Bone Cancer In Dogs Symptoms: Recognising The Warning Signs

There are 2 types of bone cancer in dogs:

• primary, which originates from the bone
• secondary, which is spread from cancer in other parts of the body

Secondary bone tumors are rare in dogs.

• appendicular skeleton or long bones (limbs)
• axial skeleton or flat bones (jaw, skull, spine and ribs)

Common types of primary bone cancer in dogs

• Osteosarcoma
• Chondrosarcoma
• Fibrosarcoma
• Hemangiosarcoma

Osteosarcoma
This is the most common primary bone tumor in dogs. Learn more about it here –> Osteosarcoma in Dogs

Chondrosarcoma
This is the second most common primary canine bone cancer. It is a cartilage tumor that usuallty occurs on axial skeleton of medium and large breed dogs. Although a malignant tumor, chondrosarcoma is less aggressive than osteosarcoma.

Fibrosarcoma
This rare type of primary bone tumor is locally invasive, so it has a low tendency to spread. It affects mainly the axial skeleton of medium and large breed dogs

Hemangiosarcoma
This is a rare type of primary bone tumor, which can affect axial and appendicular skeleton. Hemangiosarcoma is a highly metastatic and aggressive tumor.

Canine Bone Cancer Symptoms

The symptoms of bone cancer in dogs are determined by tumor location.

Symptoms of tumors of the appendicular skeleton:
- lameness
- swelling of the affected bone
- pain
- fracture

Pain can cause:
- weight loss
- loss of appetite
- whimpering
- decrease in activity

Symptoms of tumors of the axial skeleton:
- swelling (skull, jaw, ribs)
- eating difficulty (jaw tumor)
- seizures, unsteady gait (skull or vertebral tumors)
- lameness (shoulder blade or pelvis)

If a primary bone tumor has metastasised to the lungs, dogs may show symptoms of:
- swelling of limbs
- weakness
- breathing difficulty

See the next post on: Canine Bone Cancer: Treatment, Prognosis & Life Expectancy

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