FAQ: How Does a Vet Diagnose Cancer in Animals?
PLUS 10 Common Warning Signs Your Pet May Have Cancer
Hearing the word “cancer” when it comes to your pet is truly devastating. That’s a very common reaction. It’s no surprise a lot of people relate to this feeling because over 50% of dogs above the age of 10 and 32% of cats will be diagnosed with some type of cancer.[1]
This is a sobering reality that makes any pet owner uncomfortable. The best thing to do when it comes to cancer in pets is to catch it early and then take the right steps to get a clear diagnosis. Fortunately, we know that just like in humans, cancers in animals that are found early are treatable and sometimes even cured.
A team of experts is needed in this situation - and Sage Veterinary Imaging is just that! Our specialty is diagnostic imaging and we help find and treat cancers in animals. Combined with our board-certified doctors experienced in surgery, we provide a one-stop shop for diagnosing and working with cancer in animals.
This article will cover the early signs of cancer in pets, how to find out if your animal has cancer, and your best options when it comes to the future of your pet’s health.
10 Early Warning Signs of Cancer in Dogs
Often, you feel blindsided by a cancer diagnosis, maybe even thinking there were no warning signs. Granted, it is hard to detect cancer early on in animals. And in many instances, regular blood work does not show any markers for cancer.
But knowing what to look for when you suspect your pet may have cancer is going to help you see potential issues and deal with it sooner than later. Now The American Veterinary Medical Association and the Veterinary Cancer Society have 10 things you can keep an eye out for if you’re worried your pet has cancer[2]:
Abnormal lumps or bumps that won’t go away and continue to grow
Non-healing wounds
Weight loss
Loss of appetite
Difficulty eating or swallowing
Bleeding or discharge from any body opening
Offensive odor
Reluctance to exercise or loss of stamina
Persistent lameness or stiffness
Difficulty breathing, urinating or defecating
These symptoms not only apply to cancer but many other medical concerns that affect pets. In any case, work with your veterinarian if you think any of these symptoms apply to your pet. Regular checkups (about every 6 months) also make sure you have an opportunity to catch things early, which is so important when dealing with serious health problems in pets.
How can I find out if my animal has cancer?
If you suspect your pet has cancer, the first thing you want to do is contact your veterinarian. Your vet may or may not have the capability of finding cancer, but they will be able to refer you to an outpatient imaging center.
Alternatively, you can go straight to an outpatient imaging center like Sage Veterinary Imaging. The benefit of coming right to us is we specialize in patients with cancer and are able to get a very clear picture of where the cancer is, and what to do next.
Sage Veterinary Imaging’s human-quality, research-grade, 3T MRI and 128-slice CT equipment is made to locate exactly where the problem is. We can also refer you to our trusted network of local oncologists, which means you have access to experts in pet cancer diagnosis and surgery. Depending on your pet’s situation, a number of treatment plans are available to you, right inside our clinic.
Commons Types of Cancers in Dogs
There are a lot of different cancers in pets and over 100 are found in dogs. While dogs develop cancer at about the same rate as humans, cats tend to have fewer cancers.[3] The most common are skin tumors, many of which are benign. You still want to get any bumps and lumps inspected by a doctor so they can make the best assessment.
Below are 5 common types of cancer in dogs that are not benign. Each type needs the help of an outpatient imaging center like Sage Veterinary Imaging to confidently find cancer and discuss removal:
Lymphoma: This is a type of blood cancer that affects blood cells and lymphoid tissues. Lymphoid tissue can be found in many places of the body like your bone marrow, liver, stomach, spleen, and lungs.
Mast Cell Tumors: These tumors affect the skin. Cancer affects the cells that are on the surface of your pet, like the mouth, nose, and skin. Mast cell tumors are given a number, based on their placement, inflammation levels, and how different they are from one another.
Melanoma: This type of cancer is super common, and is usually found as a malignant tumor in a dog’s mouth.
Bone Cancer (Osteosarcoma): This is the most common bone cancer found in dogs. Any type of dog can develop bone cancer, but it’s most commonly seen in larger breeds.
Hemangiosarcoma: This cancer is highly malignant that moves quickly. It causes tumors almost anywhere in the body. The heart and spleen are where it is often found, many times in the advanced stages of development.
Mast cell tumors are the most common in dogs, while leukemia and lymphoma are most attributed to cats. Because cancer is so prevalent in aging dogs and cats, it can be a relatively routine procedure to remove it, if that is a viable option for your pet’s case.
How does a vet diagnose cancer in animals?
Diagnostic imaging is the first route to consider for getting answers for your pet. Outpatient diagnostic imaging centers use multiple techniques to diagnose cancer in animals.
The images produced by CT, MRI, X-ray, and Ultrasound can all help understand the extent of an underlying disease in your pet. The most advanced services available are CT and MRI, but most veterinarians have access to X-rays or Ultrasound. While X-ray and Ultrasound are more common, the images from these types of imaging equipment cannot capture the same level of detail that CT and MRI can. It’s important to use the right diagnostic tool for the job.
CT and MRI are both excellent modalities for diagnosing cancer in animals. They equally help plan surgery and are essential tools for these procedures. While the role of these services is still very early in development in veterinary medicine, CT and MRI hold the promise of more accurately defining tumors. And this in turn will help surgeons plan their treatments.[4]
Depending on the recommendation of our radiologists, CT or MRI can be used in a number of different cases. Below is an overview of the differences and similarities between CT and MRI.
Computed Tomography (CT)
CT scans are a highly specific imaging technique available at Sage Veterinary Imaging. Similar to X-rays, CT can detect differences between tissues to create an image of internal organs.
Superior to X-ray in many ways, CT is the preferred method for diagnosing many types of cancer in pets. CT is also integral to performing image-guided biopsies, which are samples from a tumor or mass. These samples are used for additional analysis and help make a diagnosis.
Brain and nasal tumors are especially difficult (and some would even say impossible) to see with regular radiography. CT makes this easier. With the defined images from CT scans for dogs, veterinarians locate the exact placement, size, and how a tumor is affecting nearby tissues.
Whether they are used in human medicine or veterinary medicine, CT scanners use the same basic technology. However, that is where the similarity ends with human medicine!
There is a huge difference in the quality of the images produced by human CT technology when compared to most scanners used in veterinary medicine. Many veterinarians have lower cost, lower quality veterinary-specific CT scanners - single, quad, or 16 slice scanners which produce significantly lower quality images. Often an accurate diagnosis cannot be made by a radiologist using images from lower-quality CT scanners.
At Sage Veterinary Imaging, we exclusively use a Philips 128-slice CT, which is exactly the same high-speed, exceptionally-accurate machine that you will find in the best human hospitals.
In addition, because any movement during the scan can compromise the resulting images, clinics with older slower CT scanners must fully anesthetize your pet in order to keep them still. At Sage Veterinary imaging, our Philips 128-slice CT is so fast that anesthesia is rarely required. Usually, only a mild sedative is used to keep your pet awake but calm during the CT scan.
The superior clarity and resolution of CT help veterinarians identify cancer in its early stages and increase the likelihood of a positive outcome. Cross-sectional images produced by CT give your doctor more information about where disease is taking hold in your pet. This level of detail is simply not available with other methods, or with lower-quality CT scanners.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
MRI uses a strong magnetic field interacting with atoms in the body. The resulting 3D images are “slices” of the examined area, very similar to CT. But unlike CT, MRI produces images in real time rather than reconstructing the images later. Another difference is MRI does require anesthesia, which is not needed with our high-speed 128-slice CT scanner.
Widely used to evaluate masses in the spine or brain, MRI is most useful when dealing with soft tissues, joints, tendons, muscles, and bone marrow. MRI is also good at detecting subtle changes within tissues that could affect blood flow, giving you a thorough picture of your pet’s health.
With our industry-leading human-quality 3T MRI, Sage Veterinary Imaging gets answers for your pet and see the problem more clearly than other imaging providers.
Sage Veterinary Imaging is a Leader in MRI, CT, and Finding Answers For Your Pet
Sage Veterinary Imaging has been operating in Round Rock, Texas for 8 years. With a new location in Sandy, Utah, and more on the way, we are here to help get answers for your pet.
When your pet is acting differently and showing signs of distress, it may need a CT or MRI scan. The radiologists, surgeons, and veterinarians on our team are able to see more of your pet’s complete health profile - with twice the resolution, and in half the time.
Ultimately, our goal is to make the most informed decisions to help your pet. And we know you only want the best for your pet. For more information on where to find an MRI or CT scan for dogs in Texas or Utah, go to our Contact Us page to learn more.
Sources:
https://www.avma.org/resources/pet-owners/petcare/senior-pet-care-faq
https://www.oncolink.org/cancers/vet/10-steps-to-take-when-your-pet-has-cancer
