MAN"S BEST FRIEND. Maybe the dog after all.

Linda and friend

Mennonite village, northern Mexico, 2010

Did you know that dogs suffer from many of the same cancers as humans do?  I certainly didn’t.  Furthermore, given their “compressed” life spans (relative to us) the rate of progression of their cancers is higher than in humans.  Throw in the cost of vet services and you can see that the poor devils don’t have it so good.  So, I guess it is to everyone’s benefit – Canis familiaris as well as Homo sapiens – that scientists are using dogs in cancer research.  They don’t induce cancer in dogs (as they do with mice); rather they treat family pets.  Thus the dogs get advanced treatment and may be cured or have their lives extended – and humankind gets more knowledge.  A win-win situation, I think.

Some of the advantages of using dogs, instead of mice or humans  in cancer experiments are the following:

You have to buy the mice, and maintain them.  Dog owners, who are grateful for your attention, bring in their pets for free.

Tumors that arise naturally in dogs are more similar to human tumors than those induced in mice.

The dog gets free vet attention.

Dog’s cancers progress more rapidly than the same cancers in humans, enabling scientists to observe the efficacy of a drug or treatment in “real time”, so to speak.

And, on a lighter note:

Dogs never need to sign consent forms, they rarely hire lawyers, they don’t go on vacation, and you never have to explain to them just what in heck you are doing.

No dog ever pulled out of a clinical trial and elected to cure its condition using health foods and/or prayer.

Even when you hurt them, dogs still love you.

I wrote earlier (blog for 3/12/12) that the mouse, not the dog, was man’s best friend.  I may have been wrong