At about 50 pounds, English springer spaniels aren’t typically considered lap dogs. But in 2001, when Kay Fox and her father, Bob, drove Molokai home to St. Louis from the MU College of Veterinary Medicine after the canine’s cancer treatment, she let the pup snuggle up.
“That’s a no-no after the radiation she had,” Kay said of the radioactive drug Samarium 153 developed for dogs at MU. “[My dad] kept wondering, ‘Why is she so concerned with this dog?’ ”
When Bob’s cancer reappeared in 2007, he received the human version of Samarium 153, marketed as Quadramet. The family had a new appreciation for Mizzou’s comparative oncology research.
With an estate gift of more than $5 million, announced Monday, Cottrell, BJ ’71, and wife Kay will support MU comparative oncology research, which seeks to develop therapies and cures for people and animals with naturally occurring cancers.
The gift also will support an endowment in companion animal medicine in honor of their family veterinarians, Fred Bendick, BS Ag ’68, DVM ’70, and James Schuessler, DVM ’82.
“This gift recognizes the important intersection between human and animal health,” says Carolyn Henry, professor of veterinary oncology and Mizzou Advantage facilitator of One Health One Medicine. “What we do is unique in that we have collaboration between scientists, veterinarians and MDs. The story of Samarium 153 is an example of a drug that was developed at MU, tested in animals, and now marketed and used in humans.”
The Foxes now own two English springer spaniels, Rufus and Panda. Their love of the breed helped them conceive of MU’s Perpetual Pet Care Program in 2010, which provides comfortable homes for pets whose owners are temporarily incapacitated or who have passed away.
“The Foxes are the best client you could have,” says Schuessler, a veterinarian at Kirkwood Animal Hospital for 30 years. “They take care of their animals, they want them cared for and they want the best treatment for them.”
— Marcus Wilkins