Breast Cancer Awareness: Important to Examine Dogs and Cats too!
Christina Lehner
"Po" and "Dro", 15 year old furry sisters, rocking their pink do's in honor of breast cancer awareness month!
Meet 15 year old sisters “Po” and “Dro”! These furry gals have died their locks for Breast Cancer Awarness. Their mom knew the pink fur would be a great conversation starter, whether out on a walk or in the nursing home doing therapy for senior citizens. Po and Dro’s mom is a breast cancer survivor herself. Although we often think of human’s with breast cancer, this is a great time to remember that pets can also be afflicted with this type of cancer. My first patient with it, was actually a MALE cat (by the way, male humans can also get breast cancer). Its important to get your furry loved one for lump, including those along the mammary glands- there are 8-10 mammary glands on cats and dogs (males and females). If you feel a lump, talk to your vet about it and have it examined & to see if testing is warranted. On average, ~ 50% of mammary tumors are malignant (Cancerous) in dogs while approximately 90% are malignant in cats. Prevention is always best- an easy way to decrease the risk of breast cancer in dogs or cats is to spay females at an early age, preferably before their first heat cycle. With people and with pets, early detection is key to a successful outcome, and thats something to HOOOWWWWLLLLLL & Meow about 😊