Editorial: July 19, 2024

A recent article by Matt Richter in the Science section of The New York Times deals with the idea of administering immunotherapy to sick dogs. Immunotherapy in humans has changed cancer treatment for the better as it attacks malignancies and does not harm healthy tissues. These immunotherapy treatments are only for humans.

The writer interviews Dr. Hans Klingemann, presently employed by ImmunityBio, a developer of immunotherapy for people. He states that it isn't cost effective for drug companies to create an immunotherapy drug for dogs because the cost to dog owners could be thousands of dollars and it isn't covered by insurance. So conventional cancer treatments like chemotherapy and radiation are still the norm. We know from experience the stress and illness caused by chemo and radiation treatments in humans, but what does it do to our dogs? 

That brought us to the question: When told that your dog has cancer, how should you proceed? It’s a difficult, life-altering question, and, unlike asking a human, dogs can’t tell you how they feel. Opinions vary, from any and all options to save their lives to letting nature take its course. We offer no solutions or options to this question of quality of life for both the dog and owner and the cost factor involved. Depending on the diagnosis, is it curable or heroic to try to extend their lives?

Two different scenarios:

One dog was off his food for two days, which was very unusual and out of character for this dog. Taken to the vet, he was X-rayed, growths were found, and surgery was performed. While he was still on the operating table, the vet telephoned the owners to say that the dog had two weeks at most to live, and it was decided to let him go while he was still asleep. That dog had no visible signs of ill health until two days before his death.

The second dog, who also had difficulty eating, was diagnosed with a cancerous oral tumor at the age of seven. The prognosis was given, and the owner decided on surgery. Following jaw surgery, the dog sustained weeks of radiation therapy. Although tired and requiring hand-feeding, he came through this ordeal and lived for nearly another nine years, dying at the age of nearly 16.

Different dogs, different stories, different outcomes. But the question remains: When is enough enough, and when is it not?

If only the dog could tell us.