Are pet cancer rates increasing? Does lifestyle or other factors contribute?

Hi we cannot see previous questions that you have posted on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. If you have a more complex case feel free to set up a consultation with myself or one of the other experts. But I'll do my best to answer the question do you have here. There are some tumors or cancerous masses that may appear to decrease and increase in size such as mast cell tumors or histiocytomas that may spontaneously regress on their own but can recur in other places. Certain medications can also cause tumors to shrink in size but they may regrow ones that medication is not as effective. Depending on the type of cancer and what organ system in the body it is affecting, many dogs live seemingly normal happy lives up until the point they can no longer compensate or the cancer spreads. For many different reasons owners do not always choose to pursue cancer treatment or in some cases it's not possible. But the pet can still live months to years relatively happy. I hope that was some help, if you have further questions feel free to open up a consultation. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. While there are no anti-cancer foods, medications, or supplements, we recommend keeping pets at an ideal weight and body condition score (BCS), regularly exercising them, and feeding them a consistent diet. Avoiding human foods or very fatty foods can help reduce the risk of developing diseases such as liver disease or pancreatitis. Do not smoke cigarettes around your pet. That being said, cancer in dogs is unpredictable, and can occur even if you do your very best to keep Oscar as healthy as possible. I recommend at least annual check-ups at the veterinarian, and having him evaluated any time you feel that he is not acting himself! Sometimes subtle clinical signs such as hiding, skipping a couple meals, etc, can be signs of underlying disease. I hope this is helpful!

Hello. This is a very difficult question because, in overage amounts, anything can potentially cause cancer. Think coffee, wine & even too much charcoal grilled meats. If there was something overtly dangerous in pet food, owners, veterinarians & the food manufacturers would be screaming to have it removed. There was some talk awhile back about the tin being used in canned foods causing a problem, especially the ones with a pop top, but that has been addressed by applying some coating to the can's interiors. Could something be discovered in the future? Probably. In the meantime, you could supplement your pet's diet with fresh meats & vegetables, but it is very difficult to provide complete nutrition this way. The way I look at it, our pets are living longer & healthier lives & we have a fantastic selection of foods to feed them. I would not worry about cancer causing ingredients in the food when we all eat way too much processed food. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hi there. I'm afraid I don't understand all the abbreviations in your question, so it's hard for me to make sense of what you're asking. In general, I can tell you that osteosarcoma (the most common type of bone tumor in dogs) is a very aggressive type of cancer, and most dogs do not live more than a few weeks to months after diagnosis without amputation and chemotherapy. So if your dog lived for 1.5 years after the initial diagnosis, he may have simply been very fortunate, or he may have had some other type of bone tumor, or some other problem entirely - since I didn't get to examine him and the time and have not seen his x-rays, I have no way of knowing. If your dog has now passed away and you would like to get a more definitive answer as to what was wrong, I would recommend having an autopsy done - called a necropsy in animals. Your veterinarian should be able to advise you on how to arrange this, if you wish.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. This is a good question, and we do not definitively have the answer. The reason why is still unknown, though some suggest that there are several possibilities, including that larger dogs may succumb to age-related illnesses sooner. Also, larger breeds grow from puppies to adults at an accelerated rate, and this may lead to a higher likelihood of abnormal cell growth and death from cancer. I hope this is helpful!

Its all really just genetics and also certain breeds tend to live longer than others. Just like in people, disease and life threatening illness can hit at any age in life. Also preventative care medicine can play a huge factor in your pets lifespan as well. So its best to keep up with preventative vaccines, dental care, heartworm and flea prevention. Here is a really neat website that lists all the characteristic traits of dogs, susceptible diseases, and also lifespan averages --> https://dogtime.com/dog-breeds Thanks for visiting Petcoach! Take care : )

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Betty Lou. A lot of dogs develop splenic masses and many of them are not cancerous. There is no way to know by looking at the spleen. It needs be removed and submitted to the laboratory for a pathologist to evaluate microscopically. The same holds true for the liver. Just because a lesion is seen on the liver in surgery does not mean cancer has spread from the spleen. It is best in this case to remove the spleen and biopsy any abnormality in the liver. You may consider having an abdominal ultrasound performed prior to surgery by a board certified radiologist. This will allow a full evaluation of the abdomen and give you a better idea of what to expect in surgery. I hope this information helps. Good luck to you and Betty Lou!