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⛲️ The Fountain of Youth...For Dogs?!

Billions of dollars are being poured into the Pet Cancer Therapeutics Market to help extend the lives of our dogs. What could the future hold? Let's dive in ;)

April 13, 2023

In Today’s Email:

  • The “C” Word: Nope. Not that one…

  • Poorly Drawn Pets: The Record-Breaking Fundraiser

  • “The Squeeze” aka The Internet’s Best Dog News in 60 seconds.

  • The Last Laugh: What we’re laughing with. Not at.

Big Bets on Longer Lifespans

Cancer. 

Let’s just say it and get it out of the way. Like Voldemort. Or Beetlejuice. Beetlejuice. Beetlejuice. Anything…?

I’ll be honest. I don’t want to be researching or even writing about this. My corgi is seven years old and I feel incredibly fortunate that she’s healthy. But the stats show that there’s a high likelihood it doesn’t stay that way. The sooner we confront the harsh truths about pet parenthood, the better off we’ll be. Lemme tell you why.

Bad News First.

According to the Veterinary Cancer Society, cancer was the leading cause of death in dogs (especially those older than 10 years) in 2017. F**k you, cancer.

Now The Good News…

The pet industry is currently experiencing a meteoric rise, currently valued at $200bn globally, fueled by the pandemic puppy boom, innovation in the health + wellness space, niche product innovation, and the fact that there are currently more households with pets than children.

Future Market Insights, the global market intelligence firm just released a report stating, “the global pet cancer therapeutics market size is set to reach $405 billion in 2023. Overall sales of cancer therapeutics are likely to surge at 10% CAGR, taking the forecasted market valuation to $1052.80 billion by the end of 2033.” So that’s like, in the trillions, right? Point is, it’s a lot of queso. And hopefully there’s some smarty-pants out there who can beat the ever-living-sh*t out of cancer in the near future.

So the good news is that there is A LOT of money going to solving the most important problem.

The Insight: Quality Time

This really shouldn’t be that revelatory. With the pet industry exploding, the most important sector (in terms of where the investments are going) should be health and wellness, and based on consumer spending, it is.

This isn’t an endorsement for The Farmer’s Dog, but that spot is right on the f***ing money in terms of what it means to be a pet parent, and what we care about most: quality time with our pets. JFC I’m sobbing…

What’s Fueling The Rise In Pet Cancer Therapeutics?

Combined with the aforementioned reasons for the current boom in the pet industry, FMI cites the following for fueling the increasing financial importance in cancer therapeutics:

  • Increased pet adoption rates

  • Rising incidence of cancer in cats and dogs, especially those older than 10

  • Various technological advancements, such as the development of highly targeted and specific cures for animal cancer treatment with minimal side effects.

  • Increasing R&D initiatives for cancer management

It’s Already Begun…

Good news. There are many companies already on the job. Here are a few:

Oncotect - A Raleigh-based startup founded in 2020 which recently developed a urine test that it believes can become the standard of care for cancer screenings in elderly dogs. The test is now being used by 30 animal hospitals around North Carolina.

FidoCure - Raised a $5 million seed round led by Andreessen Horowitz’s Bio fund with participation from Lerer Hippeau and Y Combinator, with a product designed to make treating your dog’s cancer more accessible and affordable with tech that specifically utilizes next-generation gene sequencing to better understand the genetic mutation that is causing an individual dog’s cancer.

PetDx - The San Diego-based startup with an early cancer-detecting blood test for dogs, raised $62 million in its Series B funding round, with plans to use its cash influx to get its technology known as OncoK9, which it says can detect 30 cancers from a blood draw.

Loyal - San-Fran biotech company Loyal has raised over $65m to help develop a drug that can drastically improve our pet’s health by reducing susceptibility to age-related diseases such as cancer, arthritis, muscle loss, cognitive decline and neurodegeneration.

The Dog Aging Project - A consortium of more than two dozen universities around the world, including Princeton, working on comprehensive studies to better understand how dogs age, and how environmental factors affect that, in hopes of helping them live longer and healthier lives.

Roadblocks

The pet cancer therapeutics market isn’t without it’s share of hinderances which could slow the expansion:

  • The possibility of harmful side effects from cancer treatments for pets

  • Pet owners' reluctance to medicate their animals.

  • A shortage of veterinary oncologists

  • Low expenditure on pet healthcare in developing and underdeveloped economies.

Here’s Where You Come In

So what can the pet community do to help usher these advancements along? Be curious, be open, be smart, and stay informed on stuff like this. I’ll be the first to admit that I really don’t like thinking about the inevitable. But the more we know, the better prepared we’ll be if/when the storm comes.

Ok now for some brain bleach. Here’s a video of two best friends missing each other via Facetime:

Overheard under my dinner table:

“DAD PLS GIMME SOME PIZZA BORK BORK! DAD PLS! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD PLEASE BORK BORK I REFUSE TO STOP BORKING!!! oh look a toy…”

- Maxine, 7, Brooklyn, NY

“Poorly Drawn Pets” Fundraiser Raises Record $30,000 In 2 Days

The Tacoma Humane Society posted a fundraiser to their Facebook page offering “poorly drawn pets,” drawn by their otherwise caring and talented volunteers, in exchange for a $20 donation. The post went viral and in just 2 days raised $30,760 which means volunteers were busy drawing 1,538 pets.

Tap HERE to see some more adorably awful drawings.

“The Squeeze” aka Dog News In 60 Seconds

Today’s Last Laugh:

Watch a dog named Kevin Bacon get Jimmy Fallon a beer: