Every practising veterinarian would have been confronted by clients who shiver in fear as they present their pets who they believe are suffering from cancer. Some are reluctant even to mention the word. They call it the ‘Big C’ or just simply a “growth”. It takes some effort firstly to placate the owner and assuage the terror, before actually administering to the pet. Yet, so often, the ‘lump’ or swelling has nothing to do with cancer. Today, we will begin a series of articles on the subject.
Cancer in pets (and in humans) is a complex issue. Veterinarians are confronted often with tumours in elderly cats and dogs. I dare say human doctors also have great difficulty explaining the cancer ailment to the sufferer or to his/her family. Well, cancers in pets differ little from those in humans. Also, I should add that when you ‘google’ for information, that which you read and think you understand might very well not reflect a reality, or make you much the wiser.
Most people think of and associate the word tumour with a cancerous growth occurring on the skin or somewhere inside the
