Possible treatment for bone cancer in the dog.

Описание: Hey Everyone!

My name is Dan, and I am a veterinarian. Today I am sharing about a possible treatment for bone cancer in the dog.

The most common bone cancer in dogs is osteosarcoma. It’s an aggressive cancer that starts in the bone and can spread to other parts of the body, especially the lungs.

Which dogs are most at risk?

Bone cancer can happen to any dog, but it’s much more common in:

Large and giant breeds (Great Danes, Rottweilers, Golden Retrievers, Greyhounds)

Middle-aged to older dogs

Dogs with long legs (the cancer often forms in weight-bearing bones)

It most often affects the legs—especially near the shoulder, wrist, knee, or ankle.

Common signs to watch for

The symptoms can sneak up slowly and are often mistaken for arthritis at first:

Limping that gets worse over time

Swelling or a hard lump on a limb

Pain (crying, not wanting to walk, licking the area)

Broken bone with little trauma (the cancer weakens the bone)

Decreased appetite or energy as the disease progresses

If a limp doesn’t improve after a couple of weeks, it’s worth a vet visit.

How is it diagnosed?

Your vet may use:

X-rays (often show a very distinctive “moth-eaten” bone look)

Biopsy or needle sample to confirm cancer

Chest X-rays or CT scan to check for spread to the lungs

Treatment options

Treatment depends on your dog’s health, age, and your goals.

1. Amputation (most common)

Removes the painful tumor: Even with amputation the cancer has already spread.

Dogs usually adapt amazingly well, even large dogs

Often combined with chemotherapy

2. Chemotherapy

Helps slow spread and extend life

Dogs usually tolerate chemo much better than humans

3. Pain management (palliative care)

For dogs that can’t undergo surgery

Uses pain meds, anti-inflammatories, sometimes radiation

Focus is comfort and quality of life

Prognosis (what to expect)

I’ll be honest but gentle here:

Without treatment: about 1–3 months

With amputation alone: around 4–6 months

With amputation + chemo: often 10–14 months, sometimes longer

The biggest enemy isn’t the leg tumor—it’s metastasis (spread), especially to the lungs.

Quality of life matters most

Dogs don’t worry about the future like we do. Many dogs:

Feel immediate pain relief after treatment

Stay happy, playful, and affectionate for much of their remaining time

Live very full days with the right support

Niclosamide, a traditional anti-parasitic drug, is being developed as a promising, non-toxic, and affordable treatment for canine osteosarcoma (bone cancer) by inhibiting tumor cell growth, migration, and metastasis. A novel intravenous, nanoparticle-based prodrug called NSPT (niclosamide stearate) has shown promising survival signals in recent clinical trials for dogs.