Dog Skin Cancer Occurs More Than You Think

Sun Protection is a fact of life™

Has dog skin cancer affected your dog? Skin cancer occurs more in dogs than you think it does. If you have a dog going through skin cancer right now, than you already know some of the facts, that are going to be explained here. But for those people who are unaware of this cancer let's take a closer look at it.

Skin Tumors

Skin tumors are the most common kind or tumor that happens in dogs. These tumors found in the skin can always be cancerous and need to be found early. So examine your dog for the signs of dog skin cancer.

Have you veterinarian know if you find any signs or tumors or growths so he can check to see if it is cancerous. Sun exposure can play into the dogs getting skin cancer. Certain parts of a dog's body are not protected from the sun by hair. Most people don't even think about dogs needed sun protection.

Thin-coated or dogs with coats that are light in color have a higher chance for sun damage to happen to their skin. Be careful how much this type of dog is exposed to the sun. So you need to be diligent about checking your dog's skin or having the vet do it. You need to catch the cancer quickly, because left untreated it could be fatal depending on which kind it is.

Various Kinds of Cancer in Dogs

There is more than one kind of dog skin cancer that occurs in dogs. The top three are explained below:

Squamous cell carcinoma happens in the epidermis part of the skin. Exposure to the sun is a main cause for this cancer. It is also reported that the presence of the papilloma virus may increase the dog getting this cancer too. The squamous cancer cells can be quite aggressive and the area surrounding the tumor, but they do not affect the lymph nodes.

Malignant melanoma affects the same cells in dogs as it does in people, the melanocytes. These cells control the pigment of the skin. The dogs can also have benign tumors appear in these melanocytes in areas of the body that have no hair.

The mouth and other mucous membranes is where a great majority of the malignant melanomas show up. They can sometimes occur in other areas of the dog's body but just a small amount of the time. These grown quickly and usually spread to vital organs such at the liver and lungs. Genetics are said to play a part in the formation on melanomas in dogs.

Mast cell tumors are the most occurring of the skin tumors in dogs. They hit the immune system and have no definite cause linked to them. They are believed to begin due to some irritants or inflammation affecting the skin is some of the cases. Genetics could also play a role along with being affected by hormones.

So remember as you are playing out in the sun with your dog, that it may just need some uv protection just like you. This will lower the risk at least for it developing dog skin cancer.

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