New at IVS

 

The Internal Medicine Department at Iowa Veterinary Specialties is pleased to be able to offer the Merial Canine Melanoma Vaccine for treatment of oral and cutaneous melanoma.  Iowa Veterinary Specialties is the only veterinary hospital in the state of Iowa that is currently offering this exciting treatment.  Melanoma is a cancer of the mouth or skin that historically was treated with surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy.  Despite aggressive therapy the prognosis was poor and the survival time was very short with most patients living less than six months. 
 
The Canine Melanoma Vaccine trains the body to attack a protein associated with the cancer.  The vaccine is administered through a special needleless injection device and treatment is started following surgery to remove the tumor.  Treatments are done every other week for the first four treatments and then every six months thereafter.  There are minimal side effects reported with treatment with the most commonly reported side effect being irritation at the injection site.  The survival time with surgery and the Canine Melanoma Vaccine is reported to be 1 - 4 years depending on the size of the initial tumor and how advanced the cancer is.  Bloodwork and chest x-rays are usually done prior to treatment to determine how advanced the cancer is.
 
If your dog has been diagnosed with an oral or cutaneous melanoma and you are interested in this exciting new treatment please schedule a consultation with Iowa Veterinary Specialties board certified internist, Dr. Derek Nestor, DVM, DACVIM.