A type of cancer, melanoma occurs when tumours from pigment cells arise. In pets, the most common types of melanomas are in the mouth, eyes, on the skin, on paws, or around the nail bed.
Melanoma in animals affects the melanocyte cells — which are responsible for creating the pigment known as melanin, and affect the colour of an animal’s coat, eyes and skin. Because melanocyte cells also initiate moles, they are commonly where various types of melanomas form. Abnormal growth of melanocytes results in the growth of melanoma tumours.
While many melanomas are benign, malignant ones tend to invade bone and tissues, and commonly spread to other areas of the body — including lungs, lymph nodes, and various organs. When melanoma spreads, the condition can become life-threatening to animals.
Melanoma commonly presents as raised, dark- or pink-coloured masses, and can be anywhere from a quarter inch, to two full inches, in diameter.
When the skin is affected, melanomas are commonly found on an animal’s paws, back, or head.
Oral melanoma — which is more commonly malignant — can cause excessive drooling, foul-smelling breath, difficulty eating food, and pain in the mouth.
Melanomas around the paws can initiate infections or loosening of the nail bed, swelling of the paw, or difficulty using an affected limb.
When the eyes become affected by melanoma, masses can be observed in the eyelid or in the eye itself. Cloudy eyes, redness, vision impairment, eye pain, spasming around the eyes, a darkened iris, and swelling of the eye area are also symptoms.
The identifiable cause of melanoma in pets is unknown. However, many veterinarians believe that genetics are most closely related to the development of this condition. It has been shown that excessive licking on a certain area of the body, as well as physical trauma to a part of the body, can increase the chances of melanoma developing there.
Melanoma is seen most in older pets, usually over the age of 9.
All types of cancers have been shown to benefit more greatly with the use of a full spectrum hemp product. This is due to the fact that every compound found in the hemp plant makes its way into the final product. The presence of all of these compounds together yields a symbiotic effect that bolsters healing, known as the ‘entourage effect.’
For Creating Brighter Days, this means using our Spectrum oil.
At this point, hemp products have been extensively studied for their role in supporting mammals who are battling various types of cancers. While not intended to cure or treat cancer — you should always check in with your veterinarian first, as the combination of certain medical treatments with hemp-based products may be the best and most effective form of treatment — we cannot ignore that studies have shown great promise when CBD products are used as part of cancer treatment.
Studies have shown that cannabidiol (CBD) has promoted the death of many types of cancer cells, when taken on a consistent and long-term basis. Scientists theorize that this happens because CBD promotes the production of oxygen in cancerous cells.
While most studies have been conducted on humans — the animal sphere is currently moving on finalizing its own clinical studies — we can rest assured that science has shown CBD treats pets in the same way it treats humans. This is because all mammals have an Endocannabinoid System (ECS), which maintains all health functions of the anatomical systems. ECS’s become out of balance when an animal is ill, and CBD has been shown to rebalance and reharmonize the ECS to encourage the body to begin functioning properly again.
There is always a significant benefit to having your pet ingest oil (as sometimes, melanoma can present internally). However, with so many tumours affecting the external parts of an animal’s body, it has been shown that applying oil directly to the affected area of the body, topically, can have positive effects.
We recommend a combination of oral administration (either administering Spectrum on top of your pet’s wet or dry food, or administering directly into the mouth), as well as applying it topically to the skin on affected areas.
Who We Are — At Creating Brighter Days, we help care for your pet’s quality of life by offering nothing less than premium, restorative CBD wellness products. Our custom-tailored, vet-approved CBD formulations for cats, dogs and horses contain therapeutic cannabidiol, medicinal herbs, and organic, non-GMO superfoods.
How It Works — All of our CBD Pet products support animal wellness by harnessing the medicinal benefits of pure, hemp-derived CBD, which has been shown to reinforce longevity, digestion, immunity, skin health, stress, pain, and other common ailments. Select CBD Pet products also feature adaptogens, which level the stressors that lead to inflammation — a root cause of various illnesses in dogs, cats and horses. For care of animals with more advanced and complex issues, our Full Spectrum blends offer CBD in addition to other cannabinoids, which merge together and create an entourage effect in an animal’s endocannabinoid system. The result? Quality nutraceutical products that heal and rejuvenate your pet.
