The Dog Cancer Survival Guide (80 page)

If you are feeling overwhelmed or anxious and want some extra reassurance about the merits of your Full Spectrum plan, you can do a relatively simple exercise to get clarity.

When you embark on any treatment program, you are doing so because it offers you a possible gain. The hope is that everything will go well and the treatment(s) will have the desired outcome.

Of course, you are also taking a risk. The treatment might not help your dog, or there might be side effects that you cannot manage. In rare cases, the treatment might even harm your dog.

Some people see the possible risks and get scared off. They don’t do anything, in case it doesn’t work out. Of course, doing nothing has risks, and possibly gains, associated with it, as well. The risks might include your dog’s dying sooner than she has to, or living with chronic pain. The possible gains might include avoiding painful treatments or enjoying a better quality of life. There are risks and possible gains in any life situation – so how do you know, ahead of time, what to do?

You can’t know for sure that your plan will work. You can calculate the relative possible gains against the relative possible risks and see which one comes out on top. Please use this calculation anytime you need it.

The basic steps of risk calculation are simple. The first step is to answer the following questions with as much candor and precision as you can (it helps to write the answers down):

What your dog may gain:
If you take action on this treatment plan, and it works – when you accomplish the goals in your mission statement – what is the gain? Be specific in your answer. Does your dog feel better? Stop vomiting? Reduce his tumor burden? Live longer? Boost his immune system? Enjoy life more? List every gain you can think of, tangible and intangible. Be thorough, realistic and honest. What is the best-case scenario? Now, answer this: given what you know now, how likely is it that scenario will come true?

What your dog may risk:
If you take action on this plan and it doesn’t work – if it falls short of the goals you laid out in your mission statement – what do you stand to lose? Be specific in your answer. Does your dog get worse? Feel worse? Suffer? Do you lose time? Money? List everything you can. Put down things that are likely to happen if it doesn’t work out. Be thorough, realistic and honest. What is the worst-case scenario? Now, answer this: given what you know now, how likely is it the worst-case scenario will happen?

If you stand to gain more than you risk, follow through with this treatment plan.

If you risk more than you stand to gain, do not follow through with this treatment plan (as it stands).

If you calculate your risk and decide not to follow through on your current plan, I advise you to tweak it to make it less risky. This is a rare situation; the majority of guardians who are reading this book stand to gain more than they would risk, as long as they honestly answered all of the questions above and thoughtfully selected treatments that have real potential to help their dogs.

However, in some cases, this analysis reveals that, even after tweaking and maybe even tweaking again, all plans feel too risky. If this describes you, it may be time to read about dog hospice and euthanasia in
Chapter 25
.

M
anaging your dog’s cancer is a big job, for which you are the best-qualified person. Although you are not a vet, you do know your dog best. You have the most to gain when treatments go well, and the most to lose if they don’t.

For this reason, I invite you to think of yourself as the leader of a team of individuals involved in your dog’s cancer care. Other members of your team include: your vet, your oncologist, any other specialists, and any family members or friends who are available to support you. This chapter was written to help you organize and work effectively with your whole team.

Did you know that some people develop temporary hypertension – high blood pressure – just because they are in a medical environment? This is called the White Coat Response.

Some guardians might experience the White Coat Response while going to the vet, too, especially if they are dealing with dog cancer.

If you notice your heart rate go up, you might want to do a breathing exercise from
Chapter 2
(perhaps Three Deep Breaths or Fire Bellows Breathing) before you enter the office environment. Bringing a friend along might also help.

Human psychological research has shown that we tend to believe what someone in authority tells us. Given this, it’s easy to understand why some guardians believe a vet when he says, “your dog can’t beat this” or “there is no treatment.” Hearing this makes it easier to give up on doing anything to help your dog. However, as you know by now, there are many things that can improve the quality of your dog’s life and extend longevity.

Medicine is not an exact science. We learn more every day, which can lead to changes in the way we practice. Even the phrase “to practice medicine” telegraphs this; we don’t
perform
medicine, we
practice
medicine. Some vets devour every journal as soon as it’s published; others haven’t looked at research in years. Some are experts at reading X-rays or ultrasounds, but don’t feel confident in surgery. Different levels of experience, different approaches and different philosophies can vastly impact our practices. You might easily get three different opinions from three different oncologists about how to treat your dog’s cancer.

When vets and oncologists don’t agree – especially about something as serious as cancer, the average guardian becomes confused and frustrated. That’s why I advise you to decide, right now, that you are in charge of your dog’s health. I call this empowered leadership role Primary Health Advocate. As your dog’s Primary Health Advocate, you assemble a team to work with your dog. Your vet, with his specialized training, is an invaluable member – and you are still the one in charge.

(I don’t mean to imply that your vet doesn’t know what he’s doing, or in any way is wrong. Trust his training and experience and take his advice and insights very seriously. This is important for your security and well-being. No matter how wonderful he is, however, you are your dog’s guardian.)

When vets and oncologists don’t agree – especially about something as serious as cancer, the average guardian becomes confused and frustrated. That’s why I advise you to decide, right now, that you are in charge of your dog’s health.