Leukemia, or blood cancer is not restricted to human beings alone, and pet dogs and cats can be a victim of this disease too. When bone marrow of dogs start developing propensity towards anomalous multiplication, or the leukocytes multiply abnormally in the blood stream, condition of Leukemia Canine develops followed by subsequent anemia, appetite loss, and panting, puking, with rapid, severe weight loss. There might be a marked difference in the energy level of the animal and its natural vitality would wane.

What are the common types?

Bone marrow Leukemia is called myelogenous or granulocytic whereas Lymphocytic involves Leukemia of lymph node and chronic canine lymphocytic Leukemia is common for both human and dogs with some dissimilar characteristics. Leukemia in canine can be acute or chronic and it depends on the kind of blood cells affected by disease. Canine acute Leukemia also known as Acute Lymphoid Leukemia (all) develops with rapidity and huge number abnormal cells stall the normal functioning of Leukocytes.

Treatment and symptoms

Treatment is necessary at an early stage otherwise it could result into a gradual painful death. Canine Leukemia symptoms are quite similar to human beings and usually liver and spleen of the animal is adversely affected in the later stage.

It’s a progressive disease and may start with a symptom as harmless as a pale gum resulting in lameness, in coordination of body, and fever.

If more then 30% of cells in the blood are malignant, dogs may live up to a few weeks only. Cll or chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia is a condition when the immune system of the body fails to resist infections and antagonistic infiltrators from disrupting the normal function of the body. The central nervous system is affected and conditions worsen with the advent of time. The ailment initiates from the bone marrow gradually encompassing the entire body. It spreads itself to blood, liver, nerves and delicate internal organs gradually debilitating everything in its course. Usually by the time the disease is diagnosed, half the dog’s life is already expended and it lives for a few more days only. Sometimes euthanasia remains the only painful option for the owner and numerous painful instances are galore all over the world.

Is remission possible?

Canine Leukemia treatment is prone to success in case the prognosis is timely and accurate at the first go. Biopsy of bone marrow and blood, along with other clinical investigations are done at the onset of treatment. Radiation and Chemotherapy are widely used modes of treatment. The cancerous cells are destroyed by radiation and chances of a relapse usually diminish.

However close monitoring need to be done always in order to keep a check on the rate of abnormal cell growth after chemotherapy. Mortality rate is usually high in canine blood cancer cases, and there is no denial on part of the vets that prognosis is usually poor which already takes away a lot of valuable time. However there is no perfect answer to this virulent malignancy but the quest is on.