Supporting dog welfare through lymphoma diagnosis, chemotherapy, and end-of-life care.
Canine lymphoma presents a welfare journey from diagnosis through treatment and remission monitoring to relapse and end of life. Diagnosis carries an immediate welfare impact — owners typically notice painless lymph node enlargement, but some dogs present with systemic signs of malaise, hypercalcaemia, and gastrointestinal involvement that cause significant acute welfare impairment.
CHOP chemotherapy is generally well-tolerated in dogs compared to human cancer patients. Many dogs maintain quality of life throughout treatment. However, side effects including neutropenic fever, vomiting, diarrhoea, and hair coat changes occur in a minority of dogs and require welfare-focused management. The weekly clinic visits required by the protocol add stress for anxious dogs.
The relapse phase is the most challenging welfare period. Rescue protocols may provide additional remission periods, but remissions become progressively shorter and harder to achieve. Quality of life assessment and timely euthanasia planning are essential welfare tools during this phase.