Can cancerous tumors in mice , be contagious to other pets

Cause when the mice where sick and died from cancerous tumors , my boxer dog ,also died with the same of cancerous tumors?

Cancer is the name given to a group of diseases which basically involve the uncontrolled and malignant growth and multiplication of cells within the victim.

Cancer is not in itself contagious like diseases such as measles or AIDS because it requires a mutation to occur within the cells of the body in order to start the cancer. The only way cancer spreads is usually within a body where cancerous cells "escape" into the blood stream and lodge elsewhere in the body causing secondary growths.

The spread between different animals would be limited to instances where cancerous tissue from one animal became implanted in another. Such intances would be almost impossible except under laboratory conditions where, for example, animals are deliberately given cancer in order to test anti-cancer treatments.

If you have suffered several losses to similar cancers with your pets then you should investigate possible causes:-

* If the mice were all related then there may be an inherited tendency to develop the disease.

* however, as your dog also contracted cancer then you should be concerned that there is some external cause, such as a carcinogenic toxin in their food or water, the close proximity of a chemical plant to your house, the use of some powerful insecticides by nearby farmers, etc. Overhead power cables or nearby mobile phone transmitter masts have also been linked to cancers.