I would first try to understand what the cancer is, what its name is, what treatment protocol we're going to use, how much it's going to cost, and how many trips back and forth you might need to make to the veterinarian so that you really have a great understanding of what's about to happen. It's great to try to catch it as early as possible and then work together with the veterinary team, and sometimes we have to adapt it. If the chemotherapy made their white cell counts too low, we might skip a week and then start another week. So we'd have to be adaptable to the dog.

Chemotherapy is designed to put the dog in remission without causing any severe side effects. We also have a lot of medications to counteract them, such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

Yes. A lot of times, we can anesthetize them and remove the entire mass. We send it out for histopathology, and they'll tell us what it is, if we got it all, and what's likely to happen next.

It might've helped if you had neutered it before it started spraying, and that's why we recommend neutering them at six months of age before they even thought about that. Once the cats have sprayed all over the house, it definitely has an odor, and it's a behavior that can be very repetitive. I will tell you that it could only help—it wouldn't make it any worse. By neutering them and then cleaning up the areas really well, you might be able to stop that behavior.

We typically send several days' worth of pain medication for our furry friends. We want them to be in the best comfort that they can be after the procedure. Some common pains that we send include carprofen or meloxicam.

Typically, neutering can reduce the urge to mark around the house and reduce the odor of their urine. It generally does help reduce their spraying, but there is always that small percentage that does not stop.

The best thing you can do is to bring your dog in so we can examine it and then prescribe the appropriate types of preventatives. At home, though, ensure you're picking up your dog's fecal material frequently, so they're not potentially spreading things in their yard and reinfecting themselves. You should also limit their exposure to other pets that might be carrying parasites.

I currently don't recommend any kind of over-the-counter or natural remedies for parasites. Most of those are not very effective and, in some cases, can be extremely toxic.

Parasitic infections are usually not going to go away on their own. They do require treatment, which can be topical or oral.