The unfortunate reality is that pets can develop cancerous tumors in organs or elsewhere in the body, and cancer is just as much a threat to their life as it is for humans. The types of pet cancer that affect dogs and cats most often are different, and first and foremost among them is lymphoma. It is one of the most prevalent cancers for pets, and the same applies to mast cell tumors and osteosarcoma (bone cancer) in dogs and cats.

Bladder cancer is unfortunately a common diagnosis for pets too, and for female animals, there is always a need to be vigilant about mammary gland tumors. There are estimates from the US Veterinary Cancer Society that approximately 1 in 4 dogs will develop cancer during their lifetime.

Pet Cancer Test

Early detection is so helpful for favorable treatment outcomes and seeing cancer put into remission. This is true for pets too, and so cancer screenings for dogs are usually available through different veterinary clinics. The average age at which a pet develops cancer is just slightly more than 8.5 years, and so the guideline is that cancer screening for pets should begin 2 years prior to this age range.

Liquid biopsy tests for cancer in pets are a very effective means of screening these days, and over 30 different types of cancer are readily detected by a liquid biopsy. Dog hemangiosarcoma is one of the ones that is detected well by a liquid biopsy test, and that is good as this type of pet cancer is one that will grow and spread rapidly into the heart and spleen.

Pet Cancer Symptoms

The symptoms that a dog will exhibit if they have cancer will vary based on the type of cancer. As such, there are many possible pet cancer symptoms, but ones you can be on the lookout for are:

   
• Bleeding or discharge from body openings
   
• Chronic bad odors, especially for the dog or cat’s mouth
   
• Eating or swallowing difficulties
   
• Stamina loss
   
• Ongoing lameness or stiffness
   
• Lumps or bumps felt under the skin
   
• Wounds or sores that don’t heal
   
• Weight loss
   
• Appetite loss
   
• Lowered mobility
 

Pet Cancer Treatment

Using chemotherapy to slow cancer in pets is the most common approach to cancer treatment in the same way it would be for a human patient. Surgical removal of cancerous growths is possible too, and for some cancers, there is a lot of value in trying cryotherapy or the use of synthetic retinoids to attempt to put the cancer into remission. Diet and nutritional therapy may be helpful too, and for pain relief as part of pet cancer treatment, a veterinarian may prescribe an opioid painkiller like Tramadol or an NSAID like Rimadyl.