13 Warning Signs of Pet Cancer - PawNation

By Wendy Diamond Aug 20th 2012

• WireImage - Getty Images

  1 of 17

  My beloved Lucky passed over two months ago from spleen cancer and I miss her every day. She was the inspiration behind Animal Fair Media, my wing dog, best friend and puppy love of my life. When Lucky first became ill, I didn?t recognize the severity of her symptoms, which is commonplace for most pet owners. I thought she was just naturally slowing down because of old age. It wasn't until she became incredibly weak and collapsed that I rushed her to the vet, and we discovered the sad news that Lucky had spleen cancer.

• After finding out that Lucky had cancer, I was referred to one of the best animal oncologists in the country, Dr. M.J. Hamilton. He immediately started the process of giving Lucky the newest animal cancer treatments. The survival rate for animals that have metastasized spleen cancer is only 5 percent.

  Dr. Hamilton explained, ?The symptoms of cancer in dogs are not always obvious. While big lumps and bumps are noticed by many, the subtleties of other cancers can be missed. Take a moment to pet your dog all over and have a look at their gums to see what is normal for them.?

  In Lucky's honor, I?m sharing with all pet owners the following cancer warning signs provided by Dr. Hamilton.

• 1. Marked Change in Activity Level
  While many dogs slow down with age, sudden changes within a week's period of time should not occur. Tumors can have side effects that make dogs very sluggish in a short period of time. If you note these changes in your dog, it is best to take it in for an exam.

• 2. Sudden Bad Breath and/or Oral Bleeding? Dogs don't have great breath, especially as they age; however, their breath should not be horrible. Independent of dirty teeth, tumors growing in the mouth can trap food or saliva and may be associated with secondary infections resulting in horrible breath. Tumors in the mouth can cause difficulty eating (prolonged chewing, unwillingness to chew or food falling from the mouth) as well as bleeding after eating, drinking or chewing toys.?

• 3. Bleeding
  Bleeding should only happen for a reason, primarily cuts or trauma. If you note blood dripping from your dog's nose or genital area, it needs to be evaluated for bleeding tumors or problems with making normal blood clots.

• 4. Big Belly
  While a dog putting on a little weight with age is common, you should not wake up one day and notice your dog suddenly has a big belly. Ruptured or growing tumors can cause a dog's abdomen to suddenly appear enlarged.

• 5. New Lumps
  New lumps and bumps need to be evaluated to determine if they are benign or malignant. Areas of special concern are the lymph nodes, as they can quickly grow larger from lymphoma or infection. Here are the locations of a few lymph nodes; normally they are the size of a bean, not the size of grapes or larger. Large lymph nodes can be associated with lymphoma. ? ??

• 6. Collapse
  Sudden collapse is an emergency. Ruptured tumors and heart disease can be causes of collapse, and need medical attention immediately.?

• 7. Limping
  Many pets grow stiff with age and can limp shortly after vigorous activity. Limping that persists for more than a week must be evaluated to determine if it is from bone cancer, infection or arthritis, to name just a few causes. ?

• 8. Peeing Without Peeing
  Posturing to urinate without producing a normal amount or appropriate stream of urine is very abnormal. While simple urinary tract infections can cause increased urgency of urination in small amounts, bladder tumors can interfere with the ability to urinate. Urinary problems are urgent. When you have to go, you have to go.?

• 9. Anorexia
  We all can be a bit picky about what we eat, but pets that stop eating altogether usually have something wrong with them. The reasons are endless, but cancer is on the list of reasons when it comes to elderly pets. ?

• 10. Excessive Thirst
  Dogs should consume roughly the same amount of water each day, with normal exceptions being hot days or post-exercise. Progressively increased thirst can actually be related to tumors or hormone disorders, so changes in thirst shouldn't be ignored. ?

• 11. Vomiting
  Similar to anorexia, vomiting occurs for many reasons at any age. Persistent vomiting is a problem not to be ignored at any age in any pet.?

• 12. Very Pale Gums
  Pale gums are not normal. Sudden blood loss can cause pale gums. In older pets, tumor rupture can cause sudden blood loss, as can other disorders.?

• 13. Stubborn Sniffles
  Vaccinated adult dogs don't usually get recurrent nasal infections. Tumors in the sinuses can result in repeated nasal infections, as can a few other conditions. White, green or yellow discharge from the nose is not normal.?

Source: http://www.pawnation.com/2012/08/20/13-warning-signs-of-pet-cancer/

coachella 2012 lineup school delays joran van der sloot honey badger critics choice awards 2012 colbert president huntingtons disease