The liver is a major organ that helps in detoxification of the body. Carcinogenic and toxic compounds consumed by dogs pass through it, which can potentially cause primary liver cancer in dogs. The liver is also a front-runner in destinations for metastatic tumors in humans as well as dogs. Primary cancer tends to metastasize to other parts of the body quite easily and this can happen before the disease has even been diagnosed.

A liver than functions improperly is tantamount to shutting down the multiple functions that the liver has to perform. These include:

* Detoxification of toxins and drugs.
* Storage and dispersion of nutrients.
* Regulation of body temperature and circulation.
* Metabolism.
* Digestion of food.

Initially the symptoms of liver cancer in dogs appear as abdominal pain when the dog is lifted from the stomach, a large mass felt in the abdomen or excessive weight loss. High levels of bilirubin in the blood stream or urine and an ultrasound that shows an enlarged liver or inflammation in the pancreas are indicative of liver cancer. A definitive diagnosis, however, is done with a liver biopsy.

There comes a life after a dog’s body has reached a certain size and maturity that the natural multiplication of cells by division stops producing new cells. Cells are then produced only to replace dead cells. The body produces new cells only in exceptional cases like a cellular injury.

Such replacement is the necessity of the body and the process of replacement or otherwise is natural. Sometimes there are instances when the controlling system that maintains a balance between the death and growth of cells is unsettled by internal or external factors. This causes the cell production to start producing in an unregulated production mode. This results in a mass of cells (tumor) that perform no specific function and are not required by the body.

Not all tumors or cancers in dogs, are harmful for the body. Sometimes the cells that grow unnecessarily resemble the normal cells of the organ from which they grow. These are benign tumors.

Swamp cancer is a relatively uncommon form of infection in dogs, horses, cats and humans. It is caused by a fungal infection known as phycomycosis due to pathogens that are present in stagnant water molds and fungi. The most common form of the disease is pythiosis that invades the body by contact and/or consumption of infected water. Although more common in dogs and horses, it can potentially occur in cats, cattle and even humans.

The most likely cause is the invasion of Pythium insidiosum. The organism needs stagnant water to reproduce and thrive. It can affect dogs swimming in swampy water or drinking contaminated water and also those coming in contact with grass that has been exposed to stagnant water. The organism, present in water molds, enters into wounds in the skin or the gastrointestinal tract. Gradually the disease grows in the stomach and small intestines and leads to symptoms similar to the symptoms of liver cancer in dogs and gastrointestinal cancer.

* Vomiting.
* Diarrhea.
* Lethargy.
* Loss in weight.
* A lump of mass in the abdomen.

Lung cancer in cats may either be primary or secondary. Primary lung cancer originates in the lung tissue while secondary lung cancer is caused by metastasis from other cancerous sites. Like other cancers, the early signs of lung cancer are not easily detectible and its prevalence is evident only after a chest X-Ray has been done. As the cancer develops some of the clinical signs that emerge are phlegm or blood on coughing, weight loss and anorexia.

A typical primary lung cancer is a single mass but can appear as multiple tumors in its advanced stages. A secondary lung cancer that has spread from another part of the body would almost always appear as multiple masses in different lung lobes.

A confirmed diagnosis is of utmost necessity because some types of fungal infections can also appear as masses in the lungs. If fungal infection is suspected, it can be confirmed by the use of fungal titers or a microscopic analysis of samples taken from the site of the infection. Confirmation of lung cancer is possible only after microscopic examination of a sample obtained through biopsy.

The liver is a multifunctional organ in the body. It is involved in practically all the biochemical processes that go on in a healthy body. It transfers food into energy, detoxifies waste materials, synthesizes proteins and also serves as a blood reservoir. It is natural for any disorder in such a versatile organ to affect other parts of the body. Moreover its capacity to act as a life preserver is so enormous that it can function efficiently even when nearly 70 to 80% of its mass is affected by any disease, even if it is liver cancer in dogs.

The natural corollary of the liver’s multifunctional role and its reserve capacity is that the liver can keep your dog alive despite a major infection or a huge tumor. The fact that the symptoms of liver cancer in dogs tend to be non specific or mimic symptoms of other disorders adds to the problem. More often than not the symptoms can remain hidden till the disorder has advanced to an untreatable stage.

Outdoor cats, especially white cats or those with white non-pigmented areas carry a high risk of developing certain types of skin cancers. Typically these are the cancers that are linked with excessive exposure to sunlight.

The first few signs of such a condition are a discoloration of the skin, pinkish skin that looks as if it has scales and excessive loss of hair. On the first signs of such symptoms the cat should be protected from sunlight to restrict further development of the disease. If ignored this leads to further crusting of the skin and ultimately develops into a squamous cell cancer.

Squamous cell cancer is a malignant tumor that normally manifests on ear flaps, the visible cartilage of the external ear, nose and eyelids. Unlike other types of feline cancer squamous cell cancer rarely spreads to other parts of the body. But when it does, it can affect the lymph nodes and lungs. The initial signs of this cancer appear in the form of a scab on the head or minor irritations that cause itching. If not checked the harmless looking lesions can worsen and cause more painful conditions like:

Intestinal cancer throws up symptoms that are similar to symptoms caused by an inflammation or obstruction in the intestinal passage. This makes early detection a difficult task. Although they form a small percentage of all feline cancers and cancers in dogs, prognosis ranges from poor to bad depending upon the location of the tumor.

The common types of cancers that can develop in a cat’s intestines include:

* Lymphoma – A neoplasm of lymph tissue that is most predominant in cats.
* Mast Cell Neoplasia – A cancer that causes single or multiple lesions in the small intestines.
* Adenocarcinoma – A malignant tumor that originates from the glandular epithelium.
* Other Intestinal Neoplasms such as rectal and colon tumors.

Lymphoma is the most common form of intestinal tumors in cats followed by carcinomas and mast cell tumors. Like the symptoms of liver cancer in dogs, intestinal tumors in cats also remain concealed due to the general nature of symptoms. Tumors located in different areas of the intestine have different manifestations.

The spleen in the body is the storehouse of blood. It also functions as an organ for destroying old red blood cells and holding blood for emergencies. It is an important part of the body’s immune system. Located just below the stomach, in emergencies such as a hemorrhage, it springs into action to provide blood for replenishing the loss. Even though life can be normal without a spleen, its absence, however, predisposes infections.

The spleen constitutes of a red soft surface containing two different types of pulp – white and red. While the red pulp functions as a mechanical filter removing unwanted substances from the blood, the white pulp helps to fight infections.

A growth in the spleen signifies abnormality and the presence of cancer cells needs to be investigated. A growth leading from the red pulp is usually a rare malignant neoplasm characterized by rapidly proliferating anaplastic cells known as hemagiosarcoma. It is derived from blood vessels lining blood-filled spaces. Growths arising from the white pulp are either mast cell tumors or a lymposarcoma, which is the more common type of feline cancer rather than canine cancer. Two third of all spleen tumors signify cancer in dogs . Again about two third of all malignancy in spleen arises from the red pulp causing hemagiosarcoma.

Despite a good prognosis for some types of cancer, due to the fatality and toxicity of the medication associated with it, pet owners are often confronted with a dilemma whether to go for a treatment or not. Most of the times, cancer in dogs occurs in old age making dogs more vulnerable to the side effects of conventional treatment. Surgery has a limited scope in as far as it can only excise parts of the tumor.

There is a dire need for exploring new areas of cancer treatment. Despite significant developments in this field, a lot more needs to be done to develop new strategies and drugs that target only cancerous cells and spare the normal cells.

The development of any new treatment needs to be done keeping in mind that any medication should cure the disease with a minimum of side effects. To achieve this goal the therapy has to target and destroy only the cancer cells while it allows the normal healthy cells to live.

The success of any cancer treatment is directly related to the stage at which it is detected. There are strong possibilities of cancer in dogs spreading to vital organs making surgical removal an impossible task.

All cancers do not occur as tumors that can be seen on the surface of the body. And therefore these tumors are not too easy to notice and monitor. In many cases malignant cancer symptoms manifest themselves as symptoms that are related directly to the organ it affects.

Symptoms like gastrointestinal bleeding or diarrhea are associated with a tumor in the stomach, small and large intestines or colon. Similarly, cancer in hormone producing organs surfaces in the shape of endocrinal disorders and brain or spinal cord tumors are associated with neurological symptoms.

However there are instances where cancer produces general symptoms that do not point to a specific organ. For example, the symptoms of liver cancer in dogs like loss of appetite, a distended stomach and weakness can be associated with cancer as well as other ailments. Some of the other non specific symptoms include weight loss, low grade fever, muscle weakness, skin rash, hair loss and lethargy.