In early 2022, Deana Hudgins learned that her golden retriever Hunter had cancer. Hunter, a search and rescue dog who has worked with Hudgins in hundreds of locations searching for people buried under collapsed buildings or in destruction from natural disasters, was diagnosed with bone cancer in his front left leg. It was a terrifying diagnosis as with treatment, only 30% of dogs with this type of cancer - osteosarcoma - live longer than 12 months.
Hunter now has no evidence of cancer thanks to his treatment, which included typical approaches like the leg amputation and chemotherapy, as well as a novel therapy - a vaccine developed by Yale researcher Mark Mamula.
Now after several years of clinical trials and more than 300 dogs treated, the vaccine has proved effective and may soon become widely available, bringing a new badly needed weapon to the fight against canine cancer.