Pet Oncology House Call Care
“My dog has been diagnosed with cancer and I want to know what else I can do.”
A cancer diagnosis for your pet is scary. The uncertainty. The stories from friends and family. The expense. Let’s face it, we do not need a reason to deny, doubt, or wish a cancer diagnosis was incorrect or exaggerated. The guilt about not having pet insurance. (Only 3 out of 100 Americans have pet insurance. You can dispose of that guilt immediately.)
Beyond the Specialty Hospital Part 1
If your dog is diagnosed with cancer, a referral to a veterinary oncologist is often useful. These veterinarians are board certified internal medicine specialists with further training in oncology. They know the breeds and the odds. The know the strange and the usual. They also know brand-new research and they often are the lead investigators studying new drugs and treatments. Their opinions are useful and worth every dollar invested.
However, they are not palliative care experts. They are not nutrition experts. Nor are they lifestyle coaches. If your pet has cancer or suspected cancer, you could use all three of these advisors! A well-educated, experienced holistic or integrative medicine can help you with palliative care plans, nutrition and lifestyle and physical medicine enhancements or alternatives to your oncology plan of treatment.
Palliative Care for Pets
Palliative care means care that makes someone feel better. Palliative care is not intended to cure the patient. It is intended to make whatever time remains the best quality possible. The first veterinary textbook in the new hospice and palliative veterinary care specialty was published in February 2017. Hospice and Palliative Care for Companion Animals: Principles and Practice by Amir Shanan, Jessica Pierce and Tamara S. Shearer is a wonderful guide for veterinarians to help their patients.
Nutrition and Food as Medicine for Canine Cancer Patients
“She’s in remission already! I asked the oncologist how long we need to continue chemotherapy. She didn’t know what to say because she’s never seen a dog go into remission so fast,” said Heidi from South Tampa, Florida.
Dogs love food. We can always find ways to feed them healthier. If they are undergoing chemotherapy, we can manage the most common side effects of chemotherapy. We can help the body make formed stool, keep the appetite up and keep the muscles and body strength up throughout the chemotherapy regimen.
Lifestyle Coaching for Canine Cancer Patients
“I know she is weak and tired. Should my dog sleep all day, or should I encourage him to get outside and sniff around the neighborhood?” asked Jon from St Petersburg, Florida.
“This is a common question I get asked all the time with my cancer patients,” says Doc Truli, holistic house call vet for the Tampa Bay area. “Every pet needs their healthcare provider to help their human design guidelines for how much to rest, how much to ‘push it,’ whether to get a young dog to invigorate an older dog, whether to re-arrange parts of the house to keep the cancer patient comfortable and the grand-kids safe from the crabby chemo patient.”
Holistic house call care gives you the comprehensive planning and the guidance and check-ins and check-ups to give you peace of mind that you are doing everything you can to help your dog and the pace and adjustments are just right.
-Dr Truli
Dr. Truli provides holistic vet house call services to the Tampa Bay, Florida area.
Call, email or text for appointment availability. Provide your name, phone number, street address, and a brief description of your pet’s diagnosis or current problem.
Leave a message and the doctor will call you back in 24 hours or less: 877-378-7854.
Text 813-714-7863 and Dr Truli will text.
Or email DrTruli@VetVMD.com and Dr Truli will email back .
Read more about dogs and house call cancer care tomorrow!
