Years ago, I saw a movie with the simple title "The Doctor." The film featured William Hurt as a successful medical doctor who had it all, at least until he had to face cancer that affected him personally. Predictably, the experience changed his outlook on his patients once he returned to his medical practice.

Year before last, I had to go through the fight against malignant hemangiosarcoma with my own dog, "Princess." The toughest thing I had to do was tell my family about this 13-year family member and what the diagnosis meant. As a veterinarian, this experience really challenged me because I was constantly updating family, not pet-owning clients on what was going on with "Princess's" body as the cancer progressed. And no, burying her after we had to say good-bye was not easy either.

Fast-forward to today. Now my 14-year-old cat is wearing down from what my "cat women" in the practice group deem intestinal lymphoma. "Prince" has always been a character, full of cat idiosyncrasies that add spice to our household. The only problem is he's slowly wasting away before my eyes.

"Prince's" twice-a-day prednisone doses (corticosteroids) keep him eating, drinking, and his stool acceptable most of the time, albeit artificially. The trade-off here is that we'd rather keep him alive with these means than say good-bye in an abrupt fashion.

Prior to last year, it had been a while since I had dealt with any significant medical problems with my personal pets. Now I've dealt with two pet cancer cases in my family within two years. These experiences bring it all home to me about how it all feels to my clients to hear this type of news, and helps me empathize with veterinary clients who must deal with similar news.

Back to the parallel with that movie I mentioned: As a veterinarian, I am reminded that we must show empathy and patience when families have many questions about treatment options, plans and possible outcomes. In the case of family, there's even an extra emotional dimension to deal with. All I can say is, right or wrong, I'm dealing.

Veterinarians by and large are quite good at what they do, considering the range of subjects they must handle over the course of the day. However, the subject of communication to pet owners about serious things such as cancer demands a special, personalized touch. It requires sensitivity. It requires diligence. And, as I was reminded, it's a different matter when it's your own family dog.

By the way, a Collie named "Jesse" is now filling the pawprints of "Princess." The neat thing is that outside my immediate family, he has honorary "godmothers" named Sarah and Mary, who led "Jesse" to me. What a rich life!

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Dr. Chris Duke is a veterinarian at Bienville Animal Medical Center in Ocean Springs, Miss. Questions for this column are encouraged. Write to South Mississippi Veterinary Medical Association, 20005 Pineville Road, Long Beach MS 39560 and include a self-addressed stamped envelope.

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