Caninecancer.org.au

I have an older dog (7) and chemo was recommended for leukemic lymphoma. I am concerned about this due to the fact my dog has a seizure disorder. The seizures are under control at this point and I would hate to have any treatment trigger a volley of them.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thank you.

Seizures can be pretty frightening - if they're well controlled it'd be terrible to have treatment bring them on. The 2 most likely things to bring the seizures on for many dogs with leukaemia or lymphoma would be the cancer itself (so controlling it should reduce the risk), or corticosteroids/cortisone/prednisolone. If you have been referred to a veterinary oncologist, they will easily be able to avoid the use of corticosteroids in most cases (and low doses in others) and will certainly make sure the choice of drugs does not increase the risk of seizures.

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Dr Ken Wyatt BSc BVMS FANZCVS
Specialist Veterinary Oncologist
Perth Veterinary Oncology

Thank you. We discussed your answer with family and our vet. All of us carefully weighed the pros and cons of the situation. Because the seizures in the past were so bad, we've decided to go with Palliative care and Euthanasia when necessary.