Canine Bladder Cancer Survival Rates

Although it's one of the least common forms of cancer in dogs, canine bladder cancer is nonetheless a very serious and oftentimes fatal condition that can affect any pet, potentially. Regardless of your dog's age, breed, gender or other health conditions, bladder cancer may develop at any time. For this reason, it's important to watch out for symptoms of bladder cancer carefully and to be able to respond as quickly as possible.

As with most other cancers, your pet's chances of surviving a bout with bladder cancer are greater the earlier on that you're able to detect and to treat the condition. Because of this great variation in overall cancer experiences and treatment methods, therefore, it's difficult to pinpoint an exact rate of survival of the disease.

Canine Bladder Cancer Overview

The most common form of canine bladder cancer is a type of malignant tumor known as a transitional cell carcinoma. This tumor develops along the lining of the bladder. To put the relative frequency of the occurrence of canine bladder cancers in perspective as opposed to other types of cancer that can potentially affect your dog, the total number of transitional cell carcinomas in dogs, bladder related or otherwise, account for only half of one percent of all cancer types.

The best way to be knowledgeable about canine bladder cancer is to know what the symptoms are and to be prepared to recognize them as early on as possible. Watch out for the following signs of cancer:

  • Difficulty urinating or defecating
  • Frequent attempts at urination, often with little result
  • Blood in the urine or other discoloration
  • Difficulty breathing
  • Lethargy or unwillingness to exercise or move around

Canine Bladder Cancer Treatment and Survival

The earlier on that you can eliminate the cancerous growth from your pet's bladder, the generally better his chances of survival will be. This means that owners who are more actively aware of the symptoms and other related signs of bladder cancer oftentimes have dogs that are most likely to survive through the cancer. Catching the cancer and removing it before it metastasizes and spreads to another part of your pet's body is the single most important determining factor in his survival rate. Work with your vet to help remove the cancer through surgeries and other methods of treatment as soon as you've discovered it.

Your pet's survival depends also on other issues that are somewhat out of your control. The first of these is where the cancer has lodged itself in his urinary tract. Some parts of the bladder and urinary tract are much easier to access via surgical methods than others. Those that are more difficult will make it harder to properly remove all of the cancerous cells. Another determining factor in your pet's survival is his overall health and other, non-related health conditions. Dogs that are older or that are already weakened by other conditions will have a much harder time fending off the cancerous growth and may have a more difficult time surviving the cancer of their bladders.

 

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