treatment, particularly in the destruction of cancer stem cells. read full article

zoledronate for dogs is used to help with bone pain. In humans, this drug is used to treat osteoporosis.

Zoledronate for Dogs

Zoledronate is a medication that is used to treat high blood calcium levels caused by cancer and bone pain from osteosarcoma. read full article

Tigilanol Tiglate (Stelfonta)

Tigilanol tiglate (Stelfonta) is an injectable anti-cancer drug that is injected directly into eligible mast cell tumors and causes destruction of tumor cells with great success. read full article

How to prevent cancer in dogs is not entirely known ... there are no guarantees your dog won't get cancer ... but certain strategies lower the risk and increase life quality!

Dog Cancer Prevention

Cancer cells grow due to a number of cellular changes including gene mutations and epigenetic (gene expression) factors. We cannot guarantee dog cancer prevention strategies will work, but we can influence our dog’s environment to... read full article

Lawn Chemicals Herbicides Pesticides are all implicated in cancer, and minimizing exposure for yourself and your dog is important.

Lawn Chemicals, Herbicides, and Pesticides

Traditional lawn chemicals, herbicides and pesticides are common in our outdoor spaces, and in the care of our dogs. Weed killer, topical flea medications, and insect sprays are everywhere on store shelves. Unfortunately, many of... read full article

Getting a second opinion for dog cancer is never a bad idea.

Getting a Second Opinion

Second opinions are valuable because two heads are often better than one! read full article

Veterinarians may use vinblastine for dogs with cancer, depending upon the case and the protocol chosen.

Vinblastine for Dogs

Veterinary medicine borrows many medications from human medicine and utilizes research in humans to create studies to validate the drug's use in canine patients. Vinblastine for dogs is one of those drugs that we are... read full article

It's pretty clear: stress in dogs is a cancer risk, and it can also get in the way of fighting cancer .

Stress in Dogs

Stress can weaken the immune system and shut down important bodily functions. This creates an environment for cancer to develop and thrive. The mind-body relationship is a complex system. Reducing stress in your dog’s life... read full article

Veterinarians will look for metastasis and local invasion to get a better idea of how aggressive your dog's cancer is.

Metastasis and Local Invasion: When Cancer Spreads

Metastasis and local invasion are mechanisms by which cancer infiltrates other parts of the body. Metastasis is when a particular type of cancer spreads from its initial site to more distant parts of the body... read full article

Rimadyl for dogs (carprofen) can be very supportive depending upon your dog's situation.

Rimadyl for Dogs (Carprofen)

Rimadyl for dogs (carprofen) is a very effective nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) and non-narcotic medication for dogs. It is used to treat inflammation, fever and pain in dogs. read full article

Scratchpay provides financial support for medical bills.

Scratchpay

Scratchpay is a quick and easy option for helping spread out large veterinary expenses over time. read full article

Physical Therapy for Dogs

It’s heartbreaking to see your beloved dog become debilitated by cancer, but there are ways you can support their healing and help them regain mobility. Rehabilitation, which is usually what we call physical therapy for... read full article

How to Reduce Cancer Risk Using Food

The best dog food for cancer prevention is one that helps keep your dog at a healthy weight, provides her with all the essential nutrients she needs, and does not contain potential carcinogens. read full article

Pollution and Environmental Cancer Causes

Nowadays, humans and dogs share their living space and so our pets are exposed to many of the same environmental pollutants as we are, like tobacco smoke, smog, paints and pesticides. Fortunately, our pets’ risk... read full article

How To Find a Counselor

Therapy sessions can help to better understand trauma or change, develop effective coping mechanisms, or improve overall well-being. The cancer diagnosis or death of our canine companion is traumatic, and you should consider reaching out... read full article

Giving your pup with dog cancer treats might seem like a bad idea -- but there are many healthy treats your dog will enjoy!

Dog Cancer Treats: Delicious and Nutritious

All dog lovers should be mindful of what they feed their dogs, but canine companions with cancer have some additional nutritional considerations. Nevertheless, dogs with cancer shouldn’t be deprived of all their favorite treats! In... read full article

Gained life expectancy is the amount of time a certain treatment is likely to give you and your dog beyond the prognosis.

Gained Life Expectancy: How Much Extra Time Will Cancer Treatments Give Us?

When you learn your dog has cancer, the more information you can get the better. You will want to have a clear understanding about the cost of treatment, expectations about quality of life, the potential... read full article

Talking to children about illness and death of our dogs with cancer is so hard. But it helps them.

Talking to Children About Illness and Death in Dogs

The illness or loss of a family dog is a difficult and inevitable experience, but with a little help from you, your children can learn how to cope with the strong emotions that come with... read full article

Chronic inflammation and cancer are linked, so reducing inflammation is often a good idea.

Inflammation and Cancer

Chronic inflammation is a sneaky foe that can easily go unnoticed. Understanding chronic inflammation and its relationship to cancer in dogs is crucial to helping you safeguard your dog's health. read full article

No one wants to keep track of paperwork, but systematically managing medical files can make cancer treatments and appointments go smoother.

Managing Your Dog’s Medical Files

Managing medical files is important with a complex illness like cancer. You should keep copies of your dog’s medical files. Most medical records are organized by date and sometimes by file type. Having your dog’s... read full article