Canine Chemotherapy Side Effects

While chemotherapy is not effective for some kinds of cancers in dogs, it can be an effective treatment for others, such as lymphoma. Chemotherapy usually combines irradiation and chemotherapy drugs. The most common chemotherapy drugs are methotrexate, cisplatin and L-asparaginase. It is common for dogs undergoing chemotherapy to experience several side effects.

  1. Digestive Side Effects

    • According to Canine Cancer Awareness, most common side effects from chemotherapy drugs are nausea and vomiting. This is the most common side effect for L-asparaginase. Vomiting can happen immediately after treatment and up to a few days after treatment. Dogs on cisplatin tend to begin vomiting six hours after treatment, but nausea and vomiting usually stops after another six hours.

    Unusual Side Effects

    • Unusual side effects include sudden rises in blood sugar levels (glucose), changes in liver enzyme production, problems of the blood not being able to clot properly and can cause pregnant dogs to abort their puppies. Cisplatin has been known to cause temporary deafness and coordination problems in dogs.The University of Illinois notes that some drugs can irritate the skin at the injection site, which causes swelling and itching.

    Serious Side Effects

    • The most serious side effects are pancreatitis, liver disease and bone marrow problems. To counter these side effects, a dog on chemotherapy will need regular complete blood counts to check the functions of the bone marrow, liver and pancreas. If there is a problem, then the dosage of the chemotherapy drugs can be lowered.

    Warning

    • It is possible for dogs to get an overdose of chemotherapy drugs. Symptoms of overdose include complete loss of appetite, diarrhea and vomiting. The vomiting is usually often, so that the dog can't keep anything down and will eventually bring up just bile and then nothing. Call the vet immediately if a dog on chemotherapy begins to show these signs.

    Misconceptions

    • Unlike people, dogs usually do not go bald during chemotherapy. However, the University of Illinois says that some breeds may have noticeably thinning coats. These breeds include poodles, Kerry blue terriers, old English sheepdogs, Lhasa apsos, puli, schnauzers, Maltese and shih tzus.