{"id":982,"date":"2014-07-24T13:25:12","date_gmt":"2014-07-24T17:25:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/?p=982"},"modified":"2019-05-30T14:17:31","modified_gmt":"2019-05-30T18:17:31","slug":"pet-cancer-prevention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ovrs.com\/blog\/pet-cancer-prevention\/","title":{"rendered":"Pet Cancer Prevention"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"dog<\/a>No pet owner ever wants to hear that their beloved companion animal has cancer. Unfortunately, with pets living longer than ever before, cancer is becoming a more common diagnosis than it ever before. While there is still no way to totally protect pets (or people) from developing cancer, there are steps that you can take when it comes to pet cancer prevention.<\/p>\n

Schedule Frequent Wellness Exams<\/i><\/b><\/h2>\n

One of the most effective ways to keep your pet healthy is to detect problems early in their course. Paying close attention to changes in your pet\u2019s habits and body can provide you with clues that something may be wrong. If you own a specific breed, familiarize yourself with any genetic predispositions to certain types of cancer so that you can be aware of subtle changes.<\/p>\n

Pets should also visit us at least yearly (more frequently pets over 5 years of age or those with health problems) so that we can conduct a thorough physical exam and obtain recommended test results.<\/p>\n

While frequent wellness exams cannot stop your pet from developing cancer, they can help us to catch the disease early in its course, providing us with the best chance of treatment success.<\/p>\n

Preventing Exposure to Pet Carcinogens<\/i><\/b><\/h2>\n

A carcinogen is a substance known to increase the risk of cancer. Many carcinogens known to affect people also affect pets. The following are known to increase cancer risk for animals:<\/p>\n