Cancer Among Most Common and Costly Pet Conditions
Cancer is not strictly a “human” condition. As the #1 disease-related killer of dogs and cats, cancer claims millions of pets each year. This November, Veterinary Pet Insurance Co. (VPI) will seek to increase awareness about the prevalence, detection and treatment of pet cancer during its fifth annual Pet Cancer Awareness Month.
VPI started Pet Cancer Awareness month in 2005 after noticing that cancer diagnoses often caught pet owners by surprise. Many either did not know their pets could develop cancer or underestimated the cost to treat cancerous conditions. In 2008, VPI received nearly 30,000 claims for pet cancer.
To raise funds for pet cancer research, VPI has partnered with the Animal Cancer Foundation and organized bi-coastal pet cancer awareness walks in Long Beach, Calif., and Brooklyn/Manhattan, NY.
VPI's website also provides pet cancer detection tips. To detect cancer early, pet owners should be attentive to any growing lump or sore that fails to heal, drastic changes in a pet’s appetite or weight, unusually strong odors coming from a pet, discharge or bleeding from any body opening, difficulty chewing or swallowing, or an unwillingness to exercise.
Overall, cancer claims were the sixth most common type of medical claim received by VPI in 2008. According to VPI’s claims data, which draws from a population of more than 450,000 insured pets, the following are the 10 most common types of cancer found in dogs and cats:
Top Pet Cancer Claims in 2008
1. Lymphosarcoma
6. Neoplasia - Liver
2. Mast Cell Tumor
7. Neoplasia – Thorax
3. Neoplasia – Spleen
8. Neoplasia – Brain or Spinal Cord
4. Neoplasia – Eyelid
9. Fibrosarcoma
5. Osteogenic Sarcoma
10. Hemangiopericytoma
