Veterinary doctors who specialize in helping dogs and cats with cancer Veterinary oncologists have extensive training and experience in diagnosis and treatment of dogs and cats with cancer. Veterinary oncologists can coordinate and oversee treatments that might include surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy. In North America, there are roughly 350 board-certified veterinarians specializing in oncology. Veterinary Schools often offer new treatments through their clinical trials. But increasingly, private clinic vets are also participating in clinical trials and offering ne ..read more

A board-certified veterinary oncologist is a highly trained veterinarian who focuses on the diagnosis, treatment, and management of cancer in animals. After completing veterinary school, these experts undergo additional training in oncology through internships and residencies. Here is a list of veterinary oncologists practicing in the Pacific Northwest. Chelsea Tripp DVM, DACVIM (Oncology) Edmonds, WA Bridge Animal Referral Center (BARC) ,,https://www.barcseattle.com/ Kevin Choy BVSc, MS, DACVIM (Oncology) Kirkland, WA Seattle Veterinary Specialists – Blue Pearl Kirkland ,,https://bluepearlve ..read more

There is a strong link between gut microbiome and cancer treatment outcomes, according to many research studies involving cancer patients. For example, in one of our ,,,webinars, Prof Natalia Shulzhenko MD PhD, from the Oregon State University reviewed recent findings about how some human patients who were not responding to immunotherapy became responders with the help of alteration to the gut microbiome. (Prof.,, Shulzhenko ,,is now leading an investigation to help more canine patients respond to immunotherapy)  In this new canine cancer study led by a team at Ohio State University ..read more

We recently spoke with Susie's dad Enrico Pontelli, who shared their story after Susie was diagnosed with bladder cancer (Transitional Cell Carcinoma, also known as Urothelial Carcinoma). This is Susie’s story, in her dad’s words. “That was kind of shocking because we were not really expecting it, and it confirmed the diagnosis of Transitional Cell Carcinoma. The initial diagnosis was only 3 to 6 months, and now we are almost two years, and she's still with us. So obviously, something is going okay.” Susie’s Diagnosis We discovered that Susie had cancer in December 2021, and it was just a com ..read more

s A new cryotherapy clinical trial at Johns Hopkins University is open to dogs with mammary cancer. The goal of the study is to assess the effectiveness of cryoablation to minimize mammary tumor growth. But ultimately, cryotherapy could become a less expensive and less invasive alternative to surgery for canine patients with different types of solid tumors. There may also be some immune stimulatory effects from the cryoablation that can aid in preventing recurrence or metastasis. What is Cryotherapy? Cryotherapy is a minimally-invasive treatment that ablates tissue masses by using extreme col ..read more

When I first learned about a new cancer vaccine that might reduce the risk for many aggressive canine cancers, I wanted to sign up our dogs right away. This was back in 2019 and the research presentation was given at the ACVIM (American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine) Forum that took place in Phoenix, Arizona. It sounded too good to be true - almost like a universal cancer vaccine. A vaccine can stimulate and train the immune system to recognize and protect against not just infectious diseases but cancer as well. Is it possible to altogether prevent cancer before it even starts by giv ..read more

Five years ago, Canine Cancer Alliance (CAA) put up a tent at the Petpalooza event in Auburn, Washington to raise awareness about dog cancer. We quickly learned most people much preferred to visit tents with adorable adoptable pups than talk about cancer which is totally understandable. At the end of the day, one man approached us and stated decisively: "I know what's causing all this dog cancer. It's kibble! " We knew the answer wasn't so simple and clear-cut, but we weren't sure how to respond. But how empowering would it be if we could find an effective dietary intervention to fight cancer ..read more

In the previous articles, we described how cancer immunotherapy may help dogs with aggressive cancer types including soft tissue sarcoma, hemangiosarcoma, and osteosarcoma. But not every dog responds to immunotherapy treatment. Some dogs' tumors can actually develop resistance. In this post, we'll review a new promising way to tackle this problem by combining multiple therapies to enhance the immune response and survival times. Tumor Microenvironment (TME) Cancer is a complex and dynamic disease. Cancerous tumor cells not only interact with the surrounding tissue and cells, but they also can d ..read more

This article focuses on the experimental treatment options for dogs with hemangiosarcoma. Conventional Therapies: Conventional cancer therapies, including surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy, have been widely used for decades but have limitations, and sadly this is especially true for hemangiosarcoma. One helpful way to visualize the efficacy of treatments is by looking at the Kaplan-Meier survival curves that plot the percentage of patients alive over time. In this example from a retrospective study that looked at 154 dogs with splenic hemangiosarcoma (see Figure A) the overall prog ..read more

Cancer immunotherapy is starting to offer new hope to families of dogs with sarcoma. In this article, we explore the potential benefits and other key aspects of cancer immunotherapy treatments that are becoming available. We'll also share some important questions you may want to ask your veterinarian to see if cancer immunotherapy treatment might be right for your pup. Conventional Therapies First, let's look at the limitations of conventional therapies. Conventional cancer therapies, including surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy, have been widely used for decades but have limitations ..read more