Guiding Choices: The GPs Role in Pet Cancer Treatment and Palliative Care

No one wants to hear the word, “cancer,” but sadly it is a leading cause of death in our pets. Veterinarians have to give pet owners this devastating news all too often, and these conversations can be challenging but necessary. In this presentation we will cover how to discuss cancer with pet owners and explain the differences in treatments betweens animals and people, types of treatments, and goals with therapy. Pet owners often have lots of questions for the primary veterinarian prior to referral and we will walk through commonly asked questions.

• Understand how cancer treatments are different between people and pets
• Learn how to discuss the goals of therapy
• Evaluate different cancer therapies that can be done at the clinic when referral is declined
• Discuss supportive care and how this can be managed in the clinic and at home by understanding what can be treated to help the pet and monitor quality of life