Acellular fish skin as a free xenograft for immediate wound coverage following wide surgical tumor excision in dogs

The University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine is currently recruiting dogs with tumors on their limbs, face, and hind-end, for a clinical research trial using a fish skin xenograft.

• Inclusion Criteria: Dogs with cutaneous or subcutaneous tumors on their limbs, face, and hind-end. More specific criteria will be discussed with you at evaluation.
• Treatment: Treatment involves surgical excision of the tumor according to the standard of care for the tumor type and location. After surgery, an acellular fish skin graft will be placed and will be covered by a bandage. Your dog will need to be brought back to the University of Florida for bandage changes every 2-3 days in order to assess the surgical site for healing.
• Cost: You will need to schedule a Surgical Oncology evaluation or consultation for your dog. This evaluation appointment is not covered by the study but is a pre-requisite for determining eligibility and does not guarantee that your dog will qualify for the trial. The costs of the fish skin grafts are covered by the trial. Additionally, each participant will receive a $300 incentive for enrollment. All other costs will be discussed during the initial evaluation.
• Contact:  Contact the Surgical Oncology Staff at the Small Animal Hospital 352-392-2235 or by email at VM-clinicalstudies@ufl.edu.
• PI: Dr. Elizabeth Maxwell

​Background:

Many tumors are difficult to remove when they occur on the limbs, the face, and the hind end because there is not enough tissue to close the surgical defect made. We would like to evaluate the use of a fish skin graft to cover surgical defects created after wide excision of tumors.