Dogs with Cancer
Discussion
Cancer striking in the family once again but this time the dog.
I've been told very little by the family as I'm currently 400 miles away from home however I do know that he's been diagnosed with cancer and has between 1 month and 12 months to live.
Big question hanging over my head is what most commonly causes cancer in dogs? He's a Border Collie, 8 years old and we've had him since he was 6 months old.
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Edit: to add picture of him in his heyday
I've been told very little by the family as I'm currently 400 miles away from home however I do know that he's been diagnosed with cancer and has between 1 month and 12 months to live.
Big question hanging over my head is what most commonly causes cancer in dogs? He's a Border Collie, 8 years old and we've had him since he was 6 months old.
|Edit: to add picture of him in his heyday
Edited by Thank You For Calling on Wednesday 17th May 11:52
I'm so sorry to read read this,such a handsome looking boy.
Re causes, there is no set cause,Some theories blame basically everything from flea treatment, vaccines, diet, microchips and modern life etc etc (though rarely the proper studies to prove it)
Some cancers are triggered by specific causes, such as squamous cell carcinoma in cats ears (due to sun exposure) mammary tumours in unspayed females, adenocarcinomas in uncastrated males and testicular cancer, osteosarcoma in large breed dogs.
I suspect the cancer they are referring to is possibly Lymphoma? This seems to got any breed at usually adult to middle age. The ones I see do seem to be medium to large breed dogs. I don't know that there is a common denominator for it though.
I'm sorry there is little of comfort in what I have written but I hope I have given you some info that you were after.
Depending on the type you can sometimes try chemotherapy. May be worth it in a relatively young dog.
Re causes, there is no set cause,Some theories blame basically everything from flea treatment, vaccines, diet, microchips and modern life etc etc (though rarely the proper studies to prove it)
Some cancers are triggered by specific causes, such as squamous cell carcinoma in cats ears (due to sun exposure) mammary tumours in unspayed females, adenocarcinomas in uncastrated males and testicular cancer, osteosarcoma in large breed dogs.
I suspect the cancer they are referring to is possibly Lymphoma? This seems to got any breed at usually adult to middle age. The ones I see do seem to be medium to large breed dogs. I don't know that there is a common denominator for it though.
I'm sorry there is little of comfort in what I have written but I hope I have given you some info that you were after.
Depending on the type you can sometimes try chemotherapy. May be worth it in a relatively young dog.
bexVN said:
Depending on the type you can sometimes try chemotherapy. May be worth it in a relatively young dog.
One of ours (b
h around 8 years old) has just come through over 12 months of treatment for hystiocytic sarcoma (?) of the spleen including cheomtherapy. When the initial diagnosis was made they gave her about 1 - 6 months without the chemo. Tough time for the poor girl but she came through it and was over 14 months cancer free in February so was discharged by the animal hospital.On the biopsy of the tumor they couldn't definitely identify the exact type, it showed markers of being one of the nasty types and as it had ruptured they recommended the chemo. Can't remember exactly how many but she had several rounds of intravenous treatment then moved on to metronomic treatment (tablets) at home.
Our family collie had myeloma, bone marrow cancer.
The same stty little quirks of an individual cell's genetics (and the various predisposing factors associated with them) that can turn into a human cancer can do it in pretty much any other species too.
She did pretty well with palliative chemo (eg controlling how fast it got worse because we couldn't actually stop it) for quite a while - I think maybe 18 months post diagnosis. Although clearly going downhill she unquestionably continued to enjoy life, at a slowing pace, during that time. And of course we enjoyed her company too - that too-bright-for-her-own-good collie personality (doggonality?) was not in the slightest dimmed by her illness.
The same s
tty little quirks of an individual cell's genetics (and the various predisposing factors associated with them) that can turn into a human cancer can do it in pretty much any other species too. She did pretty well with palliative chemo (eg controlling how fast it got worse because we couldn't actually stop it) for quite a while - I think maybe 18 months post diagnosis. Although clearly going downhill she unquestionably continued to enjoy life, at a slowing pace, during that time. And of course we enjoyed her company too - that too-bright-for-her-own-good collie personality (doggonality?) was not in the slightest dimmed by her illness.
OP. Sorry to read this.
We lost our flat coated retriever many years ago at 7 1/2.
Certainly more common in that breed because of a small gene pool.
We changed his diet to a raw meat one with lots of vegetables, especially kale
He never missed a meal until the final day
Knowing what is best to do for your lovely dog is a hard, but personal, decision.
Good luck
We lost our flat coated retriever many years ago at 7 1/2.
Certainly more common in that breed because of a small gene pool.
We changed his diet to a raw meat one with lots of vegetables, especially kale
He never missed a meal until the final day
Knowing what is best to do for your lovely dog is a hard, but personal, decision.
Good luck
Thank you to everyone for the replies and well wishes - gutted to see him go from bounding around everywhere to lying down most of the time. It is indeed Lymphoma - he's in for more scans today to find out the full extent of it. Not optimistic but hopeful that he's got a few happy / pain free days ahead of him
I'm really sorry to hear this OP. I've lost several dogs to various cancers - two in the last six months 
- and as far as I'm concerned there is little if any pattern at all.
I guess there is some evidence of certain cancers affecting certain breeds (eg bone cancer in greyhounds) but other than that I think it's pretty random.
Make every day count
- and as far as I'm concerned there is little if any pattern at all.I guess there is some evidence of certain cancers affecting certain breeds (eg bone cancer in greyhounds) but other than that I think it's pretty random.
Make every day count
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