{"id":2632,"date":"2026-05-05T16:08:47","date_gmt":"2026-05-05T20:08:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.drphilzeltzman.com\/blog\/?p=2632"},"modified":"2026-05-05T16:08:48","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T20:08:48","slug":"the-truth-about-cancer-in-dogs-and-cats-10-common-myths-every-pet-owner-should-know-about","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.drphilzeltzman.com\/blog\/the-truth-about-cancer-in-dogs-and-cats-10-common-myths-every-pet-owner-should-know-about\/","title":{"rendered":"THE TRUTH ABOUT CANCER IN DOGS AND CATS: 10 COMMON MYTHS EVERY PET OWNER SHOULD KNOW ABOUT"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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When your veterinarian or your surgeon says the words “cancer in your pet,” time seems to stop.
Your mind races.
You’ve heard horror stories.
You think of a family member.
You wonder if treatment is truly worth it.
You worry about your pet’s quality of life.
As veterinary surgeons who have treated thousands of dogs and cats with cancer, we’ve seen firsthand how misconceptions and myths can prevent pets from getting life-saving or life-extending treatment.
Let’s clear up some of the most common myths so you can make informed decisions for your pet.
A week doesn\u2019t go by without a conversation with a pet lover who fell into one of those traps\u2026
Please don\u2019t be one of them!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PET CANCER MYTH #1: A cancer diagnosis means my pet will die soon<\/span><\/strong>
The Reality<\/strong>: Not all cancers are the same, and many are highly treatable – even curable.
Just like in human medicine, “cancer” is an umbrella term for hundreds of different diseases.
Yes, some cancers are aggressive and fast-spreading.
Others are slow-growing and localized.
Some can be completely cured with surgery alone.
The key is getting an accurate and early pet cancer diagnosis.
A lump that’s been there for months or years isn’t necessarily “just a fatty tumor.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Any new lump or growth on your dog or cat, or any growth that’s changing, should be evaluated by your family vet or a surgeon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PET CANCER MYTH #2: Surgery will just spread the cancer<\/span><\/strong>
The Reality<\/strong>: This is one of the most harmful myths, and it’s simply not true.
We hear this constantly: “My neighbor’s dog had surgery and the cancer spread everywhere.”
Let\u2019s be clear: cancer surgery in dogs and cats does not cause cancer to spread (when done properly of course).
What actually happens is this: sometimes when we remove a tumor surgically, it is impossible to prove spreading (aka metastasis) before surgery, because it was too small to detect at that time.
The surgery didn’t cause the spreading.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was already there, but we could not prove it.
For many cancers, surgery is the only chance for a cure.
Removing a tumor completely before it has a chance to spread can save your pet’s life.
The goal of cancer surgery is to achieve “clean margins” \u2013 i.e. removing the tumor along with a rim of healthy tissue around it to ensure we got all the cancer cells.
Sometimes this means removing more tissue than you might expect, but that’s because we want to give your pet the best possible outcome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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PET CANCER MYTH #3: My pet is too old for cancer surgery<\/span><\/strong>
The Reality<\/strong>: Age is not a disease.
What matters is overall health, not the numbers on the calendar.
We’ve performed cancer surgeries on 14, 15 and 16-year-old pets who recovered beautifully, and we’ve recommended against surgery for 6-year-old dogs with cancer that was ignored for too long.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s not about age\u2014it’s about:
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