Canine tumors sound like our furry children are far away. But in fact, some dogs may suffer from tumors due to factors such as dog breed and environment. Lymphoma is one of the most common tumors in dogs. Lymphocytes are part of the immune system, so lymphoma can affect almost any organ in the body. The early symptoms of lymphoma are similar to those of some minor illnesses and are often easily ignored by the owner. However, if lymphoma is not treated in time, it may be life-threatening.

What is canine lymphoma?

Lymphoma (canine lymphoma) is one of the most common tumors in dogs. As far as dogs are concerned, 7-24% of malignant tumors are lymphomas, of which lymphoma accounts for 83% of malignant tumors of hematopoietic tissue. Lymphoma is also a cancer of white blood cells and accounts for approximately 7-14% of all canine cancers. According to the location and incidence rate, canine lymphoma can be divided into multicentric type (84%), gastrointestinal type (5-7%), mediastinal type (5%) and cutaneous type.

Lymphocytes are found in the lymphatic system in the body, including lymph nodes, spleen, liver and bone marrow. As part of the immune system, protects the body from infectious viruses and bacteria. Lymphoma can affect almost any organ in the body, but most importantly affects the functions of the lymphatic circulation system and immune system.

There are currently more than 30 types of canine lymphoma, with different aggressiveness, survival rates and clinical symptoms. Some forms develop rapidly, while others progress slowly and are chronic, inactive disease forms. However, no matter how fast lymphoma develops, if it is not treated in time, it will still become aggressive and lead to high mortality. The average age of most dogs suffering from lymphoma is about 8 years old, and the common dog breeds that are prone to lymphoma are Labradors, golden retrievers, Bassets, Saint Bernards, Scottish terriers, boxers, pugs, French bulldogs, etc. Breeds with a lower risk are dachshunds and Pomeranians.

Causes of canine lymphoma

The cause of canine lymphoma is still unclear, but several possible factors have been studied that may cause the incidence of lymphoma to increase, including genetic variation, viral infection, immune factors, etc. There are now more and more studies showing that certain environmental factors are also considered to be related to the occurrence of lymphoma, such as herbicides, pesticides, paints, chemical solvents, etc., which can all lead to an increase in the incidence of lymphoma. Therefore, dogs living in industrial areas have a higher chance of developing lymphoma.

Clinical symptoms of canine lymphoma

The clinical symptoms caused by lymphoma vary depending on the location and severity of the tumor. 1. Multicentric lymphoma In the early stages, there were manyThere are no obvious clinical symptoms. As the disease progresses, lymphadenopathy may occur throughout the body in the neck, chest, armpits, groin, and behind the knees. Symptoms include fever, anorexia, weight loss, vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss, ascites, and ascites. 　2. Gastrointestinal lymphoma Vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss, loss of appetite, malabsorption (less common, difficult to diagnose). 3. Cutaneous lymphoma Systemic or multiple masses may be nodular, ulcer-like or erythematous. It may also spread to other lymph nodes, liver, spleen, and bone marrow.

4. Mediastinal lymphoma Symptoms such as exercise intolerance, respiratory distress, gastroesophageal reflux, etc.

Diagnostic methods of canine lymphoma

Because lymphoma can affect organs throughout the body, systemic examinations are required for diagnosis, including physical examinations, blood tests, urine tests, X-rays, ultrasound, and cellular/histological examinations. Among them, the most decisive examinations are cytology and histopathology. Cytology has a very high diagnostic rate for lymphoma. It uses fine needle aspiration (FNA), which uses a fine needle to collect from lymph nodes. A few cells are smeared and examined microscopically.

However, when some conditions cannot be diagnosed, the entire fully coated lymph node can be cut out for histopathological sectioning, or molecular diagnostic techniques such as flow cytometry can be used to assist in diagnosis. After diagnosis, it still needs to be evaluated through various previous examinations.

Treatment methods for canine lymphoma

Unfortunately, lymphoma cannot currently be cured through treatment. However, because lymphoma has a high response rate to chemotherapy (80-95%), most dogs with lymphoma will still be recommended to use chemotherapy to control the tumor. Generally speaking, if dogs with lymphoma are not treated, they usually die 4-6 weeks after diagnosis. In cases of good response, the use of chemotherapy can extend the median survival time to 6-12 months.

At present, for multicentric lymphoma, most of the chemotherapy courses of CHOP are used as the preferred chemotherapy method: the treatment course is about one cycle every four weeks, with a one-week interval between each cycle, and is repeated four times. The treatment interval depends on the tumor dissipation. It depends on the situation. When the disease is completely dissipated after the course of treatment, chemotherapy and drug administration can be stopped. Chemotherapy will be restarted until relapse occurs. Some dogs may experience side effects during chemotherapy, such as fatigue, anorexia, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, hemorrhagic cystitis, etc.

The early signs of some serious diseases in dogs are actually some daily ailments and pains, such as fever, diarrhea and vomiting. Therefore, it is easy for owners to ignore these serious diseases, and by the time they are discovered, they may already be in the middle and late stages. Therefore, when a dog’s body is found to be abnormal, poop scrapers cannot take it lightly and take them to the hospital for examination as soon as possible~