LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — As canine cancer becomes more common, veterinary experts told 8 News Now about the reasons behind the ever-changing trend.
“She loves life,” Angela Berkowitz said of her dog.
Starz makes the most out of every day. The Golden Retriever is healthy, happy, and all about her family. However, a while ago, she dealt with a major health crisis.
“Just from grooming her,” Berkowitz recalled. “We found she had this lump on her right back leg.”
Berkowitz told 8 News Now she and her husband took Starz to the vet for testing and received bad news.
“It did come back,” Berkowitz said of the test. “It was positive for a mast cell tumor.”
Starz had cancer at just two years old. Berkowitz and her family then dove headfirst into treatment, first surgery to remove the tumor and then subsequent chemotherapy for six months.
“She was a little bit more mellow, didn’t eat as much as she normally ate,” Berkowitz said. “But no, she was good all the way through it.”
As of 2025, Starz has been cancer-free for five years.
Cases like this aren’t uncommon, and some statistics show canine cancer rates rising. One in four dogs will develop cancer at some point in their lives, according to the Veterinary Cancer Society. The disease is also the leading cause of death in dogs, especially for those over 10 years old.
“Just like in people,” Dr. Emilee Larkin said. “Cancer in animals is a huge market for trying to figure it out.”
Dr. Larkin, Managing Veterinarian at Green Valley Animal Hospital, told 8 News Now that there are several reasons for this. First, dogs are living longer lives.
“We’re starting to see breeds that before were lucky to live eight to 10 years,” Dr. Larkin said. “They are now living 10 to 12 to 14 years.”
With that longer lifespan comes more medical hurdles down the line, according to Dr. Larkin.
Detection has also come a long way in the past decade, which leads to higher cancer case numbers on paper, but it can also help with faster, more successful care.
“Every time I go to a conference, they are talking about earlier detection or better detection, or different ways of detection,” Dr. Larkins said. “All of it geared towards the sooner we can identify it, the better things are in the long run.”
She added that the goal of that medical care, whether it’s surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation, is always quality of life. This means if an animal is in pain, they don’t push it to continue.
“If they are having reactions to the chemotherapy agents,” Dr. Larkin explained. “If they are feeling nauseous or feeling bad afterwards, they adjust the dosing.”
In Starz’s case, her youth was on her side, but Berkowitz believes her dog is alive today because they caught the cancer early.
“If you feel something on your dog that is not right, you just have to get them checked,” Berkowitz said. “The earlier the better.”
Those who love Starz now are grateful to get many more years with their best friend.
“Thank god they have the treatments they do,” Berkowitz concluded. “And now these dogs have a chance to live a full life.”
Dr. Larkin added that treatment is case by case, and no two cancers are the same. Many much older dogs can’t handle treatment and don’t survive.
Dog oncology consultations can cost $125 to $250, while chemotherapy can range from $150 to $600 per dose, according to the Veterinary Cancer Society.
Many dogs will need multiple doses per month over many months or years, which brings the total cost for treatment around $10,000.
