I am a 38-year-old dog mom in Portland. I lost my golden retriever Cooper to oral melanoma at age 9. He had bad breath for two years. I thought that was normal. It was not. By the time we found it, it was stage 4. We had 8 weeks.

Oral melanoma in dogs is almost always caught too late because the symptoms look like nothing. Bad breath. Slight trouble chewing. A bump under the gum you would never notice unless you knew to look. If I had known to look, Cooper would probably still be alive.

Since losing him I have read every study I can find on dog longevity, dental health, and early cancer detection. I started this site to make sure other dog parents do not learn what I learned the way I learned it. The information exists. It just needs to be explained clearly.