Libby here. You may not realize it but this weekend was the annual Breast Cancer walk.
Tons of men, women and children came together, raised money and participated in a walk to raise money for Breast Cancer research- Making Strides Against Breast Cancer. Most walkers came out all dressed up (mostly in pink!) to support the cause. This past weekend, one of the walks took place in Prospect Park and the Silverman family (among other Slopers), walked. Yay!
Now, the reason I'm talking about Breast Cancer (other than spreading the news about a great cause), is because most people assume that this illness only affects humans. Not true! Dogs and cats are also capable of getting breast cancer! Who knew?
Fortunately, as with so many other conditions, there are preventative measures to help put your cat or dog at a lesser risk of getting the illness. Further good news is that there are treatments (same as in human medicine), if your animal does get sick.
As far as prevention goes, spaying your cat within the first six months of their lives, reduces their risk of developing breast cancer tremendously. For dogs, the same is true if you fix them before their first birthday.
Obviously, prevention is the best course of action but, if you decide not to spay your pet and they do get sick, breast cancer treatments include surgical removal options and chemotherapy options.
I just think this information is cool to share because people forget that as mammals, there are a lot of overlaps in human and veterinary medicine. I also think it's cool that the treatments are fairly similar in both humans and animals.
But what do I know. I'm just a cat.
Til next time,
Libbt
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