Malignant cancer brings a great deal of pain to your dog. It causes him to suffer, and it causes you, as his loving owner, suffering as well.

There are also tumors that seem to be round or globular when examined closely. These are called round cell tumors, and are microscopic. Examples of these types of tumors would be lymphosarcoma, histiocytomas, mast cell tumors, and plasma cell tumors, to name a few.

Melanomas are a pretty common term being thrown around nowadays. Skin pigment is called melanin, and the cells that are responsible for creating melanin are also responsible for these tumors.

Lastly, mesenchymal tumors are tumors that develop in the tissue underneath or embedded in the skin. They could form in the fat tissue, nerve tissue, or in blood vessels.

Malignant cancer brings a great deal of pain to your dog. It causes him to suffer, and it causes you, as his loving owner, suffering as well. Knowing as much as you can about this disease is one way to help your pet, so that you are able to make clear, informed and educated decisions that may very well make a huge impact on both your lives.

Dog Skin Cancer is one of the most prevalent types of tumor formation in dogs. Some 70-80% of these tumors can be considered benign or non-threatening, however the remaining 20-30% are malignant.

It is good to have your dog examined regularly, so that your veterinarian is able to routinely check your pet’s body for tumors, wounds that don’t heal for some reason, or color changes in pre-existing growths. You can also do this yourself by conducting skin checks on your pet. With your fingers and hands, you can examine the skin underneath your dog’s fur. It is easy to miss tumors and strange discolorations or anomalies under all that hair, especially if your dog is a long-haired breed.

Be on the look out for tumors that constantly bleed or refuse to scab over and heal, sudden color changes in particular areas of your pet’s body, especially the abdomen, genital area, mouth and tongue area, and feet and legs. Be attentive to your pet’s actions. Do you notice that she scratches or licks herself constantly in one particular area? Do you find that there is a strange discharge from her nipples or swelling in her breast area that should not normally be there? Those signs can be telltale clues that a visit to the vet is needed.

You can help save your dog’s life by being one step ahead of his illness. Catch the signs early for dog skin cancer, and you may be able to help your pet put up a good fight against it, ensuring that you spend and enjoy time with him or her longer.

So you took your pet to the vet and confirmed that your dog has skin cancer. Now what do you do?

Three Mainstream Cancer Treatment Options There are several ways of treating your dog for skin cancer. Depending on the tumor’s grade and stage, procedures such as surgical excision, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and several drugs may be effective or useful.

Two surgical excisions at most may be enough to remove a Grade I tumor. It has been observed, however, that 50% of these cases reappear at the same origin. In some situations, as with Grade II dog skin cancer, and a surgical procedure is not completely accurate, radiation therapy may be employed as well. Most often, the combined efforts of surgery and radiation therapy are considered effective in removing grade I and II dog skin cancer.

In worst cases and scenarios, chemotherapy is looked to as the recommended treatment. Drugs such as Lomustine, Doxorubicin and Corticosteroids may also be added for the effective treatment of advanced dog skin cancer cases.

You may ask, “All this seems very daunting. My dog doesn’t have skin cancer, but I want to make sure he never gets it. What can I do to help prevent Dog Skin Cancer?”

Things That Help Prevent Dog Skin Cancer

Avoid Carcinogens

Mentioned in previous articles is that carcinogens can be found in our surroundings, as well as that we use and consume them daily. In order to lessen your dog’s risk of developing cancer, it is best to avoid the use of carcinogenic substances. They promote the interruption of your pet’s metabolic processes and this may help trigger the growth of cancerous cells in his or her body. Examples of carcinogens are house chemicals–cleaning products should be kept away from your pet. He cannot protect himself from these things the way you and I can.

Right Nutrition “What if my pet already has cancer and is undergoing treatment?” If your dog already has dog skin cancer or any form of cancer, for that matter, and he is going through treatment, then his health may decline not only from the cancer, but from the treatments themselves. Many experts agree that the one thing that may have a huge impact on your pet’s recuperation rate and help tremendously in the treatment process is good nutrition.

The right diet should contain vitamins, minerals, and other substances that are essential in fighting cancer and giving your dog optimum good health.

What is Stage II cancer? What is Grade II cancer? In this article, you will find out what all these terminologies mean

The seriousness of skin cancer is indicated by its “grade”. Consequently, this means that the higher the grade, the more serious the cancer is.

Grade I indicates that the skin cancer isn’t very serious. Tumors classified under this grade mostly grow but do not spread out from the origin. Surgical excision is usually employed to remove these tumors.

Grade II cancer is used to classify it if the cancer’s response is unpredictable towads treatment and prognosis. When placed under this grade, skin cancer may have appeared underneath the skin or subcutaneous tissue, and may be as malignant as they are benign. About 80% of these cases are found to be treatable through radiation and therapy.

Grade III denotes a very aggressive and invasive cancer. 25% of skin cancers are found under this classification. The normal course of action to cope with cancer of this grade are chemotherapy along with surgical excision.

Skin Cancer Stage

Stages of skin cancer determine the extend of spread of the tumor. To properly assess the spread, biopsies and probing of the other lymphoid organs are conducted. The higher the stage, the more serious the tumor spread.

Stage 0 means that there is one tumor growth on the skin, and it has not been completely excised. No lymph node is affected.

Stage I means there is one tumor confined to the skin, with no lymph node involved.

Stage II indicates there is one tumor confined to the skin with regional lymph nodes involved.

Stage III will be used to classify cancer wherein there are multiple, large, and deep-infiltrating tumors in the skin, with no lymph nodes affected.

Stage IV indicates there are one or more multiple tumors in the skin, including metastasis, and lymph notes are involved.

This stage is classified into:

Substage A: no obvious clinical signs of illness

Substage B: apparent clinical signs of illness

The Causes of Dog Skin Cancer, Part 1: Environmental Carcinogens

Skin cancer may occur when mast cells are chronically or frequently activated by allergic reactions brought about by environmental carcinogens or genetic factors

We will now discuss the 2nd cause of Dog Skin Cancer, which are the Genetic Factors.

Genetic factors can be either Inherited Genetic Defects, or Aqcuired Genetic Defects. It was stated in the previous article that carcinogens more likely target older dogs, but genetic contributors of cancer have been observed to affect mostly the young.

Inherited Genetic defects mean that if your dog comes from a family that has a history of cancer, then it runs a higher risk of developing the same illness. Some breeds are more vulnerable to inherited skin cancer than others, and these are:

Boxers
Schnauzers
Boston Terriers
Golden Labrador Retrievers
Pugs
Beagles

Aquired Genetic Defects or Somatic Mutations are not inherited; rather they occur during vitro development. When a dog develops cancer at an early age without a case of cancer in their family history, it may be an indication that the cancer was acquired due to chromosomal mutation.

Other contributors to cancer aside from carcinogens and genetic defects are obesity, vaccinations, immune system problems, and hormonal factors.

Skin cancer may occur when mast cells are chronically or frequently activated by allergic reactions brought about by environmental carcinogens or genetic factors. This is when antibodies bind with mast cells and release reactive agents such as histamines, heparin, enzymes, and cytokines.