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Hi Laurie,
I hear the K9 Rehab people here telling clients the dogs cannot swim in warm water if they have a tumour anywhere as the warm water will increase blood flow and tumour growth.
As a veterinarian, I think it doesn't make any sense.
Your thoughts?
R.

Hey R.!

Okay… quite frankly, this sounds ridiculous! Should we not let them outside in the sunshine either. Should all cancer dogs immigrate to the Yukon?
Maybe they should only live in refrigerators!
That sounds like a poor interpretation of what likely stems from “Don’t use a hot pack (or ultrasound, or laser, or shortwave diathermy…) over a known tumour, because of the increase in blood flow and potential to stimulate and increase in tumour metabolism.” HOWEVER, if we were ‘reasonable’… we could say that if a hot pack provides pain relief, then that would be fine. Has it been shown that a hot pack (or swimming in warm water for that matter) stimulates cancer cells? Flat out NO!

!!

Laurie