CANCER IN PETS IS NOT UNCOMMON
Dr. Ruthanne Chun, assistant professor of clinical sciences at
"It
can either be genetic, environmental or just a random mutation, so it's very
similar to cancer in people," Chun said. "The common types of cancer
that we see may be more common because we can detect them more easily.
"They
involve the lymph nodes, limbs or skin tumors, so
they are visible and easy to see," she said. "There are some tumors in dogs like lung tumors
that we might not pick up at all until they're very large and causing the dog
to have clinical problems, so it really depends on the type of cancer."
Chun
says there are a number of indicators that an animal may have cancer. The best
way to detect cancer, she advises, is for owners to feel their animals over
carefully once a week.
"Just
pet them thoroughly once a week and feel for abnormal lumps, bumps, swellings
and any area that's painful," Chun said. "Sometimes animals will have
open wounds that are ulcerated that don't heal for a long time, and that would
be another potential sign that it's cancer."
There
are also very non-specific things like not eating well, weight loss, vomiting
or diarrhea, she said. Also, certain breeds are more
prone to getting cancer than others.
"Breeds
such as boxers, Bernese mountain dogs and golden
retrievers are overrepresented in the development of cancer," Chun said.
"There have even been studies that have traced the family tree of dogs,
and these have suggested a genetic predisposition."
Often
the diagnosis of cancer leaves owners feeling that there is no hope for their
pet. However, Chun says that many times the cancer can be treated, and the pet
can continue to lead a fulfilling life.
"When
we treat animals with cancer, we carefully measure how good is the animal's
quality of life versus how aggressive should we be with our therapy," Chun
said. "We use the same types of drugs that they use in human medicine, but
because we really want to maintain a good to excellent quality of life in our
patients we tend to use lower doses at less frequent intervals."
Veterinarians
have designed their chemotherapy protocols for animals so that pets don't
become terribly ill, Chun said. Less than 5 percent of the animals develop
severe vomiting, diarrhea or a drop in their blood
counts and need to be hospitalized.
"Most
of my patients and the owners don't even realize that the animal has had
chemotherapy," she said. "Owners always worry about the animal's hair
falling out.
"Bald
dogs do look pretty different, but it's actually not very common for their hair
to fall out," Chun said. "Animals that always have to go to the groomers,
those are the ones we worry about losing their hair. But once chemotherapy is
over, the animal's hair grows back in."
Cost
is a significant factor in deciding to go through with the cancer treatments.
For many people, their pets are more than just animals, so the owners want to
do everything that they can to prolong their lives and keep them feeling good.
"I
know a lot of people say, 'Well $2,000, I don't have that kind of money, I
can't afford it,' and I understand and wish we could make things cheaper, but
for other people they feel very strongly that it is worth it and they can set
aside the funds," Chun said. "If we look at it solely from the
animal's point of view, and are able to buy them another eight to 12 months to
maybe even a year and a half, that's a very long time from that animal's point
of view. So usually from their perspective I think it's worth it."
For
more information, contact Chun at 785-532-5690.
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