When a beloved pet receives a diagnosis of cancer, owners may have many questions about what to do and where to turn. A new service at the School of Veterinary Medicine’s Ryan Hospital is designed to make these trying times easier for both sick animals and their worried owners, offering high-quality coordinated care.

Taking a page from the best practices of human medicine, Penn Vet has launched a Comprehensive Cancer Care Program to apply a tailored, multidisciplinary approach to every stage of the cancer evaluation and treatment process. The result is an improved experience and more complete care for both pet and owner.

“This has been something that’s been part of the vision for Penn Vet for a few years,” says Bo Connell, executive director of Ryan Hospital. “Our program is based on a proven model of cancer detection and treatment that you find in human medicine. We’re bringing everything together here in veterinary medicine to deliver that same high quality of care to pets.”

Depending on a pet’s needs, a team of board-certified medical, surgical, and radiation oncology experts will be involved in directing and coordinating diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up care. Owners are thoroughly informed of the options available for their pet and become partners in the medical team.

Companion animals seen at Penn Vet have access to first-rate care, including nutritional specialists, the region’s only fellowship-trained surgical oncologist, an interventional radiologist, a board-certified nursing staff, and state-of-the-art facilities. Penn’s Veterinary Clinical Investigations Center gives clients the option of enrolling their pets in clinical trials that are testing novel, cutting-edge cancer treatments unavailable elsewhere.

Penn Vet is only the third veterinary program in the country to offer a comprehensive cancer care program, and Ryan is the only veterinary hospital in the Northeast to do so.

“This program will enable Penn Vet to continue to push the envelope on veterinary medical excellence,” says Connell. “In combination with our clinical trials and research, this puts us in an elite realm.”

To make an appointment with Penn Vet’s Comprehensive Cancer Care team, call 215-746-8387.