National Dog Bite Prevention Week

May 20-26th is National Dog Bite Prevention week.  Every year we use this week to help bring awareness to the public how they can help prevent the incidence of dog bites seen in the U.S..

Did you know that ...

• 4.7 million people in this country are bitten by dogs every year
• children are by far the most common victims
• 800,000 Americans receive medical attention for dog bites each year
• children are far more likely to be severely injured; approximately 400,000 receive medical attention every year
• most dog bites affecting young children occur during everyday activities and while interacting with familiar dogs
• senior citizens are the second most common dog bite victims

There are a number of things that you can do to avoid dog bites, ranging from properly training and socializing your pet to educating your children on how, or if, they should approach a dog. Information is one of the best cures for this public health crisis.

What can you do as a dog owner?

• Carefully select your pet. Puppies should not be obtained on impulse.
• Make sure your pet is socialized as a young puppy so it feels at ease around people and other animals.
• Don't put your dog in a position where it feels threatened or teased.
• Train your dog. The basic commands "sit," "stay," "no," and "come" help dogs understand what is expected of them and can be incorporated into fun activities that build a bond of trust between pets and people.
• Walk and execrcise your dog regularly to keep it healthy and provide mental stimulation.
• Avoid highly excitable games like wrestling or tug-of-war.
• Use a leash in public to ensure you are able to control your dog.
• Keep your dog healthy. Have your dog vaccinated against rabies and preventable infectious diseases. Parasite control and other health care are important because how your dog feels affects how it behaves.
• Neuter your pet.
• If you have a fenced yard, make sure the gates are secure.

How can you protect your family?

• Be cautious around strange dogs, and treat your own pet with respect. Because children are the most common victims of dog bites, parents and caregivers should:
• NEVER leave a baby or small child alone with a dog.
• Be alert for potentially dangerous situations.
• Teach their children – including toddlers – to be careful around pets. Children must learn not to approach strange dogs or try to pet dogs through fences. Teach children to ask permission from the dog's owner before petting the dog.

All dogs can bite and be a danger with the right circumstances of events.  Educate yourself how you can be a responsible dog owner.

Canine Osteoscarcoma aka Bone Cancer

Last Friday I had the pleasure of meeting, Dolly, a 13 year old Chesapeake Bay Retriever.  I had the unfortunate job of advising her owner that Dolly was suffering with Canine Osteosarcoma/Chondrosarcoma.

Osteosarcoma (OSA) is a rapidly growing, destructive neoplasm of bone that accounts for 80% of all malignant bone tumors in dogs. Neoplasms of the skeleton are more common in dogs than in any other species. Primary bone tumors such as OSA are five times more common than metastatic skeletal neoplasms, and malignant tumors are more common than benign neoplasms.  Osteosarcoma is most common in giant and large breed dogs (90%) and is uncommon in small and medium breeds. Breeds especially predisposed to development of OSA include Saint Bernards, Rottweilers, Great Danes, Golden Retrievers, Irish setters, Doberman Pinschers, and Labrador retrievers. The mean age of occurrence is 7-1/2 years and incidence of OSA is slightly more common in males than females.

Ionizing radiation, chemical carcinogens, foreign bodies (including metal implants, such as internal fixators, bullets, and bone transplants), and pre-existing skeletal abnormalities such as sites of healed fractures contribute to the development of OSA. In addition, there have been correlations with genetic predisposition to tumor development in certain family lines. Dogs with OSA have been found to have aberrations of the p53 tumor suppressor gene.  In Dolly's case, when she was young, had had a fracture in this joint.  Because the radiographic changes in Dolly's bone involved the joint, this cancer could actually be considered a chondrosarcoma (originating from the cartilage surface of the bone), that grew out to include the bone itself.


The most common clinical signs of OSA involving the appendicular skeleton are lameness, swelling, and pain. The considerable soft tissue swelling is predominantly due to edema and reactive fibroplasia caused by impaired circulation in the subcutaneous and intramuscular tissue proximal and distal to the tumor.

Congestion, edema, fibroplasia, and periosteal new bone formation accompany continued tumor expansion. Muscle atrophy of the affected limb may occur from disuse. Pathological fractures may occur later in the disease as the neoplasm weakens the cortical bone. Osteolytic neoplasms are larger, more aggressive, exhibit rapid growth, and cause pathological fractures. Neoplasms involving the skull and nasal cavity can result in neurological deficits, dyspnea, nasal obstruction, and a bloody to purulent nasal discharge.

Lymph Node enlargement occasionally can be observed in sites distal to the tumor. Lung metastases may be associated with the development of hypertrophic osteopathy where space occupying lesions of the lung incite subperiosteal formation of new bone. Lymph nodes draining the neoplastic site may become enlarged and firm following tumor metastasis.


Treatment of OSA can include surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. Survival without treatment is ~ 2-6 months.10 Amputation is palliative but rarely increases survival time. Chemotherapy administered after amputation helps to control metastatic disease and may increase survival time significantly. The most successful chemotherapy protocol is a combination of cisplatin and doxorubicin that is administered following amputation.


Prognosis for OSA is variable, and depends on how advanced the cancer is when first diagnosed, if it has already moved to the lungs and lymph nodes, and whether there is extension of the cancer into soft tissue (which Dolly had).

If you note a persistent limp or swelling in your large breed pet contact your veterinarian.  The earlier the diagnosis, the more success there is for treatment with amputation and chemotherapy.