In January 2015, Dr Sue spoke at The North American Veterinary Conference (NAVC) in Orlando, Florida. This conference had over 16,000 attendees.  Dr Sue had the opportunity to introduce her See Something, So Something cancer awareness campaign to the veterinary community. She also led large lectures as well as a more intimate Masterclass on mast cell tumors. Dr Sue had an incredibly fun time teaching. Feedback included: she was “refreshingly positive”, her lectures were “encouraging and inspiring”, and Dr Sue “taught me the most important lesson of all: even after doing this job for 14 years, I can still do it better.”

Click here to watch a video of Dr Sue from NAVC.

On November 1, 2014, Dr Sue will be headed west to LA for the premiere of the documentary, My Friend: Changing the Journey. Produced by Canine Lymphoma Education Awareness and Research (CLEAR), his ground-breaking film that will take dog lovers on their own informative journey of awareness and hope as it weaves interviews from highly respected oncologists, veterinarians and canine care professionals throughout three inspiring stories of dogs who are battling lymphoma and in some cases even beat the disease. CLEAR is a nonprofit organization is dedicated to increasing awareness and understanding of canine lymphoma through clinical research, and as a resource to dog owners interested in prevention and treatment of this devastating disease. Dr Sue is honored and thrilled to be a featured cancer expert in this documentary. Check out the trailer here:

My Friend: Changing the Journey Trailer 1 from My Friend: Changing the Journey on Vimeo.

My mission is to raise cancer awareness and promote early detection in dogs and cats. That’s why I am launching a campaign called See Something, Do Something with the help of VCA Hospitals and my colleagues.

What is See Something Do Something (SSDS)?

“See Something Do Something” is a set of guidelines for you and your veterinarian to help identify the best management strategy for skin and subcutaneous masses in dogs and cats.

See Something: When a skin mass is the size of pea or larger or has been present for 1 month,

Do Something: Aspirate or biopsy, and treat appropriately!

Why am I doing this? Many dogs and cats have lumps and bumps. But not all of these masses are malignant (cancerous) tumors. In fact, most tumors are benign (not cancer). 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 your pet. Most skin and subcutaneous (under the skin) tumors can be cured when diagnosed early when masses are small.

Early detection saves lives.

Take Myles. (Oh, how I love Myles!)

He was diagnosed with lymphoma last April. His family chose single agent doxorubicin – a good alternative to multi-agent CHOP protocol. So remember there are treatment options – please discuss options with an oncologist. Even if you decide not to treat, make an informed decision. Live longer, live well!