Cancer overwhelmingly claims more lives among adult dogs than any other cause. Dogs, like humans, face a 1 in 3 lifetime risk of developing cancer, with around 6 million new diagnoses reported annually in the United States. To address this, it’s crucial to consider cancer screening for dogs.

Certain breeds and older dogs carry a higher lifetime risk or face the possibility of an earlier diagnosis. Unfortunately, cancer in dogs is frequently identified at an advanced stage, limiting treatment options and diminishing the chances of long-term control or cure. This results in cutting short the lives of many dogs who, with early detection, could have enjoyed many healthy years with their families.

Cancer screening helps take proactive measures before clinical signs of cancer become apparent. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, “Managing cancer in pets is best achieved through early detection and treatment. Cancer is often treatable, and an early diagnosis enables your veterinarian to provide optimal care, leading to improved outcomes.” As a pet parent, this grants you a wider array of options and additional time for decision-making if required.

• Lymphoma
• Hemangiosarcoma
• Osteosarcoma
• Leukemia
• Histiocytic Sarcoma
• Pulmonary Malignancies
• Malignancies of the Urinary Bladder/Urethra

OncoK9 cancer screen is recommended for healthy dogs as an annual or biannual screening test at wellness visits starting at 7 years of age and starting at younger ages for dogs belonging to breeds in which cancer tends to develop earlier in life.

OncoK9 aid-in diagnosis is recommended for identifying already present clinical signs that may lead to suspect cancer.

It’s as easy as a same-day simple blood draw at our clinic and fasting is not required. Leveraging next-generation sequencing technology, the OncoK9 cancer screen test has a proven ability to detect 30 distinct cancer types, exhibiting high detection rates in many common canine cancers. This test identifies specific genomic alterations associated with cancer, providing insights into current cancer presence, not future risk or cancer type. Results are received within 2 – 5 days, indicating Low, Moderate, or High probability of cancer.

Wondering if your dog is at risk for cancer? Find out by taking an assessment here.

We’ve incorporated the new cancer screening into all wellness exams for dogs over the age of 7 or predisposed to cancer. It can be included as part of your annual wellness exams or ordered separately. A current annual exam is a prerequisite, and you can schedule it with a veterinary technician.

As always, we recommend exploring pet insurance options to ensure comprehensive support for your dog in the event of a cancer diagnosis.

Ultrasound is completely painless for your pet and usually noninvasive. A lot can be learned about your pet’s health in a very short amount of time. To most pet owner’s ultrasound might sound very foreign and a bit pricey but the benefits of ultrasound in Veterinary medicine are many.

The majority of patients do not require anesthesia, while others may require a light sedative to promote relaxation. This is usually determined by not only the pet’s demeanor but also the desired outcome of the ultrasound.

With the help of ultrasound many other invasive diagnostic procedures can be performed like organ biopsies and collection of other diagnostic samples. The final diagnosis of heart disease in mammals and birds is performed by thoracic ultrasound.

Endoscopy is one of the most advanced diagnostic tools used in both veterinary and human medicine. It allows us to visualize pathology processes that cannot be visualized any other way than invasive surgery. Many disease processes can be diagnosed only by endoscopy. Endoscopy is also very helpful in retrieving foreign bodies without surgery. We perform non-invasive endoscopic surgical procedures which are less painful than routine surgeries, quicker with a faster healing time.

Dr. Attila Molnar continuously attends extensive endoscopy courses both in dogs and cats as well as in birds and exotics.

Our goal is to become a mostly endoscopic surgery center.

The most common types of endoscopy procedures performed in veterinary medicine include:

• Rhinoscopy – allows examination of the nasal passages
• Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (Upper GI endoscopy) – allows examination of the esophagus, stomach and upper GI tract
• Colonoscopy (Lower GI endoscopy) – allows examination of the colon and lower GI tract
• Bronchoscopy – allows examination of the lower (lung) and upper airways
• Otoscopy – allows examination of the deep ear canals
• Cystoscopy – allows examination of the bladder and lower urinary tract
• Arthroscopy – allows examination of the joints and is often used for surgical procedures
• Laparoscopy – allows examination of the abdominal cavity and internal organs, often used as an alternative to open surgery for taking biopsies and some minor surgeries
• Thoracoscopy – allows examination of the chest cavity.

All Animals Veterinary Hospital offers full in-house diagnostic capabilities with our state-of-the-art Blood Analyzers. The short turnaround time helps us give quick answers to the symptoms of our patients so we can institute a treatment regimen as soon as possible.

Dr. Attila Molnar took advanced avian and exotic hematology courses. Birds and reptiles have nucleated red blood cells, their complete blood counts cannot be performed by hematology analyzers, and they must be read manually through microscopy. It takes gained experience and expertise to read them properly.

A urinalysis evaluates the physical and chemical composition of the urine of cats and dogs. It can provide important diagnostic information about conditions of the urinary and genital tracts in pets, as well as about a number of systemic diseases such as diabetes, liver disease, Cushing’s disease, etc. The urinalysis is an important part of the diagnostic evaluation for many diseases and is also an integral part of a thorough preventive medicine program for cats and dogs.

Urinalysis results can be used to guide treatment decisions, and in some cases, can indicate the need for more specialized diagnostic tests (such as a culture and sensitivity tests).