Cancer Care for Animals (oncology)

• Cancer is a disease where the body's own cells multiply out of control. Although certain types of cells are more likely than others to become cancerous, any type of cell can turn into a cancer.
• Animals get cancer, too! And, as with humans, older animals are more at risk of developing the disease. As our animal companions are starting to live longer, veterinarians are starting to deal more with cancer. Veterinarians who specialize in diagnosing and treating cancer are called veterinary oncologists.
• Methods for treating cancer may include surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. Sometimes a cancer (tumor) can be completely removed in a surgical procedure. Other times, special radiation machines are used in numerous sessions to try to damage the cancer cells beyond repair. And different drugs may be tried ("chemotherapy") to target the rapidly dividing cancer cells.
• Veterinarians may choose one or a number of these treatment methods, depending on what kind of cancer the patient has.