Pets' Skin Cancer...beware

[Texasmujer]

We humans have become pretty savvy about the damage the sun can do to our skin. It can burn and cause cancer, but did you know that pets, especially those with light-color fur, are susceptble around the top of the ears and the nose?

An associate owned a light colored cat (white-and-blond fur).
She noticed sores that wouldn't heal around the top of the ears and also a sore on the side of the cat's nose. She treated it with antibiotics, never knowing that it was the start of skin cancer.

After a couple of weeks, she took "Buffy" to the vetenarian and was told that the cat had skin cancer, and that it was traveling down her ear. It continued to grow on both the ear and nose, and Joyce had no choice but to put her cat to sleep.

Be careful in the summer. Protect your pets by keeping them out of the sun---especially during the hottest parts of the day. Provide some shade and, if you can, take them indoors.

Put a sunscreen on your pet made specifically for animals, and keep checking for blisters, which could be a severe sunburn. If you notice blisters, take your pet to the vet as soon as possible. Don'dt just presume it's a plain old sore. This could save your pet's life.