Bone Cancer in Dogs and Cats

Bone cancer develops and matures differently in dogs than in cats. Because osteosarcoma develops rapidly, treatment should be given as soon as possible. The most common sign of cancer is lameness and pain, but this usually happens after the disease has already taken hold of your pet.

Osteosarcoma is a common bone tumor found in both dogs and cats. It is an aggressive tumor, and causes bone disintegration. Some times tissue is involved and the disease often metastasizes.

Treatment

There are various options for treatment of bone cancer in pets, chemotherapy and surgery can be performed, as well as amputation or limb sparing. Unfortunately, when only surgery is involved, 90% of dogs will die within one year due to metastasis.

Canine Osteosarcoma

The main goal during surgery is to remove the tumor as well as a clean healthy cell margin. Sometimes amputation is done to accomplish this or limb sparing, which uses tissue grafting. Chemotherapy is sometimes administered to dogs with osteosarcoma, and it can increase the survival 8-10 months with 50% of patients alive after 11 months. Radiation therapy can be performed as well, and it can be used in limb sparing and for those that do not want to do amputation. If amputation is needed, most animals adapt well to it. Aftercare is especially important, as you do not want your pet developing any type of infection after the procedure.

Feline Osteosarcoma

The rate of metastasis is much lower for cats than dogs and most cats will do just fine after the tumor is removed. The median survival rate for cats is 2 years, but many cats surpass that. Due to the fact that metastasis in cats is slow, radiation therapy proves to be quite helpful. Chemotherapy is not typically recommended for felines, but it is not completely ruled out as a course of treatment.

Conclusion:

This pet owner's testimonial, sent to us at PreciousPets.org by Linda M. (one of our customers) from Washington, says it all:

"In July of last year, (2001) our 8 year old dog was diagnosed with a fast growing type of bone Cancer. Since there was nothing that our vet could do for him, and we were told that his bones would eventually become so brittle that they could break with him just going up and down the stairs of our home, it was decided that we would have to have him put to sleep.

My husband and I did not want to face his death so soon so decided to wait and see how things went. Over the next few weeks he almost gave up eating altogether and had lost about 20 lbs. He felt bad for him because his ribs were sticking out and so we scheduled to have him put to sleep later that same week.

I received a call a few days later from a friend that told me about Transfer Factor Plus Tri-Factor, and so we decided to give it a try what did we have to lose. We began giving him 2 capsules a day for about 2 months. He seemed to be improving so we stopped giving it to him. After a few weeks he stopped eating again and he was dragging his front leg again. We thought that we were beginning to lose his battle with Cancer.

We did not realize that with someone as sick as our dog was, their immune system is weak and they need the constant help of Transfer Factor Plus Tri-Factor to stimulate the immune system to continue working. So once again after a follow up call from my friend, in December, we decided to start him back on 2 Transfer Factors in the morning, and 2 in the evening.

It has been 7 months now since we first got the bad news, and much to our vets amazement, our dog is continuing to improve. We will have another x-ray in a few months to see how the bone is healing, but the swelling has totally subsided, and he is once again running and playing with his friends again. The neighbors really feel as though this is truly a miracle, and I tell them no, it is what our bodies are designed to do when our immune systems are strong. Gismo our Dog is continuing to improve, and we still give him 2-4 Transfer Factors a day. I will be anxious to see what his x-rays show in a few more months."
LM / Washington State

Note: I am the friend that introduced this to Linda. Animal owners will naturally ask if this will work for humans, like it does for animals. Think about it! Of course it does...Transfer factor works in all mammals...we all have immune systems that need support, and that is what Transfer Factor does best. It doesn't cure anything, it simply downloads "the messenger molecules" in order to give our body's immune system the "intelligence" so that it can mount an appropriate, immediate response against invaders.
Bree Weasner

Additional Reading: Successful Cancer Treatments for Dogs and Cats

Transfer Factor is not intended to cure or treat disease. It is designed to enhance immune system function to optimal levels. The immune system enhancement is responsible for any clinical improvements.