Colorado State University may be the home of the Rams, but the school has always had a soft spot for our furry friends.

And now, CSU is partnering with the Morris Animal Foundation (MAF) to research a new technique that could help detect hidden cancer cells in dogs.

The technique uses an injection of harmless nanoparticles and MRIs to check for cancer cells in a non-invasive way.

"Treating cancer is a game of numbers. In order to cure cancer, we have to get 100% of those tumor cells out of the body," said Dr. Lynn Griffin, an Assistant Professor with CSU, in a video for MAF. "And the issue becomes is that if we don't know where those cancer cells are, we can't go after them. So the ability to non-invasively decide where cancer is helps us make decisions."

Current methods of diagnosing canine cancer are unreliable, which can make it complicated for veterinarians when it comes to choosing the right treatment.

If this new technique is successful, it would allow veterinarians to assess treatment options upfront, instead of waiting for the results of surgery or chemotherapy.

Gus, an adorable golden retriever, is currently the subject of the trial.

He is suffering from cancer in his lymph nodes, but thanks to the new technique, researchers were able to identify and remove a large reserve of bad cells.

He is now in chemotherapy, and on the road to recovery.

In the future, Griffin wants to expand her study to more dogs and cats. If she continues to see success, Griffin hopes to teach other radiologists the technique so it can be used worldwide.

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