Daily Mail, Wednesday, March 4, 2020^ Page 39
common in older animals, but
can strike at any age and can be
benign or malignant.
C a n c e r d o e s s e e m m o r e
common these days. Pets, like us,
are living for longer, so we see
more cases. By far the most com-
mon areas affected are the skin,
the digestive system and the
mammary tissue (what we would
call breast cancer in humans),
which is the most common in
unneutered bitches.WHY SOME BREEDS
ARE MORE AT RISK
There are some things that
appear to make cancer more
likely and, statistically, some
breeds appear to be more at risk
from certain types of cancer —
fl a t - c o a t e d r e t r i e v e r s ,
r o t t w e i l e r s a n d G e r m a n
Shepherds to name a few.
In fact, according to the last
Kennel Club breed health surveyin 2014, around half of flat-coated
retrievers were reported to have
died of some type of cancer.
It is known that spaying a bitch
before a year of age drastically
reduces her risk of mammary
tumours, but straightforward
links with diet and lifestyle have
not so far been fully researchedin dogs. Some owners don’t(^) realise that skin cancer is also a
concern for pets. It’s easy to
think their fur will protect them,
but it’s not as simple as that.
Skin cancer comes in many forms
in animals.
While it’s true that hairless
animals and white eared-cats are
susceptible to sun-related cancer
like humans, there are many
other ways skin cancer can
appear in animals. For example,
some lumps on the skin can
be tumours.
Ve t e r i n a r y c h a r i t y P D S A
advises owners to use pet-safe
sun creams that are recom-
DO SMAll pETS A lSO gET c AncER?
RSPCA chief vet Caroline Allen says: ‘We do see
a variety of tumours and cancers in rabbits,
rats, mice, guinea pigs and other small pets.
‘Uterine cancer is prevalent in female rabbits
over the age of six: they have an 80 per cent
chance of getting it. It’s a particularly aggres-
sive cancer and sadly by the time you’ve seen
signs, it’s generally spread.
‘The way to avoid it is to have them neutered:
it’s an absolute must. It’s the strongest
argument to get your female rabbit spayed, as
well as preventing unwanted pregnancy.
‘Handle your pets regularly so you can catch
lumps early on. A very fine needle can be used
to extract cells. It’s worth considering the fact
that the costs incurred for treatment will be
similar to surgery on larger pets.
‘Chemo would be tricky on such small
animals and the increase in lifespan would be
relatively small.’
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An unmissable pullout to transform your animal’s life
healthier
haPPier Pet
how to
have a
by Emma
Milne
E
lGAr was a beautiful,
f r i e n d l y b l a c k
labrador. he was
o n e o f m y
f a v o u r i t e
patients. When you
work anywhere for any
length of time as a vet,
you become attached to
patients as if they were your
own animals.
his owner Margaret rang one evening
when I was on call — elgar had
collapsed and couldn’t stand. At the
surgery, tests showed he had a ruptured
splenic tumour.
Sadly, the cancer had already spread
to his lungs and there was nothing we
could do. She and I cried together that
evening as she said goodbye to him. he
was ten years old.
As I’m sure many of you
know only too well, losing
a pet is like losing a mem-
ber of the family. My two
dogs, ‘the boys’, were with
me for 15 years through
thick and thin, and it
still breaks my heart think-
ing about losing them.
Cancer strikes fear into
us all. It’s made of our own
cells, so it’s difficult to kill,
a n d i t s e e m s t o l u r k ,
silently growing without us
knowing. Seeing as most of
our pets are mammals like
us, cancer is just the same
for them.
Tumours are much more
mended by vets on their animals,
with the focus on protecting the
nose and ears.
cHEcK YOUR pETS
FOR AnY cHAngES
CAnCer can go unnoticed, but
there are things you can do to be
on the lookout.
Watch for unexpected weight
loss, especially with a good
appetite. look for changes that
m i g h t s h o w p a i n
l i k e n o t e a t i n g ,
limping or pawing at
the face. These can be
some of the first signs
of cancer.
Get used to running
your hands over your
pe t. l u m p s a n d
bumps are often noth-
ing to worry about,
but can be serious.
In general, if a lump
i s s l o w - g r o w i n g ,
smooth, not firmly
a t t a c h e d a n d n o t
ulcerated, it’s proba-
bly benign.
The opposite signs
— f a s t- g r o w i n g ,
attached to underlying tissue,
ulcerated or with edges you can’t
quite feel — means you need to
see a vet quite urgently.
Thankfully, just as in human
medicine, our diagnosis and
treatment options have vastly
improved in recent years and lots
of cases can be treated and
have a much better outlook than
ever before.
Ve t e r i n a r y m e d i c i n e a n d
surgery really do parallel the
human side these days, so
treatment options for cancers
are similar, too.
Whether you choose surgery,
chemotherapy, radiotherapy or
some of the newer options, or
even a combination of all of them,
will depend on what sort of
tumour you are dealing with and
where it is on the body.
Solid masses sometimes don’t
What to do
when your
bEst friEnd
gets the Worst news
Celebrity vet and author