Veneral Tumor in Dogs?

One interesting nature about dogs is that unlike human, they do not simply mate to serve their "needs". The female only allows the male to breed twice a year during heats. And, because of this, they rarely get diseases transmitted through copulation. One exception is the Transmissible Venereal Tumor or TVT. The word venereal itself described the mode of transmission of this disease, but in actual case, the disease can be transmitted through contact as some dogs might have the tumor growing on the nose (transmitted when they lick the tumor affected parts).

TVT was first described by Russian vet M.A. Novinsky (1841–1914) in 1876 when he successfully demonstrated that the tumor could be transmitted from one dog to another by infecting them with the tumor cells. In fact, it is very easy to be transmitted.

In our practice, we have successfully treated dogs (male & female) with TVT. Chemotherapy is very effective against TVT. Some people might use radiation or surgery but chances are the tumor will grows back again.

Very easy to spot the tumor which grows outward from the vagina. Most of the time, the owner will first complaint of bleeding from the hind. I have taken photos from the male dog's but forgot where did I saved them. Anyway, in males, the tumor will grow on the penis and the inner part of the prepuce. You have to actually pull the prepuce back to reveal the cauliflower like tumor in the inner penis. Normally, there will be blood dripping from the prepucial opening and owner may misunderstood this as blood in the urine.

The treatment is very simple, safe and effective if done correctly. Any chemotherapy drug is very dangerous and must be handled by trained veterinarian. In fact, some of them can cause your skin to slough if in contact with your skin. The photo above showed the same dog after the first chemotherapy. The tumor started to shrink just after one treatment but it's not enough to initiate only one treatment. It has to be a series of treatment depending on what drugs to be used.

There you have it! Complete recovery of the dog from the tumor after the third chemotherapy. Actually, this dog was given four chemotherapy session in order to complete the series of chemotherapy treatment designed for her.

In the male dogs, the tumor almost always occurs in the inner part of the penis. It can easily be seen once you pull the prepuce back until the end of the penis. The structure is something like a cauliflower usually with some bleeding. The most obvious sign to look for in a male dog with TVT is dripping of blood from the preputial opening.