What is Osteoscarcoma in Dogs?
Osteoscarcoma in pet dogs is a disease that requires to be closely monitored and treated in order to provide your furry buddy as many healthful years as possible.
Osteosarcoma in dogs is the most common type of primary bone cancer in dogs which accounts for over 95% of all bone tumors in dogs. Osteosarcoma can occur in any bone in a dogs body, however, most tumors in dogs appear in the front limbs near the wrist, shoulder and knee. Osteosarcoma in dogs is usually very aggressive, and it spreads quickly to other parts of the body, thus early detection and treatment osteosarcoma is vital.
Here’s all you need to know about osteoscarcoma in dogs – how to prevent your pupfrom osteoscarcoma, the early signs or of osteoscarcoma that you should look for, and what to do if you notice symptoms of osteoscarcoma in dogs.
Symptoms of Osteoscarcoma in Dogs
Osteoscarcoma can cause obvious changes in your dog’s health and behaviour. There are many early signs and symptoms of osteoscarcoma which you can observe in your pet. We have detailed some of the common osteoscarcoma symptoms in dogs, below.
- Lameness
- Swelling Of The Affected Bone
- Swelling Or A Mass
- Difficulty Eating
- Seizures
- Wobbly Gait
- Breathing Difficulties
- Loss Of Appetite
- Lethargy
Disclaimer: The information presented on this article is designed to help inform you of osteoscarcoma. It is not meant to replace the vet diagnosis or treatment for osteoscarcoma. If you have any questionsor concerns about your dog’s health or possible symptoms, make to get in touch with and consult with your vet right away.
The Main Causes of Osteoscarcoma in Dogs
To recognize and treat osteoscarcoma in dogs, you need to know the underlying causes of osteoscarcoma in dogs. This can help a pet owner prevent osteoscarcoma happening in the first place or again.
The cause of osteosarcoma in dogs is not, yet, well understood. Certain type of dog breeds such as Scottish Deerhounds, Rottweiler and other large-breed dogs are more prone to developing osteosarcoma.
Diagnosing Osteoscarcoma in Dogs
Nobody understands your canine better than you do and hence it is important that your pet be examined properly by a vet at least once a year.
Veterinarians usually follow these steps to diagnose osteosarcoma in dogs:
- Ruling out other causes of lameness with an X-ray and performing a physical and orthopedic examination.
- Problem areas identified on the X-ray will be biopsied to get a definitive diagnosis of osteosarcoma and determine the best treatment plan.
- To assess your pets overall health and determine if cancer has spread, chest X-rays or a computed tomography (CT) scan, blood tests, and a urinalysis will be performed.
- To get a better understanding of the illness and to determine if surgery is possible and the extent of surgery necessary to treat osteosarcoma in dogs, advanced CT imaging is often recommended for osteosarcoma tumors of the limbs.
Talk to your local vet to find out more about the treatments for osteoscarcoma in dogs.
Preventing Osteoscarcoma in Dogs
It is horrible when your pet gets ill, and watching it hurt can be absolutely upsetting. With caution and a bit of extra care, a dog owner can ensure that dog stays protected from conditions like osteoscarcoma.
To not to seem weak or vulnerable to predators, the innate survival instincts make canines conceal diseases. This means extensive physical examinations by a qualified veterinarian are crucial to keep your pets healthy. Normally, blood and urine tests carried out by your veterinarian are needed to get the total picture of your animal’s health. These preventive checks steps will detect any health problems sooner making treatment more effective and less pricey and, more notably, will help your pet live a longer, much healthier life.
Many cancers, including osteosarcoma, have a genetic basis. This means that there is not a lot that can be done to prevent your dog from developing osteosarcoma. However, there are certain choices you can make to help your dog avoid it.
- Starting from the beginning, you should only work with breeders who screen for cancer to help minimize the genetic risk.
- Your decisions regarding desexing/spaying/neutering and a healthy diet can help prevent cancer.
- Try to distance your pet from enviornmental risks such as excessive sunlight, toxic chemicals and cigarette smoke.
Treatment for Osteoscarcoma in Dogs
Since osteosarcomas tumors in dogs are so aggressive, the most common treatment is amputating the affected limb followed by chemotherapy to treat metastasis.
A stereotactic radiation (SRS/SRT) treatment can be beneficial in situations where a surgery is not an option due to tumor location. This treatment can also be an alternative to amputation for dogs in which the osteosarcoma has not destroyed a great deal of bone. This highly accurate and advanced type of radiation therapy focuses high doses of radiation to damage and kill osteosarcoma cells. Follow-up chemotherapy is still necessary. The main advantage of SRS/SRT is that it delivers high doses of radiation with sub-millimeter precision. This treatment will:
- Give maximum damage to the tumor and minimal collateral damage to nearby healthy tissues
- Need fewer treatment sessions compared to conventionally fractionated radiation therapy (CFRT)
- Offer potential for quicker recovery with fewer side effects
- Give ability to treat tumors previously considered untreatable with radiation
Contact your veterinarian to find out more about how to treat osteoscarcoma in dogs.