Statement by Rita Notarandrea, CEO, on Recovery Month

OTTAWA, Sept. 12, 2017 /CNW/ - The Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA) is pleased to add its voice in support of Recovery Month in order to build awareness, challenge stigma and celebrate the fact that people can and do recover from addiction.

CCSA's mission is to address issues of substance use in Canada by providing national leadership and harnessing the power of evidence to generate coordinated action.

CCSA applauds the coordinated action on recovery, which will happen throughout the month of September when communities across Canada will host recovery events and shine the spotlight on problematic substance use and addiction. These events will draw attention to the stories of individuals who found a pathway to recovery, and the needs of those who are still charting their path to recovery and an improved quality of life.

For this Recovery Month, Canada's opioid crisis, and the unprecedented number of overdoses and deaths, looms large. The health and social impacts of this crisis on individuals, families and communities are devastating, and the healthcare system is struggling to cope. The opioid crisis requires involvement by the people and organizations who lead education, prevention, treatment and long-term recovery initiatives, working in close coordination with the decision makers who set the course for action.

To this end, CCSA looks forward to working collaboratively with Canada's new Minister of Health, the Hon. Ginette Petitpas Taylor, and her provincial and territorial colleagues in reforming the system of care to ensure access to much-needed services and support for opioid misuse, problematic substance use and addiction. We know that impactful reform requires cross-disciplinary collaboration using evidence-based best practices and tools to address comprehensively the needs of each individual, and CCSA is working to do its part.

We know recovery is possible, achievable and sustainable with access to the right evidence-based treatments, supports and quality services. That is why CCSA is leading a number of activities (please see the attached Backgrounder) that are contributing to increasing understanding of an often misunderstood issue, and providing policy makers and experts in the field with the evidence and the resources to inform their approaches.

A trusted counsel, CCSA will continue to provide national guidance by harnessing the power of research, curating knowledge and bringing together diverse perspectives to inspire collective action. Our efforts, like so many others, will continue beyond Recovery Month as we work to achieve our vision of a healthier Canadian society where evidence transforms approaches to substance use.

Across the country, Canadians are engaging in conversations and storytelling about recovery and reinforcing what is possible. Without question, recovery from addiction is possible. This month, and every one that follows, let us remember that a person who is ready to embrace recovery and improve their quality of life is a person with a health condition who is asking for help; asking for nothing more than the care they need and deserve. Their voice and the voices of so many others who are at different points in their journey deserve to be heard and their needs addressed.

To help share these important messages and findings about recovery, CCSA has created a communications toolkit designed to facilitate public discussions on the survey findings. The toolkit, which includes posters, infographics, social media images and other content, is available on the CCSA website and can be used throughout September, and beyond, to facilitate discussion on recovery.

Speak up. Speak often. We're listening.

Rita Notarandrea, M.H.Sc., C.H.E.
Chief Executive Officer

Contact: media@ccsa.ca | Twitter: @CCSACanada

Visit RecoveryDayCanada.com for more information on events and activities throughout Canada.

Rita Notarandrea will be speaking at this year's Recovery Capital Conference of Canada event (Vancouver, September 7–8) and the Recovery Day Ottawa event (September 23).

Backgrounder on CCSA's Initiatives In Relation To Recovery

Changing the Conversation: Life in Recovery from Addiction In Canada

In 2015, CCSA hosted the first-ever National Summit on Addiction Recovery to put forth a common vision and overarching principles to guide a strength-based recovery approach to the treatment and care of substance use disorders in Canada, now known as A National Commitment to Recovery from the Disease of Addiction in Canada.

As its next step, CCSA established the National Recovery Advisory Committee (NRAC), made up of individuals with lived experience to inform and guide recovery related activities. To that end, CCSA and NRAC undertook the first national survey of people in recovery from alcohol and other drugs. The Life in Recovery from Addiction in Canada survey was conducted in 2016 and the full technical report was released in May 2017.

The survey gathered information and stories from 855 people across Canada who generously shared information on their experiences with addiction and the barriers they faced. More importantly, it describes their journey of recovery: what encouraged them to seek recovery, the supports that helped and the quality of life they have experienced since attaining recovery.

For the first time in Canada, we have a detailed picture of the lives and experiences of people in recovery and it is a good news story. The results showed that recovery is linked to a return to positive citizenship: engagement with family, friends, the community and the workforce. A remarkable 91% of participants in the survey reported their quality of life was either excellent, very good or good after recovery had been initiated.

These findings provide hope for individuals and families affected by addiction and give much-needed evidence to service providers and policy makers to enable informed decisions that reflect lived experience. Results from the Life in Recovery from Addiction in Canada survey will be used to increase understanding and address the stigma associated with addiction and recovery, drive investment in treatment and recovery support services, and improve overall access, thereby removing barriers to recovery.

Moving Towards a Recovery Oriented System of Care: A Resource for Service Providers and Decision Makers
As part of its efforts to increase understanding and reduce barriers to recovery, later this month, CCSA will be releasing Moving Towards a Recovery Oriented System of Care: A Resource for Service Providers and Decision Makers. This resource will provide actionable examples of policies and practices that service providers can implement to support the principles of recovery that are outlined in the National Commitment to Recovery from the Disease of Addiction. This resource highlights the six principles of recovery:

There are many pathways in recovery: A variety of interventions and approaches can lead to successful long-term recovery. There is no one pathway in recovery that works for all those struggling with addiction and as a result, a successful journey can be different for each person.

Recovery requires collaboration: A recovery-focused system of care includes collaboration between service providers and community support systems, as well as between professionals across health care and social service sectors.

Recovery is a personal journey toward wellbeing: Recovery is unique to the individual with optimal services tailored to strengths, needs, perceptions and experiences, including trauma and mental health issues.

Recovery extends beyond the individual: The recovery process includes not only the individual, but the individual's family, friends, workplace and community. Everybody can play a role in supporting an individual's recovery.

Recovery is multidimensional: Recovery involves addressing the multiple dimensions of a person's health in addition to their substance use.

Recovery involves everyone: Everyone can contribute to creating a culture and society that is compassionate, understanding and supportive of people in recovery and those struggling with addiction. This begins with overcoming stigma and dispelling the common myths that are associated with both having a substance use disorder and being in recovery.

Selected findings from the Life in Recovery from Addiction in Canada survey are also included in this resource to highlight the experiences and journeys of people in recovery, and illustrate the relevance of these principles. This resource is a living document. CCSA will continue to update it to reflect the perspective and feedback from service providers and decision makers, as well as the latest evidence and emerging research.

SOURCE Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction

THE FAMOUS CANADIAN BEER RUN & FESTIVAL @ ONTARIO PLACE THIS SUNDAY

WHAT:

• The Famous Canadian Beer Run & Festival - a 5-kilometre fun run/walk followed by a craft beer and food festival.

WHO:

• More than 2,000 runners and festival-goers are expected to participate in the event.

WHEN:

• This Sunday, September 17^th. Event waves run every 30 minutes from 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. The festival is open from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.

WHERE:

• The start and finish line and festival area are located on the West Island of Ontario Place. The 5-kilometre course runs through both the East and West Islands, including Ontario Place’s new greenspace.

EVENT DETAILS:

• 5 kilometre run/walk course through Ontario Place offering views of city skyline, Lake Ontario and Ontario Place’s new greenspace
• Vibrant post-run festival featuring Canada’s best craft beer vendors, food trucks, beer yoga classes, live music and more

www.RunForBeer.ca

Alzheimer Society Research Program provides $3.4 million boost to dementia research

TORONTO, Sept. 12, 2017 /CNW/ - The Alzheimer Society Research Program (ASRP) is pleased to announce it has awarded $3.4 million to Canadian researchers through this year's research competition to help create a brighter future for Canadians who are impacted by or at risk of Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia.

This year's awards and grants support 24 applicants from across the country who are working towards finding new prevention and treatment strategies, enhancing patient care, and finding a cure.

Recipients include:

Jennifer Walker, First Nations University of Canada: Jennifer is collaborating with local researchers to study the increasing rate of dementia among First Nations in Saskatchewan. Her work will help inform and improve dementia care services in Indigenous communities.

Heather Cooke, University of British Columbia: Heather seeks to better understand how incivility and bullying among long-term care workers influences dementia care. The results will help improve staffing practices and policies and enhance the quality of life for both residents and staff.

Jannic Boehm, Université de Montréal: Jannic's goal is to develop a "peptide" that will penetrate the blood-brain barrier and access neurons in the brain. If successful, this tool could be used to help maintain and promote brain function in people with Alzheimer's disease.

Matthew Parsons, Memorial University, St. John's: Matthew's research will investigate when and where toxic proteins in the brain, the hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease, begin to impair brain cells and disrupt the formation of memories. He hopes these findings will ultimately lead to new treatments.

"Research funding is critical for advancing scientific discoveries and producing breakthroughs that enable people with dementia to live well and bring us closer to a cure," says Nalini Sen, Program Director. "We're proud of our Program and to be able to provide opportunities to many of Canada's bright and talented minds."

The Alzheimer Society Research Program (ASRP) is a national leader in dementia research aimed at supporting and developing capacity in the areas of biomedical, clinical and health services research. Funding applications undergo an extensive peer-review process led by respected researchers as well as people with lived experience of dementia. The ASRP is a collaborative initiative of Alzheimer Societies across Canada, key partners and generous individual and corporate donors. Since its inception 30 years ago, the Program has invested $53 million in dementia research.

For an inside look at the ASRP and to hear directly from some of our researchers about their discoveries, watch our video at https://youtu.be/rqfQnFHOZk8. More information is also available at www.alzheimer.ca/research.

SOURCE Alzheimer Society of Canada

YOURE INVITED TO THE Team Trex Training Bootcamp!

Come try something new!

All are welcome to the Team Trex Training Bootcamp on September 24th!

Tons of prizes and giveaways!

***Free Puma Towels to the first 50 attendees!***

You can can sign up for:

******FST SESSIONS WITH ME******

OR

- Conditioning Bootcamp
- Booty Building Seminar
- Muscle Hypertrophy Bootcamp
- Posing (All categories Offered)

Location: Form and Function Fitness Center
1101 Clarckson Rd, Mississauga

To Register in advance to secure your spot email:

info@teamtrextraining.com

PAD | Often misdiagnosed, this illness can be mild or deadly

SEPTEMBER IS PAD AWARENESS MONTH 
Tell the doctor about your symptoms; it could save your leg

CHICAGO, Illinois, September, 2017 – As we age, it is common to be concerned about heart disease or high blood pressure. But many people don’t know that those conditions are also related to another common health issue, peripheral artery disease (PAD). Unfortunately, many patients are not diagnosed until it has progressed.

PAD is caused when hardening of the arteries deprives the legs and feet of oxygen-rich blood. This occurs because the arteries become clogged, much like water pipes in an old house that build up with lime. In the body, clogged arteries don’t bring enough oxygen to the toes, feet and legs. (Less commonly, the same thing can happen to arms and hands.)

Older people are more likely to have some level of PAD. Those over 60 have a 5 percent chance; those over 70, 15 percent; and those over 80, 20 percent. Smokers and diabetics are far more likely to have PAD.

If the disease stays mild, it can cause no symptoms at all, or just a little pain in the legs while walking. But if it progresses, it can lead to gangrene, amputation and sometimes even death.

“A lot of time when patients complain of leg pain, it is misdiagnosed as something else, such as back pain,” said vascular surgeon and researcher Dr. Katherine Gallagher of the University of Michigan. “Then they may be referred to other doctors and occasionally have procedures like back surgery that fails to relieve the pain. Only then they are diagnosed with PAD.”

Patients need to know that even if they have PAD, it can be managed conservatively with medications most of the time, she added. “Surgery or endovascular therapy should be reserved for patients who have lifestyle-limiting pain when walking, rest pain and ulcers that don’t heal.”

When someone is diagnosed with or suspected of having PAD, they are typically referred to a vascular surgeon or vascular specialist. Vascular surgeons will often prescribe medications and lifestyle changes for PAD patients. If this fails or if the cases and symptoms are severe, surgery or a minimally invasive procedure may be necessary.

If the patient follows doctor’s orders, he has a 75 percent change that his PAD will not get worse. Exercise, such as walking on a treadmill, has been found to be an effective way to reduce pain, and in fact, supervised exercise has just officially been approved for Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement.

PAD patients may do better with supervised exercise therapy because left on their own, many don’t follow through with consistent exercise, researchers have found.

Patients frequently want to take a pill to make the disease go away, noted vascular surgeon and researcher Dr. Misty Humphries of the University of California Davis Medical Center.

“They become passive observers of their health,” she said. “While medications are essential, medication alone will never be the answer. Patients need to realize that they can change their lives and be in the driver’s seat of their own health care.”

That means you must:

• Tell your primary care doctor if you have fatigue or cramping in the calf, thigh, hip or buttock when walking or at rest.
• Tell the doctor if your feet feel numb.
• Bring notes to your doctor visit to remind yourself of questions to ask.
• Don’t assume the pain is unimportant.

If you don’t tell the doctor, what could happen?

At the least, the pain will continue. Eventually your feet could get sores that don’t heal, or heal very slowly. If the disease progresses, your feet and legs will get so little oxygen that you could develop a severe and painful form of PAD called chronic limb ischemia, which often leads to amputations.

For some patients, open foot sores are painful, but in others, disease has caused their feet to go numb and they may not know they have sores, Dr. Gallagher said.

What can you do to avoid the severe later stages of PAD?

• Don’t smoke; if you do smoke, quit. Nicotine inflames the blood vessels and increases the likelihood of PAD. Ask your doctor to help you find assistance with smoking cessation.
• See your primary care doctor regularly. Checkups are designed to catch things like PAD.
• If you are having pain in your legs, feet or toes, or have sores on your feet that won’t heal, be sure to mention that in your doctor visit.
• Be sure to follow doctor’s advice and take prescribed blood pressure and cholesterol medications as directed.
• Keep walking. Walking 30 minutes a day, three to five times a week can keep PAD at bay. If your legs hurt just a little, keep walking; if the pain is bad, stop for a few minutes till it goes away, then start walking again. Pushing through mild and moderate pain will increase the distance you can walk without pain over time.
• If that’s hard to manage, ask if supervised exercise therapy is covered for you.

  Learn more about PAD.

##

The Society for Vascular Surgery® (SVS) is a 5,800-plus member, not-for-profit professional medical society, composed primarily of specialty-trained vascular surgeons, which seeks to advance excellence and innovation in vascular health through education, advocacy, research and public awareness.

IT’S TIME TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE “TIGHTROPE OF AGING”— A TIME BETWEEN ACTIVE INDEPENDENT LIVING AND END-OF-LIFE

Hospice Expert’s New Memoir Shares Insights for Aging Parents and the Adult Children Who Will Care for Them

“Melanie Merriman’s memoir is a wake-up call,” says Pulitzer-prize winning columnist Ellen Goodman.

As the nearly seventy-five million baby-boomers in our country enter their 60s and 70s, too many remain in denial about the period in between full self-sufficiency and the end of life.

With boomers facing the possibility of caring for aging parents at the same time that they start to worry about being a burden on their own children, it has become critical to acknowledge this period and its unique set of needs and concerns.

Melanie P. Merriman, PhD, a former hospice consultant who has studied illness, aging, and our overly-complex medical system, has dubbed this period “the tightrope of aging”—a time typically characterized by ever-steeper physical and/or mental decline. Smart, capable parents cling to the familiarity of homes that no longer suit them, and refuse the help they need. Adult children try to keep aging parents safe, while respecting their autonomy. Finding balance is a constant challenge and the fear of falling is real.

In her new memoir, Holding the Net: Caring for My Mother on the Tightrope of Aging, (Green Writers Press, November 1, 2017), Merriman shares what she learned first-hand while caring for her fiercely independent, aging mother. In Holding the Net she candidly describes her efforts to make her mother’s final years the best that they could be.

Holding the Net includes a foreword by acclaimed author Ann Hood. “This is not the story of just one mother and her daughters. It is all of our stories—ones already lived, or ones midstream, or ones about to happen,” Hood says.

Part memoir, part social exploration, Holding the Net brings readers along on Merriman’s journey allowing them to learn from both her successes and her failures. Holding the Net offers practical details about the effects of aging on the body and mind, living arrangements for older people, health care decisions, and surviving a stay in a rehab facility. It also challenges the notion that anyone can achieve perfection when it comes to caring for an aging parent, and encourages us to simply do our best.

Merriman’s ultimate goal is to help readers find more positive moments and better deal with the difficult ones by anticipating and planning for this crucial “tightrope” phase.

Advance Praise for Holding the Net:

"For those of us who are still engaged in wishful thinking about the end of life, Melanie Merriman's memoir is a wake-up call and a gentle guide through the daily, weekly, monthly, yearly journey of helping the people we love through the difficult process of aging to  a soft landing. She is honest about how hard this work is for loving caregivers as well as for their parents. Read it and be prepared!"

—Ellen Goodman, Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist, New York Times bestselling author, and founder of The Conversation Project

“Holding the Net is an engrossing, tenderly told story of a daughter’s loving care for her mother. Beyond just a good read, these pages hold pearls of practical wisdom that are gifts to any reader who happens to be a parent who is growing older or the child of one.”

—Dr. Ira Byock, palliative care physician, Chief Medical Officer of the Providence Institute for Human Caring, and author of The Four Things That Matter Most and The Best Care Possible

“A moving, matter-of-fact, deeply eye-opening look at what most of us will eventually face: guiding our parents through old age.”

—Cathi Hanauer, NY Times best-selling novelist and editor of The Bitch in the House and The Bitch is Back

“Holding the Net should prove both a much-needed comfort and a practical guide to anyone faced with the many challenges of caring for an aging parent.  Melanie Merriman lays out her own journey through the last years of her mother's life in a no-nonsense but affecting fashion that reminds us of both the bounty of fully lived lives and the sacrifices that love requires.  Readers will be touched, reassured, guided, and, most importantly, uplifted.”

—Les Standiford, author of Water to the Angels:  William Mulholland, His Monumental Aqueduct & the Rise of Los Angeles

About Melanie Merriman

Melanie Merriman, Ph.D., has spent much of her life as a research scientist, hospice consultant, and foundation grant evaluator—driven by a passion to illuminate, understand, and find meaning. In addition to Holding the Net: Caring for My Mother on the Tightrope of Aging, she is co-author of Merriman’s Hawai‘i: The Chef, the Farmers, the Food, the Islands, a cookbook with stories about Chef Peter Merriman. Melanie and her husband Klein Merriman split their time between South Florida and Cape Cod, MA.

Title: Holding the Net: Caring for My Mother on the Tightrope of Aging

Author: Melanie P. Merriman

Paperback: 248 pages; 5 photos (B&W)

Publisher: Green Writers Press/Green Place Books

Publication Date: November 1, 2017

Language: English

ISBN-13: 978-0-998701226

Price: $19.95

Distribution: Midpoint Trade Books

Want to lose weight? Do some HIIT - Research Says  - Guest Post

In a review of some of last month’s (August 2017) clinical studies on weight loss and metabolism, nutritionist Georgios Tzenichristos reports that exercise, especially interval training, is extremely important for weight loss; low carb diets are not necessarily better than low fat; and no, coconut oil does NOT help you lose weight.

Bored at the gym? Just do some interval training

~ Interval training is more fun than continuous training ~

In a study of 31 obese young women who followed either a high intensity interval training (HIIT) regime, or a more typical moderate-to-vigorous intensity continuous training (MVCT) it was found that both types of training were effective in improving fitness and losing weight, but HIIT was found to be more enjoyable.

Georgios’ comment: Indeed, interval training, with its alternation between high and low intensity (variety) and the welcome breaks it providers (small but repeated rewards after intense exertion) is much more fun than steady state training, where there is monotony and the reward is only to be received at the end of the session. Of course both types of exercise are necessary and have their own merits, but interval training is simply much more fun.

Do you want to keep your heart healthy? Exercise, even if you cannot lose your stomach fat.

~ Exercise improves your heart and metabolic health, irrespective of stomach fat ~

Another study, which examined 1970 adults for three years, has found that exercise improves heart / metabolic disease risk, even if stomach fat is not reduced due to the exercise. Belly fat is known to be a major risk of such health conditions, yet this study has shown that exercise itself can improve health, even if stomach fat does not end up being reduced.

Georgios’ comment: Normally stomach fat cells produce pro-inflammatory proteins which increase the risk of heart disease. But it seems that exercise can actually switch those stomach fat cells into producing less of those inflammatory proteins and more of the anti-inflammatory ones, which results in improved metabolic health, regardless of belly fat loss.

On a crash diet and worry you might lose your muscle tone? Forget protein powders and start training.

~ Exercise preserves muscle mass and performance during extreme dieting. Protein by itself does not. ~

In a study comparing the effect of exercise vs protein powder supplementation, it was found that exercise was the best way to preserve muscle mass, while whey protein was not of much help.

Georgios’ comment: This makes sense, as exercise provides a stimulus for muscle building, or at least muscle maintenance. On the other hand, protein powder itself, although being an important muscle building block, does not by itself provide any stimulus for muscle building. If it did, everyone would be toned and muscly just by consuming protein powder. So, important as protein may be, for muscle tone during weight loss, exercise is much more important.

Brainwashed into believing that high fat diets are the best? You’d be surprised by the findings of this study.

~ Low fat is a better diet to stick to after weight loss and equally effective as low carb ~

This study followed for 18 months 131 overweight people who initially lost 8% of their body weight through dieting (about 10lbs weight loss for the average person). The dieters were divided into three groups: low carb, low fat and typical western diet. After the end of the study it was found that all participants equally regained most of the weight and that the most dropouts occurred in the low carb diet, which was the least “fun” diet to follow. There is one consolation though: the low carb dieters improved their cholesterol more than the other groups, while the western diet followers predictably had almost no cholesterol status improvement.

Georgios’ comment: Indeed low carb diets are much more difficult to follow, but as the study has found, they are also the healthiest. On the basis of this research, I would go with the flow and follow the diet that best suits my specific needs, likes and hates, so that I could stick to it in the long run. Sticking to a diet is THE most important part when dieting or trying to maintain the weight off.

Did you fall for the “coconut oil makes you feel fuller and helps you lose weight” fad? You’re not alone…

~ Coconut oil is NOT the same as medium chain triglyceride (MCT) oil, in terms of satiety or weight loss ~

This study examined the satiety effect of coconut oil, versus MCT oil vs normal vegetable oil and showed that coconut oil is not nearly as effective as MCT oil in reducing hunger and food intake. This study resonates with another similar study last year which find that coconut oil does NOT help you burn fat and does NOT help you lose weight, as MCT oil does.

Georgios’ comment: Coconut oil has become the darling fad of celebs, bloggers and instagrammers, with almost magical properties attributed to it. This was based on several studies which have shown that MCT (a constituent of coconut oil) do improve satiety, boost thermogenesis and stimulate weight loss. However, coconut oil only contains 14% MCTs and the studies were conducted with 100% MCT oil, i.e. 7x times more. Coconut oil is NOT the same as MCT oil, in the same way that black cherries are not the same as a black forest gateau. They are two totally different things, and all those studies on coconut oil prove it. Coconut oil may be or may not be a healthy fat (still debatable by scientists) but one thing is for sure: it does not help you lose weight.

 About

Georgios Tzenichristos is the director of the LipoTherapeia clinic, which specialises in natural fat/cellulite reduction and skin tightening. Georgios daily follows all research on fat, metabolism, connective tissue and phytochemicals and regularly writes about those topics.

Bibliography

Comparison of High-Intensity Interval Training and Moderate-to-Vigorous Continuous Training for Cardiometabolic Health and Exercise Enjoyment in Obese Young Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial; Physical Activity and Adiposity-related Inflammation: The MESA; Exercise Preserves Lean Mass and Performance during Severe Energy Deficit: The Role of Exercise Volume and Dietary Protein Content; The effect of three different ad libitum diets for weight loss maintenance: a randomized 18-month trial; Coconut oil has less satiating properties than medium chain triglyceride oil

PetCure Oncology Treats 1,000th Patient in Battle Against Pet Cancer

Chicago, IL – September 5, 2017 – Since treating their first pet with cancer in 2015, PetCure Oncology has been working tirelessly to care for more pets - and a wider variety of pet cancers - than what was previously possible with traditional cancer care techniques.

Less than 30 months later, PetCure Oncology is proud to announce that its 1,000th patient was treated on Tuesday. Sydney (right), an 8-year-old Boxer mix from Indianapolis, received stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) for a tumor affecting her central nervous system. Sydney is receiving care from PetCure Oncology at Care Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, one of the few facilities capable of providing SRS for pets.

“This is really a tremendous milestone, not only for PetCure Oncology, but for anybody that works in veterinary cancer care,” said Dr. Neal Mauldin, PetCure’s chief medical officer and a triple-board certified veterinary specialist. “It has been amazing, gratifying, and humbling all at once to see the pets and families that have benefitted from SRS as PetCure Oncology has expanded its footprint. There is nothing better than talking to a pet owner that has just been given more time - and quality time - with their pet.”

Just over two years ago, PetCure was founded by a frustrated pet parent determined to provide pets with access to the same advanced cancer treatments available to humans. That mission has led to the integration of SRS into veterinary medicine, providing pet owners across the country with access to advanced radiation therapy delivered with sub-millimeter precision unprecedented in veterinary medicine.

Of the first 1,000 patients treated by PetCure, nearly 70 percent have benefitted from SRS. Pet owners are electing this potentially life-saving treatment because of its significant benefits over conventional radiation therapy or surgery. SRS, which can target some tumors previously considered “untreatable” by radiation, typically results in improved quality of life and minimal side effects. It is delivered in just 1-3 treatments, an 80-95 percent reduction in both treatment sessions and anesthetic events, leading to decreased risk for the pet patient and increased convenience for the pet owner.

“I can’t say enough about how proud I am of the entire PetCure team, our partner hospitals, and the pet owners who are out there helping us spread the good word every day,” said Scott Milligan, the CEO who created PetCure after his family’s golden retriever fell victim to a nasal tumor. “Today is about more than just a big number. Cancer’s impact reaches far beyond the patient. Today, I am grateful that we have been able to help 1,000 families turn the devastation of a cancer diagnosis into hope for a better outcome.”

With the most experienced network of board-certified veterinary radiation oncologists in the country utilizing the most advanced technology available, PetCure Oncology is making a meaningful impact on the lives of pet families from coast to coast. PetCure has further bolstered its support of pet owners by forming a Pet Advocate Team that is exclusively dedicated to helping owners of pets with cancer.

Pet Advocates are easily reachable by calling 833-PET-HERO or visiting PetCureOncology.com.