Are you all aware of the high cancer rate in rottweiler dogs? I wasn't before we got ours, but unfortunately, she seems to be succumbing to it. She has been battling cancer for the last three or four years, and is already older than many rottweilers (she's eleven and the average lifespan of a rottie is nine years). I'm worried the end may be coming soon for her, but we have tried to make her as comfortable as we can and make sure she maintains a high quality of life. Have any of you owned a rottie (or other dog?) who had cancer?

Aww! That's so sad. I've been fortunate not to have any dogs with cancer. I bet it's very hard to deal with. I've had family members die from cancer, so I know how hard it can be.

Our GSD Princess died of cancer 6 years ago. She was 12 yrs when she came down with it, and the vet gave her meds to ease her, but we didn't do the chemo route. She lived another 2 years comfortably. It was like losing one of my children, we still miss her!

Originally Posted by doggie_docious

Are you all aware of the high cancer rate in rottweiler dogs? I wasn't before we got ours, but unfortunately, she seems to be succumbing to it. She has been battling cancer for the last three or four years, and is already older than many rottweilers (she's eleven and the average lifespan of a rottie is nine years). I'm worried the end may be coming soon for her, but we have tried to make her as comfortable as we can and make sure she maintains a high quality of life. Have any of you owned a rottie (or other dog?) who had cancer?

I am so sorry for you I understand. I have had my rott since she was 5 & 1/2 weeks old. She is the joy of my life. Now we are fighting breast cancer. She is fighting to live. I am so sad. I cry alot Yet I too make her as comfortable as I can .Judy

Originally Posted by doggie_docious

Are you all aware of the high cancer rate in rottweiler dogs? I wasn't before we got ours, but unfortunately, she seems to be succumbing to it. She has been battling cancer for the last three or four years, and is already older than many rottweilers (she's eleven and the average lifespan of a rottie is nine years). I'm worried the end may be coming soon for her, but we have tried to make her as comfortable as we can and make sure she maintains a high quality of life. Have any of you owned a rottie (or other dog?) who had cancer?

I am well aware of it now since my beautiful female who passed away a year and a half ago had it. (had her since she was 8 wks. old) I first noticed a lump on her neck, turned out to be thyroid cancer. I took her to a specialist and they said all she needed was surgery to remove it since it was just in that area. They did the surgery, said she didn't need chemo or radiation. (she was 8 yrs. old) She recovered very well. A year later I started noticing that she was losing weight and her skin was getting very flakey. I took her to the vet, he did an xray. It turned out that the cancer was back and her lungs were filled. She lived to be 9 years old and just got so sick. I also have a male Rottie who is now 10yrs old (had him since he was 8 months old-got him from a Rottie Rescue) he was my females "brother" so to speak (not from same litter at all) We just found out the other day that he has bone cancer in his hind leg. He started limping and not using it a few weeks ago and it swelled up. The tumor is huge the vet said and he said that he must be a very strong dog because it is very painful. (he doesn't cry at all my big baby ) We are giving him meds to make him comfortable. I am so sick over this!!!!! I also have a 1 year old female Rottie now (had her since she was 8 wks.) and a little Boston Terrier (2 yrs. old) This is so painful to watch. These poor big beautiful animals!!!

Hey,

I have experienced that with my ibezon hound x, Magarat. She was about 11 and had cancer and getting really grumpy. We had to put her down.
But no sorry I have never had a rottweiler so I dont know

Hi all,

Hopefully I am jumping the gun, however, I am TERRIFIED. My dog, Roxie is having a mass removed from her stomach tomorrow morning. I am scared to death that it will be cancerous. I found this post while researching the idea. She has not been acting sick or like something is wrong. I noticed the mass last week and immediately took her to the vet. It is real hard. She had an oral cancer last year that was removed. My fear has always been that it will come back. I pray that I am over reacting, however, I would love any information on how long your dogs have lived after being diagnosed, the quality of life, options for treatment, or any other information and/or words of encouragement you might offer.

Thanks!

This is heartbreaking. I had no idea that these were susceptible to cancers. Our Rotty Mayla has been having problems breathing a few weeks after we noticed a tumorous mass on her chest. It sounds as if her lungs are full of fluid and the poor things cannot breath from her nose. She is actually my mom's dog and she doesn't have the money to have her treated.

Mayla is 9 years old and she has been with us since she was 2 weeks. Is 9 the age that she start to have problems anyway?

Clearly my mother should have done more research before taking this dog.

Ta,

Parker

Yes, I lost a female Rottie, Sable, to brain cancer. She was 8 years old. It progressed so rapidly that I didn't have a chance to take her to a canine neurologist near Detroit (I had taken Sable to Michigan State University's Small Animal Hospital).

It is distressing to see your baby in such pain and misery and I thoroughly understand. Our pets are like our children. It was at the point where she would not eat or drink and she would cry all day and all night. I would find her trying to get behind the refrigerator or behind the television set. It was extremely heartbreaking.

My 2 other Rotties, Spud, a male, died of heart failure at the age of 14. Diamond, my other female Rott, died at age 8 of kidney failure.

You and your family (and that includes your Rottie) are in my prayers.

Hi there,
I had no idea that rotties are very suseptible to getting cancer. Not until yesterday when we had to put our beloved rottie to sleep.
Gryph (Gryphon) had this lump on his left front ankle since late October. We figured it was arthritis and thought it was being brought on by cold weather. He had good days and some bad days then in late December it got bigger. With holidays and all we waited until last week to get a vet appointment. Yesterday we took him in . This is a BIG rottie. He had to be muzzled as he was not a happy camper with all this going on. We had to lift him on this table to weigh him. He weighed in a whopping 142.6 lbs. He is not overweight and had actually lost a bit in the last few weeks. He is a long legged and long bodied Rotty.
He was tranquilized for xrays which didn't take in the first few shots but the next ones only proved that the vet was right. He had a carcinoma on his left front ankle. The poor guy ..his bottom area of the leg bone was almost gone. She gave him a week before the leg bone would have just broken. She also told us that this type of cancer is very aggressive and there would be no cure ..we could have taken him home for a week or so with high level pain killers until we would have to put him down. So for us this was devastating thinking he had arthritis to totally lose him the same day. So we had to say goodbye yesterday at 3 pm EST. Gryph was only 71/2 years old. He was a good, faithful and brave dog and obviously in such pain and did not show us this at all.
So treasure those big brave dogs. They are not with us for long.

MeXicaliannie

I have a lovely, sweet male Rottie, 5 years old. He has been limping a bit for the last month, and this week he started limping badly all the time. His left front leg. He will not let me rub this leg, or even around his shoulder, without growling deep in his throat.

I have already lost two Rotties from cancer, one with cancer in his shoulder that ate the shoulder away, and one from cancer in his spine, that had spread from two tumors in his right foreleg.

Is this cancer a genetic problem with Rotties? Is it a virus they can catch, or genetic, or environmental? It's hard as heck to lose another dog, especially such a sweet, protective dog who's never hurt anyone, just been a big lap dog. Does anyone have any ideas about how to cope, how to make his last days easier, or get over (if possible) the horrible feelings of loss?

Hi.... I am so sorry. The same thing happened to my Dog, Molly, which I lost to bone cancer last week. I also, like most here, had her since she was 12 weeks old. She started off with a light limp in her right front leg which was a bit swollen at the time. Before I noticed the limp though, she also developed lumps under her neck and underbelly, but I just thought because she was fat.
She started having a hard time with her walks, which became less and less because it seemed to be causing her too much stress and much labor. Then, she occasionally collapsed on her back hind quarters for no reason known to me at the time.
I wasn't sure if she had just slipped or was starting to get hip displasia. Anyways, The swelling in her leg wasn't going away so I took her to the vet. They did an X-ray and discovered she had bone Cancer, she was 11 years old at that time. I cried for weeks thinking she would die right then and there.
Well, she fought the cancer for almost a year to the date, then... her appetite starting waning, but she was still eating. Every day from the time they told me she had cancer, I watched for any sign that she was giving up and the cancer was winning. She hung in there happy, for the most part, but the swelling was now huge and her limp was heavy. Then, one day... she didn't eat. My being filled with dread because I could see throughout the year the progression that cancer was taking on her. She was also not a cry baby, but she started to moan lightly. I knew the time was getting close and my heart was breaking. Her breathing had become labored and I had to decide to put her to sleep. I had made my mind up when they first told me she had Cancer that I wouldn't be selfish and try to keep her if she was going through pain. I didn't want my beloved dog to be in pain and suffering. She was far too great a dog for her last days to be in misery.
She was obviously now suffering so I made the appt. That day, I had almost called to change my mind and put if off for a bit longer. Then, she went out to relieve herself and fell on her face. I knew then I could not change my mind, and to put it off would only cause us both more pain. They came to my home and she took her last breath in my arms. She lived and died in my arms and when she took her last breath and they carried her out, I collapsed to the floor a wept a river of tears. We were inseparable and she was the light of my life. Losing her ripped a hole in my heart and a void will forever live there. Nothing consoled me and when she died, I almost wished they had euthanized me too because I didn't know what I would do without her.
A friend told me the pain would slowly go away day by day, but I didn't believe my pain ever would, but... I cried till I could cry no more, I hadn't eaten for 3 days, but finally on the 4th day forced myself to eat. To date, the tears are still there, just below the surface. Sometimes I hold them back, sometimes I just let then come, but the pain IS slowly ebbing. I still haven't looked at a picture of her, the wound is still too raw. I know I will when I know I'll be able too without falling apart all over again, but not now. I still haven't got her ashes back yet.

Would I do it all again had I known Rotts were prone to bone cancer and the pain of her loss would be so devastating....you betcha! Best darn dog in the whole world. The years she gave me of unconditional love were the best, bar none.

If she has cancer, give her the pain pills to keep her as comfortable as possible. Love her up as much as you can. When the time comes, cry... let it out. It will get better, you will miss her, you wont ever forget her. And... what helped me get through, was this website. I thought I was the only one who grieved my pet so badly, but not so. All loving pet owners suffer the loss and grieve their pets as I have, and I didn't feel alone.

Pet Loss Grief Support, Rainbow Bridge, Monday Candle Ceremony,

Best to you and your fur baby~

PS... I hope for humans and for dogs, they find a cure for Cancer. I know my dog would have gave me another couple of years had it not been for the cancer.

[kirsty]

I actually wasn't aware that rottweilers are at such a high risk of cancer until i found out today my beloved rottie, Lexus, has it himself. We recently discovered a huge lump on his chest area, just above his right leg which after being removed, turned out to be a tumor. We've been told that he has an aggressive cancer but they do not know what type it is exactly just yet. They warned us we have around a month before the tumor returns. I'm absolutely devastated, what amazing dogs rottweilers are, they bring so much to the family. I am just hoping for a miracle that we have him much longer than they told us, as he's only just gone 7 in november. We're just going to take each day as it comes and make the most of every second we have with him. I'm well and truely so sorry to hear about the loss you have all had and the pain you have gone through, my thoughts are with you all.xxx

[Todd]

Originally Posted by kirsty

I actually wasn't aware that rottweilers are at such a high risk of cancer until i found out today my beloved rottie, Lexus, has it himself. We recently discovered a huge lump on his chest area, just above his right leg which after being removed, turned out to be a tumor. We've been told that he has an aggressive cancer but they do not know what type it is exactly just yet. They warned us we have around a month before the tumor returns. I'm absolutely devastated, what amazing dogs rottweilers are, they bring so much to the family. I am just hoping for a miracle that we have him much longer than they told us, as he's only just gone 7 in november. We're just going to take each day as it comes and make the most of every second we have with him. I'm well and truely so sorry to hear about the loss you have all had and the pain you have gone through, my thoughts are with you all.xxx

What's your rots current diet consist of? A lot of time a healthy diet can help fight cancer and more than medications.

[RottLou]

We are sadden at the loss of our 5 year old Rott Lou. He was such a good boy and we are devistated that he is gone. We found out last week that he had Cancer that was untreatable. I cant believe he is gone. He was 130 pounds of adorable love. Everyone who met him loved him. He was the sweetest dog. My heart is broken.......... We never though we would lose him at 5. HE took a piece of us with him when he left that will never be replaced. Why Cancer? I still cant believe it. He deserved so much more time with us.

[Todd]

Originally Posted by RottLou

We are sadden at the loss of our 5 year old Rott Lou. He was such a good boy and we are devistated that he is gone. We found out last week that he had Cancer that was untreatable. I cant believe he is gone. He was 130 pounds of adorable love. Everyone who met him loved him. He was the sweetest dog. My heart is broken.......... We never though we would lose him at 5. HE took a piece of us with him when he left that will never be replaced. Why Cancer? I still cant believe it. He deserved so much more time with us.

Once again, I am so, so sorry. he's such a beautiful dog. I'm sure you gave him as much love and joy as he gave you. I feel for you. He's probably in a better place now, watching you from Heaven.

[Lara's mom]

I had no idea that cancer was so prevalent in this breed. Are there any studies being done to determine why so many rottweilers succumb to cancer? It certainly seems that the incidence of this disease is disproportionally high in this breed. There has to be some reason why!

[Todd]

Originally Posted by Lara's mom

I had no idea that cancer was so prevalent in this breed. Are there any studies being done to determine why so many rottweilers succumb to cancer? It certainly seems that the incidence of this disease is disproportionally high in this breed. There has to be some reason why!

The most common type of cancer in rotties is bone cancer. I would think it's just a genetic thing like hip dysplasia and labradors. Could it have something to do with excess stress on joints because of the fact that rotties are susceptible to becoming overweight??? Also, obviously these types of genetic issues stem from the fact that dogs with (in this case) cancer were continued to be breed. All dogs have some sort of genetic susceptibility.

Some things haven't been explained/discovered yet. For example there are studies that have concluded that black people are more susceptible to hypertension then white people.

[Lara's mom]

I'm not sure I fully understand. Is this the result of too much inbreeding?

[Todd]

Originally Posted by Lara's mom

I'm not sure I fully understand. Is this the result of too much inbreeding?

It very well could be. That's how a lot of genetic disorders become a major issue.