Canine Cancer - Mast Cell Tumors

The one thing that all pet owners never want to hear, is that something terrible is wrong with their beloved friend. When we found out that our boxer Daisy had cancer a few weeks ago, we were very upset and worried. She is only five years old. We noticed a bump on her hind leg, which are common in the boxer breed. We didn't think much of it at first, because she had had these tumors n her before, and they had always turned out to be benign. After we noticed that the tumor was growing, and not getting better, we immediately made a vet appointment for her.

The vet did a biopsy on her. We waited a good week before he called with the results of the test. It was indeed cancer. The vet said that it was called a mast cell tumor. The good news is that this type of cancer has the best outcome for treatment then any other type of cancer. Mast cells are special cells which are involved with the immune system. They are found primarily on th skin, (therefore being called a type of skin cancer), although they can be found on other areas of the body as well. Mast cells make up about twenty percent of the skin cells in dogs, and are responsible for allergic responses. When a dog's body is exposed to different types of harmful substances, the mast cells release a chemical called histamine, which can cause an allergic type infection. These cells also produce some vital chemicals, which the body needs to survive.

The vet told us that mast cells are sometimes called 'great impostures', because they look no different then any other tumor, cancerous,m or benign. The only way to tell that it is a mat cell, is to do a biopsy. That's one of the things that makes these tumors dangerous, the fact that some breeds get tumors on a regular basis, and some owners may not take there pets to the vet right away, thinking it is just another benign tumor that will go away on it's own. Mast cells are the most common tumors in dogs. About 1/3 of all tumors in dogs are skin tumors, and about 20% of those, being mast cell. Although mast cells are very common in dogs, they are far less frequent in cats, and very rare in humans.

There are also certain breeds that fall victim to mast cell tumors as well. Among the most common are beagles, Boston terriers, boxers, bull dos, mastiffs, retrievers, fox terriers, and schnauzers. Boxers are at the highest risk, but they also have the highest chance at a recovery as well, because this type of cancer is not as aggressive in the boxer breed.

Treatment for mast cell tumors always includes surgery first. Daisy went in for her surgery at seven o clock in the morning. Since it is so important to remove a large area around the tumor as well, to capture ant stray cells, they had to cut out part of Daisy's muscle on one side. She had a total of 17 stitches between the two spots. The vet will take everything that he removed from her, and test it, making sure that they got it all out of her. They will test the portions around the tumor that they removed while testing, to make sure that no strays show up in the excess that they took off. If they do find anything, they will have to go back in and remove some more. After being surgically removed most dogs do not have any problems after that. Most tumors do not return either. If the surgery does not work, radiation is another option. Radiation is not for all dogs though, and that is a very last step, because it is costly, and tough on you dog.

Daisy has two incisions, one on each of her back hind legs, or her 'butt', if you will. She is taking antibiotics and medication, and is very sore. Because they took part of the muscle out on one of her removals, she is having a hard time walking with that leg. The day after her surgery she was in good spirits though, and seems to be doing very well. I am thinking she will be making a full recovery. She has been very thirsty since she has gotten home. Make sure if your dog goes through this surgery to provide clean, fresh water, and make it readily available,. Also make sure that your dogs gets plenty of trips outside to the bathroom. Keep a close watch on your dog as well. Do not let them mess with the incisions. You don't want them pulling out the stitches.

All in all, the surgery for the mast tumors went well. If you have a dog with a mast cell tumor, it is a quick outpatient surgery. I have to take Daisy back on Monday to take a look at the incisions, and then fourteen days later, to remove the stitches.