Episode 10: Understanding Pet Cancer Statistics, Prevention, and Treatment

Summary

In this conversation, Ted The Vet discusses the alarming statistics surrounding pet cancer, highlighting that cancer is the leading cause of death in pets, particularly in dogs. He emphasizes the prevalence of cancer in older dogs and the various types of cancers that can affect domestic animals. Additionally, he addresses the significant impact of euthanasia in shelters on pet mortality rates, shedding light on the broader issues of animal welfare and health.

Takeaways

• Cancer is the leading cause of death in our pets.
• Statistically, one in four dogs will develop cancer.
• In dogs over 10 years old, one out of every two are likely to get cancer.
• There are around 200 types of recognized cancers in our domestic dogs.
• Euthanasia of pets in shelters accounts for a high number of domestic animal deaths.
• Other leading causes of death in pets include trauma and infectious disease.
• Heart disease and kidney disease are also significant causes of death in pets.
• Understanding these statistics is crucial for pet owners.
• Awareness can lead to better preventive care for pets.
• Veterinary care plays a vital role in managing pet health.

Transcript

Ted The Vet (00:02.402)
Welcome to Ted the Vet podcast, where pet owners are empowered with insightful tips and advice to give the best care to their furry companion. Hi, I'm Dr. Ted Burkhart, owner of Companion Pet Care in Encinitas, California.

Today I want to go over some basics about cancer in our pets, including some different types, cancer statistics, and finally some traditional and new therapy options. I want to highlight a new cancer vaccination treatment for dogs that I've used a few times recently, and it is called Torigen.

So to start, cancer is the leading cause of death in our pets. Statistically, one in four dogs will develop cancer in their life. And in dogs over 10 years old, one out of every two are likely to get cancer. Other leading causes of death in pets includes trauma, infectious disease, heart disease, and kidney disease.

And unfortunately, the euthanasia of pets in shelters also accounts for a high number of domestic animal deaths. There are around 200 types of recognized cancers in our domestic dogs and a little less in cats, which they have around 120 types of cancer.

Cancer itself can be visible on the skin as a bump or tumor, or it might be hidden in the blood or the bones. so oftentimes, cancer can be difficult to detect.

Ted The Vet (01:34.808)
There are an extensive amount of tests that can be done to identify if there is cancer, starting with blood work, urine, fecal testing, x-rays, ultrasound exams, MRIs, and even PET scans, to name a few. Once a potential location has been identified as cancerous, it can sometimes be tested with a needle aspirate.

or by taking a biopsy or with surgically removing the whole tissue and the cancer associated with it. Cancers are named based on the different types of tissues they affect. Some examples include the skin with common cancers like carcinomas or melanomas or benign adenomas. Cancers of the blood could be, for example, leukemia.

Cancer in the bone is typically an osteosarcoma. The internal organs, like the spleen and liver, can get hemangiosarcomas, or the GI tract can get lymphomas. So there are a large variety of cancers that can affect many different types of tissues. Even just the names alone sound complicated.

But that's just the beginning of the complexity of cancer. The mechanisms behind how each type of cancer works is still being studied and more treatment options are being worked on to treat the different types. Cancer happens when the cells in a certain type of tissue start growing out of control because the DNA copying becomes unregulated.

The cancer cells tend to proliferate and proliferate out of control and they can't be stopped. Extensive research has been done for decades to understand the mechanism of why this happens. And scientists are studying things such as telomeres, which is the end piece of DNA, which tends to shorten each time the DNA is replicated.

Ted The Vet (03:47.369)
It's also understood that if enough damage occurs to a cell's DNA, that mutations can occur, which also lead to abnormal and out of control replication of the cell. So in other words, damage to the DNA can cause the cell to become cancerous.

The most common cause of damage to DNA in our pets includes UV radiation, which usually affects the skin cells. Chemical carcinogens like pesticides, industrial chemicals, cleaning agents, air pollution, and secondhand smoke are all different carcinogens that can affect our pets.

Aside from chemicals, there are also infections. In cats, specifically feline leukemia virus and feline immunodeficiency virus or FIV can lead to mutations that can cause leukemia or lymphoma. Dogs haven't been found to have as many infectious causes for cancers the way that cats have. Another different cause for cancer in dogs and cats can be inflammation.

Historically, cats used to get more commonly would get vaccination site injection cancer, which were termed vaccine associated sarcomas. They identified an adjuvant in the vaccines that were causing this cancer. the producers have changed.

the adjutant and now that cancer is much less common. Another type of inflammation that can cause cancer is dental disease. Oral carcinomas are a common type of cancer in the mouth that dogs and cats can get as a result of chronic gingivitis or gum infection. Spaying and neutering pets at the recommended time can also help prevent certain cancers as well.

Ted The Vet (05:54.807)
One of the biggest risk factors for cancer in our pets is aging. Cancer happens with age because as we all age, our DNA repair mechanisms weaken and the number of possible DNA replication errors increases as the years go by. It's a fact that the incidence of cancer peaks in our older pets and DNA mutations are a major reason for that.

Some of the other background on cancer is that certain dog and cat breeds are predisposed genetically for getting certain types of cancer. Some examples include golden retrievers being overrepresented for getting lymphoma and hemangiosarcoma. Rottweilers are known for getting osteosarcomas, which is bone cancer, mammary cancer in cats.

tends to be much more severe than in dogs because the extensive connecting vasculature in the cat mammary gland chain is much more extensive compared to that of the more isolated vasculature in the mammary glands of dogs. Boxers and French bulldogs also tend to have a higher frequency of mast cell tumors. So that's a lot of basic information about cancer.

I always promote efforts to prevent cancer from occurring, including limiting pesticide exposure, reducing household chemicals and carcinogens, including secondhand smoke, decreasing UV exposure. They actually make UV protective t-shirts for dogs and cats who are outside a lot. And also keeping up to date on vaccines is always important, especially for cats when it comes to cancer.

Keeping on top of dental care with dental cleanings can help prevent cancer as well, along with of course regular exercise, healthy diet, and yearly veterinary exams. But wouldn't it be great if we had an additional treatment option to help prevent cancer?

Ted The Vet (08:08.492)
Well, there have been some very cool recent advances that I want to highlight. And this new field of cancer treatment is actually a cancer vaccine that helps prevent cancer. Torigen is one such cancer vaccine therapy. It's a brand that I have recently used and three of my patients have had the Torigen treatment in the last half a year.

It's an autologous cancer vaccine, which means that it targets each patient's specific individual cancer. The way this targeted cancer therapy works is that we surgically remove a tumor, we take a small portion of the tumor and process it through an elaborate series of steps, which collects the antigen from the tumor. And this is all the torogen sampling that they provide.

When the antigen from the tumor is collected, it is then used as a vaccine and injected back into the patient that had the cancer originally. The science behind it shows that the vaccine stimulates the patient's immune system to fight any of the same type of cancerous growth from popping up in the future. The term autologous refers to the fact that the vaccine is created from the patient's own tumor, and it is meant as a vaccine

to prime the patient's immune system to fight against the same type of cancer coming back. The safety studies have shown to be very safe with a variety of different types of cancer. It has not been studied with all types of cancer, so there are potential limitations to when it can be used. Torigen.

is a system that can be used by general practitioners, which is really nice so that the patient doesn't have to go to a veterinary oncologist or a cancer specialist for treatment. As far as the cost, it tends to be more reasonable than some of the other therapy options like chemotherapy and radiation after the surgery is performed.

Ted The Vet (10:26.368)
One case I used Torigen was an 11 year old French bulldog who was diagnosed with a mast cell tumor.

It was removed with good margins and Buddha recovered well from the surgery. But three weeks later, another mast cell popped up in a different location on his neck. The neck tumor was also removed and this time the tissue is processed through the Torigen system. And since getting the vaccines so far, he has not had any more cancer and has been cancer free. Another case I used it.

was a large mass on the neck of a 12 year old boxer that was identified as a thyroid carcinoma. I removed the mass and processed it through the Torigen system and now Cooper has been living his best life ever since. The mass is gone and no recurrence of cancer. I had a third case where I used Torigen system in a dog with a splenic and liver hemangiosarcoma.

It was a difficult situation and Riley ultimately succumbed to the cancer. So it's not a silver bullet, but I think it has potential to be very helpful for many cases. Care obviously needs to be taken to select the appropriate cases that could benefit from Torigen, but I think it is an exciting new option for cancer prevention. I want to close with a thought.

which is that to me the most important thing is to have a happy pet, feeling good, having a good quality of life, being comfortable and happy enjoying the normal things they like to do. Accomplishing that takes into account the pet's individual health, the pet owner's goals, the finances, resources, et cetera.

Ted The Vet (12:20.128)
So at my hospital, we're always willing to talk with pet owners about these things and the complicated options when it comes to cancer. That's a wrap for today on Ted the Vet podcast. Thanks for joining me. And together we can take great care of your pets. To learn more about my veterinary hospital, you can head over to our website, companionpcvet.com and connect with us on Instagram at companionpetcare.

The links are also available in the show notes. If you enjoyed the episode, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with your fellow animal lovers. I'm Dr. Ted Burkhart. Until next time.