Do X-Rays on Dogs Show Cancer?

It can be worrying to think that your pet might have cancer. Unexplained symptoms or growths might cause you concern about the health of your pet. There are several ways of diagnosing this condition, one being an X-ray. Tests to confirm the presence of cancer will either give you piece of mind or enable your vet to advise you on the best course of action.

  1. Function

    • X-rays can provide more information about what is happening inside your dog's body. They are a type of radiation that travels through objects like wood but are absorbed by denser materials, such as metal. Like humans, dog's bodies consist mostly of water and the X-rays will travel through this. The skeleton and organs absorb X-rays differently than water, so show they up as shadows on an X-ray. This is also the case with cancer, with the aid of barium sulphate or an iodine solution.

    Significance

    • If your dog has a tumor in one of its organs, or cancer of the bone or bloodstream, it will be difficult to detect this with the naked eye. According to vet Mike Richards, DVM, blood tests might not show any abnormalities even if the animal has cancer, therefore X-rays are an important diagnostic tool. They also produce results quickly, which is important with a condition like cancer where early diagnosis increases the chance of survival.

    Identification

    • To produce an accurate X-ray, your vet might give your dog a dose of barium sulphate or iodine solution. Barium sulphate is a metal compound that absorbs X-rays. Once swallowed, it coats the inside of the digestive system, providing a detailed picture of the stomach lining. Iodine can be injected into veins and shows how the blood travels around the body. Both methods are useful for highlighting any growths or abnormalities that could be cancerous.

    Types

    • There are several different types of cancer that will show up on an X-ray. As well as tumors involving the internal organs, osteosarcoma (cancer of the bone) can be diagnosed using this method too. On X-rays, osteosarcoma appears as a swelling of the bone or a patterning of the bone that looks different than healthy bones. According to vet Ron Hines, DVM, X-rays are accurate in diagnosing cancer affecting the dog's organs, as the distortion in shape and excess tissue that occurs with cancerous growths can be clearly identified.

    Considerations

    • Although X-rays will show the presence of an unusual mass inside the dog's body, it will not tell the vet whether the mass is malignant or benign. While a benign mass is not cancer and will be limited solely to the affected area, a malignant cancer can spread to other parts of the body. The latter is fatal if left untreated. It might be necessary for your vet to perform a biopsy or remove the growth completely before determining which type of cancer it is.