Diagnosis: cancer

Few words in medicine are as emotional or scary as cancer, whether it be your own health, your familyís health or that of your pet. You may be surprised to know that cancer is four times more common in animals than in humans, and some breeds of dogs have an extraordinarily high incidence of cancer. In the case of the Golden Retriever, a full 60 percent of older Goldens have some sort of cancer (The New Falcon Herald, January 2014).As in human medicine, early detection and early action is the key in both survival and in lessening the long term effect of the tumor. Because cancer can affect any part of the body, the symptoms can be almost anything, from something simple like going off food or an unusual discharge to more serious and obvious signs such as a sudden lameness or growth. Here is the perfect example. Taylor is an 8-year-old Great Dane who has been healthy all her life.One day, her owners noticed a very small swelling on her left front carpus (wrist) and a very slight limp. X-rays were immediately taken, and the worst was realized ó bone cancer.Bone cancer, the majority of which are osteoscarcomas, are known to be very aggressive in dogs. Quick action was needed to save Taylorís leg, and her life.A referral was made to Colorado State Universityís Flint Cancer Center, where CT scans revealed the bone was more than three-quarters weakened, and a pathological fracture (a break caused by weakness of the structure from the cancer) was likely. There were two surgical alternatives: amputation of the leg or an innovative procedure pioneered at CSU, called a ìlimb-sparing procedure.îTaylorís owners elected to go with the ìlimb-sparing procedure.î The cancerous part of Taylorís radius bone and also part of her ulna bone were surgically removed and replaced with a piece of bone called an allograft. This was all stabilized using a long metal plate and screws. This spanned the gap and gave Taylor a sort of half natural and half artificial bone that allows her to use the leg almost normally. With the actual tumor removed, chemotherapy began three weeks after the surgery in an attempt to kill any micro-metastasis or tumor cells that may have spread in Taylorís body.As of today, Taylor is doing well. She will be followed with X-rays every two months to monitor her healing and to watch for any sign of tumor regrowth. Taylor was very fortunate because her owners had her insured; and, since the insurance company paid 90 percent of the total cost of the surgery and chemotherapy, they were able to quickly make the decision to do advanced treatment (The New Falcon Herald, March 2014).Cancer treatment in animals is sophisticated and much can be done. Early detection is key, so be watchful for any symptoms in your pet that are sudden or unusual, and have your veterinarian take a detailed look at what might be the cause. I also highly recommend pet insurance. While much can be done, it can be costly. Having insurance can be life saving for your pet, as it was for Taylor. It can prevent you from making a life or death decision based on the cost of advanced care such as this.