There are always some cancer cells in the body, which the body can effectively kill on its own if the immune system is strong. Despite this fact pets still develop cancers that need treatment. Cancer in dogs and cats may not be a very common condition but it can be as problematic and fatal as in humans.

Pets cannot speak about the discomfort that they are facing and therefore, it is upon the pet owners and veterinarians to use their observation and knowledge to establish prevalence of, say, symptoms of liver cancer in dogs and cats among other health conditions.

Feline cancer can occur in any part of the body. If cancer has been diagnosed in certain specific areas, radiation therapy is one of the treatment options that should be considered.

Radiation therapy involves the same X-Rays that are used for a normal X-Ray for clinical investigation. The difference is that the levels of the X-Rays that are used for the therapy are thousands of times more powerful.

Cancer is an abnormal growth of malignant cells and can virtually affect any part of the body. The abnormal growth can take various forms like tumors. Tumors are solid masses of cancerous cells that can spread to other parts of the body. Metastasis (spreading) is one of the main reasons that results in disorders in other organs.

Symptoms of cancer in cats vary according to the type of cancer that the animal is suffering from. However, each type of feline cancer has a certain set of symptoms that are easy to observe. These are:

* Oral Cancer – Bleeding from the mouth, drooling and difficulty in eating or swallowing.
* Lung cancer – Difficulty in breathing, rapid breathing and panting.
* Cancer in the digestive tract – Projectile vomiting, diarrhea, cessation of eating and mucous or blood in feces.
* Bone cancer of the limbs – Limp in gait or stiffness of legs.
* Skin cancer – Wounds that appear minor but do not heal over time. A protracted nasal discharge is indicative of cancer in the nasal passage. Some skin cancer do not manifest as lumps but as bleeding or scabs.

The l iver is an important organ of the detoxification system in the body. Every human being and pet is exposed to carcinogens. These carcinogens are substances that cause cancer. The liver purifies these carcinogens to a large extent keeping the toxicity levels down.

But in cats, the fungi that appear on spoiled cat-food, specific pesticides and food additives, dyes, plants and animal tissue become toxic only after being metabolized by the liver. These substances can therefore, potentially cause feline cancer in the liver in cats.

Primary liver tumors are rare in cats and most of the times liver cancer in cats appears as a result of metastasis from other cancers. Primary liver tumors can be benign or malignant. Benign tumors do not cause much trouble to the cat unless they grow big enough to encroach upon other organs that are close by. In certain cases benign tumors in the liver may result in lowering blood sugar levels in the cat.

We all know that temporary treatment and relief from cancer in dogs is possible but a permanent cure is not, especially when metastasis has occurred and affected vital organs. Small localized cancers are curable and a dog can live a normal life. Benign tumors do not technically fall under cancer and can be removed surgically without fear unless of course a vital organ is involved.

Treating cancer, including canine and feline cancers with chemotherapeutic drugs is beset with dangers. Most veterinarians are against the use of these drugs since the affects are sometimes worse than the ailment. Mostly veterinarians suggest chemotherapy if the dog owner insists and is adamant to prolong the life of his dog, irrespective of its quality.

If you are looking for a better quality of life rather than just adding the number of years, you should look towards a holistic treatment for cancer. A natural approach is devoid of toxicity, has no side effects and attempts to fight cancer cells in a natural way. Success, of course, is not in your hands but you can provide a comfortable life to an already beleaguered animal.

Generally, cancer occurs in older animals. Cats are destined to live long and the price they pay for it shows in the increased incidence of feline cancer . Symptoms of cancer in cats and dogs do not present themselves in early stages. It requires a keen observation for an early detection and treatment. For example, the symptoms of liver cancer in dogs need to be evaluated after considering other conditions that throw up similar symptoms.

Cells normally multiply by division in a pattern. Initially there is a continuous increase in cells to achieve an optimal level of growth in cats. Once a particular level is achieved cell multiplication is automatically curbed and new cells are formed to replace dead cells. Certain unknown conditions cause cells to ‘rebel’ and multiply even when the body does not need them. Characteristically, an unrestricted multiplication of cells is known as cancer. Normally a tumor or growth is formed in and around the affected organ or area, which may be localized or invasive and spread to distant organs as well. A tumor may be benign (harmless) or malignant (dangerous to health, often fatal and characterized by progressive and uncontrolled growth)

The location of oral and pharyngeal cancer presents an immediate danger to the life of the dog. The growth causes an obstruction in the oral passage that is difficult to operate and excise.

Benign oral cancer in dogs presents a good prognosis as it does not spread and invade the bones or other tissues like malignant tumors. Benign tumors are well defined and limited to an area while malignant tumors metastasize to nearby as well as distant organs of the body. Treating malignant oral cancers often poses a challenge to surgeons as they are difficult to access. There is aslo an accompanied risk of disfiguration as well.

Early detection is elemental to the success of treatment. Symptoms of oral cancer normally appear in the mouth as:

* Abnormal lumps.
* Overgrowth of gums.
* Bleeding.
* Lesions and sores.
* Difficulty in chewing and swallowing.

But these symptoms do not surface in early stages like the symptoms of liver cancer in dogs and show after it is already too late.

Three types of oral cancer are known to develop in dogs and cats. Oral feline cancer is rarely benign.

Cancer is an uncontrolled malignant growth or tumor caused by abnormal cell division. Cancer can spread to other parts of the body through the lymphatic system or the blood stream. Generally speaking, cancer is usually associated with the organ it affects and termed as such. Skin cancer is the most prevalent cancer in dogs and along with cancer of the mammary glands it forms nearly 58% of all cancers in dogs.

Carcinoma and sarcoma, the two out of the four major types of cancer, are the ones that normally occur in the skin of a dog that need to be differentiated for treatment purposes. Skin cancer usually affects four different types of cells and is divided into four categories as such.

* Epithelial tumors are associated with the skin, skin glands and hair follicles.
* Mesenchyme tumors are cancers resulting from cells that support fat, connective tissue, blood vessels and nerves.
* Round cell tumors include cancer of the external sex organs, mast cell tumors and plasma cell tumors.
* Melanomas are cancer of the cells responsible for pigment in the skin.

Canine prostate cancer is different in some respects and similar in others when compared with prostate cancer in humans. Unlike prostate cancer in humans, which is a slow progressing condition, canine prostate cancer is a highly aggressive and invasive disease. In many cases the life expectancy is barely thirty days after diagnosis.

On the other hand, it produces symptoms that are similar to prostate cancer in humans and is detected just as late. Although, the basis of the disease is the same as in humans, treatment modalities are largely different and restricted in the case of canine prostate cancer.

Cancer cells in dogs that have prostate cancer metastasize (spread) to other parts of the body like bones, lungs and lymph nodes at a fast speed. An abnormal gait is common in dogs with prostate cancer due to the affect that it has on bones.

The prostate gland encircles the urethra and its enlargement causes difficulty in urination (dysuria). Some dogs may also show symptoms such as a difficulty in passing stools or an inclination to defecate without significant production of feces due to spasms in the anal sphincter.

There are two ways in which cancer treatment in pets can be approached. The first is the conventional treatment, which is often tantamount to maltreatment. This is so because conventional treatment is insensitive and causes a great amount of suffering to the animal. Cancer treatment is toxic and options like chemotherapy, radiation and surgery are beset with side effects. These side effects can be more dangerous than the disease itself.

The other approach is the holistic approach, which targets the underlying cause of the disease and attempts to cure it. A holistic approach helps in uprooting the disease from its roots. It also strengthens the overall body organs.

The basic principle behind a holistic approach is that no disease occurs without a cause. A holistic approach treats symptoms as reflections of the body’s effort to heal itself or as the results of the causes behind the disease.

The free flow of information in today’s environment and easy access has made pet owners alive to the symptoms of cancer in dogs and cats. Whether it is a case of cancer in dogs or a feline cancer, it almost always puts pet owners in a dilemma. The dilemma exists between proper treatment and putting the animal to sleep to save him from unnecessary suffering. The seriousness and the fatal nature of the disease almost always desists cat owners to look for any alternative treatment.

The situation with regard to pet cancer has undergone a dramatic change. With advancement in pharmaceuticals and surgical procedures, it has now become easier to diagnose, treat, manage and improve the quality of the life of you canine friend.

To understand how tumors and cancer in dogs start, it is important to first get an inside view of how your dog grows in size. Similar to the growth process of any mammal, the cells in your dog also multiply by division. This process starts right from the time when a female egg is fertilized by the male sperm. Over and above the replacement of the cells that die over time, there are new cells that are formed.

As the dog matures into full size, cell multiplication is curbed to a certain extent. Now only dead cells are replaced as per the needs of the body organs. If the immune system is weak, the factors responsible for regulating replacement of dead cells are compromised. This results into an unregulated growth of cells that can leads to a single cell giving rise to a mass of cells that the body does not need. This unregulated growth of a mass of cells results in a tumor.