Alerting pet owners to the importance of regularly checking their pets and encouraging them to seek a diagnosis for any “lumps and bumps” they might find is an ongoing challenge for veterinary teams. The insidious nature of skin tumours means that early detection and diagnosis allows for increased treatment options and can significantly improve the chance of a positive outcome for the pet.
Up to one in four pets will develop cancer over their lifetimes and mast cell tumours account for one in five cutaneous neoplasms demonstrating why the early diagnosis of skin lumps and bumps is critical.
When a pet owner finds a skin abnormality on their pet, it’s not unusual for them to delay consulting their veterinary surgeon out of fear for what it could mean for their pet, particularly in older pets where the incidence of skin tumours is highest.
To help veterinary practices educate pet owners on the importance of checking their pets, Virbac is offering a toolkit that contains everything a practice needs to create their own lumps and bumps awareness campaign including social media posts, videos, newsletter content and client literature.
“Making the most of cuddle time with our pets, feeling for lumps and bumps, can make a huge difference to the early detection of skin abnormalities” said Dr Neil Mottram MRCVS, Technical Product Manager at Virbac. “Thanks to innovative new products like STELFONTA, the options available to veterinary surgeons to treat skin tumours in dogs has never been greater, so it’s an ideal time to educate pet owners on the importance of an early diagnosis”.
STELFONTA is a ground-breaking injectable solution to treat mast cell tumours in dogs which provides a high tumour elimination rate, complete healing within four to six weeks and a speedy return to a good quality of life for the pet. STELFONTA is administered by injection directly into the tumour mass and generally, dogs do not require sedation or general anaesthesia during treatment.
The toolkit is available on the Virbac Resource Library which can be found by creating an account online or from your Virbac Territory Manager.
