VCA Welfare Foundation

From the AKC Canine Health Foundation--
**important ** PSA about the "New World Screwworm"

New World Screwworm: What Dog Owners Need to Know | AKC Canine Health Foundation Reports of New World screwworm cases in the United States have understandably raised concerns among dog owners. New World screwworm was eradicated from the United States decades ago, but recent detections have brought renewed attention to this serious pest and the importance of early detection. USDA...

Advances in the treatment of hemangiosarcoma: Traditional chemotherapy combined with a vaccine (immunotherapy-based) may extend survival rates by as much as 12 months.
Abstract:
"Angiosarcomas are highly aggressive soft tissue tumors with poor prognosis in both humans and dogs. In dogs, visceral hemangiosarcoma offers a relevant spontaneous model for evaluating novel therapies. Surgery alone yields a median survival of 1–3 months, and treatment with doxorubicin (DOX), alone or in combination (e.g., with propranolol), modestly extends median survival time to 5–7 months, with a 1-year survival of around 10%. We developed a conjugate vaccine technology, called immune Boost (iBoost), and hypothesized that combining DOX with an iBoost vaccine targeting extracellular vimentin (eVim) could improve survival without added toxicity. Twenty-three dogs with visceral hemangiosarcoma received six cycles of DOX every two weeks post-splenectomy, alongside four doses every other week of eVim iBoost immunotherapy, followed by maintenance vaccinations every two months. Outcomes were compared to historical controls treated with DOX alone. Compared to the control group the median overall survival time increased from 136 to 235 days (NS), restricted mean survival time at one year increased with 81 days (p = 0.02) and 1-year survival rate was 44% versus 14% (p = 0.0344). The combination was well-tolerated, with no systemic vaccine-related toxicity. Adding dog eVim vaccine to DOX appears to improve survival without added toxicity in dogs with hemangiosarcoma. These results support further clinical development, including evaluation in human angiosarcoma."

Vaccination Against Extracellular Vimentin Plus Doxorubicin for Canine Hemangiosarcoma Angiosarcomas are highly aggressive soft tissue tumors with poor prognosis in both humans and dogs. In dogs, visceral hemangiosarcoma offers a relevant spontaneous model for evaluating novel therapies. Surgery alone yields a median survival of 1–3 months, and treatment with doxorubicin (DOX), alon...

Heartworm disease incidence is on the rise, nationwide.

A map of America shows a canine disease moving into new states Heartworm is spreading into new parts of the U.S., and vets say many dog owners are still unprepared.

60 Minutes profiled The Dog Aging Project last night. This intersection between human and canine research may be a win-win for us all!

Check out the research here: https://dogagingproject.org/

Studying dogs may reveal path to longer, healthier life for dogs, humans | 60 Minutes The Dog Aging Project is working to help dogs live longer, healthier lives. The research results may help humans age well, too."60 Minutes" is the most succe...

The Dog Aging Project is looking for dogs (7 yo+) to participate in a clinical trial testing a human longevity drug Rapamycin (an mTOR pathway inhibitor). Check out this map to see you're near a clinical trial site: https://dogagingproject.org/triad This research is the perfect example of where human and canine science intersect and will no doubt benefit both. Scan the QR code below to see if your dog is eligible.

Our friends at the Penn Vet Working Dog Center have developed a survey to evaluate body condition scoring.

Body condition scoring is critical for maintaining the health of dogs. The ideal method involves actually touching the dog to feel various areas; This survey will examine people's ability to identify body condition score based on photographs. This survey should take about 15 minutes to complete. Let's help out!

Body Condition Score Survey This survey examines people's ability to judge dogs' body condition score (BCS) from photographs.

Any folks here with puppies and/or dogs with kidney disease? Please help out our good friend and fellow breeder.

Hello,
If you own or owned a puppy or a dog that has kidney disease, would you reach out to me? I am working with two universities to try and identify genetic markers. Sadly, I bred 2 puppies that had kidney related health issues. I want to make sure we have more awareness going forward and am hopeful to find a genetic marker.
Thank you in advance.
You can reach me at [email protected]

Best,
Britt

Thanks to many generous donors, the VCA Welfare Foundation is proud to support this ground-breaking research that employs trained scent detection dogs to identify the presence of canine hemangiosarcoma. Dr Cynthia Otto and her team are doing an amazing job.

Sniffing out cancer: Trained dogs can detect hemangiosarcoma by scent | Penn Today Penn Vet’s Cynthia M. Otto and Clara Wilson and colleagues show that trained dogs can identify the odor of hemangiosarcoma, a devastating canine cancer, offering the hope of a better screening tool and more effective treatments.

on Mark Coppola (Hatszel Vizslas) cruelty case. 19 Vizslas were rescued by the Chautauqua County Humane Society. Of the 6 that were surrendered, 5 have been placed in adoptive homes. Applications are being paused for right now. The bond hearing will be on Monday 12/15/25 at 4pm at the Town of Gerry Justice Court, 4519 NY-60, Gerry, NY 14740.

CCHS Takes In Dogs From Sinclairville Cruelty Case – Chautauqua County Humane Society Click Here to Support the Sinclairville Dogs Chautauqua County Humane Society Issues Urgent Plea for Adopters, Fosters, and Donors After Cruelty Case Brings 19 Dogs into Care JAMESTOWN, N.Y. (December 4, 2025) The Chautauqua County Humane Society (CCHS) is urgently calling on the community for help....

Today is Giving Tuesday! Last year, with your overwhelming support, we raised $50k for Hemangiosarcoma research via the AKC Canine Health Foundation. This year, we shift our focus to Canine Lymphoma with the launch of The Kate Fund, devoted to finding a cure for this devastating cancer and raising awareness about treatment and prevention.

Please join us today and make a donation. Every gift matters!
https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/find-a-cure-for-canine-lymphoma