Has anyone heard of Canine transmissible venereal tumour (CTVT)? Apparently it is a form of cancer spread by genital contact that is found all over the world. It has several unique features that are of interest to cancer biologists, but the one that is of concern to dog breeders is that it is one of only two forms of transmissible cancer known. The other affects Tasmanian devils. I'd never heard of it, myself.
I knew it as TVT, transmissible venereal tumor. In the late 80s/early 90s, when I was not breeding, I had a young stray rescue that came in pregnant, and she developed it on her vulva sometime after she was spayed, so about 6 months post whelp. The oncologists at the Animal Medical Center in NYC said her mass was either TVT or a benign histiocytoma, but they couldn't tell for sure which it was, as it was so rare at the time in this area. We did surgery that removed nearby swollen lymph nodes and then vincristine chemo. She lived into her mid teens. I was told at the time that it was more common in Puerto Rican and other island dogs--makes me wonder about all those Satos coming in. What is so weird is that the cancer is just about prehistoric--predating dog breeds, for the most part, if I remember correctly from an article I read about 2006.
It is very uncommon in the US and countries where animal control keeps strays off the streets. It is very common in countries where there are strays everywhere.
