If left untreated, dogs with lymphoma will generally die from their disease within 3 to 4 weeks. In these cases, dogs may accumulate fluid in the chest that makes breathing difficult, or they may have digestive problems (diarrhea, vomiting, or apainful abdomen). Occasionally, lymphoma can affect lymph nodes that are not visible or palpable from outside the body, such as those inside the chest or in the abdomen. There are breeds where the lifetime risk is higher (and lower) still, lymphoma can affect any dog of any breed at any age.Īs noted above, most cases of lymphoma appear as swollen “glands” or lymph nodes that can be seen or felt under the neck, in front of the shoulders, or behind the knee. In fact, lymphoma occurs about 2 to 5 times as frequently in dogs as in people and it is estimated that approximately 1 of every 15 dogs born today will get lymphoma at some point in his life, most likely during late adulthood (between the ages of 8 and 11). Lymphoma is one of the most common cancers seen in dogs. That is why the lymph nodes (and sometimes other lymphoid organs) appear enlarged in cases of lymphoma. When a lymphocyte becomes cancerous, it divides out of control and produces large numbers of cells just like it, which crowd the lymph nodes and make them swell. Lymphocytes spend much of their time in these organs, where most of their disease-fighting activity takes place. Normally, these cells travel through the body in the blood stream and in another network of thin “tubes” called lymph vessels, which interconnect organs of the lymphoid system (spleen, lymph nodes, thymus). Lymphomas are cancers that arise from lymphocytes (white blood cells that fight disease).
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