Cancer is a physically and emotionally draining disease not only for the pet but also for pet owners; not to mention the various costs associated with the treatment of the condition.
It is vital that you take immediate action if you notice a lump or a sore on your pet. Get in touch with your vet. Do not assume anything. Know that cancers can advance painlessly; they are not necessarily painful. Cancer does not always manifest itself in the form of lumps; it can be present as a sore or a bulge in the skin. Cancer has nothing to do with age. Your pet is susceptible to the disease regardless of its age. Young dogs and cats can also develop the condition.
If your pet has been diagnosed with cancer, your reaction to the news plays a big role in your beloved pet’s future. Regardless of whether the disease has been diagnosed at an early or advanced stage, you have to ensure that the pet’s quality of life and its dignity are maintained as much as possible. Treatment will have certain side effects, you should check with your vet about the best that you can do to mitigate the side effects.
As far as the nutritional requirements are concerned, the pet should stay well-hydrated. Calories and proteins are important followed by minerals and vitamins. Cancer can lead to reduced food intake, particularly if it is a tumor in the oral cavity or the intestinal tract. A pet may come to associate the unpleasantness of its condition with food and try to avoid eating. Do not force food upon your pet when it is clearly trying to avoid it. This will encourage food aversion. You may surely try some novel food items and coax it but do not force the animal to eat. There are appetite stimulators available, use them if the vet suggests.
Warm foods before serving it, this helps release aroma and stimulate the animal’s gastric juices. Malnutrition is a big challenge with pets that have cancer. As a pet owner you have to meet this challenge so that the animal’s normal metabolism is maintained as much as possible.
Visual examination, fine needle biopsy and cytology are the normal diagnostic procedures for differentiating benign growths from malignant tumors. The important thing is to ensure that any portion of the tumor selected should be representative of the tumor. Also if some tissue is removed with the tumor then the edges of the tissue should not contain any tumor cells otherwise it indicates that the tumor has spread. X-rays, ultrasonography, and MRI are some of the other diagnostic techniques used to check for malignancy.
Surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and immunotherapy are some treatment procedures used to treat tumors. Lymphoma, mammary tumors, skin tumors, and mouth tumors are some of the major tumor types found in pets.
There are certain steps that we can take as responsible pet owners to try and prevent cancer in our pets. Spaying and neutering reduce the occurrence of cancer in pets. There are vaccines available to guard against feline leukemia.
November happens to be Pet Cancer Awareness Month. Most pet insurance companies will cover the cost of treatment and surgery if your pet has been enrolled before clinical signs of the disease appear. Having your pet insured against cancer can be a major cost saving later on.
