Showing posts with label dog cancer treatment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dog cancer treatment. Show all posts
Friday, June 17, 2022

New Cancer Detection Innovations



Are you worried about your dog getting cancer? Of course you are. Do you have an older dog or a breed that has a higher incidence of cancer?

Routine lab tests often don’t detect cancer. In fact, pets can have perfect lab testing and still be dying of cancer because a tumor is growing inside of them. PetDx has developed OncoK9 which is a state-of-the-art early detection blood test that can detect 30 different types of cancer, including the 8 most common types of canine cancer such as lymphoma and mast cell tumors.
How does this test differ from a simple blood test? It uses technology that detects DNA from circulating cancer cells. When pets have a tumor, they emit circulating tumor cells that are currently not detected on a regular blood test.
While we were skeptical at first, we decided to do this test for Legend. He had liver cancer last year and we didn’t want to have to shave his tummy and do another ultrasound which can involve anesthesia. Apparently the OncoK9 test can be especially accurate if the pet has a history of cancer because the cells it detects only occur if there is a tumor present. We were ecstatic when Legend’s test came back negative.
At Ask Ariel we know how important it is to proactively manage your pet’s health care. As many of us have experienced, cancer usually isn’t detected until the pet’s cancer is at an advanced stage. Please talk to your vet about this test. As scary as it is to wait for the results, early detection can save lives.