December 15, 2025 – As 2025 draws to a close, we turn to what is ahead in 2026. Below are top animal health threats identified by our scientists, along with innovative approaches and promising studies aimed at improving the lives of pets, horses and wildlife.
Top Animal Health Threats
While many health challenges continue to affect pets and wildlife, several concerns stand out for Foundation-funded researchers:
- Pet Cancers: Cancer continues to be a top health threat to cats and dogs, and treatments for some common cancers haven’t improved in many years. Through extensive, long-term projects like the Hemangiosarcoma Initiative and the Golden Retriever Lifetime Study, and innovative studies on osteosarcoma in dogs and lymphoma in cats, we are advancing the treatments these beloved pets need.
- Toxin Exposures: In addition to identifying environmental risk factors for cancer through the Golden Retriever Lifetime Study, researchers are linking toxin exposure to other health concerns like thyroid function, and studying specific toxins such as wildfire smoke, algal blooms and more.
- Antibiotic Resistance: Antibiotic resistance is rising at alarming rates and threatens many species, including humans. More grants now focus on finding new ways to treat both common and complex infections.
- Fungal Infections in Amphibian and Reptiles: Chytrid fungus alone is believed to have already driven more than 90 species to extinction. Now, with 40% of amphibian species and 20% of reptiles threatened with extinction, research to help these often-overlooked species is more crucial than ever.
- Lack of Veterinary Researchers: Through the Veterinary Student Scholar program, students around the world are exploring research careers and gaining valuable insight into their future work to save animals, all while answering critical animal health questions.
Innovative Research Frontiers
As health, genetics and environmental change intersect, more innovative approaches are needed to keep science moving forward for animals.
- Artificial Intelligence: More projects are using AI to help solve complex animal health problems, including pet cancer.
- Harnessing Technology: Other technologies are helping reach underserved populations, study difficult diseases and access animals that are hard to monitor. Examples include utilizing facial recognition to identify vaccinated free-roaming dogs, using organoids to study inflammatory bowel disease in dogs, and harnessing stem cells to generate red blood cells for transfusion in cats.
- Nutrition: Studies are examining how technology can refine and improve diets to support healthier outcomes. Projects link dog diets to cognition, heart disease and cancer. Additional studies on managing obesity in our dogs, cats and horses aim to arm pet owners and veterinarians with the tools to keep animals at a healthy weight and protect against numerous other health problems.
- Genetics: While lifestyle and environment are important health indicators, we also know genetics play a significant role in disease risk – from differing disease risk in pure-bred and mixed breed cats, to genes linked to obesity in dogs – projects looking at underlying genetic predispositions can help screen for disease, and potentially even lead to more effective treatment options.
Science in Progress
Scientific discovery takes time, dedication and continued investment. A sampling of current studies showing progress and promise includes:
- Studying Biological Age in Dogs: Early results in retired sled dogs indicate aging may differ between male and female dogs, a certain drug may slow the aging clock, and mortality may be linked to a specific physiological pattern.
- Evaluating a Combination Therapy Approach for Oral Cancer in Cats: Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign are investigating the safety and anticancer effects of a radiation and drug therapy combination for treating feline oral squamous cell carcinoma. The team has treated its first clinical trial patient and found the therapy safe and well-tolerated in reducing tumor size, even though the disease continued to progress. After this encouraging result, they will enroll more patients in the trial.
- Understanding Mitral Valve Disease in Horses: Using cardiac imaging and blood tests, researchers are studying horses with mitral valve regurgitation to identify biomarkers that improve diagnosis and prognosis. By comparing healthy horses with those at different stages of disease and tracking outcomes over time, the team aims to better predict which horses are at risk for serious heart problems. Ultimately, this study could help veterinarians and horse owners manage the condition earlier and protect long-term heart health.
- Understanding Disease Transmission in Bottlenose Dolphins: To monitor future disease outbreaks, researchers at Georgetown University are evaluating seasonal changes, population dynamics and climate change in relation to bottlenose dolphins. So far, the research team has identified seasonal changes in the dolphins’ movement and will continue their work to understand population dynamics, and determine how climate and extreme weather effects affect disease susceptibility and outcomes.
Science to Save Animals in 2026 and Beyond
With scientific research facing significant funding cuts, this work and your support are more important than ever. Together, we can advance the science that improves the health of animals everywhere. Keep science moving forward with your gift today.