Chemo Therapy Support (Humans & Pets)

 
If your pet (or human) is on Chemo therapy drugs, or if you are still thinking about the best option for them, talk to a number of Oncologists for information or to help with your decision. 

Questions that might be asked are -

• What type if drugs will be used on the animal?
• What are the possible side effects of the drugs?
• Will the drugs cure my pet? 

Some facts about Chemo therapy

• Some chemo drugs are known to cause neurological toxicity, ending in severe seizures and disorientation in both dogs and cats and because of the severity of damage the pet will lose their hearing
• People  are under the impression that Chemo is the only option and that  chemo or radiation therapy will cure their pet 
• Many vets reassure the owner that animals handle the toxins much better than humans do - but this is not so. The only difference is that humans can talk about the discomfort, pets can't.

A small percentage of humans and animals experience remission after chemotherapy However, animals supported  by natural medicines, or  even better  treated with  100% natural herbs, homeopathy, natural diet and plenty of vit c etc. can live for many, many years.

The majority of animals will have a better quality of life and live longer than ever expected if treated early enough and before drug therapy has damaged the immune system. Natural therapy alone, or a combination of both conventional and natural therapies, gives the animal a much better chance of survival and of healing the cancer completely.

Dr. Langova DVM (Oncologist at the animal cancer Care in Brisbane) states that some pets do require hospitalization for chemotherapy related toxicities and some do die directly due to toxicity. 

The most clinical significant toxicoses involve bone marrow suppression, alopecia and gastrointestinal toxicity.     Septic patients are often, but not exclusively febrile, but physical abnormalities could include tachycardia, injected mucous membranes, slow or prolonged capillary refill, or weak pulses.  Some gastrointestinal side effects such as nausea and vomiting, with or without diarrhoea. Febrile or systemically ill patients should be hospitalized for 24 hour care (if you can find this service) The first line of treatment that the vet needs to do is give intravenous fluids to try and flush out the over load of toxins. Fever and sepsis are produced due to resident good flora being destroyed. The common bacteria include E coli, Pseudomonas, Staphepidermidis, and staph aureus.

In such cases the vet will administer high doses of antibiotics intravenously. Most chemotherapeutics are known to be carcinogenic and teratogenic in their own right. It is very important that clinicians, client sand technical staff who come in contact with these agents are warned of their potential toxicity. Chemotherapy gloves should be used for a number of days when cleaning up urine, faeces or vomitus after the patient for a number of days after drug administration.

It is very important that owners choose wisely for their pets, who do not have a choice, and who rely on us to protect them from suffering.