Researchers are studying tumors in the mammary glands of dogs to help understand breast cancer in humans with the goal of developing new treatments.
Follow On Twitter: @DrDoScienceBlog
- Log in to post comments
More like this
While Dr. Barbara Block's team from Stanford University is tagging and tracking sharks in the Northern Pacific (see prior blog), Chris Fischer and his team from History Channel's Shark Wranglers are tracking great white sharks off the coast of Cape Cod...home of "Jaws." You can track these sharks…
In a prior post, we talked about the ambitious Genome 10K project. The goal of the project is to sequence the genome of 10,000 species of vertebrates (~1 species from every genus).
I was very excited to see the website recently updated in July to include numerous additional species for which the…
Image from: National Geographic, photograph by Joel Sartore
In 2009, scientists at the California Academy of Sciences Steinhart Aquarium discovered some of the snakes suffering from a strange illness that caused them to stare off into space, appear like they were drunk and even tie themselves…
Dr. Barbara Block from Stanford University, a well-known comparative physiologist and member of The American Physiological Society, has been in the news recently for her work tracking sharks. She has spent her career studying the physiology and migratory habits of ocean wildlife. In a prior blog, I…
Not only but also dogs, cats, horses, fish and other animals that are used in the Chamos zootherapy. The animals have always been part of everyday life and recently we know that pets can have great contribution in an area of medicine: zootherapy that utilizes techniques in the treatment of numerous diseases.
Contact with animals that allow the patient to work its affectivity, increasing morale and also assisting in the socialization of youth and adults. It is proven that improvements tipode tarapia the immune system, stimulates social interaction, helps to read with bereavement, facilitates the process of implementing learning programs, decreases stress levels, improves motor quality among other benefits.
Not only dogs, but also cats, horses, fish and other animals are used in what we call zootherapy. The animals have always been part of everyday life and recently we know that pets can have great contribution in an area of medicine: zootherapy that utilizes techniques in the treatment of numerous diseases.
Contact with animals that allow the patient to work its affectivity, increasing morale and also assisting in the socialization of youth and adults. It is proven that this therapy improves the immune system, stimulates social interaction, helps to read with bereavement, facilitates the learning process, decreases stress levels, improves motor quality among other benefits.
We are continuously discovering new ways to possibly cure diseases. This research proves to be promising and could save the lives of humans, dogs and even other animals. It is a big discovery that cancer cells in both dogs and humans are quite similar at genetic molecular level. This enables us to study the progress of this cancer in all stages of development and apply this new found knowledge to patients with breast cancer and possibly stop the spread or cure cancer. The example of Millie (who is a cancer survivor), who adopted a dog with cancer, also shows that dogs don't only have scientific value but also psychological value to humans in terms of support.
not only does this revolutionize the methods of treatment of cancer but it enables us to study further into our behavioural reactions when exposed to other species in fighting diseases. like most ways treatment, zootherapy shows positive results in the psychological grooming and learnt understanding so to help combat cancer epidemic.
Dogs are incredible animals, not only in this discovery but in many spheres such as sniffing out drugs in customs and at airports.
On a more interesting fact, dogs are now recently being trained to sniff out cancer cells within humans. Just as dogs are trained to sniff out drugs, they are now being trained to sniff cancerous cells. The different kinds of smelling cancer cells are exposed to the dogs in order for them to identify it within a human.
So not only can their cancer be studied in order to advance medical knowledge for human cancers but now they can even notify their owner whether or not cancer is forming within their owners bodies.
Any ideas or thoughts that dogs might be the answer for what needs to be done in order to cure cancer?
Seems as though the saying is true, dogs are a man's best friend!
Wow this is quite interesting and it's actually the first time I read about Zoo therapy but I am wondering if cancer affects dogs exactly the way it affects humans and if dogs receive chemotherapy do they have the same side effects as humans?
It is wonderful how dogs an help women who are suffering from breast cancer and the most importantly how this research help thousands of dogs who also suffer from this disease. Dogs cannot communicate with us about their suffering and this research is definitely going to save these dogs' lives through early detection and searching for a cure for cancer. This research also proves that these dogs can help humans overcome the emotional and mental struggles that go hand in hand with breast cancer. Dogs and all animal life is extremely valuable to humans and perhaps a lot people still has to realise that.