May is Pet Cancer Awareness Month

May is Pet Cancer Awareness Month, and vets and other experts across the country are hoping the month will bring awareness to the most common cause of disease-related death among pets.

Cancer is especially prevalent among certain breeds of canine, notably German Shepherds, Golden Retrievers and Rottweilers, breeds that in their lifetime can have an 80 percent risk of developing cancer.

Among other breeds, about 25 percent of all dogs will develop cancer, while among all dogs over the age of 10, there is a 50 percent chance of developing cancer.

The most frequently diagnosed form of cancer in pets is lymphoma, so pet owners can sometimes check their pets' lymph nodes to see if they're swollen, but experts instead urge pet owners to take their animals to their vets every 6-12 months for important check-ups, as the sooner any case of cancer is discovered the better the chances that treatments--chemotherapy, surgery, radiation, clinical trials--will work.

Pet owners are urged to limit any exposure to lawn car chemicals and pesticides, as well as maintaining a healthy weight, since researchers have linked cancer in animals to obesity.

Source: Cancer Treatment.net