What golden retrievers are teaching us about cancer
In September, Sara Fritz lost her six-year-old golden retriever, Emma, to an especially aggressive cancer called hemangiosarcoma. As a pet parent, she was heartbroken. As a practicing veterinary oncologist, she was frustrated.
“All dogs can develop cancer, but goldens have the highest probability,” said Fritz. “We believe they have many cancer-related gene variants. We just haven’t narrowed them down, hence we haven’t been able to target them.”
This, however, may be changing. Scientists are studying this popular breed, both to help the dogs and to learn more about human cancers. Dogs and humans share most of the same genes.
Continue reading at WashingtonPost.com
Photo Credit: Sara Fritz and Robert Rebhun
