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National & World Ag News Headlines |
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Pet Dogs with Cancerous Tumors Playing Role in Testing Chemo
USAgNet - 06/15/2018
You might not know it by looking at her, but Remy is one lucky dog, and she has one of two new cancer drugs under development in cooperation with The University of Kansas Cancer Center to thank for helping to keep her alive.
The 10-year-old Sheltie arrived in Kansas City after surviving the early part of her life in a puppy mill where she was known only as No 429. Then, after being adopted from the Kansas City Rescue Shelter, she escaped from her new owner and was on her own
for 42 days outside of Manhattan during one of the coldest winters in recent memory.
As luck would have it, a man who was using humane animal traps to catch raccoons found Remy when he was inspecting his traps just before leaving on a two-week vacation. His wife recognized Remy from posters that had been circulated, and the dog came
back to the rescue shelter where Julie Yoder of Shawnee took her into her home and was able to rehabilitate the severely traumatized dog.
Yoder eventually decided to keep Remy, but last June she noticed an inoperable egg-sized tumor growing on her pet's left front leg. The dog that had survived puppy mills and freezing cold appeared to be in peril. Just when it looked like Remy's luck had run
out, her veterinarian remembered hearing about cancer drug trials that were being conducted in pet dogs.
KU researchers have chosen to use pet dogs for several reasons, including the fact that naturally occurring cancers in animals have characteristics more similar to those in humans. The treatments have shown good success in curing or curtailing cancer in some
dogs and improving the comfort and quality of life for sicker dogs, who are already in their final days.
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