Pet Forum

Let's discuss dog cancer/ canine cancer, cancerous canine tumors, non-cancerous dog tumors, dog cancer symptoms, and canine cancer treatments.

The most common types of non-cancerous dog tumors, and their symptoms, are as follows:

1- Sebaceous cysts: These are non-malignant lumps up to an inch in size filled with a cheesy material called keratin. Sebaceous cysts should be drained or removed to avoid infection.

2- Warts: Warts are very common and easily diagnosed. They may occur in older dogs frequently.

3- Papillomas: Dogs can also get papillomas, which can look like skin tag or a piece of chewing gum stuck on the skin. They are non-malignant, but if they become irritated or start to bleed, they should be removed.

4- Lipomas: These are fatty tumors surrounded by a fibrous capsule that isolates their contents from surrounding body fat. These tumors are generally round and smooth and have a fat-like consistency. Lipomas are not painful but can get quite large. They are more common in overweight dogs, especially females.

5- Hematomas These are pockets of blood collected beneath the skin. They can be caused by a blow or contusion and often resolve by themselves.

6- Ear flap hematomas: These non-cancerous dog tumors often occur in dogs that shake their heads frantically because of irritation from ear mites or infection. Large hematomas should be drained and ears should be treated to prevent recurrence.

7- Histiocytomas: They occur on the face, feet, and ears of younger dogs. They are dome-shaped, irritated, and painful to the touch. Some histiocytomas disappear on their own and some need to be removed.

8- Perianal gland tumors: These non-cancerous canine tumors primarily affect male dogs. They arise in the anal area; most are benign but can cause pain and get infected.

9- Cysts: These cysts are common in dogs and can occur all over the body.

The most common type of cancerous dog tumors, and their symptoms, are as follows:

1- Skin cancers: These cancerous canine tumors may resemble the non-cancerous dog tumors. If there is any doubt, a needle aspirate or biopsy should be done. Canine skin cancers include:

A- Sebaceous adenomas that arise from the skin's oil-producing glands. These cancerous dog tumors are usually less than an inch long, are light-colored, and look like cauliflower. They should be removed. Cocker Spaniels seem to be affected more than other breeds.

B- Mast cell tumors are common in older dogs and prevalent in Boxers and Boston Terriers. They occur in older dogs and can be found on the hind legs, lower abdomen, and the foreskin of the penis. About one-third of the mast cell tumors are malignant.

C- Epidermoid carcinoma is a cauliflower-like tumor or a hard, flat, grayish ulcer that does not heal. Dogs may lick the area and cause hair loss. this tumor usually occurs on the feet and legs and is malignant.

D- Melanomas are malignant neoplasms that can develop in a pre-existing mole. It is dark in color. If the mole spreads out, bleeds, or becomes elevated above the skin surface, suspect melanoma. Cocker Spaniels, Boston Terriers, and Scottish Terriers are some breeds affected by melanomas.

2- Breast tumors: These are the most common neoplasms in dogs; about half are malignant. A biopsy is necessary to determine the nature of the tumor. Breast cancers can spread, particularly to the lungs. An chest x-ray should be done before surgery to determine if the cancer has metastasized. Any knot or swelling in the mammary glands should be checked immediately.

3- Osteogenic sarcomas: These cancerous dog tumors are the most likely bone cancers. This cancer usually strikes middle-aged dogs and affects males more than females. The tumor appears on the long bones of the legs or the flat bones of the ribs. Larger breeds are more susceptible.

There is no easy way to determine if your dog has cancer without a thorough examination by the veterinarian. While you will likely not be able to diagnose the existence of canine cancer on your own, some common symptoms to watch for includes:

Hesitation to exercise or loss of energy.
Loss of appetite, weight loss.
Persistent lameness or stiffness of movement.
Lumps in the breast area.
Abnormality or difference in size of testicles.
Abnormal swellings that continue to grow, especially in the nymph nodes.
Sores do not heal.
Bleeding or discharge from the mouth, nose, urinary tract, rectum, or vagina.
Offensive odor.
Difficulty eating or swallowing.
Difficulty breathing.
Difficulty in urinating or defecating.

Dog cancer treatments may vary with the age of the canine, type of cancer, severity of the cancer, and progression of the canine cancer. The following canine cancer treatments may or may not apply to your situation:

The most common treatments for cancer are surgical excision, radiation, and tumor-killing drugs. Choice of method depends on the type of tumor, whether it has or is likely to metastasize, and how far it has progressed. Once the presence of disease has been affirmed, owners and their veterinarians have some decisions to make about treatment potential and quality of life for the dog as well as determining the best treatment choice for the type of malignancy involved. It’s a time of tough decisions as owners consider the dog’s age and general health as well as the cost and potential outcome of prolonged aggressive treatment. Surgical excision is preferred when the tumor is small, is easily accessible, or is located in a spot that makes it painful. The object of surgery is to remove the entire tumor and leave clean edges that have no cancer cells. Radiation is useful on cancers of the limbs, for locally invasive tumors such as nasal carcinomas, and for tumors that cannot be completely removed surgically. Success is best when the tumor is small; large cancers are surgically removed before the treatments and radiation is used to stop further growth of any cells missed in the surgery. Radiation works best on those cancers that are low-grade — the ones that are localized and metastasize late in the course of the disease. It is effective on malignancies on the limbs, chest, face, and mouth, but is not indicated for brain, spinal cord, or intestinal cancers. Once the cancer has spread to internal organs, chemotherapy or a combination of radiation and chemotherapy may be appropriate. Radiation sterilizes the cancer cells so they cannot divide. Scar tissue may cause the lump to remain, however. The treatment is not painful, but does have some side effects, including hair loss at the tumor site, skin burn similar to sunburn, and occasionally ulcerated areas. The side effects begin towards the end of the treatment period and generally subside in about two weeks. Chemotherapy, which attacks rapidly-dividing cells, can be used as the primary treatment for cancers such as lymphosarcma or leukemia and in conjunction with surgery or radiation for other types of the disease. Veterinarians use the same drugs used by human oncologists, but dogs do not generally suffer the side effects of hair loss and nausea that are experienced by human cancer patients. Because chemotherapy in dogs is generally used to prolong life, not cure the cancer, lower doses and fewer drug combinations are used.

As a friend of several pets that have died from canine cancer, I know that nobody wants to go through this. But I do think that it's better to have the information rather than to be left in the dark. I hope this info I found will help someone else.

Here is an uplifting video of a dog cancer survivor that helped put a smile on my face.

Nice article here. The video at the end is very moving.

If diagnosed early, and properly treated, most dogs will be around with you for many years after cancer. The important thing is to know the symptoms, check your dog regularly, and go to annual check-ups with your vet religiously.

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Hi!
I have a german shepherd 7 years old. She had something we thought was a wound that we thought was in a process of healing, but the scar tissue began to grow. Now it resembles like a big mole. I am not sure if it is a tumor, so if I can get help from anyone that maybe saw something like that, it would be great!
Greetings from Croatia!

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Ouch. Poor puppy. An older dog getting funny looking moles is nothing new. I have a few dogs myself with many of them.

The pic you are sharing here does resemble a dog tumor in my opinion. I think a vet would want to get a sample of that to look in his microscope.

You may want to take your puppy to the vet for a checkup. I would.

Thanks for the info on the different types of tumors. The Chesapeke Bay Retrievers I had growing up developed many, and they were always benign, but some of them got so big they must have been a pain to carry around!

I have a friend whose dog was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and low blood sugar. She tried a few things, and I shared some liquid zeolite with her that helped her dog get better. If you'd like to learn more, I've written more about it at my blog.

I found all this information really helpful-- my 13 month old lab just developed a growth that looks like this:

http://img82.imageshack.us/img82/8681/sspx00295od.jpg

We are low on funds right now, and we are in the process of paying off a $10,000 vet bill from a sock eating incident that turned into a perforated bowel and a septic infection. SO, we don't want to take her to the vet immediately if this is the type of thing that would go away on its own-- but I've seen some pictures of mast cell tumors that look similar to this. Anyone have any suggestions or experience with this????

I love this article! So educational! I've sent to a friend of mine whose dog was also diagnosed with cancer. She see's a holistic vet and he suggested that she buy something called ES Clear and she has been giving that to her dog. I guess the herbs in it must really be working because he is a lot better. I know it also works as blood cleanser too, but since my dog doesn't have cancer I'm not too clued up on it. Just though I'd share where she got the herbal stuff from. http://http://www.petwellbeing.com/dog-cancer-p29.cfm

I have an 8.5 year male(n) chocolate lab. He has a growth about the size of naval orange in his neck (internal). You only feel it in certain positions. I've had him to the vet several times and they are unsure. They got a bit of fluid from it and at first they thought it was an abscess then they thought it might be a cyst and they gave him a shot of steroids and antibiotics and there has been no change...she wants to give him more steroids because she thinks maybe she didn't give him enough. I have another vet who wants to be agressive and operate but both vets agree it is in a very difficult location. Other then sebourhea (sp?) which he has had on various occasions he has no other symptons. I'm at a loss as to what it might be or what to do. Any other ideas similarities out there? Thanks

I also found http://petmedssource.com a good site to find information on pet meds and treatments for these types of cancers. Pet education is very essential ot every pet owner.

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