What should I know about
Canine Cancer
According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, approximately 1 in 4 dogs will, at some stage in their life, develop a tumor, and almost 50% of dogs over age 10 will develop cancer.i According to the National Cancer Institute, which is part of the National Institutes of Health, roughly 6 million new cancer diagnoses are made in dogs each year in the U.S.ii It is generally understood that canine cancer prevalence and incidence rates are comparable to the prevalence and incidence rates of cancer in humans.iii
Conducted in March 2022, the Gallup survey estimated the prevalence – the percent of U.S. dogs with cancer in 2021 – was 3.4 percent, less than the approximately 5 percent prevalence in humans that year. However, the survey also found that the incidence – the percent of U.S. dogs newly diagnosed with cancer in 2021 – was 2.8 percent, which is approximately five times the 0.57 percent incidence of newly diagnosed cancer in humans that year. This finding is startling since researchers have assumed that canine cancer rates mirror human cancer rates.iv
i “Cancer in Pets.” American Veterinary Medical Association, 2021
ii Davis BW, Ostrander EA. Domestic dogs and cancer research:
a breed-based genomics approach. ILAR J. 2014;55(1):59-68. Doi:10.1093/ilar/ilu017
iii“Cancer in Pets.” American Veterinary Medical Association, 2021
iv Take C.H.A.R.G.E. Gallup Pet Owner Survey. March 2022.
Why is it important to track canine cancer
and establish a Registry?
There is no national registry that tracks canine cancer in the United States. This first-of-its-kind national Canine Cancer Registry and Canine Cancer Care Index provides the veterinary community with important incidence and prevalence data to guide canine cancer diagnosis and treatment decisions, ultimately supporting dog owners by improving canine cancer care and building a community of hope for all dog lovers. The mission is important because protecting dogs from cancer begins with knowing its impact by breed, type, age, gender, and location. The data may also provide insights to help better understand cancer in humans.
How can I add my dog to the Canine Cancer:
Take C.H.A.R.G.E. Registry?
If you are a dog owner whose dog has been diagnosed with cancer, you can upload your dog’s medical records here.
If you do not have your dog’s medical records, you can request a copy of your dog’s record from your veterinarian to upload.
Your dog’s record will be de-identified and anonymized by Ivee, the data software provider, before being included in the dashboard following all relevant data privacy laws.
How can I raise awareness about the
Canine Cancer: Take C.H.A.R.G.E. Registry?
You can help raise awareness about the Take C.H.A.R.G.E. Registry by following us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
We also encourage you discuss Take C.H.A.R.G.E. with your veterinarian and ask them to join the Registry and contribute their canine cancer records.
Copy and paste the below suggested email that you can send to your veterinarian to encourage them to participate!
Hello,
Knowing your dedication to caring for my dog and all the pets in your clinic, I wanted to share with you the first ever U.S. canine cancer national Registry and Cancer Care Index called the Jaguar Health Canine Cancer: Take C.H.A.R.G.E. (Canine Health And ReGistry Exchange).
This first-of-its-kind national Canine Cancer Registry and Cancer Care Index was established to provide the veterinary community and dog parents with important incidence and prevalence data to help guide canine cancer diagnosis and treatment decisions. So far, more than 35,900 canine medical records have been accessed and more than 830 confirmed cases of canine cancer have been included in the Take C.H.A.R.G.E. dashboard. The data is de-identified and anonymized and protected following General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) guidelines to ensure participant information privacy.
Clinics around the country as well dog owners are being encouraged to provide their canine medical records to the database since protecting our dogs against cancer begins with understanding its impact by breed, type, age, gender, and location.
I hope you will take a moment to visit the Take C.H.A.R.G.E. website and explore the dashboard, which is interactive and easy to use for the public and also provides clinicians and academia with open access to all the data as a no cost service to the veterinary and dog lover community.
I also hope you will consider providing your canine cancer medical records to the Registry since the more records that are uploaded, the more accurate the prevalence and incidence data will be.
Thanks for all you do to keep our beloved dogs healthy and happy and cheers to finally having a U.S. canine cancer registry to help us all navigate this trail!
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