Meet the Veterinarians: Dr. Ettinger
Sue Ettinger, DVM, Dip. ACVIM (Oncology) ... AKA Dr. Sue Cancer Vet
Dr. Sue Ettinger is a practicing veterinary cancer specialist, international speaker, book author, and YouTube vlogger (video blogger). A dynamic and engaging speaker, she was voted the 2019 Western Veterinary Conference Small Animal Continuing Educator of the Year. She is one of approximately 450 board-certified specialists in medical oncology in North America and currently practices at Veterinary Referral and Emergency Center in Norwalk, Connecticut. She received her veterinary training at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. She completed her residency in medical oncology at the Animal Medical Center in NYC in 2003.
Also known as Dr. Sue Cancer Vet®, she is most passionate about raising cancer awareness and has developed “See Something, Do Something, Why Wait? Aspirate.®" to promote early cancer detection and diagnosis. She is a frequent contributor to Today’s Veterinary Practice, Today’s Veterinary Business, Clinician’s Brief, Veterinary Team Brief, & DVM360.
Dr. Sue loves to use social media to help clients and veterinary professionals deal with cancer in pets, including Instagram, her YouTube channel, and her popular Facebook page with over 38,000 fans.
"Most cancers are treatable, and dogs can live active, normal lives. Live Longer, Live Well!" - Dr. Sue
SEE SOMETHING, DO SOMETHING: WHY WAIT? ASPIRATE!
"I am Dr. Sue Cancer Vet and I am on a mission to raise cancer awareness in dogs and cats, so we can diagnose earlier and save lives."
See Something
When a skin mass is the size of pea or larger or has been present for 1 month,
Do Something
Aspirate or biopsy, and treat.
Dr. Sue's Biography
A native of Long Island, New York, Dr. Sue knew she wanted to be a veterinarian since she was in kindergarten.
Dr. Sue attended Tufts University where she graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology in 1994, and then graduated from Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine in 1998. Dr. Ettinger then completed a one-year internship in small animal medicine and surgery followed by a comprehensive two-year residency in medical oncology at The Animal Medical Center in New York City. During her residency, she was awarded the Connie E. Leifer Memorial Award for her outstanding research project and presentation on vaccine-associated sarcomas in cats. She also conducted research in soft tissue sarcomas in dogs.
Following her residency, Dr. Ettinger served as a staff oncologist in private practice at South Bay Veterinary Associates in San Jose, CA, and was also affiliated with the Veterinary Tumor Institute, a radiation oncology facility in Santa Cruz, CA. After 3 years on the “left coast”, Dr. Ettinger relocated back to her home state of New York and was the staff oncologist at Long Island Veterinary Specialists before joining the Animal Specialty Center in 2008.
Prior to her residency, Dr. Ettinger was a research associate in the Department of Radiation Oncology at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, NC. She was an investigator in a five-year NIH program project grant which investigated the use of hyperthermia as an adjuvant to radiotherapy in dogs with spontaneous soft tissue sarcomas. This was a joint study with canine patients at North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine. She gained experience with state-of-the-art imaging, including MRI, spectroscopy, positron emission tomography, and was also involved in pilot studies with thermosensitive lipsomes in dogs and heat-induced gene therapy in cats. Dr. Ettinger has also served as an instructor in the Department of Molecular Medicine and as an oncology associate with the Comparative Cancer Program at Cornell University.
Dr. Ettinger is board certified by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Oncology). Her clinical interests are lymphoma, mast cell tumors, and chemotherapy, but she also embraces integrative patient care. She is also interested in palliative care, keeping dogs and cats more comfortable. With training and experience in conventional options such as chemotherapy and CyberKnife RadioSurgery, she also supports a holistic approach with dietary changes and supplements.
Dr. Sue’s focus is to provide compassionate and comprehensive management of pets with cancer. She strives to ensure that her patients lead active, normal lives while undergoing treatment and after. It is not just important to live longer but to live well.
She currently lives in Westchester, New York, with her husband, a veterinary internist, their two sons, and their goofy black Labrador, Matilda, and yellow Labrador, puppy Penelope.
