If your dog has canine lymphoma, it can be incredibly difficult to deal with this situation. From over 25 years as an in-home euthanasia specialist, I know it can be very comforting for you to feel like you can grasp the nature of the condition that your dog has.
In this blog I will explain the following:
1-what is the nature of lymphoma in dogs?
2-What are the clinical signs of lymphoma in your dog?
3-How is lymphoma diagnosed in your dog?
4-What are the treatments for your dog’s lymphoma?
5- What is the prognosis for canine lymphoma?
6-When to euthanize your dog with lymphoma
7-Monitoring quality of life for dog’s with lymphoma
1-What is the nature of lymphoma in dogs?
Lymphoma is a common disease found in dogs that affects the lymphatic system. The lymphatic system is a critical part of the immune system and also plays a critical role in canine fluid regulation. Thus, the canine lymphatic system helps protect your dog’s body from infections and disease.
Lymphoma specifically impairs lymphocytes, the white blood cells that help fight infection. While your dog’s lymphocytes typically help them fight off infection, when they have lymphoma their lymphocytes become cancerous. This results in your dog developing tumors in different areas in their body. The typically affected areas include the lymph nodes, spleen, liver and bone marrow.
There are several different forms of lymphoma, but the most common type of lymphoma is multicentric, meaning it is located in more than one area of the body. That is why multicentric lymphoma is referred to as “systemic lymphoma” by veterinarians. In other words, with this type of lymphoma your dogs overall physiological system is affected, not just one small part of their body. For the purpose of this article we will refer to this veterinary condition as systemic lymphoma.
Systemic lymphoma causes lymph nodes throughout the body to become enlarged. For the record you should know that a lymph node in a dog is a relatively small, bean shaped entity that is part of the lymphatic system. Many times these enlarged lymph nodes are either visible to the human eye. But they can also often be detected if your pet’s body is physically examined by the human hand.
Canine Lymphoma accounts for 15 to 20% of cancer diagnoses in dogs. Given these statistics, canine lymphoma is a problem you need to be on the lookout for.
2-Lymphoma: clinical signs
In dogs the most common first clinical sign of lymphoma is swelling of the lymph nodes. The most easily observed regions where the lymph node swell are in the neck, below the jaw, in the armpit region, groin and behind the knees. The armpit in a dog is the soft area just behind the front leg and under the shoulder. Remember: many dogs are not yet showing observable clinical symptoms at the time of diagnosis. It can sneak up on the dog owner. Instead, owners tend to notice the swelling of the lymph nodes only after the condition has already begun operating.
As this condition progresses, signs including the following:
🞄 weight loss
🞄 lethargy
🞄 difficulty in breathing
🞄 diarrhea
3-How is lymphoma diagnosed?
The most common test to diagnose lymphoma is called a veterinary fine needle aspirate. A fine needle aspirate is a test where your veterinarian uses a syringe with a needle to remove a small number of biological cells from an affected lymph node. After the cells are removed the veterinarian can send the biological material to the veterinary diagnostic laboratory. The veterinary pathologist will determine if malignant cells are present or not. A malignant cell is defined as a biological cell that is cancerous.
Additional veterinary diagnostic testing can tell you more about the nature of the lymphoma. This veterinary laboratory testing can help you and the veterinarian develop a tailored treatment plan. Common veterinary diagnostic tools used to assess lymphoma in dogs includes the following:
🞄 blood panel testing
🞄 x-rays
🞄 ultrasound
4-Treatment of lymphoma
Lymphoma is almost always treated with veterinary chemotherapy. There are several different veterinary chemotherapy protocols available. Chemotherapy is almost always exclusively performed by a veterinary oncologist. A veterinary oncologist is a specialist that works with animals that have cancer. They have specialized training and often have several very effective protocols to choose from. These protocols can extend the lifespan of a dog with lymphoma.
Some clients choose to not treat with chemotherapy. Another option is your general practice veterinarian can give your dog the oral medication known as prednisone. This veterinary medication for dogs is much less effective than chemotherapy. However, this medication can reduce the severity of the symptoms allowing your pet to feel more comfort. The reduction in symptoms can also allow pet owners to have more time to say goodbye to their loved one.
5- What is the prognosis for canine lymphoma?
The prognosis for canine lymphoma varies depending on the following factors: type of lymphoma, severity of clinical signs and method of treatment chosen by the pet owner. Certain types of canine lymphoma have a lower survival rate. On average, dogs that receive no treatment,or are treated with prednisone, have an average survival rate of 4 to 6 weeks.
With veterinary chemotherapy, lymphoma in dogs can go into remission. Remission means that the Science and symptoms of cancer have decreased or disappeared. it’s a good sign, but it certainly does not always mean the cancer is completely gone.
There are two types of remission: partial remission where the cancer is still present, but it has shrunk or become less active, and complete remission where there’s no detectable signs of cancer at the time a diagnostic test is done. Remember, veterinary chemotherapy does not offer a “cure”, but it can extend the life of the dog up to a year or more. Every dog is different, so some may respond better to this treatment protocol than others.
6-When to euthanize your dog with lymphoma
Making the decision to euthanize your dog with lymphoma is a very difficult one. This is especially true because many of these dogs are young. As a house call veterinarian specialist, with over three decades of experience, I know you need to look for the following clinical signs:
🞄 not wanting to eat leading to anorexia
🞄 lethargy leading to depressed mood and decreased energy
🞄 difficulty breathing
🞄 increase in lymph node size
🞄 weight loss
7-Monitoring quality of life for dog’s with lymphoma
If the canine lymphoma worsens, the dog owner should check for quality of life on a daily basis. Please feel free to use my quality of life checklist so you can methodically assess key factors in order to make your best decision.
If you do decide you need to euthanize, click here to go to my Making it Special guidance which helps you understand how to tailor the euthanasia process so that it is as special as possible. Dogs are often our best friends, and we all want to honor the profound bond that we feel with them. And we want them to be as comfortable as possible so the end of their life is as peaceful as possible.
