Kidney Cancer in Dogs
Kidney cancer is relatively rare in dogs, but in most clinical cases it is avery aggressive disease. Malignant tumours of the kidney can occur as primary or secondary tumours. The diagnosis is usually found by a combination of imaging procedures and histopathological examination.
Symptoms
If the kidney cancer is in its initial stage in dogs, usually only few symptoms are noticeable. One of the first signs is blood in the urine. Since this usually causes no pain and the amount of blood in the urine is very small, this symptom is often overlooked. However, as the disease progresses, this symptom can become worse and more noticeable. Blood in the urine is often accompanied by signs such as
- Pain in the kidney area
- Appetite and weight loss
- Sickness and nausea
- Fever and night sweat
- Hypertension
- Fatigue
Diagnosis
The diagnosis „kidney cancer“ can only be made by a veterinarian. The veterinarian first uses imaging techniques such as ultrasound and CT. However, since no conclusions can be drawn about factors such as tumour type, stage or malignancy, a histopathological examination is also carried out. The suspicious kidney cells from the body of the dog are examined and tested for certain tumour markers.
Treatment
In kidney cancer, many tumour types are possible, from adenoma to carcinoma to fibroma. If the tumour is a secondary tumour (metastases), lymphoma may also be considered. Once the type of tumour has been identified, a treatment plan can be drawn up. This plan includes, for example, the therapy to be applied as well as guidelines for everyday life (food, exercise, etc.). The therapy of choice for kidney cancer is usually the surgical removal of the tumour. During surgery, as much tumor mass as possible should be removed. After the surgery, the dog is usually treated with chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy. Another treatment option for tumours of the kidney is dendritic cell therapy.
Dendritic Cell Therapy
The dendritic cell therapy is based on the body’s own dendritic cells. Through the cultivation and recirculation of the cells, the immune system of the dogs is to be stimulated again to fight the tumour cells independently. The aim of our gentle immunotherapy is to fight kidney cancer and not only to increase life expectancy, but also to improve the quality of life.
Dr. Thomas Grammel ist Tierarzt aus Osterode am Harz. Er führte die Tierklinik Dr. Grammel in zweiter Generation seit 1989. Im Jahre 2019 hat er sie an seine Schwiegertochter Marina Grammel und seinen Sohn Dr. Lukas Grammel übergeben (heute Tiergesundheitszentrum Südharz). Im Schwerpunkt betreut heute Dr. Thomas Grammel deutschlandweit Tiere mit unterschiedlichen Tumorerkrankungen. Dabei behandelt er die Tiere selber vor Ort in Osterode im TGZ Südharz, er berät deutschlandweit aber auch Kolleginnen und Kollegen sowie Patientenbesitzer zur immunologischen Behandlung mit dendritischen Zellen bei erkrankten Tieren. Wichtig ist dabei immer die partnerschaftliche Zusammenarbeit im Sinne der Vierbeiner. Dr. Grammel hat an zahlreichen Kongressen im In- und Ausland teilgenommen und seine Arbeit erfolgreich vorgestellt.