Humans Aren’t the only Ones who Can get breast cancer
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Skipper and Slouch’s brave mom Stephanie has already reminded us about October being breast cancer awareness month (and how much our beloved pets can mean to our physical, emotional, and spiritual healing). but aside from yourself and the other human members of your household (Yes, I’m including men too—don’t make me bust out the “Men Can get breast cancer Too” pamphlets, because I WILL), there’s another category of family member you need to be “aware” of—your pets.
I’m the owner of a female dog. Fortunately, I had her reproductive bits removed when she was younger (not too young, but young enough), so that’s fewer types of cancer to have to worry about. What does she still have? Her mammary glands. and SHE has ten OF THEM. While spaying Loki before her first heat greatly reduced her chances of developing mammary tumors (dogs not spayed early enough or left intact are seven times as likely to get breast cancer as ), she’s still not immune.
Dogs, out of all “domestic” species, are affected by breast cancer most—three times more than women. Mammary tumors occur most frequently in “intact” (not spayed) female dogs—it’s pretty rare for a male dog to have any mammary issues. having your dog spayed before her first heat reduces her risk for breast cancer dramatically (though having any dog spayed or neutered too young can cause other problems, so please make sure to talk to your vet about the ideal window). Spaying her before her second heat can still reduce the risk, just not by as much. If you spay her after maturity (generally 2- 2.5 years of age), it has no effect on her mammary cancer risk—her risk is the absolutely the same as an intact dog.
The average age of a dog with a mammary tumor is 10.5 years, and a dog under the age of five popping up with one is uncommon. For dogs that do end up with mammary tumors, about 45% of them will be malignant.
The best prevention is spaying at the right time. Again, if you have the option, discuss the ideal spaying window for your pet with your vet. The next best thing to prevention is vigilance. It’s a good idea to give your dog a thorough once-over once a week in general, especially as she ages; turn it into a good scritching or massage session. If you do happen to find a lump on your girl’s belly, have it check out IMMEDIATELY. Do NOT “wait and see.” You don’t want to run the risk of the lump being malignant, metastasizing, and shortening your beloved pup’s life.
[Now, this isn’t to say every single person should spay his or her dog; if you are a responsible, educated, and ethical breeder (an increasingly rare combination), by all means, leave your girls with their goodies and just be very vigilant as they grow older.]
Some breeds seem to have a stronger disposition towards mammary cancer, including: Yorkies, toy and miniature Poodles, English Springer Spaniels, German Shepherds, pointers, English Setters, and Maltese. let me reiterate, these dogs have a strong-er disposition towards mammary tumors compared to other dogs—this does NOT mean if you have one of these breeds, she will automatically end up with breast cancer. It just means if you have one of these breeds, you might want to give her extra belly rubs and use them to your advantage.
And cat owners, while I very much wish I could leave you out of this discussion (because hey, one less cancer to worry about is a great thing), I can’t.
While not as prone to mammary tumors as dogs, cats have a much higher chance of said tumors being malignant—90%. It’s thought that spaying a cat before her first heat can have the same effect, prevention-wise, as it does on a dog, but not as many studies have been conducted, so there’s less evidence to go off of. similar to those in dogs, these tumors are more common in older, intact females; the average age of a cat with a mammary tumor is eleven.
I have to admit, I’ve never had a cat so I don’t know the best way to go about feeling on a kitty belly. Some enjoy belly rubs. Others will remove a finger (or at least several layers of skin). Feel free to leave any tips in the comments.
Again, if you find any lumps on your cat, especially those in the mammary area, have them checked out immediately. When prevention fails, quick detection can pick up some of the slack.
So while you’re being reminded of how human females need to be ever-vigilant concerning their mammary glands, don’t forget about the furred females in the house.