Oncology – Richmond

Your initial visit begins with a thorough examination (nose to tail) and review of your pet’s medical history.  Our detail-oriented team will collect key information to help formulate a diagnostic plan appropriate for your pet’s cancer.

Recommendations for testing are guided based on a number of key factors.  If your pet has already been diagnosed with a specific cancer, specific testing may be recommended to aid in treatment planning.  If your pet’s type of cancer is not yet determined, this will also help tailor our team’s plan.  Diagnostics that are generally performed for initial screening include some of the following:

1. Complete blood count
2. Biochemical profile
3. Urinalysis
4. Thyroid function
5. Radiographs
6. Ultrasound
7. Fine needle aspiration and cytology
8. Tru-Cut and punch biopsies

In some cases, we may recommend advanced diagnostics for treatment planning.  These tests are chosen specifically for your pet based on the cancer type and your family’s treatment goals:

1. Flow cytometry and/or chemotherapy sensitivity testing with ImpriMed for canine lymphoma and leukemia patients
2. Immunohistochemistry stains for biopsy samples
3. Genetic profiling for targeted therapy with FidoCure
4. CT and/or MRI imaging for staging and surgical and/or radiation planning
5. MDR1 mutation testing for at risk breeds to help guide safe chemotherapy protocols
6. CADET BRAF urine testing for canine bladder tumors
7. Nu.Q Vet testing for early detection and/or monitoring of canine lymphoma and hemangiosarcoma
8. Prognostic panels for canine mast cell tumor and melanoma

Every treatment plan is tailor made to your family’s needs based on your pet’s cancer and your goals. Treatments that may be discussed include the following:

1. Chemotherapy
2. Targeted drug therapy
3. Radiation therapy (***consultation only for this treatment is provided; therapy is administered at a separate radiation facility)
4. Surgery
5. Tumor immunotherapy (Torigen autologous vaccines for multiple tumor type, Oncept melanoma therapy)

While our standard of care is traditional chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery, we recognize the benefit that alternative therapy can have for many pets.  As a team, supplements and holistic therapies may be discussed and incorporated into your pet’s treatment plan if your family desires.  Nutritional counseling is also available remotely for families interested in providing home-cooked diets for cancer management.

We understand that the decision to treat your pet’s cancer is an important decision.  We are here to help your family make the most educated decisions for your pet.  If collectively we decide that treatment is not appropriate for your family, we offer the following services:

1. Palliative and hospice care
2. Pain management
3. Nutritional support
4. End of life counseling and grief support

Our focus throughout your experience with our oncology service is to provide the best quality of life for your pet.  We love when we can tell you that your pet’s cancer is in remission but hope is not lost if this cannot be achieved.  If your pet and your family are ready to fight cancer, so are we!

I take both veterinarian and client (self) referrals, but always emphasize a team approach to keep you – our primary care community – front and center of what is occurring with your clients and patients.
Our team kindly requests of all referrals that a few key pieces of information be provided for scheduling, and that any medical records be available for review prior to confirming the appointment.
This helps to ensure that we can offer as much as possible to the family the day of their initial visit, from diagnostics to starting treatment when appropriate.

We currently are able to see patients quickly, typically same week of referral or the following pending needs of the patient and family.  Our online referral form can be found here:

Veterinarian Referral Form

Chemotherapy is the “bread and butter” of most medical cancer treatment plans, but I also discuss immunotherapy, surgery, radiation therapy, novel therapies, and hospice/palliative care with families.  Anything that families research and bring forward as a possible treatment option we are happy to investigate and incorporate into the plan if we consider it safe.

1. Chemotherapy
2. Targeted drug therapy
3. Radiation therapy (***consultation only for this treatment is provided; therapy is administered at a separate radiation facility)
4. Surgery
5. Tumor immunotherapy (Torigen autologous vaccines for multiple tumor type, Oncept melanoma therapy)

Our team understands that treatment can be expensive, and we work with families in a number of ways to provide exceptional cancer care.  The initial consultation fee is $195 and estimates for any recommended diagnostics and treatment are provided to the family during their visit.

Our team also provides information for outside grant funding as well as payment plans with CareCredit and ScratchPay.  We never want a family to feel discouraged by the cost of cancer treatment and make every effort to make therapy affordable.

Our normal oncology office hours are Monday through Thursday from 8 am to 5 pm.  But we all know that cancer beats to its own drum sometimes!  I make every effort to be accessible as much as possible to guide you with referrals, general questions, and patients on active therapy that may come to you for side effect management.  Listed below are a few other ways to reach out, and please do not hesitate as we are here to help you!

Oncology voicemail:  Please call (804) 206-9122 and choose option “2” – if we are out of the office or assisting a family you will be directed to leave a message for our oncology team.  Voicemails are checked frequently on business days and transcribed to our service’s email address as well – we pride ourselves on prompt and efficient replies!

Oncology email:  Our direct service address is [email protected].  This is the best address to send patient referrals, records, diagnostic updates, general inquiries, and anything else you can think of!

We are always looking for ways to better serve our referring veterinary community, so suggestions are always welcome!  We would appreciate feedback as well on the following items:

1) If you have referred a patient to our service already, were you able to utilize the Shareville portal link that you received for record review?  If not, do you require assistance to ensure your access is set up correctly?

2) Are there specific items that you would like to see included in our records?  (For example, treatment cost estimates)

3) Are there certain topics that you are interested in for upcoming CE events?