Dr Sue Cancer Vet

3 days ago

🐕 DYK there’s a higher incidence of bladder cancer in 14 breed of dogs, including Beagles. And these 14 breeds account for about 1/3 of all cases of bladder cancer.

😍 Meet sweet Fiona. This adorable Beagle is my new patient, and I’m treating her for bladder cancer which is extending into her urethra.

🚽 Unfortunately bladder cancer - called transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) - is often found late as its symptoms look like a urinary tract infection (UTI) - bloody urine, straining, incontinence, frequent peeing.

💊 And many dogs also have a UTI so the symptoms temporarily improve on antibiotics.

🧬 There is also a new commercial urine test that detects a mutation found in bladder and prostate cancer and can be used for diagnosis. It’s called the BRAF mutation test, and I love that it’s non-invasive, can detect the cancer early, and there are no false positives. (That means if the test comes back positive we are confident in the result.)

👉🏼 So what can you do? Because early detection & diagnosis are important.

✔️Know if you have a dog at increased risk (swipe to see the list of breeds). But remember other breeds & mixed breeds can sadly be diagnosed too, even though it is relatively rare.
✔️If you own a high-risk breed, it might be worth talking to your veterinarian about the CADET Braf test. I consider screening at-risk breeds every 4 to 6 months with this easy-to-collect urine test.
✔️If your dog has these symptoms or multiple UTI, talk to your veterinarian or a specialist about additional tests (abdominal ultrasound, the BRAF urine test, cytology or biopsy - it will depend on the case). Especially if your dog is over the age of 6.
✔️ If your dog is diagnosed with TCC, there are treatment options (most common ones are chemotherapy, NSAIDs, and sometimes surgery but there are others), and treatment is well tolerated.

♥️ That’s the goal with sweet Fiona. To #kickcancersbutt &
#livelongerlivewell ... See MoreSee Less