The PAPC Animal Hospital Team promotes pet cancer awareness in their purple and pink t-shirts.

While there is no way to guarantee that your pet won’t develop cancer at some point in his or her life, you can follow these steps to reduce your pet’s risk:

• Make sure your pet gets twice yearly veterinary wellness exams to help identify early warning signs and risk factors.
• Keep your pet at a healthy weight. Just like people, pets who are overweight or obese have a higher risk of developing many diseases, including cancer.
• Spay or Neuter your pet early. Some types of cancer are almost 100% preventable when your pet is spayed or neutered while he or she is young.
• Good nutrition and regular exercise are key to a healthy immune system. Feed your pet a high-quality diet, and insure both dogs and cats get daily exercise.
• Reduce your pet’s exposure to noxious chemicals such as lawn fertilizers and pesticides, vehicle exhaust, over-the-counter flea and tick treatments, and cigarette smoke.
• Limit your pet’s UV exposure by keeping him or her inside during the times of day when the sun is most intense.
• Talk to your veterinarian about your pet’s vaccination schedule and eliminate unnecessary vaccinations. However, prevention of feline leukemia decreases the risks of cats developing lymphoma.

For more information on how to prevent cancer in your pet, contact us at 979.266.7080.

25% of all dogs and 12% of all cats will develop cancer.