Collars for Canine Cancer Research

As an animal lover and a cancer “thriver,” I’m always sniffing out new treatments that can help both people and pets overcome this dreaded disease. And that’s why I was so pleased when I heard about the Animal Cancer Foundation (ACF), which supports the advancement of treatments of cancer in both animals and humans.

“We want to do all we can for our pets just as we do with the challenge of cancer in people,” says Gerald Post, a veterinary oncologist who heads up the ACF. “We have seen an outpouring of support from the pet industry for this mission.”

Dr. Post founded the ACF in the late 1990s to serve as an integral link between pets with cancer and the biotechnology community. He became interested in canines and cancer after Smokey, his Miniature Schnauzer, was diagnosed with metastatic melanoma on his paw.

“Most dogs with this type of cancer survive only three months,” says Dr. Post. “Putting Smokey on an experimental cancer vaccine program, plus chemotherapy, gave us two and a half more years of companionship.”

Animal lovers will be glad to know that the ACF does not fund research that would harm or induce cancer in healthy pets; rather the organization focuses its clinical trials on dogs already afflicted with the disease. Innovative new treatments with low toxicity levels (as opposed to outdated, highly-toxic chemotherapy modalities) and potentially high therapeutic value are currently being studied and implemented by a number of researchers.

Obviously, any type of medical research and development is very expensive and the work at the ACF is no exception. Enter Jamie Bishop, General Manager for Genia, LLC, a marketing company in Lincoln , Nebraska , who co-founded Pet4Pets™ charity collars and matching wristbands—similar to the popular cancer awareness wrist bands, à la Lance Armstrong—as a fundraiser for ACF’s cancer research. At least $2 from the sale of each bright orange collar and 25 cents from each wristband will go to fund clinical research on new cancer therapies. So far, Genia has raised more than $20,000 for this important cause.

Bishop shares Dr. Post’s desire to help people avoid the agony of losing a beloved dog to cancer. “I’ve lost a number of dogs to cancers of various kinds over the years,” says Bishop, who currently has two Golden Doodles, Buddy and Dood. “So when a friend of mine, who was the manager of an animal health company, called me with an idea to raise funds for cancer research for pets, I was more than happy to help.”

In 2006, Bishop and his partners founded Pet4Pets.com and began selling the eye-catching collars via the company’s Web site and through national pet supply retailers such as PETCO. Since the company’s inception, interest in canine cancer has skyrocketed and Bishop, who calls his work a “labor of love,” hopes that funds raised from the sale of his company’s products will enable dogs to lead longer, healthier lives by eradicating cancer.

“Our goal is to raise awareness about the concerns of cancer in pets and these collars and wristbands give people a fun and easy way to support the serious science involved in developing new cures,” says Bishop, whose “day job” also supports cancer research in humans.

While pets and people often develop the same types of cancer, the disease—which, according to the American Cancer Society, will afflict 1.44 million people this year—is even more prevalent among our canine companions. Consider these sobering statistics:  The National Institutes of Health estimates that 6 million companion dogs will be diagnosed with cancer this year and half of those over the age of 10 will die of the disease. Dogs get 35 times more skin cancer, four times more breast tumors, eight times more bone cancer, and twice as high an incidence of leukemia as people do.

Currently, there are more than 650 new cancer drugs currently in clinical trials for people and some of these could also benefit pets. Everyday, there are new findings published about innovative avenues to understanding cancer in people, as science advances into a new “golden age” of discovery. Since dogs get the same types of cancers that people do, studying canine cancer can benefit both species. For instance, a research study funded by the ACF on the influence of hormones in bone cancer among Rottweilers has created a new understanding about the rare, but tragic, form of this disease in children.

“Almost everyone has lost a pet to cancer and very few pet owners realize just how prevalent this problem is,” says Bishop. “Cancer in dogs is an unheralded epidemic and it is simply not on the radar in the public setting. We are all aware of the devastating impact cancer has in people and our pets. We’re all in this together.”

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You can help find a cure for cancer by purchasing a canine collar or wristband. Visit www.pet4pets.com for ordering information or send an email message to Karen at karenleestevens@cox.net.

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By Karen Lee Stevens,
Founder & President, ALL FOR ANIMALS, Inc.
Copyright © 2008. All Rights Reserved.

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