11/02/2022
Have you ever wondered what happens when pets get cancer?
Sometimes we can do radiation or chemo with the goal of never harming quality of life.
Herbie had a nose bleed, he got a CT under anesthesia (to hold completely still) to diagnose a nasal tumor. Without radiation it was a 4-6 month prognosis. With radiation, it could give him another 1-2 years.
There are only a handful of cyberknife radiation treatments for pets in the country. This is very targeted radiation which means less damage to other tissues and therefore far less side effects with being able to deliver a higher dose to kill the cancer cells. Luckily one of them is only 1.5 hours from Herbie’s house.
Thanks to Herbie’s Pet Insurance, 70% of his treatment costs will be reimbursed. He had to spend 3 days in a hotel with his mom (me), and go under anesthesia for 1-2 hours each day, then had his meds reversed and went home (er, to the hotel). He did have some more nose bleeds, and mild head aches but he should feel a lot better after his tumor shrinks down and he’s home relaxing now!
Any questions about pet oncology or pet insurance feel free to comment.
