Let’s Chase Away Canine Cancer

Our friends at the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine Foundation recently brought their amazing work to our attention, and we want to share it with all of you. The Foundation is the fundraising arm of the ACVIM and helps raise money to fund clinical studies. Their beautiful new website, Chase Away K9 Cancer, is a great resource for learning more about canine caner, and also tells how you can work with them to fund studies to stop this awful disease.

The following guest post was written by our friends at Chase Away K9 Cancer:

“It is estimated that as many as 1 in 3 dogs will get cancer. Join us in our continuing efforts to help them all survive.

Help Us Chase Away K9 Cancer

“I could tell you the longest story about the worst day of my life but that’s not how Chase should be remembered. She left us yesterday after I took her to Sauvie Island one last time for a swim off a dock she has played on for years. It was strange: I have never seen the water in the Willamette so clear that you could see her entire body and her legs swimming away. She had a happy smile on her face and her tail was up and she enjoyed play time at the river. The cancer was getting her quicker than anyone expected so it was time for us to say good bye. My vet did a wonderful job and I held her to the end. She will never ever be forgotten and will fill our hearts forever with so many great memories.”

This letter was written by Cera Reusser, “mom” to her beloved Chase (Willamette’s Chase’n Black Smoke)-a black Labrador Retriever who lost her battle with cancer in 2006. Chase was an athlete in every sense of the word and received her AKC Master Hunter title along with an Elite Jumper title for DockDogs® Big Air competition. Her cancer diagnosis and death at the age of 6 propelled Cera to fight canine cancer and thus “Chase Away K9 Cancer” was born. Rather than retreat with her grief she used it to begin an inspirational grassroots effort that will give new hope to dogs with cancer.

Chase Away K9 Cancer is a fundraising campaign where 100% of donations directly support studies focused on canine cancer and conducted by ACVIM Board-certified specialists. Since it began nearly $200,000 has been raised, much of it one dollar at a time.

Thanks to the generosity of groups such as DockDogs®, agility clubs, private individuals, and The Outdoor Channel, the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) Foundation was able to award two $50,000 grants for the 2007/2008 cycle:

“Clinical Evaluation of Carboplatin plus Gemcitabine in Canine Osteosarcoma.”
Dr. Cheryl London and Dr. Melanie McMahon (Resident)-$49,680.00 (1-year grant). The Ohio State University.

This is a continuation of the 2006/2007 study funded by Chase Away K9 Cancer. This study is investigating the effectiveness of two chemotherapy drugs in the treatment of osteosarcoma (bone cancer) in dogs. Preliminary data suggests that this drug combination may greatly improve the 1-year survival rate for dogs with this type of cancer.

“Developing novel single chain targeted agents for canine hemangiosarcoma.”
Dr. Nicola Mason -$30,314.00 year one; $17,000.00 year two ($47,314.00 total for 2-year grant). University of Pennsylvania.

Hemangiosarcoma is a highly aggressive cancer of the blood vessels. This study will examine a novel method to treat this cancer. A new therapy is desperately needed as the average survival time for dogs with this cancer is only 6 months.

And for the 2008/2009 cycle, three studies have been funded:

“Efficacy of Vitamin D (Calcitriol) for Treatment of Canine Mast Cell Tumors.”
Dr. Kenneth Rassnick -$8,214.00 year one; $11,644.00 year two ($19,878.00 total for 2-year grant).

“Preclinical Evaluation of Two-Photon-Targeted Photodynamic Therapy Triads.”
Dr. Antonella Borgatti-Jeffreys -$14,769.00 (1-year grant).

“Matrix Metalloproteinase-2 and -9 and Cathepsin-B in Canine Meningiomas.”
Dr. Christopher Mariani -$7,652 year one; $3,872 year two ($11,524 total 2-year grant).

These studies showcase the potential impact that this campaign can have on the lives of our best friends and companions. We are deeply grateful to everyone who has donated their time, energy, and money to help us Chase Away K9 Cancer.

A special thank you to renowned artist Stephen Huneck for donating original artwork which has become the face of the campaign. To read more about Cera and Chase and support their cause, please visit www.ACVIMFoundation.org or www.ChaseAwayK9Cancer.org or call 800-245-9081. To learn more about artists Stephen Huneck, please visit www.dogmt.com.