Breast Cancer Rates in Dogs
Dogs, like humans, are at risk for breast cancer. However, the chance of your pet getting the disease can be greatly reduced through some basic precautions. If detected early enough, dogs have a good chance of surviving breast cancer.
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Susceptible Dogs
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Female dogs that have not been spayed are at the highest risk for breast cancer or mammary tumors. Unspayed female dogs between the ages of five and 10 are the most common victims of breast cancer.
Risk Rates
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A dog spayed after her first heat has an 8 percent chance of getting the disease. That figure increases to 26 percent if she is spayed after the second heat. In contrast, dogs that are spayed before their first heat have a 0.05 percent chance of experiencing breast cancer.
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Symptoms
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Canine breast cancer can be detected by monitoring any abnormal lumps around the mammary gland area. If you notice a quickly growing or irregularly shaped lump, irregular bleeding or a lesion, bring your dog to a veterinarian for a biopsy.
Treatment
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The first step to eliminating mammary cancer is through surgery. If detected and treated early, surgery can completely eradicate the disease in 50 percent of cases. Chemotherapy and radiation, while not completely reliable and effective in dogs, can be applied on the advice of a veterinarian.
Male Dogs
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Male dogs very rarely acquire breast cancer. Although occasional cases have been documented, treating male dogs for this disease is more difficult because the cancer is typically of a more aggressive nature.
Prevention
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The single biggest thing you can do to prevent breast cancer is spaying your female dog. If you want to breed the dog, then have it spayed after the first litter or as soon as possible. There is a clear correlation between spaying a dog early and avoiding incidences of breast cancer.
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