When your pet suffers from cancer

“The dog just showed up. It wasn’t getting enough food where it lived, so it decided to stay with me,” George recalls, adding, “I took her in, cared for her as my own, even got a licence for her.”

Over time, the dog had puppies and nursed them. But this year, after weaning her puppies, George noticed that her teats remained swollen. He immediately knew that something was wrong.

“I tried antibiotics, but they didn’t help. I called the vet, who told me it was a tumour in her mammary gland. Surgery to remove the tumour wasn’t an option because of her old age.”

Her condition quickly deteriorated, and she passed away in August. “It was hard to see her go, but I knew I had given her the best life I could,” George says.

Cancer did not spare Sarah Henderson’s Irish Setter 20 years ago.

“I had travelled for the weekend when my son called to tell me our 15-month-old puppy had died. I was devastated. After a necropsy (surgical examination of a dead animal’s body), the vet confirmed the diagnosis: leukemia.

“To think that it showed no signs of illness caused me more distress. The vet told us that there was nothing that we could have done to save her,” Sarah says.

Now an animal welfarist, she advises pet owners to act fast when they notice any changes in their pets. “If your dog skips even one meal and looks off, take it to the vet immediately. Treatment is costly, but delaying will only make things worse.”

Linet Muthoni has dedicated her life to rescuing and fostering animals. Her love for pets stems from her childhood. “I have always loved animals.

I grew up in a home with five dogs and used to go around the neighbourhood removing ticks from dogs instead of playing with other children,” the 24-year-old says.

In 2022, Linet started fostering pets for the Kenya Society for the Protection and Care of Animals (KSPCA) and later opened her own shelter.

“I have rescued pets injured in accidents, cats in bins, dogs roaming around, and sometimes people call me for help when they have an animal in need.”

She shares the story of Wolfie, a dog she rescued this year with a hernia that turned out to be mammary cancer.

“After the diagnosis, my vet suggested that I should take an abdominal and chest X-ray to see how far it had spread. Initially, they told me that if it had not spread a lot, we could just cut off all the dog’s teats, and then it could live long.”

However, this was not to be.

“The X-ray revealed that the tumour had spread to the chest area, including its lungs, such that it was having difficulty breathing. With the results in hand, I sought the opinion of five different vets. They all advised getting it euthanised as the tumour was going deeper into her chest, and it would only be a matter of time before she stopped breathing.”

Running a rescue and foster shelter is no easy task.

“The bills are huge. Vet care alone can cost over Sh200,000 a month, and food another Sh100,000. But these animals depend on me, and I must take care of them,” says Linet who largely relies on donor funding.

Dancan Mwarangu, a veterinarian at Noble Veterinary Surgeon, explains that cancer in animals is similar to cancer in humans.

“Animals are prone to various types of cancer including hemangiosarcoma which affects the blood vessels, osteosarcoma in bones, and mammary tumors in females.”

He adds that animals can also get squamous cell carcinomas (equivalent to skin cancer) and melanoma.

Treatment options depend on the stage and type of cancer.

“We have the malignant tumour which can spread from one organ to another, and if it’s not caught in time, it can even lead to the death of the animal. Then we have the benign tumor, which is harmless and is concentrated on one localised area, so we can just excise it out of the body,” Dr Mwarangu emphasises.

In the early stages, surgery can be effective, especially with localised tumours. “For instance, in the case of mammary tumours, we can just remove the affected parts, but mostly we have to remove the whole mammary tissues as it is done in humans (mastectomy). Chemotherapy can also help with the treatment of transmissible venereal tumours. But for advanced cancers that spread to organs like the lungs or liver, we may recommend euthanasia to prevent suffering,” he says.

Dr Mwarangu stresses the importance of early detection, saying that a pet owner “should regularly check their pet’s body for lumps, especially around the mammary glands in female animals. If caught early, cancer is easier and cheaper to treat.”

Owning a pet means more than providing food and shelter; it requires vigilance, love, and responsibility. As Dr Mwarangu advises, “Knowing your pet’s normal behaviour and doing regular checks can make all the difference.”

Upon diagnosing cancer, veterinarians must get its stage to determine the most viable treatment option.

“This involves collecting a piece of tissue (biopsy) from the animal’s body and sending it to a histopathology lab to identify the dominant cell types. Diagnostic imaging, such as X-rays and ultrasounds, is also performed to assess how far the cancer has spread since this spread influences the cancer stage. Cancers detected in stages 1 or 2 are usually localised and easier to manage, while those at stages 3 or 4 indicate more advanced progression.”

At stage 4, veterinarians assess factors like quality of life. Drawing from human experiences with cancer (anthropomorphism), they understand that late-stage cancer can cause significant pain and discomfort.

“In such cases, even with palliative care, the animal’s quality of life may be severely compromised. If the cancer spreads to critical organs like the liver, kidneys, or lungs, the pet may experience severe difficulty breathing. Lab tests are also conducted to evaluate organ function, and elevated enzyme levels often indicate organ failure. At this point, euthanasia may be recommended as the most humane option to relieve the animal’s suffering,” Dr Mwarangu tells the BDLife.

Preventing cancer in pets involves a combination of responsible care and lifestyle adjustments.

Dr Mwarangu offers practical tips.

“You should consider neutering and spaying pets to avoid hormone-related cancers like mammary or prostate tumours. A pet owner should also minimise sun exposure for their pets to prevent squamous cell carcinoma, especially in pets with light skin,” he cautions.

Some cancers, like transmissible venereal tumours, are preventable through responsible breeding.

“Don’t allow indiscriminate mating. This type of cancer spreads through sexual contact,” Dr Mwarangu recommends.

It is vital to give your pet a balanced diet that is rich in proteins and essential vitamins. “Cats, for instance, are obligate carnivores and need meat-based diets to thrive.

“On the other hand, dogs are facultative carnivores, meaning that their bodies are adapted to also eating non-meat-based diets. It is best to ensure that your pet gets enough protein and energy sources including carbohydrates.

“But it is important to ensure that you avoid obesity by ensuring that your pet does proper exercises,” he says, adding that regular vet checkups are essential to catch early signs of illness before they escalate. “Annual blood tests, for instance, can reveal health issues early.”

While pet cancer treatment is expensive, Dr Mwarangu says early intervention can make a difference.

“A single chemotherapy session can cost between Sh5,000 and Sh10,000, and animals may need weekly sessions for several months,” says Dr Mwarangu.

“The earlier you detect and treat it, the cheaper and more effective it is.”