Tag Archives: Oncology

In 2018, I included the Tasmanian devil in a blog about animals and cancer. At the time, the species was being pushed to extinction by a contagious cancer called the devil facial tumor (DFTD). DFTD spreads from devil to devil through bite injuries. Because Tasmanian devils are a top predator, a reduction in their population can disrupt the ecosystem and threaten other Tasmanian species. Given ongoing research, I thought it was time to follow up on this story to highlight what scientists have learned about this unusual disease.

While pets are nearly perfect, one thing they could improve is their lifespan. Wouldn’t it be great to bring home a dog or cat as a child and have that pet with you for the rest of your life? That question led me to investigate what factors influence how long our pets live—and what we might be able to do to keep them with us just a bit longer. What I found is the subject of this blogpost.

The end of 2025 is upon us—a natural time to reflect on the past year and set goals for the new one. Many of us will make New Year’s resolutions to improve our own health and habits, but what about those of our pets? If you’re hoping to prioritize your pet’s well-being in 2026, the Schwarzman Animal Medical Center’s Usdan Institute for Animal Health Education can help. In 2025, the Usdan Institute held twelve educational events, nine community events and three AMC signature events. In this blogpost, I’ve curated a list of on-demand recordings that align perfectly with common pet-health resolutions.

November is National Pet Cancer Awareness Month and, for the rest of the month, my blogposts will focus on cancer and cancer treatment in pets. Last week, I defined the various categories of chemotherapy drugs veterinary oncologists use to treat dogs and cats with cancer. Today, I provide a roadmap for pet owners following a diagnosis of cancer in their favorite fur person.

The soundtrack of my college years went silent with Jimmy Buffett’s passing over Labor Day weekend. The cause of death was widely reported as a rare form of skin cancer called Merkel cell carcinoma. Animals also suffer from this rare form of cancer, so today I’ll discuss Merkel cell tumors in animals, in honor of Jimmy Buffett.