Integrative oncology combines evidence-based conventional cancer treatment with complementary approaches that support quality of life, reduce side effects, and improve overall wellbeing during cancer care.
Conventional cancer treatment in dogs — chemotherapy, radiation, surgery — focuses appropriately on tumor control but may leave gaps in quality-of-life management that integrative approaches can address. Nausea from chemotherapy, pain from tumors, anxiety from clinical environments, and muscle wasting from inactivity all contribute to welfare impairment beyond the cancer itself. Integrative approaches that reduce these secondary welfare burdens through acupuncture, rehabilitation, nutritional support, and anxiety management add meaningful quality to whatever quantity of life treatment achieves. The integration of these approaches alongside conventional treatment, guided by evidence and veterinary expertise, represents a holistic welfare approach that serves the dog rather than just the tumor.