TRIPAWDS: Home to 22969 Members and 2152 Blogs.
HOME » NEWS » BLOGS » FORUMS » CHAT » YOUR PRIVACY » RANDOM BLOG

Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat

Tripawds is your home to learn how to care for a three legged dog or cat, with answers about dog leg amputation, and cat amputation recovery from many years of member experiences.

JUMP TO FORUMS

Join The Tripawds Community

Learn how to help three legged dogs and cats in the forums below. Browse and search as a guest or register for free and get full member benefits:

Instant post approval.

Private messages to members.

Subscribe to favorite topics.

Live Chat and much more!

Please consider registering
Guest
Search
Forum Scope


Match



Forum Options



Minimum search word length is 3 characters - maximum search word length is 84 characters
Register Lost password?
sp_Feed sp_PrintTopic sp_TopicIcon-c
The Facts About Dog Cancer Screening Tests
sp_BlogLinkWhite Read the original blog post
sp_NewTopic Add Topic
On The Road


Member Since:
24 September 2009
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
1
24 August 2012 - 11:27 am
sp_Permalink sp_Print sp_QuotePost

The Internet is buzzing with talk about the VDI-TKcanine+ cancer test for dogs. Manufactured by the Veterinary Diagnostics Institute (VDI), this dog cancer screening test made news after it was given the "Seal of Excellence" by the National Canine Cancer Foundation, which recently formed an exclusive partnership with VDI.

Image Enlarger

According to the National Canine Cancer Foundation, the VDI-TKcanine+ cancer test will "help aid diagnosis when cancer is suspected, and to monitor the course of treatment once the presence of cancer is confirmed. VDI-TKcanine+ is a test run by veterinarians and is made available to all veterinarians in the U.S."

VDI currently has two tests for dogs available: VDI-TKcanine+ and INCase. Both tests screen for cancer by looking for two biomarkers that are elevated in patients with cancer; C reactive protein and thymidine kinase.

VDI's INCase test is being marketed as a screening test for dogs with no clinical signs or findings of cancer, however the company is unsure about how many different types of cancer it will detect.

Dog Cancer Tests Better But Not Perfect

Blood tests to monitor dog cancer have been in use for a few years, like the OncoPet RECAF test. The availability of more cancer tests is exciting news, so does this men that screening for canine cancer in our healthy dog or cat is as easy as asking our vet to take a blood sample?

We asked Dr. Avenelle Turner, DVM, Diplomate ACVIM (Oncology), of Southern California's Veterinary Cancer Group, to share her thoughts about this newest dog cancer blood test, VDI-TKcanine+.

"I think it is one of the better tests out there if used correctly," says Dr. Turner. However, she cautions that pet parents must first keep in mind that the VDI-TKcanine+ test has only been validated for dogs with lymphoma or hemangiosarcoma; it is not a screening test to be used when cancer is not suspected.

Dr. Turner says she has used the VDI-TKcanine+ test to help monitor the remission status of her patients with lymphoma. However, she advises pet parents to remember that oftentimes canine cancer blood tests still have a high number of false positives, which doesn't make them an ideal diagnostic tool for confirming the presence of cancer in an otherwise healthy dog.

How the VDI-TKcanine+ Test Works

The VDI-TKcanine+ test can be used in the following situations:

  • When a dog is suspected of having lymphoma or hemangiosarcoma: a high positive test result is suggestive of lymphoma/hemangiosarcoma 85% of the time and if the test is negative, there is only a 4% chance that this test would not detect either disease.
  • When a dog has a confirmed case of lymphoma: the value of the test also indicates the amount of disease. For example, the higher the number, the more "tumor burden."
  • When monitoring response to treatment; the values will get lower as more cancer is killed, higher if the therapy isn't working. If this test is done at the initial diagnosis of lymphoma prior to therapy, values lower than 30U/L show a positive prognostic indicator and are suggestive of a longer survival with treatment. A test value of 100U/L or higher is a negative prognostic finding and is suggestive of a shorter survival even with treatment.

The Downside of Higher Sensitivity Tests

VDI reports that their INCase test has an overall 99% sensitivity, which means that if you have a negative test result, there is less than a 1% chance that the dog has cancer. And while this test is well-regarded in the veterinary community because of its high sensitivity, the irony is that “the more sensitive a test is, the more false positives you will have,” according to Dr. Turner. With the INCASE test, about 10-15% of dogs will test positive but not actually have cancer.

False positives also happen when a dog has inflammation anywhere in the body. For example if a dog has bad skin, itchy ears or irritable bowel disorder (which all cause inflammation in the body), the false positive readings can soar as high as 50 percent.

Since most dogs have some inflammation somewhere in their body, up to half of all dogs tested may undergo costly cancer staging diagnostic tests, only to reveal that there was no cancer in the first place.

Dr. Jennifer Coats, author of the PetMD blog Fully Vetted, stated in her blog that she believes that the current canine cancer screening test technologies still have a long way to go.

"The blood tests have a relatively high rate of false positive results, which means that a large number of clients will be told that their pets might have cancer when they really do not. This will bring about a lot of unnecessary worry and will necessitate additional, expensive diagnostic testing before coming to a definitive diagnosis of "no cancer."

Accurate Dog Cancer Testing Closer Than Ever

When the Texas A&M Veterinary Oncology Clinic was asked about this new test and blood screening tests in general, a clinic spokesperson on Facebook said "we are still researching their efficacy. It is still too early for us to say whether or not we'd recommend them to our clients, but we'll let everyone know what our research concludes!"

Opinions given by veterinary professionals indicate that checking for canine cancer still isn't as easy as having our vet draw a blood sample during our dog's annual check-up, but thanks to the ongoing development of better tests like the VDI-TKcanine+, we're closer than ever to detecting dog cancer in its earliest stages.

Recommended Reading:

PetMD, Fully Vetted Blog: Blood Tests for Cancer Screening?
Healthy Pets; Mercola: New Simple Blood Test Can Detect Cancer in 'Man's Best Friend'...
National Canine Cancer Foundation: Blood Test For Canine Cancer

Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet

Oakland, CA
Member Since:
20 December 2008
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
2
24 August 2012 - 8:48 pm
sp_Permalink sp_Print sp_QuotePost

Ima proud! I did my bit for tripawds and cancer dawgz everywhere and sent 'em some of my blood! A whole bunch of it. Way more than I think they needed for their......'tests'. What are they, vampires with a taste for dawg blood? An' my mom filled out all these questionnaires about me and my health! Mom sez hopefully they aren't just 'shysters'.....whatever those are. 'Member the doggie DNA craze? But hopefully all this science is headed in the right direction---early detection and no more dawgz dyin' of K9 cancer! Get outta here Big C! We don't want you 'round here!

xoxox everypawdy!

hoppy to be of service......Codie Rae

Woohoo! Tripawds Rule!

Regulator of the Oaktown Pack, Sheriff of the Oaktown Pawsse, Founding member and President of the Tripawd Girldogs With 2 Names ROCK Club, and ... Tripawd Girldog Extraordinaire!

Visit Codie Rae's Blog!

San Diego, CA
Member Since:
29 October 2010
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
3
24 August 2012 - 8:58 pm
sp_Permalink sp_Print sp_QuotePost

Thanks for doing your part, Codie Rae!

Yeah, Big C - no one likes you! Go away!!

Abby: Aug 1, 2009 – Jan 10, 2012. Our beautiful rescue pup lived LARGE with osteosarcoma for 15 months – half her way-too-short life. I think our "halflistic" approach (mixing traditional meds + supplements) helped her thrive. (PM me for details. I'm happy to help.) She had lung mets for over a year. They took her from us in the end, but they cannot take her spirit! She will live forever in our hearts. She loved the beach and giving kisses and going to In-N-Out for a Flying Dutchman. Tripawds blog, and a more detailed blog here. Please also check out my novel, What the Dog Ate. Now also in paperback! Purchase it at Amazon via Tripawds and help support Tripawds!

Sydney, Australia
Member Since:
13 September 2011
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
4
24 August 2012 - 11:20 pm
sp_Permalink sp_Print sp_QuotePost

Any progress in preventing cancer and detecting cancer early has to be a good thing.

Good on you Codie Rae for your part.

 

Karen and Spirit Magnum

Magnum: 30th May 2002 to 5th May 2012. Lost her back left leg to osteosarcoma on 5th Sep 2011. Lung mets found on 20th Mar 2012 but it was bone mets in the hip that ended her brave battle. Magnum's motto - "Dream as if you'll live for ever, live as if you'll die today" (James Dean). Loyal, loving, courageous and spirited to the end. My beloved heart dog, see her memoirs from Rainbow Bridge ...... http://princess.....pawds.com/

Forum Timezone: America/Denver
Most Users Ever Online: 946
Currently Online:
Guest(s) 231
Currently Browsing this Page:
1 Guest(s)
Member Stats:
Guest Posters: 1268
Members: 17732
Moderators: 6
Admins: 3
Forum Stats:
Groups: 4
Forums: 24
Topics: 18610
Posts: 256798
Administrators: admin, jerry, Tripawds
Tripawds is brought to you by Tripawds.
HOME » NEWS » BLOGS » FORUMS » CHAT » YOUR PRIVACY » RANDOM BLOG