Results: 2018 General Health Survey
Cancer/Tumor
Of the 1,171 surveys completed, 6.7% (78) reported incidents of cancer or tumors.
Considering the entire population surveyed:
Considering the entire population surveyed:
- Reports of cancer/tumor were relatively consistent across populations surveyed, ranging from 6.6 – 8% of all dogs surveyed in the TMT, SMT and MT (UK/FCI) populations. While overall rates in ETTs appear lower at first glance, when living dogs are considered in isolation the rates are consistent across all breeds/varieties.
- The most commonly reported type of cancer overall was lymphoma, with 12 cases reported across all breeds/varieties surveyed. All 12 cases were reported in deceased dogs with 11 of these owners attributing death to lymphoma. Although comparisons are difficult when dealing with small numbers, median age of lymphoma death was 5.5 years in Manchester Terriers (UK/FCI) (4) as compared to 11 years in Standard Manchesters (3) and 15 years in Toy Manchesters (3).
- The second most commonly reported type of cancer/tumor overall was Mast Cell Tumor. Seven of nine mast cell tumour cases were reported in Manchester Terriers (UK/FCI), and the third most commonly reported was Oral Papillomatosis, with seven cases total.
- Cancer/Tumors appear to affect Manchester Terriers of all breeds/varieties at older ages. While information on age of onset wasn’t specifically gathered, this conclusion was supported by indicators like age at death in deaths attributed to cancer/tumors, age at death among all dogs reporting cancer/tumor and current age of living dogs reporting cancer/tumors.
- Manchester Terriers (UK/FCI) may be affected by cancer/tumor at a slightly younger age as compared to other breeds/varieties surveyed. Age at death among deceased Manchesters reporting cancer/tumor was 1.5 years lower and age of living dogs reporting cancer/tumors was also lower as compared to Toy and Standard Manchester Terriers. This difference is heavily influenced by the younger age at death from lymphoma observed in Manchester Terriers (UK/FCI), where all four cases reported were fatal in dogs aged 5-7 years.
- 25-30% of Toy and Standard Manchester Terrier owners reporting cancer/tumor, identified their dog’s type of cancer as unknown (2) or indicated that cancer was suspected but was unconfirmed through veterinary investigation (4). This number may reflect inherent flaws in surveys based on owner reported disease and/or the advanced ages of dogs at diagnosis. By comparison, just one Manchester Terrier (UK/FCI) owner and one English Toy Terrier owner reported their dogs’ cancer as unknown or unconfirmed.
Conditions
The following conditions are referenced in the analysis for this section. The explanation for each disease/condition provided in the survey is included here for reference:
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Toy Manchester Terriers
Respondents reported 14 types of cancer/tumor in a total of 25 Toy Manchesters (8%). The most commonly identified type was Lymphoma, which affected four individuals (1.3%). Additional types of cancer reported include three dogs with Squamous Cell Carcinoma (1%), three with Oral Papillomatosis (1%), two with Gastric Carcinoma (0.6%), two with Melanoma (0.6%), and one case each of Adenocarcinoma, Chondrasarcoma, Epulis, Hemangiosarcoma, Mammary Cancer, Mast Cell Tumor, Osteosarcoma, and Pituitary Tumor (0.3%). One case of benign mammary tumors was identified under ‘other’.
Although respondents were not always specifically asked to identify the location of cancer within the body, a small percentage of owners volunteered this information, indicating that three TMTs had cancer of the liver and one each had cancer in the brain, jaw, spleen or tonsil. As this information was not gathered for all dogs, however, it should not be considered representative.
19 of the 25 Toy Manchesters reporting cancer were deceased as of the date the survey was completed. Although no questions about age of onset were asked, median age at death among the 19 dogs was 13 years, with 17 of the 19 (89%) aged 10 years of age or older at death. Among the 14 dogs whose death was wholly or partially attributed to cancer, 10 fell in the same age range, with a median age at death of 12 years. Additionally, of the six living TMTs reported to have cancer/tumor, five (83%) were over age 10 as of the date the survey was completed. All of these numbers suggest strongly that cancer or tumor cases generally occurred in Toy Manchesters at an older age or, if diagnosed at a younger age, were not fatal. Of note, two deaths attributed to cancer in TMTs aged less than 10 years were identified as secondary to protein-losing enteropathy.
**It should be noted that six owners, representing 24% of the 25 TMTs reporting cancer/tumor, identified their dog’s type of cancer as unknown (2) or indicated that cancer was suspected but was unconfirmed through veterinary investigation (4). This is significant for two reasons. First, cancer was identified in the survey as the most common cause of death in Toy Manchester Terriers, with almost 20% (14 of 71) of TMT deaths reported as resulting directly from cancer and with tumors implicated in several others. At least four of the 14 cancer-related deaths were in dogs with suspected but unconfirmed cancer, underlining that causes of death cited by owners in the survey provide a representational approximation only rather than exact statistics and diagnoses. Second, the median age at death among all TMT deaths attributed to cancer was 12 years and among those with unknown/unconfirmed diagnoses was 14 years. The higher median age in unknown/unconfirmed cases likely reflects a general decrease in veterinary investigation corresponding to advanced age. Understandably, both veterinarians and owners are less likely to thoroughly investigate specific causes of illness and disease in elderly dogs, therefore we should expect that accuracy in owner reported health conditions will decrease as the age of their dog increases. This should be kept in mind when reviewing all survey results, given that fully 35% of TMTs reported on in the survey were aged 11 or above.
Respondents reported 14 types of cancer/tumor in a total of 25 Toy Manchesters (8%). The most commonly identified type was Lymphoma, which affected four individuals (1.3%). Additional types of cancer reported include three dogs with Squamous Cell Carcinoma (1%), three with Oral Papillomatosis (1%), two with Gastric Carcinoma (0.6%), two with Melanoma (0.6%), and one case each of Adenocarcinoma, Chondrasarcoma, Epulis, Hemangiosarcoma, Mammary Cancer, Mast Cell Tumor, Osteosarcoma, and Pituitary Tumor (0.3%). One case of benign mammary tumors was identified under ‘other’.
Although respondents were not always specifically asked to identify the location of cancer within the body, a small percentage of owners volunteered this information, indicating that three TMTs had cancer of the liver and one each had cancer in the brain, jaw, spleen or tonsil. As this information was not gathered for all dogs, however, it should not be considered representative.
19 of the 25 Toy Manchesters reporting cancer were deceased as of the date the survey was completed. Although no questions about age of onset were asked, median age at death among the 19 dogs was 13 years, with 17 of the 19 (89%) aged 10 years of age or older at death. Among the 14 dogs whose death was wholly or partially attributed to cancer, 10 fell in the same age range, with a median age at death of 12 years. Additionally, of the six living TMTs reported to have cancer/tumor, five (83%) were over age 10 as of the date the survey was completed. All of these numbers suggest strongly that cancer or tumor cases generally occurred in Toy Manchesters at an older age or, if diagnosed at a younger age, were not fatal. Of note, two deaths attributed to cancer in TMTs aged less than 10 years were identified as secondary to protein-losing enteropathy.
**It should be noted that six owners, representing 24% of the 25 TMTs reporting cancer/tumor, identified their dog’s type of cancer as unknown (2) or indicated that cancer was suspected but was unconfirmed through veterinary investigation (4). This is significant for two reasons. First, cancer was identified in the survey as the most common cause of death in Toy Manchester Terriers, with almost 20% (14 of 71) of TMT deaths reported as resulting directly from cancer and with tumors implicated in several others. At least four of the 14 cancer-related deaths were in dogs with suspected but unconfirmed cancer, underlining that causes of death cited by owners in the survey provide a representational approximation only rather than exact statistics and diagnoses. Second, the median age at death among all TMT deaths attributed to cancer was 12 years and among those with unknown/unconfirmed diagnoses was 14 years. The higher median age in unknown/unconfirmed cases likely reflects a general decrease in veterinary investigation corresponding to advanced age. Understandably, both veterinarians and owners are less likely to thoroughly investigate specific causes of illness and disease in elderly dogs, therefore we should expect that accuracy in owner reported health conditions will decrease as the age of their dog increases. This should be kept in mind when reviewing all survey results, given that fully 35% of TMTs reported on in the survey were aged 11 or above.
Standard Manchester Terriers
Respondents reported 16 types of cancer/tumor in a total of 16 Standard Manchesters (8.6%). The most commonly identified type was Lymphoma, which affected three individuals (1.6%). Additional types of cancer reported include two dogs with Oral Papillomatosis (1%), and one each with Adenocarcinoma, Gastric Cancer, Hemangiosarcoma, Leukemia, and Malignant Melanoma (0.5%). One case of adrenal gland tumor was identified under ‘other’.
Although respondents were not always specifically asked to identify the location of cancer within the body, a small percentage of owners volunteered this information, indicating that two SMTs had cancer of the spleen and one each had cancer in the bone (suspected) and adrenal gland. As this information was not gathered for all dogs, however, it should not be considered representative.
13 of the 16 Standard Manchesters reporting cancer were deceased as of the date the survey was completed. Although no questions about age of onset were asked, median age at death among the 13 dogs was 13 years, with 10 of the 13 (77%) aged 10 years of age or older at death. Among the 11 dogs whose death was wholly or partially attributed to cancer/tumor, eight fell in the same age range, with a median age at death of 12 years. These numbers suggest strongly that cancer or tumor cases generally occurred in Standard Manchesters at an older age or, if diagnosed at a younger age, were not fatal. Of note, of the three living SMTs reported to have cancer/tumor, one was aged 13 years and the other two were aged one and two years respectively. Both younger dogs were reported to have Oral Papillomatosis (a tumor or wart of the mouth).
**It should be noted that five owners, representing over 1/3 of the 16 SMTs reporting cancer/tumor, identified their dog’s type of cancer as unknown (3) or indicated that cancer was suspected but was unconfirmed through veterinary investigation (2). This is significant for two reasons. First, cancer was identified in the survey as the most common cause of death in Standard Manchester Terriers, with 25% (11 of 44) of SMT deaths reported as resulting directly from cancer. Four of the 11 cancer-related SMT deaths were in dogs with suspected but unconfirmed cancer, underlining that causes of death cited by owners in the survey provide a representational approximation only rather than exact statistics and diagnoses. Second, the median age at death among all SMT deaths attributed to cancer was 12 years and among those with unknown/unconfirmed cases was 14 years. The higher median age in unknown/unconfirmed cases likely reflects a general decrease in veterinary investigation corresponding to advanced age. Understandably, both veterinarians and owners are less likely to thoroughly investigate specific causes of illness and disease in elderly dogs, therefore we should expect that accuracy in reporting of health conditions will decrease to some degree as age increases. This should be kept in mind when reviewing all survey results, given that almost 35% of SMTs reported on in the survey were aged 11 or above.
Respondents reported 16 types of cancer/tumor in a total of 16 Standard Manchesters (8.6%). The most commonly identified type was Lymphoma, which affected three individuals (1.6%). Additional types of cancer reported include two dogs with Oral Papillomatosis (1%), and one each with Adenocarcinoma, Gastric Cancer, Hemangiosarcoma, Leukemia, and Malignant Melanoma (0.5%). One case of adrenal gland tumor was identified under ‘other’.
Although respondents were not always specifically asked to identify the location of cancer within the body, a small percentage of owners volunteered this information, indicating that two SMTs had cancer of the spleen and one each had cancer in the bone (suspected) and adrenal gland. As this information was not gathered for all dogs, however, it should not be considered representative.
13 of the 16 Standard Manchesters reporting cancer were deceased as of the date the survey was completed. Although no questions about age of onset were asked, median age at death among the 13 dogs was 13 years, with 10 of the 13 (77%) aged 10 years of age or older at death. Among the 11 dogs whose death was wholly or partially attributed to cancer/tumor, eight fell in the same age range, with a median age at death of 12 years. These numbers suggest strongly that cancer or tumor cases generally occurred in Standard Manchesters at an older age or, if diagnosed at a younger age, were not fatal. Of note, of the three living SMTs reported to have cancer/tumor, one was aged 13 years and the other two were aged one and two years respectively. Both younger dogs were reported to have Oral Papillomatosis (a tumor or wart of the mouth).
**It should be noted that five owners, representing over 1/3 of the 16 SMTs reporting cancer/tumor, identified their dog’s type of cancer as unknown (3) or indicated that cancer was suspected but was unconfirmed through veterinary investigation (2). This is significant for two reasons. First, cancer was identified in the survey as the most common cause of death in Standard Manchester Terriers, with 25% (11 of 44) of SMT deaths reported as resulting directly from cancer. Four of the 11 cancer-related SMT deaths were in dogs with suspected but unconfirmed cancer, underlining that causes of death cited by owners in the survey provide a representational approximation only rather than exact statistics and diagnoses. Second, the median age at death among all SMT deaths attributed to cancer was 12 years and among those with unknown/unconfirmed cases was 14 years. The higher median age in unknown/unconfirmed cases likely reflects a general decrease in veterinary investigation corresponding to advanced age. Understandably, both veterinarians and owners are less likely to thoroughly investigate specific causes of illness and disease in elderly dogs, therefore we should expect that accuracy in reporting of health conditions will decrease to some degree as age increases. This should be kept in mind when reviewing all survey results, given that almost 35% of SMTs reported on in the survey were aged 11 or above.
Manchester Terriers (UK/FCI)
Respondents reported 17 types of cancer/tumor in a total of 30 Manchesters (6.6%). The most commonly identified type was Mast Cell Tumor, which affected seven individuals (1.5%). Additional types of cancer reported include four dogs with Lymphoma (0.8%), two dogs each with Basal Cell Tumor and Muscle Cancer (0.4%), and one each with Chondrosarcoma, Mammary Cancer, Melanoma, Oral Papillomatosis, and Osteosarcoma (0.2%). In the ‘other’ category, two cases of “cancer of the spleen” were identified along with one case of each of brain glioma, benign skin tumor, benign mammary tumor, liver tumors, “tumors around internal organs”, “grade 2 malignant tumor in the abdomen” and “euthanasia whilst undergoing surgery to end suffering due to recurrence of arachnoid tumour causing syringomyelia”—no specific type of cancer cell was associated with these reports. One additional respondent indicated cancer was confirmed by blood test, but the dog was euthanized before final diagnosis.
Although owners were not always specifically asked to identify the location of cancer within the body, a small percentage volunteered this information, indicating that two MTs had cancer/tumor in the spleen, two in the abdomen, and one each had cancer in the liver, skin and brain. As this information was not gathered for all dogs, however, it should not be considered representative.
21 of the 29 Manchesters reporting cancer were deceased as of the date the survey was completed. Although no questions about age of onset were asked, median age at death among the 21 deceased dogs was 11.5 years, with 14 of the 21 (67%) aged 10 years of age or older at death. Among the 17 dogs whose death was wholly or partially attributed to cancer/tumor, median age at death was 11 years with 10 dogs aged 10 years or older at death. These numbers suggest that cancer or tumor cases generally occurred in Manchester Terriers at an older age or, if diagnosed at a younger age, were not fatal. It should be noted, however, that overall age at death among deceased Manchesters reporting cancer/tumor was 1.5 years lower and age at death attributed to cancer/tumor was 1 year lower in Manchester Terriers (UK/FCI) as compared to Toy and Standard Manchester Terriers. This difference is heavily influenced by the younger age at death from lymphoma observed in Manchester Terriers (UK/FCI) where all four cases occurred in dogs aged five to seven years. Ages among the seven living MTs reported to have cancer/tumor were also younger than expected, with one dog aged 15 years and the remainder aged eight years of age or less (median age: 7 years). While three of these dogs reported benign tumors of the skin or mammary tissue, the other four reported incidents of Mast Cell Tumour, Basal Cell Carcinoma and Muscle Cancer. These numbers indicate that cancer/tumor rates, age of onset and mortality in Manchester Terriers (UK/FCI) may warrant additional monitoring and/or investigation.
Respondents reported 17 types of cancer/tumor in a total of 30 Manchesters (6.6%). The most commonly identified type was Mast Cell Tumor, which affected seven individuals (1.5%). Additional types of cancer reported include four dogs with Lymphoma (0.8%), two dogs each with Basal Cell Tumor and Muscle Cancer (0.4%), and one each with Chondrosarcoma, Mammary Cancer, Melanoma, Oral Papillomatosis, and Osteosarcoma (0.2%). In the ‘other’ category, two cases of “cancer of the spleen” were identified along with one case of each of brain glioma, benign skin tumor, benign mammary tumor, liver tumors, “tumors around internal organs”, “grade 2 malignant tumor in the abdomen” and “euthanasia whilst undergoing surgery to end suffering due to recurrence of arachnoid tumour causing syringomyelia”—no specific type of cancer cell was associated with these reports. One additional respondent indicated cancer was confirmed by blood test, but the dog was euthanized before final diagnosis.
Although owners were not always specifically asked to identify the location of cancer within the body, a small percentage volunteered this information, indicating that two MTs had cancer/tumor in the spleen, two in the abdomen, and one each had cancer in the liver, skin and brain. As this information was not gathered for all dogs, however, it should not be considered representative.
21 of the 29 Manchesters reporting cancer were deceased as of the date the survey was completed. Although no questions about age of onset were asked, median age at death among the 21 deceased dogs was 11.5 years, with 14 of the 21 (67%) aged 10 years of age or older at death. Among the 17 dogs whose death was wholly or partially attributed to cancer/tumor, median age at death was 11 years with 10 dogs aged 10 years or older at death. These numbers suggest that cancer or tumor cases generally occurred in Manchester Terriers at an older age or, if diagnosed at a younger age, were not fatal. It should be noted, however, that overall age at death among deceased Manchesters reporting cancer/tumor was 1.5 years lower and age at death attributed to cancer/tumor was 1 year lower in Manchester Terriers (UK/FCI) as compared to Toy and Standard Manchester Terriers. This difference is heavily influenced by the younger age at death from lymphoma observed in Manchester Terriers (UK/FCI) where all four cases occurred in dogs aged five to seven years. Ages among the seven living MTs reported to have cancer/tumor were also younger than expected, with one dog aged 15 years and the remainder aged eight years of age or less (median age: 7 years). While three of these dogs reported benign tumors of the skin or mammary tissue, the other four reported incidents of Mast Cell Tumour, Basal Cell Carcinoma and Muscle Cancer. These numbers indicate that cancer/tumor rates, age of onset and mortality in Manchester Terriers (UK/FCI) may warrant additional monitoring and/or investigation.
English Toy Terrier Deaths
Respondents reported five types of cancer/tumor in a total of eight English Toy Terriers. Types of cancer reported include two dogs with Mammary Cancer (0.9%), two with Mast Cell Tumor (0.9%), and one each with Adenocarcinoma, Lymphoma and Oral Papillomatosis (0.4%). One case was identified as an unknown type of cancer occurring in the liver.
Two of the eight ETTs reporting cancer were deceased as of the date the survey was completed, with both owners attributing their dog’s death to cancer/tumor. Although no questions about age of onset were asked, the two deceased dogs were aged nine and 10 at death. Of the six living ETTs reported to have cancer/tumor, three were aged 11 and above and three were aged six or seven. In the cases involving younger dogs, the types of cancer reported were Adenocarcinoma, Mammary Cancer and Mast Cell Tumor.
Lower rates of cancer/tumor among ETTs overall as compared to other breeds/varieties examined in this survey are as expected given the lower median age of ETTs reported on in the survey (5 years as compared to 8 years in Toy and Standard Manchester Terriers) and the significantly lower proportion of deaths reported on in this population (11% of surveys were completed for deceased ETTs as compared to 20-24% in Toy Manchesters, Standard Manchesters and Manchester Terriers-UK/FCI). With this in mind, in order to properly contextualize ETT results, rates of disease among the proportion of living dogs provide the best comparison. In this instance, owners reported cases of cancer/tumor in living ETTs at a rate of 3% (6 of 204) as compared to 2.6% in Toy Manchesters (6 of 233), 2.1% in Standard Manchester Terriers (3 of 142) and 1.9% in Manchester Terriers-UK/FCI (7 of 362).
Respondents reported five types of cancer/tumor in a total of eight English Toy Terriers. Types of cancer reported include two dogs with Mammary Cancer (0.9%), two with Mast Cell Tumor (0.9%), and one each with Adenocarcinoma, Lymphoma and Oral Papillomatosis (0.4%). One case was identified as an unknown type of cancer occurring in the liver.
Two of the eight ETTs reporting cancer were deceased as of the date the survey was completed, with both owners attributing their dog’s death to cancer/tumor. Although no questions about age of onset were asked, the two deceased dogs were aged nine and 10 at death. Of the six living ETTs reported to have cancer/tumor, three were aged 11 and above and three were aged six or seven. In the cases involving younger dogs, the types of cancer reported were Adenocarcinoma, Mammary Cancer and Mast Cell Tumor.
Lower rates of cancer/tumor among ETTs overall as compared to other breeds/varieties examined in this survey are as expected given the lower median age of ETTs reported on in the survey (5 years as compared to 8 years in Toy and Standard Manchester Terriers) and the significantly lower proportion of deaths reported on in this population (11% of surveys were completed for deceased ETTs as compared to 20-24% in Toy Manchesters, Standard Manchesters and Manchester Terriers-UK/FCI). With this in mind, in order to properly contextualize ETT results, rates of disease among the proportion of living dogs provide the best comparison. In this instance, owners reported cases of cancer/tumor in living ETTs at a rate of 3% (6 of 204) as compared to 2.6% in Toy Manchesters (6 of 233), 2.1% in Standard Manchester Terriers (3 of 142) and 1.9% in Manchester Terriers-UK/FCI (7 of 362).