oral melanoma

#1 · May 31, 2022, 7:14 am

My 13 year old dog was diagnosed with oral melanoma 6 months ago. The kind she has is very aggressive. The tumor is growing in the area between the canine and back teeth. She seems fine and has shown no signs of being sick, however tonight she was licking a lot and I looked and the tumor was bleeding. Should I be changing the things I am feeding her so she doesn't have to chew so much? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

#2 · May 31, 2022, 7:16 am

I had a dog that was diagnosed with a possible form of oral cancer and the vet suggested to switch to a canned food. Luckily, after the biopsy it turned out being only a papilloma. This poor dog though I was fostering was bleeding from her mouth when she was eating, or playing or fetching with her toys. I would ask your vet though as he is the best source and has your dog's medical history. Perhaps, he may recommend a special diet so to not feed the cancer cells. Remember that diet changes need to be done gradually. Also, you can soften your dog's food with some warm water or a bit of broth with no onion or garlic among the ingredients.
Best wishes!

Former AAHA animal hospital employee, dog trainer and dog behavior consultant. Published dog author on several print and web publications.

#3 · May 31, 2022, 7:18 am

Has your vet considered doing something to shrink it, so it minimizes bleeding? the issue seems to happen often when the tumor grows too big. It looks like a vaccine for oral melanoma is out, not too sure at what stage your dogs' is, but worth discussing with the vet. Here is a link:
http://www.veterinarypracticenews.com/ve...al-ok.aspx
Also, radiation or chemo may help shrink it as well, and there are some cases where it can be cauterized or shrunk with an epinephrine vaccine. Try to find a good oncologist as there are often options regular vets may not be aware of. I hope this helps!