Bone cancer in dogs is one of the more common and potentially serious conditions that your pet can develop. Relative to other types of cancer, cancer of the bones is seen frequently. There are a variety of different types of bone cancer that can affect your dog, and the outcome and prognosis is different depending upon a number of factors. The first step toward a successful treatment of your pet's bone cancer is recognizing the condition. Read on for a brief overview of the prognosis for different types of bone cancers, and how those cancers are treated for the best results in dogs.
Osteosarcoma Prognosis in Dogs
Osteosarcoma is one of the more common forms of bone cancer in dogs. This type of cancer is highly malignant, meaning that it grows quickly in your pet's body and tends to spread to other parts of his system easily. In fact, nearly all cases of osteosarcoma will have already metastasized and spread to other parts of your pet's body by the time that you and your vet diagnose them. The chance of survival and recovery goes down considerably when the osteosarcoma has spread to another part of your pet's system; in cases in which the cancer has spread to the lungs or brain, the chances of recovery are minimal.
In order to improve the potentially negative prognosis associated with osteosarcoma, know the symptoms of this condition well so that you can diagnose it quickly. Amputation of the affected limb or surgical excision is one of the most frequent treatments, and it's usually combined with radiation therapy or chemotherapy in order to effectively eliminate osteosarcoma throughout the rest of the body as well.
Dog Fibrosarcoma Prognosis
Fibrosarcomas tend to target one small part of your pet's body. They may cause a great deal of harm to his health, but they are very unlikely to spread to other parts of his body. This means that the prognosis for this type of cancer in dogs is generally quite good, and most pets that suffer from this condition will survive. Surgical excision is the most common form of treatment.
Chondrosarcoma Prognosis in Dogs
A third major type of bone cancer in dogs is chondrosarcoma. These growths are less common than both osteosarcomas and fibrosarcomas, though they still account for a sizable percentage of bone cancer cases in dogs. They are less likely to spread to other parts of your pet's body than osteosarcomas are, but more likely than fibrosarcomas. Successfully treating your pet and receiving a good prognosis for this condition is dependent upon both where the chondrosarcoma is located in your dog's body and also on your successfully identifying the condition early on so that you can remove it promptly.
For more information about the symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of these and other kinds of bone cancer that may affect your pet, consult with your veterinarian with any additional questions you may have.