About the Canine Brain Tumor Program
Our Mission
Our History
The University of Minnesota Canine Brain Tumor Program was founded in 2007 under the directorship of Dr. G. Elizabeth Pluhar, a board-certified veterinary surgeon and immunology expert. The program originated as a collaboration between Pluhar and the late Dr. John Ohlfest, a neuroimmunology researcher who first asked the question of whether pet dogs develop the same brain tumors as people, and whether that meant dogs could benefit from clinical trials for brain tumors. Pluhar enrolled her first patient in 2008. From there, the program rapidly expanded to include several different treatment options. The Canine Brain Tumor Program now features a variety of clinical trial options for pet dogs and pre-clinical projects to improve our understanding of canine and human brain tumors.
Since its inception, the Canine Brain Tumor Program has enrolled more than 350 dogs for treatment in clinical trials. Many of those dogs have enjoyed extended survival time with excellent quality of life.
Our Team
Susan A. Arnold, DVM, PhD, Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Neurology) Provider, Veterinary Medical Center
Dr. Arnold is the director of the Canine Brain Tumor Program. She is an associate professor of veterinary neurology and neurosurgery. As a board-certified veterinary neurologist and neurosurgeon, Arnold has expertise in canine neurosurgery, especially brain surgery. She is the lead surgeon for all clinical trial surgeries. In addition to her clinical expertise, Arnold's research focuses on studying the genetic similarities between canine and human gliomas, enabling the development of treatments that benefit both species.
Michelle Buettner
Michelle is a veterinary technician assistant and serves as our main patient caretaker. She monitors all the dogs as they prepare for and recover from surgery, and provides treatments as part of clinical trial enrollment.
Matthew Hunt, MD, FRCS
Dr. Hunt is a neurosurgeon who has a passion for helping not only people with brain tumors, but also dogs. He provides expert guidance during every canine patient's brain tumor resection.
Sara Pracht, BA, CVT, CIC Supervisor, Brain Tumor Clinical Trials Coordinator
Pracht is the canine brain tumor clinical trials coordinator, along with being the supervisor of the University of Minnesota Clinical Investigation Center. She coordinates all the logistics associated with patient enrollment, treatment, and outreach.
Davis Seelig, DVM, PhD, DACVP
Dr. Seelig is a double-boarded veterinary anatomic and clinical pathologist, and is the Director of the Comparative Pathology Shared Resource (CPSR). He has special expertise in neuropathology and evaluates all the canine brain tumor samples following tumor resection.