Thursday, November 4, 2010

Pit Bulls and Cancer

The American Pit Bull breed is lucky to be one that is not prone to any definite illnesses and diseases. The reason behind this is in the origination of the breed, different dogs were bred for one thing only, which wasn't a shortened muzzle, curly hair, or blue eyes. Pit Bulls were bred for dog aggression, and whichever dog seemed to fit that bill was the one that was bred.

Becauase these dogs were not bred for any particular bt-pearance trait, they were less in-bred, which in turn created a breed that is not prone to any particular health issue.

But, yes they can still get sick. They can still have diseases, cancers, and health problems.

Larger bBTs can develop hip displaysia, and some can develop cancer.

At 17 months old, I took my blue and white Pit Bull to the vet for lumps on her front, right leg. I opted to go for the biopsy to go ahead and remove the lumps in case they were just cysts, but a few months later, I received a call saying that my puppy had cancer.

We went through chemo drips, medications, oral chemo, and a few extra trips to the vet. (More on her cancer treatment later.) Mia went through all of this with the expectation that her odds were only 6 months, as only 50% of dogs with an osteosarcoma make it to 12 months. Because of her age, and the fact that she had two tumors in the same leg, her prognosis wasn't good.

Well, Mia is now 3.5 years old. She goes for another apointment tomorrow for blood work. She hasn't been feeling too great, so they will definitely check that out.

The Natural Vet's Guide to Preventing and Treating Cancer in Dogs (Natural Vets Guide)Help Your Dog Fight Cancer: What Every Caretaker Should Know About Canine Cancer, Featuring Bullet's Survival Story, 2nd EditionDog Cancer: The Holistic Answer: A Step by Step Guide

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