It is “Feel ‘Em Up Friday”! In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I feel it is my duty to remind all humans to check over their pets for lumps and bumps on a weekly basis. Checking more often can make you not realize how much a lump is growing, and checking less often can make you miss early detection of lumps. If you find anything suspicious, you should take your pet to the vet for examination. Your veterinarian can tell a lot just by feeling the lump, so a professional examination is ALWAYS recommended. Depending on the nature of the lump, your vet may take a sample from it to look at under the microscope, recommend removal, or have you watch it for growth or change. Did you know that many of the same cancers that affect people also affect pets? In fact, breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed tumor nationally in dogs, and the 3rd most common in cats. Lymphoma, skin cancer, and bone cancer also top the list. Since pets age so much faster than people, it is vitally important to have regular visits with your veterinarian to try to detect these cancers as early as possible. Just as with people, certain cancers can be treated if caught early enough!
