The genetic similarity between humans and our best friend – the dog – has been shown to be up to ninety percent. That makes us perfect candidates to learn from each other’s diseases and treatments, say veterinarians at the Swedish University of Agriculture, SLU.
– For example, in cancer, mammary tumors in dogs are much more similar to breast cancer in humans than you might think, says Henrik Rönnberg, veterinary professor of internal medicine in small animals at SLU.
Medical experiments on mice
It is not uncommon for research into cures for diseases to be conducted through tests on rodents, for example mice. But as mice rarely originally carry human diseases, these need to be elicited first – and then tried to be cured. Something that fails more often than one would like, says Henrik Rönnberg.
– By instead taking advantage of the examinations we would have done regardless of the dogs that still carry the same diseases as us, we can therefore try to cure human diseases – without creating more suffering for other animals, he says.
In the clip: Hear more about the research and meet the cancer-stricken dog Ruffa, who is involved in saving future human lives.