PetCure hits 10,000 treated pets as radiation access expands

PetCure Oncology has reached 10,000 pets treated with radiation therapy since opening in 2015, marking a notable scale milestone for one of the largest dedicated providers of veterinary radiation oncology in the U.S. In its January 7, 2026 announcement, the company said the figure reflects a decade-long effort to move stereotactic radiation beyond academic centers and into a broader referral network for community veterinarians and specialty hospitals. (petcureoncology.com)

That milestone lands in a field where access has long been constrained by both infrastructure and workforce. PetCure’s own historical materials describe a market that, at launch, had fewer than 70 traditional veterinary radiation therapy facilities in the U.S., while a more recent Veterinary Cancer Society directory shows a larger but still limited national footprint. Independent commentary has also highlighted the specialty bottleneck: one recent article quoting PetCure chief medical officer Neal Mauldin noted there are only about 100 veterinary radiation oncologists, a shortage that continues to shape referral patterns and regional access. (petcureoncology.com)

The company’s latest release provides a clearer picture of how it has scaled. PetCure said it now operates eight treatment centers nationwide and supports referrals through 12 board-certified oncologists and eight supervising veterinarians. It also said it is treating about 1,000 patients per year, which it characterized as among the highest volumes in the country. On its public locations page, PetCure currently lists centers in Chicago, Clifton, Dallas-Fort Worth, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, San Antonio, and San Jose, while other reporting and company-linked announcements point to Seattle as the next launch market in early 2026. (petcureoncology.com)

Clinically, PetCure’s model is built around stereotactic radiosurgery and stereotactic radiation therapy, which the company says allow many patients to complete treatment in one to three sessions. That stands in contrast to conventionally fractionated protocols that have often required 15 to 21 weekday treatments, each typically involving anesthesia. The shorter-course approach has been central to PetCure’s value proposition for years, not only as a precision-treatment story, but as an access story: fewer visits can lower the practical burden on pet parents and make referral more realistic for practices located far from radiation centers. (petcureoncology.com)

PetCure and Thrive are also signaling that the platform is still evolving. In a 2025 trends piece, Mauldin pointed to compact radiation systems, integrated workflows that could combine CT, planning, and treatment under a single anesthetic event, and new combinations such as radiation plus immunotherapy. Separately, Thrive and Empyrean Medical Systems announced in November 2025 that PetCure’s Seattle site would debut the Sirius advanced radiation platform, which outside coverage described as bringing “human-grade precision” into veterinary oncology. Those developments suggest the company’s next chapter may be as much about technology refresh and workflow redesign as about geographic expansion. (petcureoncology.com)

There is also some emerging evidence behind the broader stereotactic approach, though the field still needs more independent outcomes reporting. A JAVMA-published study involving PetCure-affiliated investigators reported that single high-dose radiation therapy with liquid fiducial markers for incompletely resected canine soft tissue sarcomas produced overall survival time and disease-free interval results similar to previously reported radiation protocols, with skin toxicities observed but outcomes described as clinically comparable. That doesn’t validate every use case or every network model, but it does show the company has contributed to the literature as it has scaled. (northstarvets.com)

Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, this story is really about the normalization of advanced radiation referral pathways. A decade ago, stereotactic treatment was often viewed as niche, geographically distant, or logistically unrealistic for many clients. PetCure’s 10,000-patient milestone suggests there is durable demand for shorter-course radiation, telehealth-supported consultation, and referral models that let primary care teams stay connected to the case. For general practitioners and specialists alike, that can expand options for tumors in challenging locations, reduce the number of anesthetic events, and make oncology conversations with pet parents more actionable. At the same time, the milestone underscores a continuing market gap: access is improving, but radiation oncology capacity remains limited nationally, and high-volume private networks are increasingly shaping where that care is available. (petcureoncology.com)

What to watch: The next signals to monitor are whether PetCure adds more centers beyond Seattle, whether it publishes additional peer-reviewed outcomes from its growing case volume, and whether newer delivery platforms actually translate into lower-friction workflows for referring veterinarians and better access for pet parents. (dvm360.com)