Brain Tumors
Introduction to brain tumors
The word tumor means an abnormal growth. If we see an abnormal growth on a brain MRI, that means we have unfortunately found a brain tumor. Hearing your beloved pet has a brain tumor is a very scary thing and it’s normal to be upset and worried about what’s going on. Many people hear the words “brain tumor” and think there is nothing that can be done. While brain tumors are very serious, there are lots of treatments available that can improve and prolong a good quality of life for your pet.
This is an MRI of a dog with a brain tumor.
Types of brain tumors
The word “tumor” is a catch-all term for several different types of cancer. Very rarely the tumor can be something else, like a fungal infection. We never really know until we take a biopsy and send it to the lab. This means brain surgery, which isn’t right for every pet and every family. Practically, often we will take our best guess from the way the tumor looks on the MRI and treat accordingly.
Here are some of the common tumor types that can affect the brain of dogs and cats
Meningioma
Glioma
Ependymoma
Lymphoma
Choroid Plexus Tumor
Pitutitary Macroadenoma
Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumors
Multilobular Tumor of Bone
Tumors that have spread from other parts of the body like Melanomas, Mammary Cancer and Hemangiosarcoma.
Symptoms of a Brain tumor
If new symptoms happen, or if symptoms seem to be getting worse, please check in with the neurology team. Remember, these symptoms can happen from any type of brain disease. Unless your pet has been diagnosed with a brain tumor by MRI, these symptoms do not necessarily mean your pet has a brain tumor.
Change in personality
Loss of training
Difficulty staying awake
Difficulty sleeping
Difficulty walking
Dizziness or Vertigo
Circling
Blindness
Difficulty eating, drinking or swallowing.
Will my pet be okay? Is this even treatable?
There are treatments for most forms of brain tumors. Unfortunately, we still cannot cure most forms of brain tumors, however these treatments can help your pet to feel better. On average, treating a brain tumor lets pet’s have a good quality of life for 1-2 years after treatment. Depending on the type, size and location of your pet’s tumor, their results may be different. Your neurologist and oncologist will discuss this in detail at your appointments.
In general there are three categories of treatment for brain tumors: surgery to remove the tumor, radiation to shrink the tumor and chemotherapy to kill cancer cells. These treatments can be alone or in combination, and your pet’s medical team will help you walk through what is best for your pet. We perform brain surgery in our office. For radiation therapy we refer to PetCure Oncology in Campbell.
In addition to these treatments, we will often also need to use supportive medications like seizure medication and medications to reduce swelling like prednisone. These medications do not directly treat the tumor, but they can make your pet feel better during treatment.
Signs your Pet needs to see a vet ASAP
If your pet has any of the following signs, please seek emergency care:
More than two seizures in a day (unless otherwise instructed by your veterinary team)
A seizure lasting more than five minutes
Unable to stand or walk
Cannot eat or drink
Unconscious and cannot be roused
Pressing head against wall
Howling, barking or crying that does not respond to being comforted
Aggressive behavior change
What Happens if I don’t Treat It?
It’s difficult to predict exact how long your pet can live with a brain tumor. If we do nothing to remove tumor cells or stop them from growing, it will continue to grow. It depends a lot on how severe your pets symptoms are, your tolerance for those symptoms, and how fast the tumor grows. On average pets with untreated brain tumors live about two months after diagosis. Remember, this is an average. Some pets will do better, some will do worse.
If you choose not to treat your pet’s brain tumor, we will often recommend other medications like steroids or anti-seizure medication to help make your pet feel better for as long as they can. When we choose not to treat a serious condition, we have to accept that this is the condition that will likely end our pet’s life. Our only goal is to make our pet as comfortable as possible for as long as we can. This is called hospice care. It’s a very personal decision to go into hospice care, and we are here to help you make whatever decision is right for you and your family.
Contact Us:
Mon \ Fri: 8:30am - 5:30pm
Sat: by appointment only
Phone: (415)967-3303
Email: frontdesk@remedyvets.com
