Cancer is a leading cause of death in older dogs. Early detection through screening programmes and owner awareness significantly improves treatment outcomes and reduces suffering.
Cancer causes significant pain, functional impairment, and ultimately death in affected dogs. Welfare considerations span detection, treatment decisions, and end-of-life care. Early detection through regular veterinary wellness examinations, owner monitoring for lumps, weight loss, and behavioural changes, and emerging liquid biopsy technologies can enable treatment at stages where outcomes are substantially better. Treatment decisions are complex: chemotherapy in dogs generally causes less severe side effects than in humans, and remission can provide months to years of good quality life. Pain management is a priority throughout — cancer pain is undertreated in many cases. Quality of life assessment guides decisions about treatment continuation and euthanasia timing. Owner education about cancer signs enables earlier presentation that directly improves welfare outcomes.