- Image by schmuck-by-nature via Flickr
I have always kissed my dogs. Some people I know have been pretty squeamish about this. Whoever said dog kisses were full of germs will likely have to eat their words. Why else would the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGEN) release news that sloppy dog kisses could hold the keys to some pretty rare cancers and diseases?
Dogs and humans share a lot of rare diseases accord to TGEN, and this DNA study should speed the process of finding genetic-based causes of diseases. Van Andel Research Institute(VARI) has joined with TGEN to form the Canine Hereditary Cancer Consortium (CHCC) to learn why naturally occurring cancers form.
None of the testing involves harming dogs. All blood, saliva, and tumor samples are provided by family animals and breeders at veterinary offices across the country. Morris Animal Foundation and the AKC have endorsed the study. If CHCC can find the cause, they can provide a therapy, and that’s the projects mission.
Did you know that half of all dogs over 10 years old die of cancer? Osteosarcoma is one of the rare cancers in humans that doctors really have no guidance for. There are just not enough samples to gather from humans, that’s where the “rare” part stops progress. Limbs get surgically removed and that may not be enough since the disease arises not only in bone but in connective tissues and fat – there is no other current course of treatment. Those are not words you ever want to hear from your doctor. Dogs, on the other hand, commonly contract osteosarcoma, as happens to be the case with many other rare-in-humans cancers.
The study will later continue with behavioral and neurological disorders, loss of hearing, and other conditions humans and dogs share.
This public-private partnership will eventually involve the pharmaceutical companies – the “all of us working together” helping dogs help humans, then using treatments created to help dogs has an elegance that makes me smile – hope it does the same for you!
PetSmart and Hill’s Pet Nutrition have each granted the study $500,000 and $4.3 million dollar federal grant over two years seeds the project. If you’d like to learn more about this project, read on…
Related links: FDA Approves First Cancer Treatment for Dogs Cancer “Miracle” Drug Helps Dogs and Humans?
I LOVE this! I thought I knew about the benefits of dog kisses — calming, fun — but now I'm thrilled to hear that there is potential medical evidence that they might help to find a cancer cure. I plan to throw this information up to everyone who tells me that letting Frankie clean my face with his tongue is either gross or unhygienic!
I can't resist linking to a post I wrote about his dog kisses vocabulary:http://tinyurl.com/y5wvr87
I just have read this article to my husband who always complains when I kiss my dog! This is a great argument for all the “preoccupied advisers”!
this doesnt say anything about dog saliva or kisses CURING or PREVENTING cancer, it simply says scientists will be running tests on the DNA in dog saliva to look for genes that might lead to higher cancer rates, in turn leading to developing preventative methods. theres nothing in this article that even remotely says having your dog lick your face will prevent or cure your cancer!
Of course it doesn't say kisses will cure cancer in anything but a tongue in cheek way. And it explains what testing the saliva DNA may lead to. So your point is…
great blog! i love this. dog kisses are now key to cancer cures? such an awesome information. thank you for sharing this.