Breast cancer in a cat: causes, symptoms, treatment in a veterinary clinic

Many people do not imagine life without pets. They bring in cats, dogs and other animals. However, sometimes you have to face the fact that pets fall ill. And the disease can be either the simplest or the most complex. To the latter, unconditionally, they include oncology.

A cat has two types of tumors: benign and malignant. Unfortunately, the latter is much more common. In benign formations, the clinical picture passes practically without damage to the health of the animal. But the malignant grow very quickly, they can affect any organs with metastases. Over time, the necrotic process opens up on the seals.

Where does the disease come from?

Many cat owners are interested in: "Where do tumors come from?" What causes this disease? "Opinions of doctors and scientists are divided. They offer a large number of versions, but they still can not reach a single solution.

Some believe that the cancer of the breast in a cat arises from the habitat in a polluted environment. Others say that interrupting the process of estrus can cause oncology. There is a version that poor-quality food provokes tumor development. Many veterinarians believe that oncological diseases are inherited at the genetic level, so before you take the animal home, it is recommended to learn as much as possible about its pedigree.

Symptomatics

A cat is an affectionate animal, so it is not a problem to check its skin. This can be done during stroking by probing the tummy. Detected small seals in the area of the mammary glands should be considered the first bell, which can indicate that the cat has breast cancer. What to do in this situation, we will tell further.

If the animal is not helped in the early stages of detection of seals, then the inflammatory process will begin. How soon this happens depends on the condition of the pet. The symptom of the last stage is the emergence of necrosis and metastasis. How many live cats with breast cancer in this case? A few months. Most often they are suffocating, since lung damage occurs.

If a cat hurts some place on the body, it starts to lick it. This happens in all animals without exception. However, this does not bring relief to the affected area. On the contrary, the condition can rapidly deteriorate, possibly the formation of deep ulcers. They accumulate pus, which constantly flows, while accompanied by a sharp putrefactive odor. The animal very quickly grows thin, refuses food, because of what it strongly weakens. There may be an exacerbation of chronic diseases, if such an animal hurted before.

The size of the tumor in the veterinary clinic doctors can predict.

• If the neoplasm is up to 2 cm in diameter, then, as a rule, a favorable outcome is possible in 80% of cases out of 100.
• If the seal has grown to 3 cm, then the animal can be recovered with difficulty.
• But an unfavorable prognosis, in which doctors do not give any guarantees, cause tumors larger than 3 cm.

Diagnosis of the disease

To determine visually at the first stages the type of oncological disease is impossible. Confirm the diagnosis will help only a biopsy. It must be done in special laboratories. In order not to cause additional injuries to the animal, the material is taken as accurately as possible. It is known that metastases can rapidly begin to form in affected areas. With such a clinical picture, treatment is already useless.

In the process of diagnosis it is important to accurately determine the stage of breast cancer. Cats are carefully examined for this. Many doctors recommend to conduct a biopsy of lymph nodes in parallel, since it is in them primarily metastases appear. Also, organ damage can be determined with the help of an X-ray and ultrasound examination. Be sure to take the animal a complete blood test. According to his formula, the doctor determines the condition of the pet and clinical signs. Also, based on the results of the analysis, the optimal dosage of the chemotherapy administered is determined, which the animal organism can transfer.

It is important to understand: the sooner the treatment begins, the more chances for the recovery of the pet.

Treatment

How to cure breast cancer in a cat? In most cases, doctors recommend surgery. However, the animal is not always able to bear it. As a rule, being ill with an oncological disease, the animal is so weak that it can simply die from anesthesia. Also conservative treatment is prescribed for old cats.

Now many effective medicines have been developed that help fight the tumor. Even in the case of drug therapy, the pet will still be prescribed chemotherapy to stop the further development of the tumor. In simple words, a cat will be pricked by a certain dosage of a poisonous substance that destroys cancer cells. Unfortunately, such medications affect not only the affected areas, but also the healthy organs, so it is recommended to visit the veterinary clinic every day, where the doctor will monitor the condition of the cat, and observe how it passes the treatment. If necessary, adjust the dosage in time in order to prevent a sharp deterioration.

The owners will have to tune in for a long treatment. It is important to understand that in the hardest cases the pet should be left in the clinic. Doctors will be able to relieve the general condition with medications, that is, to stop pain, prevent respiratory failure and partially remove intoxication.

Operate or not

According to statistics, the probability of a positive outcome increases if the tumor is removed promptly in an operative way. At the moment, surgical treatment is considered the most effective. With a positive prognosis, the affected area is completely removed. This is what makes it possible to exclude the spread of the disease with a high probability. If the tumor is malignant, the surgeon completely cuts the mammary glands in the animal to prevent the formation of metastases.

If the cat has spread the focus to the lymph nodes, then the only thing that will be offered in the clinic is surgical treatment. If they are not removed, the cancer cells will quickly spread throughout the body in a matter of days, even when taking special medications.

After operation

Providing favorable conditions for the operated animal plays an important role in its recovery. Unfortunately, if you do not follow the recommendations, then the pet is waiting for death. After surgery, the cat should be in absolute rest. When discharging from the clinic, the doctor must prescribe the food, so it must be strictly observed. You also need to treat the wound. As well as what medicines, it is told by the doctor. If additional drugs were prescribed, then they should be given strictly in time. Bandage for a cat with breast cancer is worn necessarily - in order to avoid the discrepancy of postoperative sutures. But if it did happen, then, regardless of the time of day, it is necessary to go urgently to the hospital.

No self-medication!

If the owner has found a seal on the skin of his animal, then in no case can not begin treatment without consulting a doctor. It is strictly forbidden to use thermal applications. For example, the heated salt simply can lead to the death of the pet. When heated benign tumor in a cat will begin to grow rapidly, with malignant formation, the development of numerous metastases will begin. Self-medication of a pet can lead to death, so it's better to turn to professionals.

Preventive measures

How to prevent breast cancer in a cat? Unfortunately, certain preventive measures do not exist.

Some veterinarians recommend up to eight months of age to sterilize. This reduces the risk of oncology, but does not give a one hundred percent guarantee. If the cat has reached the age of seven, it is recommended to undergo an examination in the clinic at least once every six months. Also, systematic examination of the animal does not prevent. This can be done by the owner himself during stroking.

General recommendations:

• Correct and high-quality food;
• Good care;
• Treatment of genital and mastitis diseases;
• Complete rejection of hormonal drugs that disrupt the sexual cycle.

Who is at risk?

Unfortunately, any cat can get cancer. However, most often such cases occur with those individuals who have reached the age of seven. Scientists have been observed that the susceptibility to mastopathy is of Siamese breeds. It is they who have cancer more often.

Watching the cats, the doctors concluded that there were unsterilized animals in the risk group, as well as individuals who had performed the operation after four to five estrus.

Conclusion

Many people treat their pets as children: play with them, take care of them, feed them, and when they get sick they are treated. The main prevention of cancer is the responsibility and care of the owners. If you find even a small seal on the body of a cat, you should immediately go to the clinic and take tests. Negligence in this matter can result in a fatal outcome. It is not recommended to pick one's own in inflamed ulcers, because during this it is possible to apply a microtrauma, which will lead to the formation of metastases.

If there is breast cancer in a cat, most doctors believe that the sooner the tumor is removed, the better and faster the recovery will be. In no case can you just sit and wait, as there are situations when it's simply pointless to do the operation already.