Palliative treatment of cancer pain

Palliation is medical care or treatment that is focused on reducing symptoms associated with a disease process rather than trying providing a cure for the disease. The goal with palliative care is prevent or relieve suffering as to improve the quality of life of your pet so you may have some quality time with them. There are many ways to perform palliative care and each plan will be developed based on your pet’s clinical signs and their stage of cancer.

Palliation may simply include pain medications, antibiotics or diet changes but can also include modalities such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy, surgery, or hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Quality of life monitoring with regular examinations can also be helpful to ensure changes occurring with progression of the disease are matching with the pet’s treatment plan.