DAVIS, Calif. -- Franco Navazio of Davis said his dog, Pinocchio, is like family.

"I practically live with him and my wife. But in order, I put Pinocchio and Luciana," said Navazio with a smile, putting one hand just above another to signify rank between his dog and his wife. He was obviously joking, but the devotion was clear.

Pinocchio is a variation of a Jack Russell terrier. At almost 11 years old, he is healthy and active. But Navazio knows all too well that sometimes beloved four-legged friends do get sick.

"I always had dogs in my life, and in the sequence, I had two of them dying of cancer," said Navazio.

An estimated one in four dogs will get cancer. Half over 10 years old will die of it, Sacramento television station KCRA reported.

If Pinocchio ever did get sick, Navazio is fortunate to live near the University of California, Davis, which is home to some of the most advanced veterinary care in the nation.

"We have had huge advances in the last couple of years," said Dr. Michael Kent, a radiation oncologist at Davis' Center for Companion Animal Health.

He's not only a dog doctor; he's a pet parent as well. His passion is researching and treating cancer in pets.

"We know there are certain risk factors, and certain breeds may be more likely to get a certain type of cancer," said Kent.

Studies from the Morris Animal Foundation show the most common types of cancer in canines are skin, bone, breast and bladder, as well as lymphoma and melanoma.

Kent said the goal -- much like in humans -- is early detection. If you find bumps and lumps, doctors have a range of treatment options, including surgery, radiation and chemotherapy.

"We can precisely target tumors very well and that can limit the damage to normal tissue and side effects," said Kent.

But he said quality of life is the key concern for doctors, and the parents of their patients.

"They want to make sure that the treatment isn't worse than the disease," said Kent. "A lot of times, (animals) don't know they are sick, and my job is to try and not let them know they are sick."

One of the biggest questions animal owners will face is how much money to spend if their pet gets sick. An estimated 1 percent of american pet owners buy pet insurance, which can cost about $30 a month and thousands of dollars over the lifetime of a pet.

But most people make treatment decisions as they're faced with them.