Leukemia is a type of cancer that affects the dog’s bloodstream, mainly related to the number of white blood cells.
It is a serious disease that, if not diagnosed in time, can prove fatal to the puppy.
- In this peritoAnimal article.
- We detail all about leukemia in dogs.
- Explaining the possible causes.
- The most common symptoms and the treatment to be applied.
Leukemia is a type of cancer that affects the leukocytes (white blood cells). The bone marrow of dogs with leukemia produces a large amount of defective white blood cells.These faulty white blood cells flood the bloodstream and bone marrow itself, but because of their defects, they cannot protect the body.
As a result, the immune system is negatively affected and dogs are prone to various diseases.As leukemia progresses, it also affects the production of other blood cells such as red blood cells and platelets, causing large additional problems.Canine leukemia can be acute when it occurs quickly and suddenly, or chronic when it occurs slowly and gradually.
Several possible causes of leukemia have been proposed, including genetic factors, radiation exposure, chemical exposure and viral infection; however, the real causes of this disease are not yet known and it remains to be seen whether one of the proposed causes is correct..
Dogs with leukemia have a number of nonspecific symptoms because the disease affects the immune system and, as a result, affects several organs.Symptoms are usually:
Diagnosis is based on a physical exam, symptoms, a bone marrow biopsy and should always be performed by a veterinarian.
To perform the biopsy it is necessary to anesthetize the dog, since it is a complicated and painful procedure, usually a sample of bone marrow from the hip area is taken and then sent to the laboratory, where a cytological study is performed.to determine if there is leukemia.
Unfortunately, there is no cure for this disease. However, there are treatments that can help dogs in some cases.
Treatments are usually based on chemotherapy, giving the dog anticancer drugs; as a general rule, these treatments should be repeated from time to time; In addition, antibiotics or other medicines are often required to fight opportunistic infections and painkillers may be needed to reduce pain and discomfort.
The prognosis of dogs with chronic leukemia may be favorable if detected and treated in the early stages; In these cases, dogs can gain a few years of life through rapid treatment, but the disease remains fatal.
Dogs with acute leukemia usually have a very bad prognosis, because in these cases, the disease is very aggressive and progresses very quickly.
In both cases, sick puppies have very little chance of surviving for a long time, so their owners tend to opt for euthanasia rather than take expensive treatment that can be difficult for humans and their dog.
This article is for informational purposes only, in Animal Expert.com.br we cannot prescribe veterinary treatments or make any type of diagnosis, we suggest taking your pet to the veterinarian in case of any type of condition or discomfort.
If you would like to read articles similar to, we recommend that you visit our Other Health Problems section.