Veterinary Care Page 7
We are now compiling data on various cancers found
in skunks and possible treatments. We will begin with some basic
information.
Though there are many different types of cancer,
there are five basic categories:
- Carcinomas - the most common cancers, which are
those that originate in the tissues which cover a surface or line internal
organs. Carcinomas include lung, breast, prostate, skin, and intestinal
cancers.
- Sarcomas - cancers which originate in the
connective and muscle tissue, attacking bones, muscles, cartilage, or the
lymph system. These are considered to be the rarest and also the most deadly
types of cancer.
- Myelomas - these tumors are also rare and
originate in the plasma cells, which are found in bone marrow.
- Lymphoma - these are cancers of the lymph system.
The two most prevalent types in the U.S. are Hodgkin's disease and
non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
- Leukemias - this type of cancer originates in the
tissues of the bone marrow, spleen, and the lymph nodes. Leukemia manifests
itself as an overproduction of white blood cells and is not a cancer that
forms solid tumors.
Listed below are some cancers and tumors found in
skunks:
Cancer Prevention and Treatment
Resource links for homeopathic and natural dietary suppliments.
We are giving our skunks Essiac
Tea. We buy the box and brew ourselves.
We hope to someday have EBC-46 in the United States to help our animals and
humans too. Scientists have identified a compound in the fruit of the native
blushwood shrub that appears to "liquify and destroy cancer with no
side-effects", according to latest research.
Read about it> http://www.qbiotics.com/
Read about it> http://www.topicalinfo.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=729
MORE suggested items to take to help prevent or fight cancer for both people and pets. We use a lot of the items below on ourselves and our skunks.
NOTE:These are just suggestions. We are not Veterinarians or Doctors.
Always consult your Doctor or Veterinarian.
Do not take all suggestions all at once.
Do your own home work on each item.
Helicobacter pylori and Cancer
Several authorities have shown that a direct link exists with Helicobacter
pylori leading to Hodgkin’s Disease and lymphoma. In ferrets they have
documented cases of H. pylori and lymphoma. There may be common factors and
connections to several types of cancer.
The best interest would be to have young skunks tested for Heicobacter pylori
and older skunks tested for Hodgkin's Disease and H. pylori. Skunks with signs
of Hodgkin's Disease that pass should on have a necropsy and tested as well.
If we have young skunks tested and can kill the bacteria early then they may
not have lymphoma at an older age.
Reference Jackson Siegelbaum Gastroenterology - Helicobacter Pylori for
more information on H. pylori.
More information can also be found at Healing Naturally by Bee
Treatment and cures can be found at Earth
Clinic and Health Alternative.
This five year old male had a few bumps on the back
The skunk had mouth surgery about a month before the bumps multiplied.
It’s assumed the surgery might have made the cells mad and starting going out of
control all over this skunks body.
The biopsy stated this could have been and was
more than likely Cutaneous Lymphoma, read about it>
http://ezinearticles.com/?What-is-Cutaneous-Lymphoma?&id=3572140
The other possibilities
were:
Infectious
Dermatopathy OR Immune-Mediated Disease; these could not be ruled
out.
Gastric Lymphoma
This is a 10 year old that died of Gastric Lymphoma. This consumed the whole
stomach. The skunk stopped eating and then started to bleed internally.
Read about Primary Gastric Lymphoma and Gastric
Lymphoma.
The following is submited as an example of the
difficulty of diagnosing and treating various cancers:
Submitted by Deann Oakes -
This is my story about our SweetPea, We got him in
Aug of 2003 and when we bought him home he wasn't acting right, laying by his
water dish all the time and not eating. So I called [another skunk owner] and
she said take him to the vet so we did and he had a kidney and bladder
infection. He was put on amoxicillin that seemed to work well for him. So
another month went by we had him nutered all went well. Then about a month after
that again not acting right back to the vet again another infection. So put back
on amoxicillin.
In Nov my vet passed away and we had no vet so I
called aprox 20 to 30 vets to find one and we thought we did but she new nothing
about skunks and he did have another infection and she put him on Baytril well
that made him worse he could not pee or poop for 2 days so I stopped the Baytril
and I started looking for another vet that knew something about skunks and we
found a father and daughter team so we took Sweet Pea for a check-up and he did
have another infection plus his liver enzymes elevated very high 997, normal is
in the 100's. So he was put on Clavamox. For months through most of the winter
we went for our monthly check-up for liver, bladder, kidneys. Well all was
starting to look great, enzymes we got down to 150 range and one morning he woke
up limping for no apparent reason. I thought he pulled something so I called the
vet; she said it was probably a soft tissue pull to put heat and cool compresses
on it whichever he liked. So we did and it was still getting worse so I called
her back made a appointment.
We did X-rays and found which looked like several
holes in his right front arm elbow. So she sent the X-rays to a specialist to
read and we all agreed he needed a biopsy of the arm. So 10 days later he was
getting the Biopsy when he was on the table asleep the vet called and said this
arm is a mess there is no way to save it. It looked like mush and everything was
eaten away. The only way to save his life was to take the arm. So we did she
sent the arm away for a biopsy and it came back that my baby SweetPea has
CANCER, 10 months old very rare type of cancer for his age. The first my vet has
heard of Osteosarcoma. And she was telling me that this type of cancer travels
throught the blood stream and he will be dead within a year. That next it will
attack lungs,liver kidneys, bladder ,spleen, lymph nodes and so on. Now all was
making sense this is why my baby was always sick.
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So now here we are today his incision won't heal
so we do our weekly Tues at 10am to the vet and this has been 2 months now. We
did just wrapping it, then we did Sugar bandagages, then he went back in for a
debreedment with a drain put in. I had to pull the drain in 3 days so I did it
looked geat (see pics below) But 2 days after I pulled the drain the incesion
opened right back up with a hole and puss. So we're leaving it opened I'm
cleaning it 4 times a day with ST-37, BETADINE, and putting this Phytogel around
the incesion and he's leaving it alone.
SkunkHaven™ Note: I am happy to say that Sweet Pea
is doing good as of 10/04.
In a recent skunk necropsy, the skunk was found to
have Mesothelioma. This seems to be the first documented case in our
skunks.
We know the first owner had passed on and that is
how this skunk came to us. The skunk was soon adopted out in summer of 2004.
Recently she was getting fussy about eating and her stomach was filling up with
fluids. When she passed on a necropsy was preformed.
At this time we do not know if the skunk lived in
her first home with asbestos or not.
This from EzineArticles, What is Mesothelioma?:
Pleural mesothelioma is one of the most common types of lung
cancer and is usually brought on by exposure to asbestos. When asbestos is
inhaled, the micro fibers pass down the airways and become embedded in the
pleura ( the thin outer lining of the lungs). This induces serious scarring and
chronic inflammatory lesions on this delicate tissue. Over a period of time
these lesions and scars slowly develop into pleural mesothelioma, a deadly form
of lung cancer for which there is no definative cure. These asbestos micro
fibers sometimes also settle in the abdomen, leading to the development of
peritoneal mesothelioma. This type of cancer, although less common, is just as
deadly. Just like asbestosis, pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma usually have a
long period of dormancy after exposure before clinical signs start to show. In
fact some patients do not show symptoms for 40 years after exposure.
This from National Cancer Institute, Mesothelioma: Questions and Answers:
"The risk of asbestos-related disease increases with heavier
exposure to asbestos and longer exposure time. However, some individuals with
only brief exposures have developed mesothelioma. On the other hand, not all
workers who are heavily exposed develop asbestos-related diseases."
...
"There is some evidence that family members and others living with asbestos
workers have an increased risk of developing mesothelioma, and possibly other
asbestos-related diseases."
© 2005-2011 Skunk Haven™ Skunk Rescue, Shelter, and
Education, Inc.
Revised 12/27/2011 (SRS)
