Heal Format: Paperback

“Honest reporting . . . [A] useful and credible book.” — Bloomberg Businessweek

“This book is science, emotion, and love of dogs all mixed together.” — Chicago Tribune

How man’s best friend could help cure man’s greatest scourge

Drawn from extensive research, on-the-ground reporting, and personal experience, this book explores the fascinating role dogs (and cats) are playing in the search for cures for cancer. Learn how veterinarians and oncologists are working together to discover new treatments — cutting-edge therapies designed to help both animals and people suffering from cancer. Heal introduces readers to the field of comparative oncology by describing several research projects aimed at finding new therapies for cancers that are similar in dogs and people, including lymphoma, osteosarcoma, breast cancer, melanoma, and gastric cancer.

Weintraub, who lost her sister to gastric cancer, also writes about the emerging science behind the remarkable ability of dogs to sniff out early stage cancer and the efforts underway to translate that talent into diagnostic devices for early detection of the disease.

In the course of bringing these dogs and their human companions to life, Arlene Weintraub takes her own personal journey from grief to healing, as she shows how man’s best friend might be the key to unlocking the mysteries of cancer.

Arlene Weintraub has written about science and health for the New York Times, More, New Scientist, and other publications. She was previously a science writer at BusinessWeek and is the author of Selling the Fountain of Youth: How the Anti-Aging Industry Made a Disease Out of Getting Old—and Made Billions. She lives in the New York City area.