Canine Thyroid Adenocarcinoma

Canine thyroid adenocarcinoma is a type of cancer that is common in dogs, and it involves the presence of tumors in your dog's thyroid gland. If the symptoms of this cancer are recognized early, then it can be treated effectively and the survival time for an affected dog will increase.

  1. Types

    • There are two types of tumors that appear in your dog's thyroid gland, movable tumors, and fixed tumors. Movable tumors do not spread to surrounding tissues and they can easily be removed. Fixed tumors spread to surrounding tissues and they are harder to remove.

    Causes

    • One cause of canine thyroid adenocarcinoma is genetics. Some dogs are predisposed to this type of cancer due to their genetic structure. Age is also a factor. Older dogs are more likely to develop thyroid cancer than younger dogs because the number of cells that divide inside the body increase with age.

    Symptoms

    • If your dog has thyroid adenocarcinoma you may notice several symptoms such as excessive coughing, decreased appetite, difficulty swallowing, vomiting, weight loss and difficulty breathing. Also, you may notice a lump on his neck.

    Treatment

    • The type of treatment used for thyroid adenocarcinoma will depend on the type of tumor that is present in your dog's thyroid gland. If the tumor is a movable tumor that has not invaded other organs, then surgical removal of the tumor is an option. In some cases, this may be followed by external beam irradiation and radiotherapy to completely cure the cancer. If the tumor is a fixed tumor that has spread to other organs, then the only treatment options may be chemotherapy or radiotherapy.

    Prognosis

    • According to Vet Info, a website devoted to pet issues, nine out of 10 thyroid tumors are malignant and difficult to completely remove or cure. The longer a tumor remains fixed in a dog's thyroid gland, the harder it will be to remove. Early detection and treatment of thyroid tumors provides the chance of a better prognosis. In some rare cases, thyroid tumors disappear without treatment; however, even if they appear to be gone, thyroid tumors can recur.