Pollution and Cancer in Dogs | Dr. Lauren Trepanier #176
When it comes to lymphoma and bladder cancer, environmental pollution plays a role in causing dog cancer.
Double board-certified veterinarian Dr. Lauren Trepanier has lost three Boxers to lymphoma, and she’s not letting that slide. She is currently studying the impact of carcinogens caused by environmental pollution on lymphoma in Boxers and transitional cell carcinoma in all dogs.
For lymphoma, the initial study found that Boxers have a higher risk of developing lymphoma if they live within 10 miles of a nuclear power plant, or within two miles of a chemical supplier or active crematorium. Current studies are directly measuring the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and herbicides in the urine of Boxers with lymphoma as well as their levels in the air and tap water in those dogs’ homes. Dr. Trepanier’s lab is also teaming up with the Morris Animal Foundation Golden Retriever Lifetime Study to measure VOCs and herbicides in the urine of Goldens with lymphoma.
For bladder cancer, the initial study found that dogs were at a higher risk of developing bladder cancer if they lived in a county with higher ozone concentrations or higher levels of trihalomethanes in the tap water. They also found that dogs and their owners share similar urinary levels to two carcinogens, with 5-7% of apparently healthy people and dogs having levels high enough to damage their DNA and potentially cause cancer. Current studies are measuring the urinary and household levels of acrolein and arsenic.
Listen in to learn more about these studies, and scroll down to view the recruitment fliers.
Links Mentioned in Today’s Show:
Dr. Trepanier’s Profile at University of Wisconsin-Madison
Golden Retriever Lifetime Study
About Today’s Guest, Dr. Lauren Trepanier:
Dr. Trepanier has 23 years of experience at UW-Madison managing internal medicine cases, training residents, interns, and students, and conducting research on the risks for adverse drug reactions and environmental cancers. She earned her DVM with distinction from Cornell University, completed residency training at the Animal Medical Center in New York, and obtained a PhD in Pharmacology, also at Cornell. Dr. Trepanier is board certified in both Internal Medicine and Veterinary Clinical Pharmacology and is currently a Professor of Internal Medicine at UW-Madison SVM. More recently, Dr. Trepanier is devoting time to initiatives that engage veterinarians in research as Assistant Dean for Clinical and Translational Research at the UW-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine.
Other Links:
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