Pet Cancer

The passion that moves us forward is from experiencing what cancer really does to the ones we love. We are driven because there is a hole in our soul where once was the love of our dog - Gary D. Nice

The last thing you want to hear from your vet is the words I think that your pet may have cancer.

"But just as in human medicine, there have been great advances in treating cancer in pets in the past 10 years. Although we may not be able to “cure” the cancer, it is possible that surgery, chemotherapy or radiation — or some combination of the three — can give your pet a great quality of life for many months or years to come. Most cancers can go into remission. Some forms of cancer are, indeed, curable." Source: Dr. Debora Lichtenberg, VMD, Cancer Is Not a Death Sentence for Your Pet, Pets Adviser, January 16, 2013.

And the good news for all pet owners is Personalized medicine in coming to the rescue.

"Researchers hoping to develop a promising new approach to treating cancer in people are trying it in another group: pet dogs. The aim of personalized medicine is to design an optimum cancer therapy after analyzing genes in a patient's tumor.

Dogs, which have strong genetic similarities with humans, get many of the same types of cancers as people and have similar responses to cancer-fighting drugs. When diagnosed, dogs often have a shorter survival time than humans, allowing researchers to see if a drug is making a difference in a shorter period.

In people, it can take three to five years from the time they are diagnosed until the disease reaches an advanced stage. But in dogs, trials testing whether novel drug therapies extend survival can be finished in six to 18 months, says Melissa Paoloni, director of the Comparative Oncology Trials Consortium at the National Cancer Institute.

Canine patients also are easier to enroll in clinical trials. When cancer researchers last year wanted to do a genetic study of cocker spaniels, a breed at relatively high risk of getting melanoma, and Great Pyrenees, who are at risk for osteosarcoma, a bone cancer, they contacted PetSmart Inc., the Phoenix-based national chain of pet stores.

Making use of its big database, PetSmart sent out 117,000 emails to cocker spaniel and Great Pyrenees owners who had entered contact information after bringing in their pets for grooming. The request: Has your dog been diagnosed with cancer and would you be willing to have your dog's genetic information analyzed?

Within a week, nearly 300 pet owners responded with an offer to send saliva samples to be analyzed. That kind of large and speedy response in a human study is very difficult to achieve, says Jeffrey Trent, who organized the pet study."

Source: Amy Dockser Marcus, Dogs Get Cancer Like People, and Hold Clues to Cures, The Wall Street Journal, February 7, 2012.

So, if there is a clinical trial in your area, sign up. Someday it could save your pet's life.

Bone Cancer Dogs

Bone Cancer Dogs, Inc. is a 501(c)3 tax exempt, all-volunteer non-profit organization dedicated to funding research, awareness and education of canine bone cancer, while offering hope and support to those who are coping with the disease in their dogs. We believe that dogs and their families do not have to battle this disease alone.

Cancer Is Not a Death Sentence for Your Pet

So, what if your vet comes back into the exam room, after looking at an X-ray or an ultrasound, and utters the dreaded sentence, “I think Mariah has cancer”?

Castor & Pollux

You want the best for your pet, but how do you find the food that will help your dog or cat live a longer, healthier life? You’ve come to the right place. We started Castor & Pollux because we wanted safe, high quality food for our own pets. The bottom line? We believe organic and natural are better. It’s about what we put in, and what we leave out.

Dogs Get Cancer Like People, and Hold Clues to Cures

Researchers hoping to develop a promising new approach to treating cancer in people are trying it in another group: pet dogs.

Dogs suffer cancer after ID chipping

Do implanted microchips cause cancer in dogs and cats? That’s the question owners are asking after highly aggressive tumors developed around the microchip implants of two dogs, killing one and leaving the other terminally ill. Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2010/03/131533/#h4j9h7c6WvAg4ycZ.99

Pet Cancer Awareness Month: Keep your furry friend healthy

May is Pet Cancer Awareness Month, and the most important message one veterinarian oncologist wants the public to know is that cancer in animals is no longer a death sentence. “Just like in people, the earlier you find certain cancers, the more likely we are able to cure them,” Dr. Gerald Post, a board-certified veterinary oncologist and owner of The Veterinary Cancer Center in Norwalk, Conn., told FoxNews.com.

The dogs that can detect cancer: Meet the four-legged 'bio-detectives' who are pioneering a health revolution

We all know that dogs have far more powerful noses than humans — indeed their sense of smell is up to 100,000 times better than ours. That skill has, of course, been put to good use for decades, in the form of drug-sniffing dogs at ferry terminals and airports as well as the Army’s bomb detection canines. But, in recent years, a dedicated team of researchers has been developing what is potentially an even greater breakthrough. Earlier this year, German research discovered that dogs could sniff out lung cancer from breath samples of sufferers.

Top Ten Signs of Cancer in Pets

Many people do not realize that cancer is not just a human condition; it affects our pets as well. In fact, cancer is the number one disease-related killer of dogs and cats.

Cancer In Your Dog or Cat And What You Can Do For Your Pet

The likelihood that your dog or cat will develop cancer during its lifetime varies from place to place and breed to breed – but not by that much.

Feline Cancer Resources

Welcome to Feline Cancer Resources. This site is intented to be a gateway or clearinghouse for the numerous information available on the Internet on cancer in cats.

FelineLymphoma.org

Our Mission is to help people who's cats have feline lymphoma [cancer], with support, information, tried treatments that may or may not be standards used by today's vets.

National Canine Cancer Foundation

The National Canine Cancer Foundation is a nationwide, contribution funded, 501 (c)(3) non-profit corporation dedicated to eliminating Cancer as a major health issue in dogs by funding grants directly to Cancer researchers who are working to save dogs lives by finding cures, better treatments and accurate, cost effective diagnostic methods in dealing with canine Cancer.

Pet Cancer Awareness

You probably don’t realize it, but dogs and cats get cancer at approximately the same rate as people do. Unfortunately, 80% of pet parents know little or nothing about pet cancer. That’s why it’s so important to learn all you can about the disease. The Blue Buffalo Foundation for Pet Cancer Research, through the Pet Cancer Awareness (PCA) program, is devoted to raising awareness about the warning signs of cancer, as well as educating pet parents about ways to minimize the risk.

Pet Cancer Center

Pet Cancer Center is dedicated to improving the lives of companion animals like Sammie who were diagnosed with cancer. Our key objectives are to promote cancer awareness among pet owners and to empower them with knowledge about cancer diagnosis and available treatments, including clinical trials investigating new therapies.

PetCancerVet

Finding ways to give pets and their owners caring management of an upsetting problem.