Does radon cause cancer in pets? Just recently, I had two unrelated, different breed dogs from the same household present for similar signs: inappetance (not eating well), coughing, and hacking. Chest x-rays showed lung nodules suggestive of either cancer or a fungal infection (blastomycoses) in the geriatric dog; just to be on the safe side, the owner wanted x-rays of the younger dog too. Unfortunately, these x-rays also showed the same cancerous nodules. While heartbroken by the double dose of bad news, I bluntly told the owner that she should have the radon level in her house checked as there were no smokers in the household. Either that, or move out of the house… Cancer, a mutation in a cell's genes, can be caused by random mutation, chemical or toxin exposure, genetics, or for no known cause at all. While there's no distinct link with radon and cancer in pets, previous studies have shown that animals that have more exposure to paints, chemicals, and urban areas have a higher incidence of cancer. Currently, there are research studies being conducted to see if there is a link between second-hand smoke and lung cancer in pets. Due to the high quality of veterinary medicine now available, pets are living longer than ever. Unfortunately, as a result, we are seeing a higher incidence of cancer. Like humans, cancer is common in animals and the incidence increases with age. Cancer accounts for approximately 50% of the demise of pets over 10 years of age. Signs of cancer include weight loss; inappetance or anorexia; difficulty breathing; fever (with no obvious source of infection); bloody nose; difficulty urinating or defecating; abnormal swellings that continue to grow in size; non-healing sores; lameness that does not resolve; or masses over the mammary area. Some common types of cancer in dogs include skin masses (i.e., mast cell tumor, melanoma, fibrosarcoma), lymph node cancer (i.e., lymphosarcoma), breast cancer (i.e., mammary gland adenocarcinoma), cancer of the head/neck/mouth (i.e., squamous cell carcinoma, melanoma, adenocarcinoma), cancer of the abdominal organs such as the spleen and liver (i.e., hemangiosarcoma, adenocarcinoma), or even bone cancer (i.e., osteosarcoma). Unfortunately, dogs don't show their signs of illness until it is severe or end-stage, so the prognosis for cancer varies with the type, location, and degree of metastasis (cancer spread). The diagnosis of cancer is made based on physical examination, blood work, x-rays, ultrasound with aspirates, or biopsies. Most types of canine cancer are not "curative" depending on the grade of severity of the cancer. Treatment may include a combination of surgery or surgical debulking (making it smaller via surgery but not curing it), radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or immunotherapy. Your veterinarian may refer you to a board-certified oncologist (cancer specialist) for further workup. Your oncologist can then discuss the overall success rate of treatment options, which again, depends on the type, extent, malignancy, and spread of the cancer. Lastly, remember that while there is a lot of bad or erroneous information on the website, there is some helpful info. Stick with veterinary websites and check out the following websites for more information and support: www.vetcancersociety.org, www.acvim.org, or www.avma.org. Copyright by Justine Lee Veterinary Consulting, LLC.©

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