According to veterinary scientists from the British Royal Veterinary College (Royal Veterinary College) it is the risk of an aggressive blood cancer called hemangiosarcoma is higher in some dog breeds than in others.
The disease develops rapidly, is often fatal, and its symptoms appear suddenly. Veterinarians analyzed the health records of more than one million dogs over the age of five who were in the care of veterinarians in 2019. They examined breed, age, weight, sex, neutering, location, and owners’ socioeconomic background.
The results show that the risk of hemangiosarcoma is strongly influenced by the breed of the dog and also increases with the age and weight of the animal. For dogs aged 11 to 13 years, the risk was more than double, while dogs weighing more than 37.4 kilograms were more than four times more at risk than those weighing 7.5 to 15 kilograms.
The most endangered breeds are the Dogue de Bordeaux (9.5 times higher risk), smooth-coated retriever (8.3x), German shepherd (6.3x) and Hungarian Setter/Vizsla (5.5x). On the contrary, the researchers found the lowest risk in breeds such as the Yorkshire Terrier, Chihuahua, Lhasa Apso and Border Terrier.
“Hemangiosarcoma can be difficult to diagnose unequivocally at a time when there is a suitable space for effective treatment. Dogs often arrive in very poor condition and it is an emotionally challenging time for owners to make big care decisions. We hope these findings will support vets in making a diagnosis so they can provide the most appropriate care to owners,” said lead study author Dr Georgie Barry.
