Carotid body tumors in the dog: a review and report of four cases.

Of 3,837 canine neoplasms from case records at Kansas State University, only 4 were of carotid body tumors. Information on these 4 cases, added to that on 18 cases already reported, indicated that such tumors are found most frequently in old dogs, principally in brachycephalic breeds. Although predisposition toward the male sex has been suggested for tumors of the chemoreceptor system, none was observed for carotid body tumors. Multicentricity apparently is not uncommon for chemoreceptor tumors; 9 of the 22 dogs simultaneously had aortic body tumor.