Cancer is common in dogs, and managing quality of life through diagnosis, treatment, and end-of-life requires welfare-centered veterinary care.
Canine cancer welfare involves decisions across a spectrum from aggressive curative treatment to comfort-focused palliative care, with each approach having different welfare implications. The welfare-centered approach begins with clear quality of life assessment and owner communication about realistic outcomes. Aggressive treatment with good quality of life outcomes is welfare-positive. Aggressive treatment that causes significant suffering for minimal or no survival benefit compromises welfare. The growing availability of veterinary palliative care provides welfare-positive options for dogs whose cancer cannot be cured, focusing on pain management and quality time rather than futile cure attempts.