The big C word

As kids, my brothers and I used to play tennis all day during the weekends and after school, until it got dark, at every opportunity.

The only downside was that one of the courts was owned by the local catholic school and we weren’t allowed to play with our shirts off.

Little did the nuns know that they were doing us a huge favour protecting us from harmful UV rays. Unfortunately, my older and fairer-skinned brother has had to have a few skin adjustments as a result of those early days.

Our pets also suffer from many of the same ailments that we do and that includes all those different types of tumours.

First Tip: Try not to use the C word and replace it with the type of tumour it is, for example, a bowel tumour or a skin tumour. I reckon this is really important because it changes the whole focus to something that we can identify and something that nowadays may be completely treatable. Whereas the C word encompasses everything and is so grave and depressingly emotive in an already difficult situation.

‘‘Mufassa’’ – isn’t that an awesome name – is a ginger cat with attitude and used to have a size that demanded serious respect from any other cat that crossed his path. But when he came in to see me in his plush carry box, actually an old possum cage, he was looking thin and tired. At 10 years old he is an older cat, but not geriatric. Nadine explained that he had been losing his appetite for about a week and didn’t want to go outside at all now.

A full exam showed nothing abnormal until I felt around his once ample belly. Inside his abdomen I could feel an egg-sized lump right in the middle. After admitting him to the hospital we gave him a little reversible sedative while we carried out some tests.

The blood tests were normal, but we could see the shadow of the lump on the X-ray. The small cell sample we collected from the mass with a fine needle confirmed our suspicions. The lump was a type of tumour common in older cats – a lymphosarcoma, involving the lymph nodes inside Mufassa’s abdomen.

Studies have shown that cats owned by smokers have twice the chance of developing this type of tumour. Other cats with this tumour have a positive blood result for FIV, the cat form of HIV, or FELV, a cat leukaemia virus.

After discussing the options with Nadine, we decided to try to reduce the tumour size with chemotherapy. Yep, we do that as well. Amazingly, little Mufassa responded really well and the tumour shrunk to a fraction of its original size and he put on weight.

Admittedly the tumour is still there, but he has a good appetite and normal life again. At some stage an inevitable decision will need to be made, but as long as he is well then he can enjoy life as a normal cat in the warmth.

The other common type of tumour we see in cats is the good old squamous cell carcinoma or the skin tumour, caused by UV rays. Those white ear tips and noses are prime sites for this nasty tumour.

Again we can do a lot to treat these tumours and also new sunscreens make putting zinc based protection on cats’ ears a possibility.

The canine relatives aren’t exempt either and we see lots of different types of tumours in these guys and girls. Skin lumps and bumps are the common ones.

We often get asked what type of tumour they are or if they are malignant – travel to other sites in the body – or if they are benign and only a single isolated lump? We can safely tell by the appearance of only some surface growths, such as lumps from the wart family, but other lumps can only be classified by sending a sample to the lab. Any lump is best checked – and that obviously goes for people as well. The earlier we check it out, the safer both you and your best friend will be.

Another thankfully not too common tumour for my patients is the mammary, or breast tumour. The most important point here is that these are totally preventable. Yep, early spaying will prevent this tumour from occurring later in life.

So, if you don’t intend to have a litter of puppies or kittens, then please get your friend spayed before their first season to prevent them getting these tumours.

There are lots of other tumours including the common lipoma, which occurs in the well-rounded older canines, and nasty bone tumours in larger breed canines.

This next week is a very important one. There are two charities that need everyone’s help – the SPCA and the Cancer Society. It’s such a small contribution, but if everyone makes one, it will make a huge difference to so many.