My dog had eye cancer. How to monitor for recurrence without stress?

Unfortunately there is not such test. Your best option is to have Momo examined every 6 months and have routine blood work run 1-2x yearly. Also have her examined if you detect any physical changes. I hope this helps.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is done by different methods but all including an examination including a rectal exam. Further diagnostics include an ultrasound of the testicle and also a FNA (fine needle aspirate) of the testicular mass to identify the cancer. Therapy usually includes castration though given these tumors can spread to other locations, an abdominal ultrasound and chest radiographs should be performed to check for this first. Usually these tumors have a low rate of spread and surgery is the only therapy recommended. Good luck and have a great day!

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Unfortunately there is no test to check for "cancer genes" in dogs. I'm very sorry to hear that Ollie's sibling recently passed from cancer. While some cancers can be genetic in origin, Ollie is not necessarily at increased risk of developing the same cancer that his brother did. That being said, it is always recommended that dogs have at least annual exams performed by your veterinarian, and as they get older, have bloodwork performed to check for any underlying organ issues. There is no blood test for cancer, but it can help us determine if certain organs are not functioning as they should. It will be important for you to monitor for any unusual clinical signs that may suggest Ollie is becoming sick - such as lethargy, decreased appetite, vomiting, weight loss, diarrhea, etc. As long as he is continuing to act normally at home, I would not be concerned!

Unfortunately you do not say whether the melanoma is in his eye ball or the eye lid or skin around the eye ball. If it is in the eye ball it likely would be best to remove the eye. Removing the melanoma from the eye lids or skin around the eye is also advisable if it is returning with a vengeance, ie growing again. The major problem there will be complete removal having skin left to close the skin defect. Unfortunately, if it is not removed there is a chance of metastastes. I would not worry so much about her age, if she is fairly healthy and even in dogs with heart disease, for example, we can do special anesthesia tailored to your dog that is very safe.

I have no idea about her prognosis as it all depends on the exact type of tumour she has in the eyelid. Some tumours spread quickly whilst others linger in one area. It might be worth getting your vet to stage the cancer. You can habe a biopsy sent to the lab to get an exact diagnosis for rhe tumour then have Lymph nodes, the lungs and organs checked for metastases. If there is nothing in the other organs i would go ahead.

My last visit to my dog's ophthalmologist was quite a bit less than surgery would be to remove his eye, so before making any rash decisions, I would find out the cost of seeing the ophthalmologist. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to determine if a mass in the anterior chamber is an iris cyst (which is benign) or a melanoma, but one trick is that an iris cyst may move in the eye. So if Tia is on her back, does the mass move? If so, be sure to give your doctor that information. I wish I had a simple answer for you, but I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Without an exam or diagnostics, it is near impossible to say. It could be anything from local inflammation/infection to a benign or malignant mass. Given Ruckess' history, an exam with your veterinarian or veterinary oncologist would be recommended. A fine needle aspirate can be done to collect a sample for pathology.