Cancer Vaccine For Dogs: The Latest
Vaccines are a critical part of pet ownership. Vaccines can help ward off diseases and keep our pets living longer, happier lives. They may not like getting a shot, of course, but the long-term benefits of vaccines are well worth a short dose of pain — and a few minutes of discomfort for owners who need to see their pets wince.
The world of vaccines is evolving, too, and there’s some fairly good and exciting news on the horizon. Vaccines that can reduce the risk of cancer in dogs are showing promise, for example, and in the years ahead, may be able to help keep more dogs alive for longer — that’s what we all really want, isn’t it?
Something to keep in mind: Cancer is the top cause of death for older dogs, and data from the American Veterinary Medical Association also shows that it kills larger breeds more frequently. Or at least it has historically.
Cancer vaccines have been in the works for years, but cancer’s a particularly nasty disease to try and tame. However, there is a current clinical trial underway by researchers at several universities that’s showing promise.
Cancer vaccine for dogs: Promising?
The Vaccination Against Canine Cancer Study (VACCS trial) is the largest of its kind ever, and it has the goal of developing a new vaccine strategy for preventing canine cancer. The study is ongoing, and should wrap up sometime in mid-2024, at which point the data will be analyzed and, at some point, we’ll get some results. It originally started in 2019.
Calviri, a Phoenix-based biotech company, developed the vaccine that’s being used, and it has a preliminary goal of reducing the incidence of tumors by 30%. That’s to say that dogs who received the vaccine would hopefully see 30% fewer malignant tumors compared to the control group, or the dogs who did not receive the vaccine.
As reports indicate, the results so far are promising. But we’ll need to wait to see how everything shakes out. Either way, it’s an exciting time as we may be on the cusp of the development of a new vaccine that can prevent cancers for certain dogs.
In the more immediate term, dog owners can take other steps to help their dogs avoid developing cancer — just like humans can (don’t smoke, stay out of the sun, etc.)
Tips to help avoid canine cancer
While some breeds do have genetic predispositions to certain cancers, any dog can develop cancer, and again, there are things pet owners can do to try and reduce the risks. For instance, pet owners may spay or neuter their puppies, because doing so before a dog reaches sexual maturity does tend to decrease the risk of certain cancers.
You’ll also want to do your best to keep your dog at a healthy weight, feed them nutritious food, make sure they get plenty of exercise, and keep them away from cancer-causing agents, such as second-hand smoke. And since we’re in San Diego, getting some dog sunscreen isn’t a bad idea, either!
In addition to this please inquire about our OncoK9 cancer diagnostic we offer in-house. A simple blood test can help determine your pet’s risk for cancer and if there is a suspicion of emerging cancer.
As always, talk to us if you have any questions or concerns. We can likely tell you what to watch out for, and if there are any concerns specific to your dog’s breed as well.
Contact us to make an appointment today!
Read more: