Canine Cancer - The Truth

This hub is about the most under reported and unknown epidemic of our time. I'm talking about an epidemic that affects nearly EVERY canine in the United States! An epidemic that should be splattered all over the local and national media, but isn't! I'm talking about the epidemic known as canine cancer!

Surprised?! Don't be! In this high tech world of near instant news as soon as it happens and almost instant notifications of the next mutant strain of influenza, no media source that I know of has made any mention of canine cancer! Not one! Think about it!

When Mad Cow disease was running rampant through the United States and Canada, how fast did you hear about it? How often was its latest update all over the local and national media? When the Bird Flu ran rampant from the United States to China and back, how often was this news all over the 5 and 6 o' clock news? Now we have the Swine Flu...another animal inspired strain of influenza thats killing people and has made the CDC raise its alert level to pandemic, and what do we hear about almost every week?

If I told you that canine cancer affects nearly 1 in 4 dogs and that to most of them it is fatal...would you take notice then? What if I told you that canine cancer is the number 1 non-accidental killer of dogs in the United States? ( That means that if your dog doesn't get hit by a car or some other horrible accident then cancer will kill him!) Would you pay attention then? Well, its all true! But as I said earlier, the mainstream media refuses to divulge this information and just doesn't touch the subject!

I thought that dog's were man's best friend? Especially here in America, where a man can go to jail for almost 2 years for dog fighting! Where's the outrage for canine cancer, PETA?! No comment huh! Oh well, don't worry about it dog owners, I will talk about it if they won't. So, let's talk.

Now that I have your attention we can dispense with the shock and awe. I have to apologize for making it sound so brutal, but to many dog lovers out there, it is!!! It just seems that hter is nothing being done about this epidemic! But, in my experience, if enough people make enough noise, things happen. Now lets get back to why we are here.

There are various types of canine cancer. Matter of fact, canines can develop almost every kind of cancer that we, as humans can get. Canines have been known to develop:

1. Mouth cancer

2. Prostate cancer

3. Mast cell cancer

4. Bone cancer

These are just a few of the cancers that dogs can get. Also, contrary to popular belief, canine cancer is not confined to just certain breeds of dog's. The veterinarian community has been finding out that ANY dog can get cancer. ANY DOG CAN GET CANCER! To find out more, I suggest that you pay a visit to your family or local vet. You just might be surprised and the life that you save maybe your dog's!

Canine cancer can have many symptoms. But the problem with canine cancer is that the symptoms act and look like symptoms of other common dog ailments. So I will strongly suggest that if you find your dog exhibiting any of these symptoms, please take them to a vet ASAP! In my opinion, a veterinarians examination is the ONLY way to find out exactly what is wrong with your dog.

1. Canine mouth cancer - One of the symptoms of canine mouth cancer is loss of appetite. As I said earlier, this doesn't necessarily mean cancer, but if you notice that your dog is not eating, then you know that SOMETHING is wrong! Not having this symptom checked out will inevitably lead to the next symptom of weight loss. Hopefully, it will not go this far and he will have seen a vet by then.

2. Canine prostate cancer - A few symptoms of this type of cancer should make you take notice that something is wrong. Namely blood in your dog's urine, your dog walking with an arched back, and his or her back legs may appear to be stiff. Again, these symptoms don't necessarily mean cancer but, if you see this behavior from your dog...shouldn't you be concerned! I know I would!

3. Mast cell cancer - Mast cell are in effect small or large bumps that form on your dog's body. These "mast's" are called the "great pretenders" in the veterinarian field, because they can look like one thing and be another. The only way to find out exactly what they are is to have your vet perform what is called a "needle biopsy." This is where a needle is inserted into the lump and a small amount of material is taken out and examined under a microscope to find out if it is cancerous or not. These mast can form on your dog's mouth, IN your dog's mouth, or anywhere on his body.

Obviously if they form inside the dog's mouth, they are painful to him and your dog will go to different lengths to try to work around them. You dog might start eating his or her food on one side of their mouth. They might let the food soak in water, so it can be a little softer when they decide to eat it. Or the pain will be so great, that they decide to give up eating food altogether!

In any event, you have to pay attention to your dog if he or she starts to exhibit ANY of these symptoms. Just feeding him and going about your business is a no-no for a good pet owner. Look at it like this, these animals have been called "man's best friend". Now would you really treat your friend like that, or would you ask them,"What's wrong?"

The only problem with that question is that your dog cannot answer back and the only way to for him to let you know that something is wrong is to start exhibiting some strange behavior, and hopefully you will notice. Pay attention to what your dog is telling you!

Like all cancers, if caught early, they are numerous treatment options available to your dog. Canine cancer does not mean that your dog is a goner for sure. Most dogs respond well to the treatments that are available. But the responsibility falls on YOU, the dog owner to have your dog checked out by a vet to find out exactly what is wrong!