What to Expect When Your Dog Is Diagnosed With Canine Malignant Melanoma

A malignant melanoma is a tumor in the cells producing skin pigment. Tumors most frequently occur in the mouth and on the toes and skin. Symptom development and treatment depends on the location of the tumor.

  1. Symptoms

    • Dogs with oral melanomas will usually develop bad breath and possibly bleeding in the mouth. Additionally, they will have difficult eating and may drool and have facial swelling. Oral malignant melanomas are the most difficult to treat successfully. Malignant tumors often spread quickly to the lungs causing the dog to cough up blood and have difficulty breathing. Also, as a tumor grows it is prone to ulceration and infection.

    Treatment

    • Following diagnosis, surgical removal of the tumor is recommended, accompanied by chemotherapy if complete removal is impossible. In some cases a veterinarian will prescribe immunotherapy to strengthen the immune system. A vaccine to treat Stage II and III oral melanomas is available but still undergoing research. This vaccine alerts the immune system to the presence of tumor proteins in the body.

    Prognosis

    • Veterinarians are cautious with giving a prognosis for canine malignant melanoma. Much depends on the location of the tumor and the stage at which it is detected. Natural Dog Health recommends immune-boosting supplements to support surgery and chemotherapy.