When a family pet is ill, it can be devastating. Pets are almost like children in some homes, so many people will do all they can do treat a pet who has cancer. While it may seem frivolous to spend time and money on a "just a dog", some cancers that dogs get are almost identical to those that humans get. Bone cancer is one of them. Osteosarcoma in dogs is much like it appears in humans and trials are underway to look at drugs that work in pets to see if they might be useful in humans.
Certain kinds of chemo drugs cannot be tested on humans, but data from how they work in animals can provide researchers with valuable information. Smokey, a lab mix in Canada with bone cancer, is receiving an experimental drug that could help researchers fine tune drugs for their human patients. Smokey's owners are happy that they will have him with them longer and that he might help someone's child.