PETS

Dogs, cancers affect large, purebred ones more: new study helps prevent them

We care a lot about the health of our four-legged friends, but sometimes this is not enough. As with humans, cancer is a major cause of death in dogs as well, and often of manages to intervene when, unfortunately, it is too late.

A new study, conducted and published in "Plos On" and by a California research group, has shown  which dog breeds are more likely to have this disease, taking into account also the size of the dog.

The tests were conducted noninvasively, and the results the U.S. team arrived at could be of great help both to future researchers and to ordinary owners, who now have more information on how to care for their puppies against this terrible disease.

Freepik
Bichon Frisé
Cancer is one of the most common diseases among humans but also among dogs, especially in adulthood. As of today, however, we are entering a new frontier in terms of prevention. Clinical examination and monitoring of unusual symptoms and behaviors that may let the owner know that "something is wrong" remains very important. In addition, as of today, there are noninvasive blood tests that can highlight tumor DNA before the signs show up at the physical level.
Freepik
French bulldog
A study by the California team at PtDx, led by researcher Jill Rafalko, has set itself an ambitious goal: to try to determine the average age of cancer occurrence in dogs of different breeds and sizes. The goal of this research is quite clear from the outset: to attempt to create statistics that may be useful in writing new guidelines for prevention campaigns. Simply put: to give dog owners as much information as possible about their pup's health.
Freepik
Bernese Shepherd
What were the results of this research, published in "Plos One"? There were 3452 dogs with tumors involved in the research (all from the United States), and what emerged was that the average age when the diagnosis was made was 5 years for dogs weighing more than 7.5 kg and 11 years for those weighing between 2.5 and 5 kg.
Freepik
Vizslas
In addition, breed is also a determining factor. On average, the mean age at diagnosis for purebred dogs was 8.2 years, compared with 9.2 years for dogs whose breed was described as mixed or other. This means, therefore, that purebred dogs and those of larger breed tend to get cancer earlier than others. Consequently, screening should be done earlier.
Freepik
Irish Wolfhound
Now let's talk specifically about breeds. As AGI news agency reports, mastiffs, Saint Bernards, Great Danes and bulldogs had the youngest average age at the time of diagnosis, at about 6 years. Between 6.1 and 7 years old, on the other hand, were found to be the breeds Irish Wolfhound, Vizslase, Bernese mountain dog. At 11.5 years, Bichon Frisé had the oldest average age. Here, however, we are talking only about the dog breeds sufficiently represented, as a number, in the study.
Freepik
Great Dane
But there is more. In general, females were diagnosed at a later age than males, just as neutered dogs were diagnosed later than "whole" dogs.
Freepik
San Bernand
Reported by Corriere della Sera, these were the conclusions the California team came up with: "Our research showed that all dogs should begin cancer screening at the age of 7, but some breeds may benefit from screening from the age of 4."
Art galleries private collections
07/05/2024
Informativa ai sensi della Direttiva 2009/136/CE: questo sito utilizza solo cookie tecnici necessari alla navigazione da parte dell'utente in assenza dei quali il sito non potrebbe funzionare correttamente.