The Cornell University Hospital for Animals is actively engaged in clinical studies that work towards applicable treatments and cures for our patients. Please consider informing owners of eligible patients about relevant studies, and help us move the research forward!

Featured Trial:  Pain treatment for canine cancer patients

• BACKGROUND: Some dogs with cancer, especially end-stage cancer patients or patients with dermatitis secondary to radiation therapy, experience pain that cannot be adequately controlled with oral medications given by their owners at home. Depending on the site of pain, an epidural injection can provide pain relief superior to oral medications, sometimes with fewer side effects. The duration of pain relief is variable but may last several weeks. Repeating the injection requires heavy sedation or general anesthesia each time, and this puts the dog at risk for anesthetic complications, is time consuming, and can be prohibitively expensive.
• METHODS: The Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine Service at the Cornell University Hospital for Animals (CUHA) is currently investigating a prototype device that consists of an epidural catheter placed under fluoroscopic guidance and connected to an access port that is implanted under the skin over a dog’s back under brief general anesthesia. Analgesic drugs can then be injected through the port and catheter into the epidural space as frequently as necessary to provide pain relief without the need for anesthesia and its risks and costs, and the device can be removed if it is no longer needed.
• ELIGIBILITY: Any dog suffering from pain due to cancer that is not adequately controlled using oral medications administered at home may be eligible. Dogs that are currently hospitalized at CUHA for cancer treatment may also be eligible. Other patients with pathologies causing chronic pain may be considered on a case-by-case basis.
• COMPENSATION: Owners are responsible for all of the costs associated with the device including its implantation and follow-up visits. The first three owners will have part of the costs covered through funding from the International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management’s Research and Scholarship Foundation. For participation, all owners will receive a discount on certain items on their bill for the charges associated with the device and follow-up visits.
• OWNER RESPONSIBILITIES: The owner will be asked to fill out a simple, brief online questionnaire about their dog’s pain before the device is implanted, when the first dose of drugs is given, and at regular intervals thereafter. Owners can return to CUHA for additional injections as often as necessary to control their dog’s pain. If the dog is hospitalized at CUHA, the oncologist referring the case and/or Dr. Boesch will determine how often the drugs should be given.
• PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Jordyn Boesch, DVM, DACVAA
• CONTACT INFORMATION: (607)253-3060; vet-research@cornell.edu

Other active trials include:

Using Platelet Rich Plasma to treat Dogs suffering with Arthritis and Lameness in One Knee

Lymphoma: Banking Lymph Nodes

Using Healthy Senior Cats as Controls for Genetic Mapping

Studying Feline Sepsis in Emergency Situations

Visit the CUHA Clinical Trials website for more information.