Many people cannot imagine life without pets. They get cats, dogs and other animals. However, sometimes you have to face the fact that pets get sick. Moreover, diseases can be both the simplest and very complex. The latter certainly include oncology.
There are two types of tumor in a cat : benign and malignant. Unfortunately, the latter is much more common. With benign formations, the clinical picture is almost without damage to the health of the animal. But malignant grows very quickly, can affect any organs with metastases. Over time, a necrotic process opens on the seals.
Where does the disease come from?
Many cat owners are interested in: “Where do tumors come from?” What causes this disease? ” The opinions of doctors and scientists were divided. They offer a large number of versions, but still cannot come to a single solution.
Some believe that cat breast cancer is due to living in a polluted environment. Others say that interruption of the estrus process can cause oncology. There is a version that poor-quality food provokes the development of a tumor. Many veterinarians believe that oncological diseases are inherited at the genetic level, therefore, before taking the animal home, it is recommended to learn as much as possible its pedigree.
Symptomatology
A cat is an affectionate animal, so it’s no problem to check its skin integument. This can be done while stroking by probing the tummy. Found small seals in the area of the mammary glands should be considered the first bell, which may indicate that the cat has breast cancer. What to do in this situation, we will tell further.
If the animal is not helped in the early stages of detection of seals, the inflammatory process will begin. How soon this happens depends on the condition of the pet. Symptom of the last stage is the occurrence of necrosis and metastasis. How many cats live with breast cancer in this case? Several months. Most often, they are suffocating, since lung damage occurs.
If the cat hurts some place on the body, she begins to lick it. This happens in all animals without exception. However, this does not bring relief to the affected area. On the contrary, the condition can rapidly deteriorate, the formation of deep ulcers is possible. They accumulate pus, which constantly leaks, while accompanied by an acute putrefactive odor. The animal grows thin very quickly, refuses food, which greatly weakens. An exacerbation of chronic diseases may be observed, if the animal was sick before.
According to the size of the tumor in a veterinary clinic, doctors can give a prognosis.
- If the neoplasm is up to 2 cm in diameter, then, as a rule, a favorable outcome is possible in 80% of 100 cases.
- If the seal has grown to 3 cm, then it is difficult to guarantee the recovery of the animal.
- But an unfavorable prognosis, in which doctors do not give any guarantees, cause tumors larger than 3 cm.
Diagnosis of the disease
It is impossible to visually determine the type of cancer on the first stages. Only a biopsy will help confirm the diagnosis. It must be done in special laboratories. In order not to cause additional injuries to the animal, the material is taken as accurately as possible. It is known that metastases can rapidly form in the affected areas. With such a clinical picture, treatment is already useless.
In the diagnosis process, it is important to accurately determine the stage of breast cancer. Cats are carefully examined for this. Many doctors recommend a parallel biopsy of the lymph nodes, since it is in them that metastases first appear. Also, organ damage can be determined using x-rays and ultrasound. Be sure to take a complete blood count from the animal. According to his formula, the doctor determines the condition of the pet and clinical signs. Also, according to the results of the analysis, the optimal dosage of the chemotherapy that the animal's body can tolerate is prescribed.
It is important to understand: the sooner treatment begins, the greater the chances of the pet recovering.
Treatment
How to cure breast cancer in a cat? In most cases, doctors recommend surgery. However, the animal is not always able to transfer it. As a rule, suffering from cancer, the animal weakens so much that it can simply die from the anesthesia. Conservative treatment is also prescribed for old cats.
Now many effective drugs have been developed that help fight the tumor. Even in the case of drug therapy, the pet will still be prescribed chemotherapy drugs to stop the further development of the neoplasm. In simple words, a cat will be injected with a certain dosage of a poisonous substance that destroys cancer cells. Unfortunately, such medications affect not only the affected areas, but also healthy organs, so it is recommended to visit a veterinary clinic every day, where the doctor will monitor the condition of the cat, observe how it tolerates treatment. If necessary, timely adjust the dosage in order to prevent a sharp deterioration.
Owners will have to tune in to long-term treatment. It is important to understand that in severe cases, the pet is best left in the clinic. Doctors will be able to alleviate the general condition with medications, that is, stop the pain, prevent respiratory failure and partially relieve intoxication.
To operate or not
According to statistics, the probability of a positive outcome increases if the tumor is removed on time by surgery. At the moment, surgical treatment is considered the most effective. With a positive prognosis, the affected area is completely removed. This is what makes it possible to exclude the spread of the disease. If the tumor is malignant, then the surgeon completely cuts out the mammary glands of the animal to prevent the formation of metastases.
If the cat has spread the focus to the lymph nodes, then the only thing that will be offered in the clinic is surgical treatment. If they are not removed, then the cancer cells will quickly spread throughout the body in a matter of days, even when taking special medications.
After operation
Providing favorable conditions for the operated animal plays an important role in its recovery. Unfortunately, if you do not follow the recommendations, then the pet will face a fatal outcome. After the operation, the cat should be in complete rest. Upon discharge from the clinic, the doctor must prescribe food, so it must be strictly observed. It is also necessary to treat the wound. How and with what medicines, the doctor tells. If additional drugs were prescribed, then they need to be given strictly on time. A bandage on a cat with breast cancer is necessarily worn - in order to avoid divergence of postoperative sutures. But if this still happened, then, regardless of the time of day, it is urgent to go to the hospital.
No self-medication!
If the owner has found a seal on the skin of his animal, then in no case should you start treatment without consulting a doctor. It is strictly forbidden to use thermal applications. For example, a heated salt can simply lead to the death of a pet. When heated, a benign tumor in a cat will begin to grow rapidly, with a malignant formation, the development of numerous metastases will begin. Self-medication of a pet can be fatal, so it is better to contact professionals.
Preventative measures
How to prevent breast cancer in a cat? Unfortunately, certain preventive measures do not exist.
Some veterinarians recommend sterilization before the age of eight months. This reduces the risk of oncology, but does not give a one hundred percent guarantee. If the cat has reached the age of seven, it is recommended to undergo examination in the clinic at least once every six months. Also, a systematic examination of the animal does not hurt. This can be done by the owner himself while stroking.
General recommendations:
- proper and quality nutrition;
- good care;
- treatment of genital diseases and mastitis;
- a complete rejection of hormonal drugs that disrupt the reproductive cycle.
Who is at risk?
Unfortunately, any cat can get cancer. However, most often, such cases occur with those individuals who have reached the age of seven. Scientists have noticed that Siamese breeds are predisposed to mastopathy. It is their oncological diseases that occur much more often.
Watching cats, doctors concluded that at-risk animals are unsterilized, as well as individuals who underwent surgery after four to five leaks.
Conclusion
Many people treat their pet as children: they play with them, take care of them, feed them, and when they get sick they treat them. The main prevention of cancer is the responsibility and care of the owners. If even a small seal is found on the cat's body, you must immediately go to the clinic and take tests. Negligence in this matter can be fatal. It is not recommended to pick your own in inflamed ulcers, since during this you can cause microtrauma, which will lead to the formation of metastases.
If breast cancer is detected in a cat, then most doctors believe that the sooner the tumor is removed, the better and faster the recovery. In no case can you just sit and wait, as there are situations when it’s simply pointless to have an operation.