Dog Ovarian Tumors

Ovaries are the glands that produce the eggs in dogs. There is no specific cause for ovarian tumors except the fact that your dog is intact. The most common tumor of the ovaries is carcinoma.

Ovarian tumors are rare in dogs. It is felt that this is due to neutering rather than specific health or environmental issues. Most will appear in older dogs. There are some breeds that seem to be more prone to ovarian cancer. The German Shepherd Dog, Poodle and Boston Terrier appear to have a higher instance of tumors.

Signs and Symptoms

• Stay alert to any changes in your dog’s heat cycle.

• Hair loss may be evident

• The breast may become enlarged

• The uterus can become infected

• Your female dog adopting more and more male behaviorisms

• Fluid in the abdominal cavity which will cause pronounced enlargement of the abdomen, aka Dog Swollen Abdomen

• Fatigue

• Your dog may have some shortness of breath due to the increased accumulation of fluids in the upper abdomen and chest cavity.

• Dog Loss of Appetite with subsequent Dog Weight Loss

• Dog Fever

Diagnosis

An accurate history of your dog’s health will aid your vet in the diagnostic process. Your veterinarian will perform standard diagnostic tests such as blood counts and chemical profiles. Although they may be normal with the occurrence of ovarian cancer, it will assist in ruling out other illnesses.

Palpation of your dog’s abdomen may allow the vet to feel the tumors in the abdomen.

X-rays are helpful in distinguishing abdominal masses in the abdomen. They can also be taken of the chest, which will indicate whether or not there is involvement in the chest and lungs. If these do indicate tumor, an ultrasound may also be done to get a more accurate image of the tumors.

Testing of the cells in the abdomen and lungs can confirm the presence of cancer. This can be done by biopsy if necessary.

Treatment

Surgery is the preferred treatment in dogs that do not have metastasis. This will involve the removal of the uterus and the ovaries. There are instances when chemotherapy may also be done. This is based on a case by case evaluation.

Home treatment

Your veterinarian will give you specific instructions as to your home care. Initially controlling the Dog Pain, observing the operative area for infection and maintaining proper nutrition will be the most important things that you will need to do. By preventing pain, you will prevent excessive licking or biting of the surgical area.

Nutritional status must be maintained to shorten recovery and accelerate healing. Your dog may be placed on a special Dog Cancer Diets. One thing to consider is the lack of appetite that comes along with pain. It may be best to offer several small meals each day rather than one feeding daily. This will give your dog the opportunity to get the necessary nutrition without the discomfort a full stomach may produce after surgery.

Prognosis

The prognosis for recovery of ovarian cancer is always guarded. Mush of this depends on how far the disease has progressed and whether or not it has metastasized to other organs. Paying attention to behavioral changes and body changes in your dog can aid in early diagnosis.

Prevention

Have your dog spayed at a young age.

Suggested Products

Nu-Pet Vitamin & Antioxidant Wafers
Cancer Support Kit – Dogs

Additional Dog Cancer Pages

Dog Cancer | Dog Skin Cancer | Dog Bladder Cancer | Dog Pancreatic Cancer | Dog Bone Cancer | Dog Cancer Prevention | Dog Cancer Diagnosis | Dog Lymphoma Cancer | Dog Gastric Cancer | Dog Mast Cell Tumors