About Dr. Sue

Dr. Sue Ettinger, DVM, DACVIM (Oncology) is a practicing veterinary cancer specialist, international speaker, book author, and vlogger (video blogger). She is one of approximately 450 board-certified specialists in medical oncology in North America and as of October 2022 currently practices at GuardianVeterinarySpecialists.com in Brewster, NY.  She received her veterinary training at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. She completed her residency in medical oncology at the Animal Medical Center in NYC in 2003.  

She was voted the 2019 Western Veterinary Conference (WVC) Small Animal Continuing Educator of the Year and has recently received awards for Exceptional Doctor Performance and the Public Relations Achievement.

Also known as Dr Sue Cancer Vet®, Dr. Sue is the co-author of the Second Edition of The Dog Cancer Survival Guide, which is a best-selling book in small animal health for the last several years.   She is a frequent contributor to many veterinary publications, including Today’s Veterinary Practice, Today’s Veterinary Business, Clinician’s Brief, Veterinary Team Brief, & DVM360. She also has co-hosted the podcast The Pet Cancer Vet and is a frequent guest on many veterinary podcasts.

There are many myths and misconceptions about cancer in dogs and cats. Most cancers are treatable, and there are a variety of treatment options. Dr Sue’s focus is to provide comprehensive and compassionate care. She strives to minimize side effects – from the cancer itself and treatment – to help her patients lead active, normal lives even while undergoing treatment. Her motto is live longer, live well.

Dr. Sue is most passionate about raising cancer awareness, and she has developed “See Something, Do Something, Why Wait? Aspirate.®” to promote early cancer detection and diagnosis.  This cancer awareness initiative for skin and superficial tumors in dogs and cats provides a set of guidelines for pet owners and veterinarians to help identify the best management for skin and subcutaneous (under the skin) masses in dogs and cats. Masses must be sampled and evaluated under a microscope to determine what they are. The sooner we determine whether a mass is cancerous and should be removed, the better for our pets. Most skin and subcutaneous tumors can be cured with surgery alone if diagnosed early when masses are small. Early detection saves lives.

A native of Long Island, New York, Dr Sue knew she wanted to be a veterinarian since she was in kindergarten. She currently lives in Westchester, New York, with her two sons, and their goofy black Labrador, Matilda, and yellow Labrador, Penelope.

Dr Sue loves to use social media to help clients and veterinary professionals with cancer in pets, including Instagram, her YouTube Channel , and her popular Facebook page with over 44000 fan