Lymphoma in dogs: symptoms, treatment and prevention

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Each owner cares about the he alth of his pet. Some are engaged in self-treatment, but most, at the first sign of an animal’s illness, turn to a veterinarian in order to cure it as soon as possible. After all, even the slightest deviation in the state of the animal can be a symptom of a serious disease, such as cancer.

One of the cancers that dogs are prone to is lymphoma.

Description

Lymphoma, or lymphosarcoma, is a malignant tumor (tumor) that affects the lymphatic system in a dog's body. Most often, lymphoma develops in dogs when they reach 6-8 years of age. Also, to this disease there is a certain predisposition of some breeds of dogs. So, in most cases, it develops in the following breeds:

• boxer;
• St. Bernard;
• Airdale Terrier;
• bassethound;
• rottweiler;
• Cocker Spaniel;
• golden retriever.

Pathologyis a general concept that combines more than 30 diseases. Each of them is characterized by certain signs and course. Often, lymphoma in dogs develops as skin cancer or lymphosarcoma. The disease received this name due to the fact that its action is aimed at affecting exclusively the lymph nodes.

Lymphoma - is it cancer or not?

When the veterinarian first mentions this disease, the owner of the dog immediately raises many questions. The first one: “Is lymphoma cancer or not?”.

As stated above, lymphoma is a malignant tumor. However, not all so simple. Here is what an experienced specialist answers this question:

“It is impossible to answer this question unambiguously. Much depends on what kind of oncological disease of lymphocytes is diagnosed in a dog, whether the mutated cells behave aggressively, and how they manifest themselves in the body.”

Development of disease

Lymph nodes are part of the body's lymphatic system. Between themselves, they are connected by small vessels, consisting in a common system, which is an important and integral part of the immune system. Thanks to immunity, the body is able to resist threats of varying degrees of danger. One of the most important elements that make up this system are lymphocytes. The development of lymphoma in dogs involves the uncontrolled division of lymphocytes, which later penetrate the lymph nodes or internal organs. This provokes very serious pathologies that affect their functionality.

Causes of occurrence

The cause of lymphoma in dogs has not yet been determined. Nevertheless, scientists are confident that the development of this disease is directly related to genetic predisposition.

In addition, there is an opinion that immunity deficiency can also cause disease. This is associated with long-term use of immunostimulants, drugs of the corticosteroid group, or radiation. All of them can provoke the development of lymphoma, become its cause.

There is also a theory of the viral origin of the disease, but it is still in question, as scientists put forward many denials.

Classification of lymphomas

Depending on where the lesion is located, lymphoma can be:

1. Mediastinal. Accompanied by the presence of a strong cough, slow pulse, shortness of breath and cyanosis of the mucous membranes.
2. Alimentary. It provokes a sharp decrease in the weight of the animal, in which the volume of the abdomen only increases. There is an upset stomach, vomiting, anorexia and dehydration. Perhaps an increase in certain internal organs (spleen, etc.). In addition, there is a violation of the mucous membrane in the rectum, which causes the dog's feces to mix with blood.
3. Dermal. This type of lymphoma can manifest itself in different ways: dermatological formations, ulcers or eczema on the animal's skin. In the late stage of the disease, there is tenderness in the lymph nodes located close to the skin.
4. Multicentric. During the development of this form of the disease, an increase in lymph nodes occurs, but they do not lose mobility, do not cause pain.



5. Extronodal. Initially, this type of lymphoma affects organs that are not part of the lymphatic system. Most often, the pathology develops in the eyes, kidneys, heart, mucous membranes of the nose, as well as the central nervous system of the dog. The symptomatology of this disease depends entirely on the location of the focus of the pathology.

The vast majority of dogs develop cutaneous or mediastinal lymphoma.

Scientists have also developed a special classification of pathology stages. It is based on the severity of the disease and the rate of its progression. According to this classification, there are five main stages of lymphoma in dogs. From the first to the fourth stage, the development of the disease has a local localization. At the fifth stage, the disease begins to spread throughout the body of the animal.

Treatment and prognosis of lymphoma in a dog directly depend on the stage of the disease at which it came to the veterinarian, and whether there are signs of general intoxication (weight loss, periodic fever).

In order to more accurately determine the general condition of the dog, one should take into account the state of its internal organs, namely the spleen and liver.

Clinical picture

The most obvious symptom of a dog developing lymphoma is a significant increase in the size of the lymph nodes. Even taking antibioticshelps to reduce their size. In addition, in the initial stages of the disease, the dog may not show any abnormal behavior and feel normal.

However, after a certain time, the dog begins to show weakness, a significant increase in body temperature, and weight loss. All these symptoms are accompanied by indigestion, vomiting, partial or complete refusal to eat. In rare cases, the animal may lose vision. Depending on the location of the lymphoma, symptoms may appear that indicate a malfunction of a particular organ.

Symptomatics

Symptoms vary at different stages of the development of lymphoma in dogs. Nevertheless, the following general symptoms are characteristic of the early stages:

• lack of appetite;
• weight loss;
• regular indigestion or vomiting;
• increased body temperature;
• sluggish and depressive state;
• hair loss or thinning;
• increased water intake resulting in frequent urination;
• an increase in the size of the lymph nodes that cause pain.

Stages of disease

As described above, there are five stages in the development of lymphoma in dogs. Each of them differs in its severity, prevalence and progression:

• The first stage is characterized by the defeat of single lymph nodes.
• The second is called localized lymphodenapathy. It differs from the first one in that several lymph nodes located close to each other increase.
• During the third stage, there is an increase and mutation of all or most of all lymph nodes in the body.
• At the fourth stage, the spleen and liver are affected. All this happens against the background of enlarged lymph nodes according to the second and third stages.

The last stage of lymphoma in dogs involves the further spread of the disease, affecting the bone marrow, certain areas or the entire nervous system, as well as other organs

Diagnosis of disease

It is impossible to determine that a dog has lymphoma without the help of a specialist. In order to make a correct diagnosis, the veterinarian will need to analyze the clinical picture of the disease, examine the results of a general blood test, biopsy the lymph nodes, examine their contents in order to determine the presence of lymphoma cells in them.

For a biopsy, it is necessary to take a puncture from a lymph node. To do this, doctors use a syringe with a thick needle. Often, anesthesia is not used to collect pathogenic contents. The results of this procedure can provide the veterinarian with 100% confidence in making a diagnosis. In cases where the removal of a lymph node is necessary to diagnose the disease, it is advisable to use local anesthesia.

There are a number ofstudies that are used to diagnose this condition in dogs:

• histology (skin lymphoma);
• X-ray;
• complete blood count;
• biopsy;
• bone marrow biopsy;
• ultrasound;



• general urinalysis;
• aspiration of lymph nodes.

Treatment methods

Treatment and prognosis for lymphoma in dogs depends on the stage, form and condition of the animal. However, in the vast majority of cases, doctors prescribe a course of chemotherapy. The procedure for undergoing such therapy consists of two stages:

Self-treatment. In dogs, the procedure involves the gradual introduction into the body of special substances that inhibit the spread of cancer cells. Its intensity depends on the treatment regimen prescribed by the veterinarian.

Therapy aimed at eliminating the side effects caused by chemotherapy. Often, treatment is carried out with cytostatics. These drugs are widely known for their effectiveness. Their action is aimed at stopping the growth of malignant tumors. Nevertheless, despite their effectiveness, they cause great harm to almost the entire body: the esophagus, bone marrow, and many other tissues of the body are affected. In addition, hair loss is observed. The severity of complications after chemotherapy depends on the characteristics of the body of each individual dog. After the course has been completed, the animal is assigneddrugs in the form of tablets or continued treatment in a hospital.

One of the features of lymphoma is the inevitability of its return. And there is a risk that the drugs used for chemotherapy before may not be effective a second time.

Despite all the possibilities of modern medicine, there is no cure for lymphoma. Nevertheless, chemotherapy makes it possible to prolong the dog's life, to alleviate its condition. After completing the course of taking the drugs, a remission lasting 6-8 months is achieved. According to statistics, after undergoing chemotherapy, a dog can live up to a year.

In case of inadmissibility of chemotherapy due to the condition of the animal, treatment is carried out with "Prednisolone". This drug improves the quality of life, but does not prolong it. In such cases, the dog can live up to 2 months.

Prevention

Due to the fact that the nature of the origin of lymphoma is unknown, there are no preventive measures to prevent its development. Nevertheless, the owner of the dog should maintain the immunity of the pet, in case of any deviations from normal behavior, immediately contact the veterinarian. In addition, it is necessary to try to protect the dog from injuries into which the infection can penetrate. Regular and timely vaccinations, as well as scheduled visits to the doctor for an examination, are of great importance.