Cancer in Dogs
What I Need to Know About Cancer in Dogs
Cancer is even more prevalent in dogs over the age of 10, at a rate of 50 percent. 1 Certain breeds of dogs are more susceptible to cancer, and size can even factor whether a pet will get cancer. The smaller the dog, the lower the risk of cancer. The rate of cancer in small dogs like Chihuahua or Maltese is less than 10 percent.2

In many cases, environmental stressors like tobacco smoke, pesticides, obesity, and so on cause cancer; however, some breeds can also develop cancer because of their genetic makeup.
According to the Morris Animal Foundation, dog breeds that are at high risk of cancer are:
- Bernese mountain dog
- Boxer
- Chow Chow
- Cocker spaniel
- Collie
- Golden retriever
- Labrador retriever
- Pug
- Rottweiler
- Scottish terrier
- Shar-Pei
If your pet is displaying any symptoms of cancer or has been diagnosed with cancer, sort below by cancer type or tumor location to learn more about each cancer type and available treatment options for your pet. Click on the links for more specific information on treatment and real patient stories.
Head and neck tumors
- Oral melanomas in dogs
- Squamous cell carcinomas in dogs
- Fibrosarcomas in dogs
- Plasmacytomas in dogs
- Acanthomatous amelioblastomas in dogs
- Adenocarcinomas in dogs
- Nasal tumors in dogs
Brain tumors in dogs
- Meningiomas in dogs
- Pituitary tumors in dogs
Thyroid tumors in dogs
Extremity tumors in dogs
- Osteosarcomas in dogs
- Soft-tissue sarcomas in dogs
- Fibrosarcomas in dogs
- Infiltrative lipomas in dogs
- Mast cell tumors in dogs
Spinal tumors in dogs
Pelvic canal tumors in dogs
- Anal gland adenocarcinomas in dogs
- Prostatic tumors in dogs
Liver tumors in dogs
Pancreatic tumors in dogs
Lung tumors in dogs
Kidney tumors in dogs
Carcinoma/Epithelial cancer in dogs
- Nasal/paranasal sinus
- Squamous cell carcinoma
- Basal cell
- Tonsillar
- Thyroid
- Salivary gland
- Ceruminous gland
- Bronchogenic/non-small cell lung
- Hepatocellular
- Biliary
- Pancreatic
- Adrenal
- Renal
- Transitional cell of bladder/prostate/urethra
- Prostatic
- Anal gland
- Perianal
- Chemodectoma
- Neuroendocrine carcinoma
- Thymoma (epithelioid)
Sarcoma/Mesenchymal cancer in dogs
- Fibrosarcoma
- Chondrosarcoma
- Osteosarcoma
- Hemangiopericytoma
- Histiocytic sarcoma
- Peripheral nerve sheath tumor/Schwannoma
- Meningioma
- Astrocytoma
- Glioma
- Oligodendroglioma
- Choroid Plexus papilloma
- Ependymoma
- Multilobular osteochondroma
Round Cell cancer in dogs
- Lymphoma
- Thymoma (lymphoid)
- Plasmacytoma
- Multiple Myeloma
- Melanoma
- Mast Cell Tumor
References
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National Cancer Institute Center for Cancer Research. Accessed July 23, 2018, from https://ccr.cancer.gov/Comparative-Oncology-Program/pet-owners/disease-info
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National Canine Cancer Foundation. Accessed July 23, 2018, from http://wearethecure.org/learn-more-about-canince-cancer/canine-cancer-library/