Mesothelioma cancer doesn’t only affect humans, it also affects our pets. Lung cancer is seen in an increasing number of household animals, such as cats and dogs. They come into contact with asbestos fibers while being taken for a walk. Asbestos exposure is more common to dogs and female dogs especially, because tend to play with everything they find, and that can be a piece of asbestos construction material. When the dog takes a grab of the asbestos piece, asbestos fibers and dust are released and the dog or any kind of pet swallows or inhales them. EPS estimates say that almost 2000 pets (including dogs, cats and other household animals) are diagnosed with the disease each year.
Mesothelioma symptoms in pets
After asbestos poisoning it takes up to 2 years for the pet to start exhibiting the first signs. At first, the mesothelioma animals symptoms will not be obvious at all, but after about one month they should be pretty clear. Here is what you should look after if you think your pet was exposed to asbestos at a certain point:
- The pet shows signs that it experiences chest pain (because the lining of the chest, the pleura, is starting to produce excess fluid)
- The pet has trouble breathing even if you know that he pr she did not have any exercise that day
- Along the month that the first signs start to appear, the pet will lose weight, and you will be able to tell that he or she will not be able to eat as much as he or she used to
- The pet will not be able to get much sleep, not anywhere near the time he or she spent sleeping before the exposure
Mesothelioma diagnosis for pets
If diagnosing mesothelioma in a human is difficult, you can imagine that it is even more difficult to perform on a pet. Veterinarians use imaging techniques to establish if mesothelioma is present or not. Using MRI or CAT scans, they can tell if the pet is suffering from mesothelioma and if there are any tumors, their size and number. Treatment should follow as soon as the veterinarian determines that the disease is really present in the pet.
Please feel free to contact asbestosis and mesothelioma centers if you own a pet that might have been in contact with asbestos related materials. We will help you find someone that can help. This will be totally free.
