Heredity of animal cancer  Last Modified: April 11, 2003  Share
article   Dear OncoLink "Ask The Experts," I lost my dog to
cancer. I would like to get another dog from the same breeder. I
am unsure how much of a role genetics plays into the likelihood
that a dog will develop cancer. I know there is no guarantee of
a completely healthy dog (regardless of the breed) but I also do
not want to set myself up for another loss if there is a great
chance of a related dog developing the same disease. Any advice
you can give to help me assess the situation would be most
appreciated.      This is a very difficult question to answer.
Dog and cat breeds, by definition, are highly inbred which
increases the chances of a variety of recessive traits being
manifested in any given breed. It is well known that every breed
has diseases to which they are more susceptible than the average
dog, and in some breeds this susceptibility can be quite
pronounced such that a large percentage of animals will be
either carriers or affected