Dubai: The British Veterinary Hospital receives at least one dog every week with breast or ovarian cancer.
Dr Sara Elliott at the hospital is raising awareness about breast cancer in dogs, pointing out the conditions are more common than most dog owners think. Studies show dogs spayed between the age of six and nine months, just before their ‘first heat’, are eight times less likely to get mammary cancer. They also have only a 0.05 per cent risk of developing mammary cancer, when compared to intact female dogs.
Just like people, dogs need regular exams. Dog owners can run their hand along their underside, and feel for lumps and bumps. Most lumps start out around the size of a pea, and the risk is almost completely eliminated by surgery if detected early, said Dr Elliott.
