Ways To Help Prevent Cancer In Dogs
Because there are so many risk factors,there is no one way to completely prevent your Golden from developing cancer.However, veterinarians and researchers are able to detect some cancers earlier,and there are also ways to decrease cancer risks.
1. Diet
Make sure that you are feeding your dog a well-balanced diet. This can be a commercial diet that meets AAFCO requirements or a home-cooked diet that has been formulated by a veterinary nutritionist.
There is no scientific evidence to support the feeding of raw diets at this time. In fact, current research shows that there is an increased risk of exposure to harmful bacteria like Salmonella and Campylobacter, and this can affect both you and your dog.
Grain-free diets should also be avoided because the FDA is currently investigating apossible link between grain-free foods and dilated cardiomyopathy. Golden Retrievers have been implicated as the most common dog breed affected by this3.
2. Supplements
Many of the supplements available today contain ingredients such as glycosaminoglycans and omega-3 fatty acids. Glycosaminoglycans are sugar compounds like glucosamine, chondroitin, and hyaluronic acid.
These are all build blocks for cartilage, which acts as a shock absorber for joints, and have a protective effect on the intestines and urinary bladder. GAGs also help prevent inflammation in the body, as do omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3s like EPA and DHA are found in fish oils.
3. Spaying/neutering
4. Veterinary visits
Diagnosing Dog Lung Cancer
Because a large percentage of dogs show no signs of lung cancer, tumors are often detected when the dog has an x-ray or other diagnostic testing due to an unrelated condition.
If you’ve noticed that your dog is displaying signs of lung cancer, contact our Clemmons vets to book an examination for your dog.
The primary way that vets confirm a diagnosis of lung cancer in dogs is through a chest x-ray. If the x-ray shows signs of a lung tumor, an ultrasound-guided aspirate or biopsy, abdominal ultrasound or CT scan may be the next steps in the diagnostic process.
Once the diagnosis has been confirmed, further testing may be helpful in determining the extent of cancer in your pup’s body.
Monitor Your Pets Diet And Exercise
As cute as pudgy Golden Retrievers are, overweight dogs have a higher risk of developing cancer.
Veterinary medicine is researching possible links between cancer development and obesity in dogs, as the exact cause is unknown. But pet owners dont have to wait for the data to roll instart watching your dogs diet and exercise today.
If your Golden Retriever has gained weight, it could be a sign they are not receiving enough exercise. On average, an adult Golden Retriever needs about 40 to 120 minutes of exercise per day to remain happy and healthy.
Quick Tip: For helpful tips and tricks to keep a Golden in shape, look at our previous blog post on How Much Exercise Do Golden Retrievers Need?
In addition to exercise, monitoring a pets nutrition can decrease their cancer risk. According to the American Kennel Club,fish oil contains excellent nutritious antioxidants that may help protect a pet from neuronal death and cognitive decline.
Incorporating fish oil into your pets diet could reduce damage caused by cancerous cells. However, nothing can be guaranteed when it comes to cancer. Consult your local veterinarian about exercise and dietary plans if you are concerned about your Golden Retrievers weight.
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Researchers Interested In Examining Potential Benefits To Humans With Cancer
A protein that the body naturally produces could become an important new immunotherapy drug in the cache of cancer-fighting tools available to oncologists. UC Davis cancer researchers for both companion dogs and humans joined scientists from other institutions to study a new approach that triggers the bodys defense mechanisms, its T-cells and natural killer cells, to respond and destroy cancer.
Surgical oncologist Robert J. Canter with UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center and canine oncologist Robert B. Rebhun with the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine are corresponding authors for a study just published in the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer.
In the first-of-its-kind Phase 1 clinical trial, 21 pet dogs of various breeds that had metastatic lung disease resulting from osteosarcoma or melanoma were treated with protein interleukin-15 . Although previously recognized for immunotherapy properties, IL-15 has undergone few human clinical trials because of toxicity risks associated with concentrated doses.
The research shows that amplified concentrations of IL-15 can stimulate immune system defenses against some types of cancers in dogs. IL-15 is one of several types of cytokinessubstances that have signaling and regulating functions in immune system activity.
What Is A Lung Tumor
A lung tumor is a type of cancer that develops from the disorganized uncontrolled production of epithelial cells found within the lungs. The most common type of tumor of the lungs is a pulmonarycarcinoma. Other types of tumors can develop in the lungs, but these are the result of metastasis from a tumor elsewhere in the body, and are not considered to be primary lung tumors.
Primary pulmonary tumors are rare in both dogs and cats.
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The Treatment Works Best Along With Other Medications
The two key findings of the study were that dogs tolerated the IL-15 therapy well and within two weeks, it helped to suppress metastatic cancer. However, the researchers warn that IL-15 alone is not enough to completely eliminate cancer. Rather, they recommend it works best in combination with other cancer treatments.
All of the canine patients in this study had advanced metastatic cancer, and the majority already had received prior chemotherapy, radiation therapy and, in some cases, immunotherapy. Studies are ongoing now to see whether we can predict which patients might respond to this therapy based on properties of the tumor or the patients immune status, explains Dr. Rebhun.
The findings could also give insight into how the IL-15 treatment will react in humans, and potentially speed up the process of getting an IL-15 therapy as an additive option to chemo or immunotherapy.
The study is published in the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer.
Causes And Diagnosis For Lung Cancer In Dogs
1. Causes:
- Middle to old age
- Toxic chemical exposure
- Cystic fibrosis
6. Prognosis:
Lung cancer is a serious condition that may turn life-threatening depending on its stage and severity. Most dogs recover well if the veterinarian is able to remove the whole tumor and if it has not metastasized. Successful surgery increases the dogs chances of survival by 50 %. . Primary pulmonary adenocarcinoma has a high chance of recurrence even if the entire tumor is removed the first time. For dogs with secondary pulmonary adenocarcinoma, the vet oncologist will almost certainly suggest you make the dog living as comfortable as possible.
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Signs Of Lung Cancer In Dogs
Many dogs with a lung tumor show no related symptoms, while other dogs may display one or more of the following symptoms depending on the size and location of the tumor:
- Loss of appetite
- Gastrointestinal ulcers
While both primary lung cancer and metastatic lung cancer have similar symptoms, coughing tends to be less common with metastatic tumors.
Lung Cancer: Mortality Risk And Screening Methods
Lung cancer is the leading oncological cause of death in western countries and it is the second most frequent cause of death after cardiovascular diseases in Germany . The WHO estimated 2.09 million newly diagnosed lung cancer patients in 2018 worldwide.
The prognosis of lung cancer is unfavorable as indicated by the death of 16.382 female and 29.692 male patients in Germany 2017 . The mortality rate increases with age and reaches a maximum in the age group from 80 to 84years . An advanced age at diagnosis is considered as unfavorable prognostic factor . In 2017 the median age of death was 71years for women and 72years for men .
Although early diagnosis of cancer using effective screening methods is crucial for successful treatment, no surveillance tools exist. In contrast to other cancers, there is still no early test for lung cancer . Some tumor markers are available however, due to limited sensitivity and specificity the current German S3 guideline does not recommend the routine determination of tumor markers for primary or recurrent lung cancer diagnostics, nor their use as screening tool .
Even if effectiveness has now been proven by some studies , the current German S3 guideline does not yet recommend general low-dose computed tomography for screening in risk patients. Reasons among other include risks such as false positive findings with corresponding unnecessary follow-up interventions and radiation exposure.
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Sniffer Dogs Can Distinguish Vocs From Cancer Patients And Set Up During The Study
The race of the conditioned dog as well as factors like age, diet, motivation or health status could influence the suitability of a dog. To get more objective results it might be useful to have the same samples evaluated by several dogs, as it was already tried in other studies . Another factor influencing detection results had been demonstrated by Biehl et al., who described different outcomes depending on previous experiences of the dog, e.g. police dog vs. household dog vs. tumor sniffing dog with a better outcome for experienced dogs. However, due to the low number of dogs included in detection dog studies, it is difficult to prove an influence of the individual dog on the result statistically .
In the present study, encouraging results of the olfactory detection of lung cancer from urine and breath samples of patients could be shown. Experimental studies using trained dogs to identify breath odor markers of human cancer have been analyzed and compared with the authors own results. The mean sensitivity reported in all previously published studies dealing with the olfactory detection of lung cancer was 78%, the mean specificity was 71.5% .
A limitation of the design is that was impossible to obtain precise estimates for sensitivity and specificity. In order to obtain not only bounds but precise values for sensitivity and specificity, some kind of replication of the sniffing experiment with the same dog would be necessary.
Making Herbal Tea For Your Dog
To give herbal teas to your dog first make the tea using the package instructions.
Let the tea cool. Then, assume a 1 cup dose is for a 150 lb human, and adjust that dose for your dogs bodyweight.
Give one or twice a day as needed, alone as a drink, or with food.
So, if your dog has a chronic cough, chances are he doesnt have lung cancer. But youll likely need your vets help getting to the bottom of whatever chronic respiratory problem she has.
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What Is Canine Cancer
âCancerâ is the broad term for a complex cluster of more than a hundred diseases. Although there are many causes, each type of cancer starts with alterations in genes that tell cells how to function, which triggers accelerated and uncontrolled cell growth. The defective signal may hide in abnormal genes inherited from parents, or germinate when normal genes are exposed to harmful environmental influences.
Some breeds are predisposed to certain types of cancer, and in those cases, a strong inherited genetic component is suspected. It is thought that a small number of genes account for cancer risk â but rarely is a single gene the sole cause.
Nutrition Tips To Help Prevent Cancer
On a day-to-day level, the most important thing you can do to help keep your dog fit, healthy, and cancer-free for as long as possible is to manage their weight.
Theres some potential correlation between being overweight and certain types of cancers in dogs, board-certified veterinary nutritionist Lisa Weeth says. Some benign types of tumors that dogs get, like lipomas, can occur more frequently in dogs that are overweight.
Earlier research, she adds, suggested that overweight dogs, especially female dogs, may be at an increased risk for developing mammary tumors. Additionally, obesity can increase the risk of joint disease and complicate things like diabetes and heart disease.
Dr. Weeth points out that, as in humans, cancer is more common in older dogs than younger ones. For older dogs, certain dietary tweaks may improve their chances of remaining cancer-free. Antioxidants, like EPA and DHA , and medium-chain triglycerides, have been found to improve cognitive function by helping to prevent damage to brain cells. They might also help prevent damage to other cells in the body. Since cancer is caused by damaged cells replicating unchecked, supplementing with these items may help protect against the development of some of the DNA damage that can lead to cancer. Dr. Weeth stresses that, as yet, this remains a theoretical benefit. But, she argues, if its not harmful and may be helpful, what do we have to lose?
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Application Of An Electronic Nose In Cancer Detection
Using an electronic nose for diagnosing cancer had been used for a variety of different cancers with lung cancer being the most intensively studied. Bladini C et al. provided an extensive overview on the variety of cancers studied as well as the current technically available systems discussing their advantages and disadvantages . The authors identified 37 articles dealing with commercial and non-commercial electronic nose systems published until January 2020. These studies used various statistical approaches, e.g., principle component analysis, support vector machine and logistic regression analysis, to identify the lung cancer breathprint being able to distinguish between healthy controls and lung cancer in different stages. Among these Li et al. used an array of 14 different sensors in combination with an in depth data pre-processing and, among others, support vector machine processing for classification, reaching a sensitivity of 91.6% and a specificity of 91.7%. The authors concluded that these studies displayed satisfying results with different technologies, which could be used in clinical practice with desirable technological development .
In contrast, identification of a breathprint of lung cancer patients using currently available electronic nose systems was the approach presented in this study: Identification of VOC biomarkers by analysis of exhaled breath in lung cancer and non-cancer samples.
Signs & Symptoms Of Lung Cancer In Dogs
Without diagnostic testing, it can be challenging to detect lung cancer in dogs. Approximately 25% of dogs with a lung tumor show no related symptoms. That said, if your dog has developed a lung tumor you may notice one or more of the following signs depending on the size and location of the tumor:
- Gastrointestinal ulcers
Both primary lung cancer and metastatic lung cancer have similar symptoms although coughing is less common with metastatic tumors.
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Chemotherapy For Lung Cancer In Dogs
If surgery cannot be performed or is not elected for, other therapies such as chemotherapy may be considered. Chemotherapy in pets is very different than in people. Quality of life is the primary concern.
With the common chemotherapies, roughly 30 percent of dogs will experience side effects, with only 5 percent of those requiring further hospitalization. The most common chemotherapy side effects seen in dogs are:
- Low white blood cell count
Many of these side effects are short lived and treatable at home. The other 70 percent of dogs have little-to-no side effects following chemotherapy treatment.
A combination of surgery and chemotherapy may be recommended and should be discussed with your veterinary oncologist.
Diagnosing Lung Cancer In Dogs
Most lung tumors in dogs are diagnosed incidentally through x-rays.
Most dogs are often having x-rays performed for different reasons and veterinarians stumble across the tumor during this diagnostic.
Since this is the main way to diagnose lung cancer in dogs, an x-ray will be your vets preferred diagnostic tool if they are experiencing any respiratory symptoms or illnesses.
This is also why many vets recommend yearly x-rays in senior dogs.
Your veterinarian may also recommend a CT scan to rule out any metastasis that is not seen on x-ray.
Another way to accurately diagnose lung cancer in dogs is through a fine needle aspirate of fluid or tissue within the lungs, or a biopsy of the lung tumor.
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The Future Of Canine Cancer
Could one solution be as straightforward as avoiding environmental triggers that trip biological switches and activate uncontrolled cell growth? Maybe. Researchers expect to collect enough biological samples to accurately define the incidence of each cancer being studied. When the study ends, researchers will also have a detailed life story of every enrolled dog. The hope is that in the long run, data will show relationships between cancers and exposures.
The population-based study is creating a baseline for future research in all sorts of health-related issues. According to Page, âThe samples and data we are collecting now will be used by scientists in the future to answer their own questions about health and wellness issues in dogs. Studies will be encouraged that access these assets for analyses of everything from toxic exposures to microbial populations in the gut as they might influence health outcomes.â
Ethics Approval And Consent To Participate
The study and all experimental protocols, which also include the involved sniffer dog, were approved by the local ethics committee , project no FF20/2016 and have been performed in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. All methods were carried out in accordance with their relevant guidelines and regulations. Written informed consent was obtained from all study participants. Furthermore, informed consent was obtained from the owner of the involved dog.
The animal study was carried out in compliance with the ARRIVE guidelines.
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What Is The Prognosis
For dogs with small, low grade tumors without lymph node involvement, the average survival time is 16 months or longer with surgery alone.
Dogs with high grade tumors with lymph node involvement have an average survival of three months, even with surgery. Because many patients with high grade tumors will ultimately develop metastatic disease following surgery, chemotherapy is commonly recommended.
University of Florida