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Preparing ahead for your pet’s passing might seem an odd thing to do. But for many, it helps to give comfort that you’ve covered all the bases for your pet, yourself and any family that are involved. 

Hemangiosarcoma (HSA; angiosarcoma or malignant hemangioendothelioma) is an extremely aggressive tumor of blood vessel origin. Because blood vessels are present throughout the body, virtually any site in the body can have HSA.

The lymphomas (malignant lymphoma or lymphosarcoma) are a diverse group of cancers that originate from a type of white blood cell called a lymphocyte. They are one of the most common cancers diagnosed in dogs and cats.

What is chemotherapy? 

Chemotherapy works by damaging rapidly growing cells. Cancer cells are rapidly growing and often cannot repair the damage caused by chemotherapy drugs. Side effects, when they occur, are a result of the chemotherapy contacting normal rapidly growing cells within the body, such as the bone marrow, which continually produces blood cells, and the lining cells in the intestinal tract.

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is a relatively uncommon disease in dogs and is rare in cats. It is a condition in which transmission of information between nerves and muscles is abnormal, causing weakness. Normally, nerves send commands to our muscles via a “messenger” called acetylcholine (Ach).

Degenerative means deterioration of tissues that become functionally useless. Myelopathy means disease of the spinal cord. The spinal cord is the accumulation of groups of nerves transporting information between the brain and the body.

In the body, balance is controlled by the ears (vestibular receptors of the inner ear) working together with specific areas of the brain. Together they represent the vestibular system. A problem affecting the vestibular system will cause loss of balance manifested by a head tilt, a large base stance, and a tendency to fall to the side or to roll or to walk in tight circles.

Hookworms—specifically, Ancylostoma caninum, Ancylostoma brasiliense, and Unicinaria stenocephala—are among the most common parasitic infections in dogs, along with roundworms, tapeworms and whipworms.

Physical Rehabilitation (PR) is a critical part of successful healing from neurologic disease.  This is true in human medicine and also in veterinary medicine.  It is important, when developing a PR program for a patient with neurologic disease, to understand the diagnosis and neurolocalization.