Usually, when we think of loved ones who have battled cancer, we think of our two-legged friends rather than our four-legged ones. There are plenty of successful fundraisers for human cancer research, but we don’t hear about many for cats and dogs.
Geaux Pink Tigers, an annual fundraiser orchestrated by the LSU Vet School, is working to change that, according to a new feature from inRegister. Geaux Pink Tigers works to raise awareness for cancer in animals and fundraise for the school’s medical and radiation oncology facilities. What started in 2016 as a small, local event has grown far larger than LSU Vet School Associate Dean Lorrie Gaschen and the rest of the GPT team imagined.
“It went from a community gathering at the school to the single highest crowdfunded event in LSU history,” explained Gaschen. “People care about pet cancer and improving pets’ lives, and this is the evidence. The crowdfunding made it possible for pets to receive treatment that would have otherwise been unaffordable, which has made an impact on the owners’ lives as well.”
Each November when the event is held, not only is the vet school honoring the pets in treatment at its own facility, but its also helping animal cancer patients all over the world. After all, November is Pet Cancer Awareness month, and this year GPT is honoring that in an extra special way.
“We decided to honor GPT and Pet Cancer Awareness Month through a social media campaign filled with stories of patients at the veterinary hospital that have gone through cancer treatment and photos of the survivors for the public to see the great work we can do together,” says Gaschen. Read the full story from inRegister.
