Causes of Breast Tumors in Cats and Dogs
Gender: Female pets are much more prone to breast tumors than males.
Hereditary: It is a known fact that people with a family background of cancer have a tendency for cancer. Similarly, pets have a genetic basis for cancer.
Breeds: Research shows that small breed dogs are more prone to the disease than large breeds. Also, Siamese cats are more susceptible to the disease than other cat breeds.
Drugs: Prolonged hormone medications and synthetic hormones used in pregnancy control are thought to cause breast tumors.
Endocrine system disorders: Hormone disorders, ovarian cysts, false pregnancies, etc., cause breast tumors because they keep hormone metabolism under pressure for a long time.
Remaining milk in the breast: Since the offspring cannot be fed enough from the mother for various reasons (death of the pups, early separation from the mother, etc.), the presence of milk in the breast causes bloating in the regional lymph nodes and unwanted cysts occur in the breast tissue. These tissues can be transformed into tumor formation over time.
Stress: Although it cannot be proven, there are opinions that the mother’s stress during and after birth will cause hormonal imbalances and trigger breast tumors.
Eating Disorders: Malnutrition and unbalanced nutrition are the causes of breast tumors, but overeating is also among the causes of breast tumors. Breast tumors are seen as common in overweight and obese pets as well as in thin pets.
Symptoms of Breast Tumor Disease
Mastitis, abscesses, lipomas, and cystic formations can be confused with breast tumors, and growths due to infections in lymph nodes can be confused with breast tumors. Redness, swelling of the breast tissue, and overall health impairment are observed. An inflammatory and bloody discharge comes from the nipple. Regional lymph nodes are swollen. Patients start to have septicemia. This condition can be suppressed by using strong antibiotics. However, it should be noted that the cystic ligament tissue or cold abscess and swollen lymph tubers in the breast tissue may become tumors and will be a problem over time.
Clinical symptoms of malignant breast tumors are loss of appetite, weakness, pain, and bloating. A painful tumoral mass which is integrated with breast tissue can be detected. Sometimes these tumors can also become abscessed. In this case, a bloody inflammatory discharge comes from the nipple. In clinical examination, it is seen that the regional lymph nodes are swollen. They are big enough to feel when you touch them. They have different diameters. A rapid growth of malignant tumors can be observed.
Benign tumors are more uniform, but malignant tumors are disfigured and large.
Breast tumors negatively affect and restrict the patient’s quality of life.
For the article on breast tumors in cats and dogs, please click here.
For the article discussing considerations before and after breast tumor operation, please click here.
