Early findings from the Dog Aging Project

Abstract

Initial cancer findings from the Dog Aging Project reveal that there is no difference in cancer rates between purebred and mixed-breed dogs, that malignant tumours are nearly twice as common as benign tumours (rates of 29.7 per 1000 dogs, and 14.7 per 1000 dogs, respectively) and that skin tumours of the limb or foot are overwhelmingly the most common type of tumour in this cohort of American dogs. Surprisingly, owner-reported perceptions of pet health after a tumour diagnosis were still overwhelmingly positive. These findings generate more hypotheses that require testing, which will be the goal of Dog Aging Project researchers for years to come. Cancer findings from dogs will be very important in translational research to humans.