The brochure I picked up for Chase Away K9 Cancer was chock full of interesting information. There were a lot of facts about canine cancer that I wanted to share.
Veterinary experts estimate that as many as one out of every three dogs will get some form of cancer. That’s a very high (and scary) percentage. Look at it this way: I’ve had three dogs (Miko, Lally, and Moose). Odds are, one of them will experience cancer.
Cancer is the leading cause of disease-related death in dogs.
More facts about canine cancer:
- Approximately HALF of all dogs over the age of ten will die of cancer.
- The most common cancer seen in dogs is skin cancer. Yes, dogs can get skin cancer just like humans can. You can help protect their skin by applying sunscreen if your dog will be outside for long periods of time — especially in places where the fur is thin, like on the nose.
- The most common bone tumor in dogs is osteosarcoma — the average survival time for a dog with this type of cancer is just one year. The very first grant given by Chase Away K9 Cancer supported osteosarcoma research.
- Most dogs tolerate cancer treatment better than humans do. Is it that they’re more resilient? Is it that they don’t have the psychological aspects that hit some human cancer patients so hard? Maybe someday we’ll know.
According to the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine, many dogs can continue to live a quality life after a cancer diagnosis. Just like with cancers in humans, early detection and diagnosis can improve your dog’s chances greatly.
Many cancers are not curable but they can be treated. Chemotherapy and/or tumor removal may be an option for some dogs — but there are some cancers that don’t yet have a successful treatment plan. Hopefully, Chase Away K9 Cancer will help change that.