Cancer is not an unfamiliar term to most of us. For pet owners, a canine cancer diagnosis can be a very serious situation. As the number one killer of dogs, what causes cancer and why is it such a dangerous disease?
Before being able to comprehend the commonality and cause of cancer, it is best to first understand what cancer actually is. The body is full of cells (upwards of a trillion!), with a multitude of different functions. These cells are constantly replicating and dividing and sometimes during division, the DNA can get damaged. This causes the function of the cell to change from its original purpose. Ultimately, cancer is a clump of abnormal cells that do not have a function. These cells can eventually congregate, forming a mass known as a tumor.
There are so many specific causes of cancer that we would be here all day listing them. Therefore, we will just address some of the most common causes in this article.
Paws In Work
Sometimes cancer can be caused by a genetic factor. Specific breeds can be more susceptible to getting cancer than others and can significantly impact their lifespan.
Unfortunately any breed, including mixed breed dogs, are susceptible to cancer formation. This is usually due to exposure to elements in the environment called carcinogens. Carcinogens are responsible for, you guessed it, carcinogenesis. Carcinogenesis is the initiation of cancer formation, where normal body cells are transformed into cancer cells. Carcinogenic compounds are responsible for the damage or mutation of DNA that causes cancer. Unfortunately, carcinogenic compounds are everywhere in our daily lives. The severity of a carcinogen can vary, with some causing acute or immediate carcinogenesis and some causing cancer over long term exposure. Since the list of carcinogens is so very long, below is a link to a categorized list of probable carcinogens, published by the American Cancer Society.
Regrettably, cancer can not always be cured, but there are options for treating the disease. Surgical removal of a cancerous mass, coupled with chemotherapy and/or radiation can sometimes help improve cancerous conditions. Chemotherapy is a drug designed to kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy drugs are not absolutely specific in targeting cancer cells however. They can also do a lot of damage to other body cells and can significantly impact the heart and liver. This is why cancer treatment can take such a toll on patients.
Testicular Cancer In Companion Dogs
Conversely, radiation is a treatment where the patient is exposed to targeted, radioactive particles, in order to attack the cancer cells. Similar to chemotherapy, radiation can also target other healthy cells and cause the patient to not feel so good. These treatments are not 100% effective in curing cancer but they do give the animal the best possible cancer for survival.
Since there are so many different causes of cancer, it can be difficult to prevent. The best option is to reduce exposure to carcinogenic compounds, where possible. Feeding a healthy diet, rich in essential vitamins and minerals can also help reduce the risk of cancer. This is because antioxidants found in these types of foods can help repair damage caused by carcinogenic chemicals. Controlling obesity, with adequate exercise can also help reduce risk factors involved with cancer.
In conclusion, cancer is a nasty disease which affects 33% of dogs. It can be a life threatening disease with extreme treatments. Presently, the best way to deal with cancer is to prevent it with a healthy diet and exercise.
Dog Skin Cancer
Sonnenschein, Elizabeth G., Lowrence T. Glickman, Michael H. Goldschmidt, and Linda J. McKee. Body conformation, diet, and risk of breast cancer in pet dogs: a case-control study.The waiting room of a veterinary cancer specialist is pretty much a geriatric zone. The commonly treated cancers in adult dogs and cats include lymphoma, osteosarcoma and mast cell tumors. Research shows the average age of cats with lymphoma is 9 to 12 years and the average age of dogs with the same disease is 6 to 9 years. The numbers for osteosarcoma and mast cell tumors for older pets stack up similarly.
Just as I see in our companion animals, most human oncologists also consider human cancer to be largely a disease of middle-aged to older adults. However, according to the American Cancer Society, children can and do get cancer. The most common forms of the disease in children are leukemia, brain tumors, lymphoma and osteosarcoma. There are also a group of malignant (cancerous) tumors in children that arise from immature cells. Rare in adult humans, these tumors have the ominous suffix “blastoma” at the end of their name: neuroblastoma (involving the nervous system), nephroblastoma (involving the kidney) and retinoblastoma (involving the eyes). One has to wonder, if children can get cancer, then what about puppies and kittens? Are there signs we should be on the lookout for in our pets — even the youngest ones?
What We Know About Puppy and Kitten CancersNot much is written about tumors in pediatric dogs and cats (those less than 1 year of age). My big, fat veterinary oncology textbook does not have a chapter on the subject, nor is it listed in the index. Using a search engine for medical information, I found very little on the topic of pediatric dog and cat tumors. As a veterinary cancer specialist, I see only a select few pediatric tumors since a primary-care veterinarian handles the most common benign tumors (benign meaning those that cannot spread) and the rare ones are, well, rare. But in an effort to put our headline question into some context for pet owners, I will summarize the information I found, as well as my experience as a veterinary oncologist, below.
Holistic Vets Explain: Natural Treatment Of Cancer In Dogs
3-2-1 – Good Numbers to Keep in MindHere’s one thing you definitely should know as the owner of a young pet. Puppies and kittens receive a series of vaccinations intended to protect them from serious infectious diseases like distemper, rabies and parvovirus. Vaccinations can cause the formation of a lump at the site of injection. These lumps can form because vaccination turns the immune system on and a huge assembly of immune cells collects at the vaccination site. Normally, the cells dissipate over a week or so. But veterinarians and pet families should follow the 3-2-1 rule when it comes to addressing post-vaccination lumps: If the lump has been present for more than three months, is greater than 2 cm (1 inch) in diameter or is still growing one month after vaccination, the lump should be removed and biopsied. Occasionally, these lumps can become malignant and early removal is key to successful treatment. I see a handful of injection-site tumors each year.
Warts: Trouble but Not TumorsAlthough not a malignancy, growths known as papillomas or warts resemble a tiny cauliflower tumor on the skin. An infection with a virus is the cause of multiple types of papillomas in young dogs. Here in New York City I see a case of “puppy warts” every couple of years. If the infection is severe, literally hundreds of warts can form around the mouth and face of an infected dog. Despite the widespread distribution of warts, your puppy’s maturing immune system will ultimately contain the infection and the warts will regress without medical intervention. Cats have their own papilloma virus, which is reportedly extremely rare, and I have never seen a feline patient with papilloma-virus-induced warts.
Common, but Typically BenignThe most common tumor identified in a British study of biopsies in pediatric dogswas the cutaneous histiocytoma. When I see a young dog with a skin mass resembling a raspberry or strawberry on the skin, I immediately think histiocytoma, in part because these benign tumors are so common. Occasionally I see histiocytomas in mature dogs as well. The British study showed nearly 90 percent of tumors biopsied in pediatric canine patients were histiocytomas. Like warts, histiocytomas will regress spontaneously, but if they are messy and bleeding or occur in a location like the paw, which is painful, veterinarians often remove these tumors surgically. The British study also identified a small number of malignant tumors such as mast cell tumors, lymphoma and osteosarcoma in puppies. The malignant “blastoma” type tumors seen in children thankfully appear to be extremely rare in puppies based on the results of the British study. In comparison, in adult dogs, the most common type of cancer varies geographically. In Europe, for example, breast cancer dominates, while in the United States, lymphoma and hemangiosarcomaare more frequently diagnosed.
Dogs Are Teaching Machines To Sniff Out Cancer
Of Concern for KittensThe same group of veterinary researchers in England who did the puppy study also conducted a study of biopsies in kittens.However, the results were vastly different. In the dog study, nearly 50 percent of the total number of biopsies submitted to the lab from puppies were tumors, either benign or malignant, but in the cat study, only 6 percent of the total number of biopsies submitted to the lab were tumors. The researchers do not specify the results of the other 94 percent of biopsies, but I would suspect they found ringworm, abscesses and post-vaccination inflammation. But the 6 percent in this study was too high for me since
Sonnenschein, Elizabeth G., Lowrence T. Glickman, Michael H. Goldschmidt, and Linda J. McKee. Body conformation, diet, and risk of breast cancer in pet dogs: a case-control study.The waiting room of a veterinary cancer specialist is pretty much a geriatric zone. The commonly treated cancers in adult dogs and cats include lymphoma, osteosarcoma and mast cell tumors. Research shows the average age of cats with lymphoma is 9 to 12 years and the average age of dogs with the same disease is 6 to 9 years. The numbers for osteosarcoma and mast cell tumors for older pets stack up similarly.
Just as I see in our companion animals, most human oncologists also consider human cancer to be largely a disease of middle-aged to older adults. However, according to the American Cancer Society, children can and do get cancer. The most common forms of the disease in children are leukemia, brain tumors, lymphoma and osteosarcoma. There are also a group of malignant (cancerous) tumors in children that arise from immature cells. Rare in adult humans, these tumors have the ominous suffix “blastoma” at the end of their name: neuroblastoma (involving the nervous system), nephroblastoma (involving the kidney) and retinoblastoma (involving the eyes). One has to wonder, if children can get cancer, then what about puppies and kittens? Are there signs we should be on the lookout for in our pets — even the youngest ones?
What We Know About Puppy and Kitten CancersNot much is written about tumors in pediatric dogs and cats (those less than 1 year of age). My big, fat veterinary oncology textbook does not have a chapter on the subject, nor is it listed in the index. Using a search engine for medical information, I found very little on the topic of pediatric dog and cat tumors. As a veterinary cancer specialist, I see only a select few pediatric tumors since a primary-care veterinarian handles the most common benign tumors (benign meaning those that cannot spread) and the rare ones are, well, rare. But in an effort to put our headline question into some context for pet owners, I will summarize the information I found, as well as my experience as a veterinary oncologist, below.
Holistic Vets Explain: Natural Treatment Of Cancer In Dogs
3-2-1 – Good Numbers to Keep in MindHere’s one thing you definitely should know as the owner of a young pet. Puppies and kittens receive a series of vaccinations intended to protect them from serious infectious diseases like distemper, rabies and parvovirus. Vaccinations can cause the formation of a lump at the site of injection. These lumps can form because vaccination turns the immune system on and a huge assembly of immune cells collects at the vaccination site. Normally, the cells dissipate over a week or so. But veterinarians and pet families should follow the 3-2-1 rule when it comes to addressing post-vaccination lumps: If the lump has been present for more than three months, is greater than 2 cm (1 inch) in diameter or is still growing one month after vaccination, the lump should be removed and biopsied. Occasionally, these lumps can become malignant and early removal is key to successful treatment. I see a handful of injection-site tumors each year.
Warts: Trouble but Not TumorsAlthough not a malignancy, growths known as papillomas or warts resemble a tiny cauliflower tumor on the skin. An infection with a virus is the cause of multiple types of papillomas in young dogs. Here in New York City I see a case of “puppy warts” every couple of years. If the infection is severe, literally hundreds of warts can form around the mouth and face of an infected dog. Despite the widespread distribution of warts, your puppy’s maturing immune system will ultimately contain the infection and the warts will regress without medical intervention. Cats have their own papilloma virus, which is reportedly extremely rare, and I have never seen a feline patient with papilloma-virus-induced warts.
Common, but Typically BenignThe most common tumor identified in a British study of biopsies in pediatric dogswas the cutaneous histiocytoma. When I see a young dog with a skin mass resembling a raspberry or strawberry on the skin, I immediately think histiocytoma, in part because these benign tumors are so common. Occasionally I see histiocytomas in mature dogs as well. The British study showed nearly 90 percent of tumors biopsied in pediatric canine patients were histiocytomas. Like warts, histiocytomas will regress spontaneously, but if they are messy and bleeding or occur in a location like the paw, which is painful, veterinarians often remove these tumors surgically. The British study also identified a small number of malignant tumors such as mast cell tumors, lymphoma and osteosarcoma in puppies. The malignant “blastoma” type tumors seen in children thankfully appear to be extremely rare in puppies based on the results of the British study. In comparison, in adult dogs, the most common type of cancer varies geographically. In Europe, for example, breast cancer dominates, while in the United States, lymphoma and hemangiosarcomaare more frequently diagnosed.
Dogs Are Teaching Machines To Sniff Out Cancer
Of Concern for KittensThe same group of veterinary researchers in England who did the puppy study also conducted a study of biopsies in kittens.However, the results were vastly different. In the dog study, nearly 50 percent of the total number of biopsies submitted to the lab from puppies were tumors, either benign or malignant, but in the cat study, only 6 percent of the total number of biopsies submitted to the lab were tumors. The researchers do not specify the results of the other 94 percent of biopsies, but I would suspect they found ringworm, abscesses and post-vaccination inflammation. But the 6 percent in this study was too high for me since
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