-Our ten-year old Lhasa had Leukemia. We were offered the chemo option, and did have one treatment. However, we realized we were just maintaining her, at great expense-by the way-and it was just inevitable that she was going to die. So, we kept her comfortable for a few months; she ate OK, and responded to us, was continent, etc. But we knew it when the end was coming. She had spells when she had a hard time breathing. Finally, one night at 3 in the morning, she was laboring very hard to breath, and I took her to the all night emergency vet and had her put to sleep.

I think chemo, at least for Leukemia, is not a cure, and it is just delaying the end. Everyone has to decide for themselves how to handle it . . . it's not easy.

- I really think the success rate of chemotherapy depends on the kind of cancer and how far it has spread (metastisized). The best route to go is to ask your vet for information on resonse to treatment. If she doesn't know she should be willing to do some research for you. If you live near a large university vet school this would also be a good source. I once considered having chemotherapy on a dog because I had heard that dogs tolerated the procedure better than humans. My vet's response was that he thought that perhaps that was a common belief because dogs tolerated a lot more than humans and didn't complain about it. This was only his opinion of course and perhaps was colored by the fact that his mother had suffered with chemotherapy treatments for breast cancer. But it is also true that animals can stay on their feet a lot longer than humans with the same diseases. Once an animal goes down in the wild they're dead. Doing nothing is difficult yet also a valid choice. In the days ahead you'll be doing a lot of research and will feel overwhelmed. Whatever you decide, it will be the right choice for you and your pet. Don't forget, you can always change the course of treatment.