Blue Buffalo gives Petco Love $150K for pet cancer treatment

Tiki, a search and rescue dog, got chemotherapy through the Petco Love and Blue Buffalo Pet Cancer Treatment Fund, which Blue Buffalo is now adding $150,000 to. Blue Buffalo is making the donation to Petco Love during National Pet Cancer Awareness Month to fund pet cancer treatment.

Petco Love said it and Blue Buffalo have invested more than $21 million in the fight against pet cancer since the Pet Cancer Awareness initiative launched in 2010. That money powers 12 partner organizations and oncology universities that subsidize treatment costs for pet parents who otherwise could not afford the care.

Cornell and LSU show where the money lands

Two of the university partners publish their own totals. Cornell's veterinary college reported that Petco Love committed $100,000 over two years to the Petco Love and Blue Buffalo Pet Cancer Treatment Support Fund at its hospital for animals in July 2025. Since the partnership began in 2016, Petco Love with Blue Buffalo has invested $750,000 at Cornell and helped 276 families, by Cornell's count. By our math, that works out to about $2,700 per family.

LSU's school of veterinary medicine reported a $150,000 grant in May 2024 that brought the total in cancer care support to $600,000 since 2019. LSU said the money supports client hardship cases for pet cancer patients, covering treatments such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy and tumor surgeries.

Chelsea Staley, president of Petco Love, said, "Petco Love knows pets are family and a pet cancer diagnosis is devastating." Tiki's pet parent, Bobbie, called the treatment "a miracle." Odin, a cat, received radiation treatments, and his pet parent, Natalie, said, "The support meant that I would get more time with Odin and he would get more enjoyment out of life." Petco Love said both pets are now cancer free.

Blue Buffalo's origin story runs through pet cancer

Blue Buffalo says it started with an Airedale named Blue who struggled with cancer. General Mills has owned the brand since its 2018 acquisition. Gabriel Viñas, vice president and business unit director for Blue Buffalo Dog at General Mills, said, "Veterinary care should never be a financial decision, and together with Petco Love, we ensure pet families facing a pet cancer diagnosis receive the help they need."

Petco also carries the brand's newest launch, a bone broth coated cat food. Petco Love is a nonprofit that says it has empowered more than 4,000 animal welfare partners since 1999 and invested more than $442 million in adoption and other lifesaving efforts.

Petco Love cites the disease burden behind the program. It said one in four dogs and one in five cats will face a cancer diagnosis in their lifetime and that cancer is the leading disease-related cause of death among dogs and cats in the U.S.

Other charities fund different parts of pet cancer care

Frankie's Friends, a nonprofit founded in 1999, gives grants that partially cover the cost of life-saving or life-enhancing emergency or specialty care for pets whose families cannot afford the full cost. Canine Cancer Alliance is a charitable foundation that funds canine cancer research and focuses on immunotherapy treatments for dogs, so its work applies to dogs and not to cats like Odin.

Cost of care shows up in owner surveys too. A Spot Pet Insurance survey of 3,600 owners, which we covered in September, found that 42% would delay retirement by two to five years rather than reduce their pet's veterinary care.

Petco Love directs families to its website for the 10 pet cancer warning signs and for information on financial assistance.

Source: Petco Love via PR Newswire