November Is National Pet Cancer Awareness Month

Cancer affects the lives of millions of pets and owners each year.  To help better inform pet owners about the different types of cancers that may affect their pets and how to detect potential early signs of cancer VPI has declared November to be National Pet Cancer Awareness Month.

Pet Cancer Facts:
-Roughly 6 million new cancer diagnoses are made in dogs and a similar number made in cats each year
-Cancer in the pet population is a spontaneous disease often similar to cancer seen in humans; some examples include non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, prostate cancer, head and neck carcinoma, mammary carcinoma, melanoma, soft tissue sarcoma, and osteosarcoma.
-The Canine Genome Sequencing Project at the Broad Institute successfully mapped the genome of a boxer named Tasha in 2005. The map of the genome has been used to confirm that many of the same genes involved in dog cancers are also involved in human cancers.

Related Links:
VPI Pet Insurance
Animal Cancer Foundation