dog dewormer cancer owners should be on the lookout for changes in eating, drinking, peeing and pooping, as well as any unusual bleeding. Other warning signs include unexplained weight loss and a lump or bump that doesn’t heal.
Joe Tippens was diagnosed with late-stage lung cancer in 2016. He hoped to live long enough to see his first grandchild born.
Hemangiosarcoma
Hemangiosarcoma is a deadly cancer that preys on blood vessels and spreads rapidly. This cancer commonly affects the spleen (an abdominal organ responsible for immune function, red and white blood cell production and storage) and liver, but can be found anywhere in the body.
This cancer is difficult to diagnose, as it often appears as a tumor in the skin and can be hard to identify using fine needle aspiration cytology. It is also very quick to spread to other areas of the body – lungs, abdomen, brain and bones – making it an extremely aggressive disease.
When hemangiosarcoma metastasizes to the spleen, it can rupture and bleed profusely. This bleeding causes extreme pain, weakness and sometimes death. It is common for pets with visceral hemangiosarcoma to be euthanized when it appears. Fortunately, splenic hemangiosarcoma can be successfully treated with surgery and chemotherapy. However, the treatment must be started as early as possible to prevent this deadly disease from spreading.
Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is a cancer that develops in the outer layer of skin, often on areas that get sun exposure. It often shows up as a thick, red, scaly patch of skin that doesn’t heal and might grow or spread quickly over weeks or months. It can appear anywhere on the body, but it’s most common on parts of the body that get a lot of sun, such as the face, neck, bald scalp, forearms and shins or the genitals.
A video circulating on TikTok and Facebook shows a Canadian veterinarian who claims that fenbendazole, an antiparasitic drug for dogs, cured his advanced lung cancer. But that claim is unfounded and fenbendazole is not approved as a cancer medication for humans.
But he and other researchers are exploring other drugs that target the same pathway, and could have useful applications for people with a variety of cancers. That includes mutated BRAF, which is very common in squamous cell carcinoma of the lungs and skin.
Mast Cell Tumors
Mast cell tumors (MCT) are a group of benign and malignant growths that are typically discovered by pet owners after they feel a lump or nodule in their dog. They can appear as wart-like bumps within or just under the skin or ulcerated masses that resemble a rash.
In the majority of cases, your veterinarian can accurately diagnose a mast cell tumor with a needle aspiration (using the same needle used to administer a vaccine). The aspirate reveals characteristic dark blue to purple intracellular granules that are indicative of inflammatory cells in the tissue.
Most dogs with a low grade cutaneous mast cell tumor have an excellent prognosis. However, in some pets, the cancer can spread to other organs (dissemination), and the prognosis is significantly worse. Your veterinary oncologist may recommend chemotherapy in these cases. The most common chemotherapy is toceranib phosphate, a receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor. This drug has shown promising results in reducing the size of MCTs and preventing recurrence.
Melanoma
Dogs with dark skin may develop melanoma tumors that are often found on the arms, legs, belly, or toes (digital melanoma). The most common sign of a melanoma is a lump that is not painful but that grows. Melanomas in the skin are typically black or brown but can be a variety of colors and shapes.
Malignant histiocytic sarcoma is another cancer that affects larger breed dogs. It typically starts as a single lesion in the spleen, lymph nodes, lung, bone marrow, or periarticular tissue of limb joints and can quickly disseminate to multiple organs.
Researchers at Penn are trying to learn more about this cancer by studying its genetics. Specifically, they’re looking for mutations in the BRAF gene that occur in 85% of sarcoma patients in Scotties, Westies, and Shelties. This type of research could help scientists understand how different genes contribute to various cancers, and eventually allow them to develop useful strategies for humans.
