Throat Tumors in Dogs

Types

• Thyroid tumors appear on the thyroid glands, which are on the throat, on either side of the windpipe. It is thought that some breeds, such as boxer, beagle and golden retriever, are more likely to develop thyroid tumors. The average age during which these tumors appear is nine years. According to Veterinary Partner, thyroid tumors are malignant in 87 percent of cases. Laryngeal tumors occur in the part of the throat containing the vocal cords. The different types of tumors of the larynx include rhabdomyoma, extramedullary, chondrosarcoma, plasmacytoma, and osteosarcoma. Most are usually malignant with the exception of rhabdomyoma, which can grow quite large but is benign.

Symptoms

• There may be no early symptoms in throat tumors. As the tumors increase in size you may notice your dog is coughing, having difficulty swallowing or is experiencing a loss of appetite. Sometimes there is blood in the dog's saliva and a foul breath odor is present. A change in your dog's bark may be noticed.

Diagnosis

• Throat tumors of all kinds often are first noticed during routine veterinary examinations. Tumors of the larynx can be biopsied during examination due to their accessibility. Other tumor locations are not as easy to reach. Following initial detection, it is necessary to determine extent of local invasion, malignancy and metastasis to distant areas. Blood profile assessments, ultrasound, scopes, and magnetic resonance imaging are employed, either singularly or in combination, to further access the extent of the tumor's reach.

Treatments

• Treatments vary according to the type, invasiveness and spread of the tumor. Tumors that are freely movable with no detectable spread are usually removed surgically. Surgery often is not effective in completely removing tumors that are invasive. In this case, surgery is usually followed by radiation therapy.

Complications and Outcome

• Complications can occur in throat tumors due to the disease as well as the treatments. Pain often is present from the tumor itself. Surgery and the burning effects of radiation cause additional pain. Coughing, hoarseness and difficulty swallowing often first present as symptoms but continue as the effects of radiation therapy. Pain and difficulty swallowing can dull the dog's desire and ability to eat, resulting in loss of weight and nutritional deficit at a time when both are most important. Spread to other organs causes additional difficulties depending upon which organs are involved. Due to the metastatic nature of many throat tumors, death is often the eventual outcome.