Cancer and Our Pets
Cancer is a very scary word whether it is used in human medicine or veterinary medicine. When it is used in connection with your family the scare factor goes up another 25 notches. Fortunately for the two and the four legged, treatment options and medical care are progressing by leaps and bounds. Preventive medicine is always the best medicine but when that is not an option than early treatment is the key. For our animals there are many treatment options ranging from surgery to chemotherapy, radiation, and medical therapy. Let’s examine the ways to help our pets.
Examine your pets regularly for lumps or masses anywhere on their bodies. Some may be felt under the skin and some maybe seen growing out from the skin. If you notice a lump on your pet please call your veterinarian for an examination of it. Your veterinarian may elect to take a few cells using a needle from the mass and examine it under the microscope to evaluate the type of cells obtained within it (cytology). He or she may then recommend either removal of the mass or advise to keep an eye on it for any changes in character (growth, color change, bleeding).
Surgical removal of a mass is usually followed by histopathology of the tissues (sending the tissue to a laboratory for a pathologist to examine the tissue for malignant or benign cells). This report will indicate further treatment of necessary. It will determine if removal was curative, if the mass will come back or re-grow, if it will metastasize to another part of the body, or if further surgery is indicated to remove more tissue.
If further treatment is recommended this may include chemotherapy, radiation, or medicinal therapy. All three sound scary but the advances made in today’s medicine have made it less painful and have increased survival rates. Chemotherapy can be oral and/or intravenous treatment. Most veterinary clinics can do this in-house. Radiation therapy is most often performed at specialty hospitals and university hospitals. Medicinal therapy can also be given by your veterinarian. These treatments usually take several months to complete but the survival time can often be years. As a bonus; dogs do not usually develop the side effects that humans do and they do not lose their fur. Yea for that with our winter right now.
Please talk to your veterinarian if you suspect a mass on your pet. Not all lumps are cancerous or dangerous, some are just pockets of fat, but timely treatment is going to offer the best outcome if cancer is suspected. We know how much you can love a little fur ball, that’s why we are here to help you make the most informed decision for you and your pet.