Comments for Dog Cancer Blog http://www.dogcancerblog.com Dr. Demian Dressler, DVM, the dog cancer vet blogs about canine cancer Thu, 20 Nov 2008 06:12:25 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 Comment on Mast Cell Tumors in Dogs: some advances in conventional care by Marti Sheldon http://www.dogcancerblog.com/37/mast-cell-tumors-in-dogs-some-advances-in-conventional-care/#comment-276 Marti Sheldon Thu, 20 Nov 2008 02:11:26 +0000 http://www.dogcancerblog.com/?p=37#comment-276 My 10 year old lab-mix (has features of a lab mix and vet thinks so, but DNA test says rotterman) was diagnosed with grade 3 MCT in his mouth 7 months ago, no signs of it anywhere else, but could not get enough of tumor to get clean margins with surgery. 6 months of chemo led to clean bill of health. 2 months later, same spot in the mouth the tumor is back, much smaller, but still grade 3. Sounds like radiation is being recommended followed by more chemo. Does this make sense for a large dog who is this old? Will he spend the rest of the time he has left going every week for some treatment or another? If we don't go there, is there anything else we can do to prolong his life? Our oncologist did not offer any dietary / supplement suggestions. (BTW, prednisone leads to bad incontinence.) P.S. I am a CU Engineering grad and my husband a CU Engineering MS. I miss the rolling hills far above... My 10 year old lab-mix (has features of a lab mix and vet thinks so, but DNA test says rotterman) was diagnosed with grade 3 MCT in his mouth 7 months ago, no signs of it anywhere else, but could not get enough of tumor to get clean margins with surgery. 6 months of chemo led to clean bill of health. 2 months later, same spot in the mouth the tumor is back, much smaller, but still grade 3. Sounds like radiation is being recommended followed by more chemo. Does this make sense for a large dog who is this old? Will he spend the rest of the time he has left going every week for some treatment or another? If we don’t go there, is there anything else we can do to prolong his life? Our oncologist did not offer any dietary / supplement suggestions. (BTW, prednisone leads to bad incontinence.)

P.S. I am a CU Engineering grad and my husband a CU Engineering MS. I miss the rolling hills far above…

]]> Comment on Your Comments, Please by Dr. Dressler http://www.dogcancerblog.com/44/your-comments-please/#comment-274 Dr. Dressler Wed, 19 Nov 2008 17:00:20 +0000 http://www.dogcancerblog.com/?p=44#comment-274 Helen, I am sorry to hear this horrible news. Here's some info: 1. The eyes are the target for light avoidance. I cannot make recommendations for a specific dog, I supplement my cancer patiens with about 6 mg of melatonin late at night (as close to 2 am as possible) for a 40 pound dog, which is a 18 kg body, roughly 3-4 times the size of a Jack. 2. Other considerations: read the blog on curcumen (from turmeric) 3. read about medicinal mushrooms, they can help significantly 4. don't forget about life quality enrichment/mind-body connection: social stimulation with you, other people, other dogs, physical stimulation to alleviate stress/anxiety/depression (always changing the stimulation via walks, other exercise, location, activity), self esteem building with gentle training and abundant reward, and so on. 5. Dietary changes are slow...work your way up to the change over 10-14 days by gradually mixing increasing amounts. 6. Look into luteolin (lutimax) 7. I cannot predict life expectancy...check out "dog aging" in wikipedia however...and i think you should focus a lot on life quality right now. 8. It sounds like maybe little Spanner has lymphosarcoma, as a guess. 9. Check out the Dog Cancer Coping Guide, online. Best of luck D Helen,
I am sorry to hear this horrible news. Here’s some info:
1. The eyes are the target for light avoidance. I cannot make recommendations for a specific dog, I supplement my cancer patiens with about 6 mg of melatonin late at night (as close to 2 am as possible) for a 40 pound dog, which is a 18 kg body, roughly 3-4 times the size of a Jack.
2. Other considerations: read the blog on curcumen (from turmeric)
3. read about medicinal mushrooms, they
can help significantly
4. don’t forget about life quality enrichment/mind-body connection: social stimulation with you, other people, other dogs, physical stimulation to alleviate stress/anxiety/depression (always changing the stimulation via walks, other exercise, location, activity), self esteem building with gentle training and abundant reward, and so on.
5. Dietary changes are slow…work your way up to the change over 10-14 days by gradually mixing increasing amounts.
6. Look into luteolin (lutimax)
7. I cannot predict life expectancy…check out “dog aging” in wikipedia however…and i think you should focus a lot on life quality right now.
8. It sounds like maybe little Spanner has lymphosarcoma, as a guess.
9. Check out the Dog Cancer Coping Guide, online.
Best of luck
D

]]> Comment on Your Comments, Please by Helen Chamberlain http://www.dogcancerblog.com/44/your-comments-please/#comment-273 Helen Chamberlain Tue, 18 Nov 2008 23:08:40 +0000 http://www.dogcancerblog.com/?p=44#comment-273 How long *my* adorable daily shadow has left... How long *my* adorable daily shadow has left…

]]> Comment on Your Comments, Please by Anonymous http://www.dogcancerblog.com/44/your-comments-please/#comment-272 Anonymous Tue, 18 Nov 2008 23:05:24 +0000 http://www.dogcancerblog.com/?p=44#comment-272 Dr. Dressler: My 7yr old JRT has been diagnosed with cancer. She had it in the summer (June) and the tumor was successfully removed, however less than 5 months later it has returned and is now inoperable. Even though I have a wonderful vet who has prolonged the life of many of my animals I am still burning with anger and frustration that I took her to see him on 2nd Oct 08 as I was absolutely sure it was back - but I was sent away with a "She's fine" Last Monday 10th Nov, after surgery to investigate the scan mass, I was told it had invaded the spleen and liver and so was inoperable. My vet has a PHD in herbal medicine both Western and Chinese, and has given her a course of dandelion and milk thistle, green tea, and a herb mix which is from his own range - but not recommended any chemo or radiation therapy at all, and has only given her a few weeks to live. Obviously I am refusing to accept there is NOTHING to be done at all, and have set about researching as much as possible on canine cancer. Sadly I can't remember the exact name he gave to her type of cancer, but it's not Hemangiosarcoma, I'm sure it's something along the lines of lypo-typo-something-coma) I am managing to give her ginger - thanks to your blog - I've been doing so for 4 days now, although she is getting sly to it as her appetite is fading, I used to bury it in her steak or chicken - I can now only hide it in butter, but am worried too much fat is bad for her as I have to hide ALL her pills in unsalted butter. I can no longer persuade her to eat broccoli or tomato puree either, but have stepped up the fish oil and have ordered some krill oil. I am interested in the melatonin, but I absolutely can't sleep in the pitch dark and she (especially now) sleeps under my arm all night. I'm wondering if I should make some kind of tent for her to sleep in which will block light - Is it the whole body that needs the dark or just the eyes / head? And just to add a ittle on the food discussion - has anyone else heard of Applause? I'm in the UK and found this wonderful tinned food and now have it delivered. Depending on the flavour it comes out looking and smelling exactly like the listed ingredients. If it says chicken and rice and peas, you get chicken rice and peas - that's it. I have no idea how long adorable daily shadow has left, but just wanted to say thankyou for the most sensible, non sensationalist, informative and FREE advice for people who are beside themselves with grief over this terrible disease. Helen (and Spanner) Dr. Dressler:

My 7yr old JRT has been diagnosed with cancer. She had it in the summer (June) and the tumor was successfully removed, however less than 5 months later it has returned and is now inoperable.

Even though I have a wonderful vet who has prolonged the life of many of my animals I am still burning with anger and frustration that I took her to see him on 2nd Oct 08 as I was absolutely sure it was back - but I was sent away with a “She’s fine”

Last Monday 10th Nov, after surgery to investigate the scan mass, I was told it had invaded the spleen and liver and so was inoperable.

My vet has a PHD in herbal medicine both Western and Chinese, and has given her a course of dandelion and milk thistle, green tea, and a herb mix which is from his own range - but not recommended any chemo or radiation therapy at all, and has only given her a few weeks to live.

Obviously I am refusing to accept there is NOTHING to be done at all, and have set about researching as much as possible on canine cancer. Sadly I can’t remember the exact name he gave to her type of cancer, but it’s not Hemangiosarcoma, I’m sure it’s something along the lines of lypo-typo-something-coma)

I am managing to give her ginger - thanks to your blog - I’ve been doing so for 4 days now, although she is getting sly to it as her appetite is fading, I used to bury it in her steak or chicken - I can now only hide it in butter, but am worried too much fat is bad for her as I have to hide ALL her pills in unsalted butter. I can no longer persuade her to eat broccoli or tomato puree either, but have stepped up the fish oil and have ordered some krill oil.

I am interested in the melatonin, but I absolutely can’t sleep in the pitch dark and she (especially now) sleeps under my arm all night. I’m wondering if I should make some kind of tent for her to sleep in which will block light - Is it the whole body that needs the dark or just the eyes / head?

And just to add a ittle on the food discussion - has anyone else heard of Applause? I’m in the UK and found this wonderful tinned food and now have it delivered. Depending on the flavour it comes out looking and smelling exactly like the listed ingredients. If it says chicken and rice and peas, you get chicken rice and peas - that’s it.

I have no idea how long adorable daily shadow has left, but just wanted to say thankyou for the most sensible, non sensationalist, informative and FREE advice for people who are beside themselves with grief over this terrible disease.

Helen (and Spanner)

]]> Comment on Immunity and Dog Cancer by Dr. Dressler http://www.dogcancerblog.com/22/immunity-and-dog-cancer/#comment-270 Dr. Dressler Sun, 16 Nov 2008 10:03:33 +0000 http://www.dogcancerblog.com/?p=22#comment-270 Kat, I have a book coming, also check out the dog cancer coping guide available as a download. You could consider, as a start, the entries in this blog about the omega fatty acids, carbohydrate restriction, curcumin, medicinal mushrooms, melatonin, EGCG and others. Do some research on artemisinin. You want to run everything by the oncologist to avoid chemo interference. I have seen dogs who lived way beyond (years) the median survival times following amputation with cancer appropriate diet and these supplements. Don't forget sleeping in total darkness, building self esteem through gentle training and stimulation, exercise to avoid stress, and social interactions. All of this is part of full spectrum care. I wish you the very best during this challenging time Best, D Kat, I have a book coming, also check out the dog cancer coping guide available as a download. You could consider, as a start, the entries in this blog about the omega fatty acids, carbohydrate restriction, curcumin, medicinal mushrooms, melatonin, EGCG and others. Do some research on artemisinin.
You want to run everything by the oncologist to avoid chemo interference. I have seen dogs who lived way beyond (years) the median survival times following amputation with cancer appropriate diet and these supplements. Don’t forget sleeping in total darkness, building self esteem through gentle training and stimulation, exercise to avoid stress, and social interactions. All of this is part of full spectrum care.
I wish you the very best during this challenging time
Best,
D

]]> Comment on Canine Osteosarcoma: Amputation and Life Quality by Dr. Dressler http://www.dogcancerblog.com/138/canine-osteosarcoma-amputation-and-life-quality/#comment-269 Dr. Dressler Sun, 16 Nov 2008 09:52:45 +0000 http://www.dogcancerblog.com/?p=138#comment-269 Melanie, There is no correct answer to this question. In situations like this you must do what you know is the right thing for your dog. This is the gray zone of life decisions. Surgery could push him over the edge, or he could recover well and life happily for a period of time. Based on your description, a lot of owners would euthanize at this stage, but this is such a personal choice, you need to take time to quietly clear your mind and do your best to answer the following question for your dog, "at this point in my life, is the life I have lived up to this point so a good one and a full one?" D Melanie,
There is no correct answer to this question. In situations like this you must do what you know is the right thing for your dog. This is the gray zone of life decisions. Surgery could push him over the edge, or he could recover well and life happily for a period of time. Based on your description, a lot of owners would euthanize at this stage, but this is such a personal choice, you need to take time to quietly clear your mind and do your best to answer the following question for your dog, “at this point in my life, is the life I have lived up to this point so a good one and a full one?”
D

]]> Comment on Immunity and Dog Cancer by Kat Meyer http://www.dogcancerblog.com/22/immunity-and-dog-cancer/#comment-265 Kat Meyer Fri, 14 Nov 2008 13:41:11 +0000 http://www.dogcancerblog.com/?p=22#comment-265 My Rottweiller(age 5) begins chemo today for osteosarcoma. His front left leg was amputated & his lungs looked clear & no lymph nodes involved. I need to know the best diet during & after, as well as any supplements. Do you have any books to recommend? What is the longest survival time you know of for a dog w/ this kind of diagnosis? Thank you, Kat 214-349-4641 My Rottweiller(age 5) begins chemo today for osteosarcoma. His front left leg was amputated & his lungs looked clear & no lymph nodes involved. I need to know the best diet during & after, as well as any supplements. Do you have any books to recommend? What is the longest survival time you know of for a dog w/ this kind of diagnosis? Thank you, Kat 214-349-4641

]]> Comment on Canine Osteosarcoma: Amputation and Life Quality by Melanie Wolfe http://www.dogcancerblog.com/138/canine-osteosarcoma-amputation-and-life-quality/#comment-262 Melanie Wolfe Fri, 14 Nov 2008 01:23:27 +0000 http://www.dogcancerblog.com/?p=138#comment-262 My dog has cancer in his knee on the right back leg so he would have an above the knee amputation. He is 12 years old, He has congestive heart failure, (well managed with Enelaprill and Furosemide for 3-4 years already), and he is a Pit Bull weighing about 80 pounds. is he too old for an amputation? Thank you for your response. My dog has cancer in his knee on the right back leg so he would have an above the knee amputation. He is 12 years old, He has congestive heart failure, (well managed with Enelaprill and Furosemide for 3-4 years already), and he is a Pit Bull weighing about 80 pounds. is he too old for an amputation?
Thank you for your response.

]]> Comment on Canine Cancer Surgery: Dog Owners…Check on the pain control! by Dr. Dressler http://www.dogcancerblog.com/148/canine-cancer-surgery-dog-ownerscheck-on-the-pain-control/#comment-247 Dr. Dressler Wed, 12 Nov 2008 18:39:28 +0000 http://www.dogcancerblog.com/?p=148#comment-247 :) D :)
D

]]> Comment on Canine Cancer Surgery: Dog Owners…Check on the pain control! by peggy daniel http://www.dogcancerblog.com/148/canine-cancer-surgery-dog-ownerscheck-on-the-pain-control/#comment-246 peggy daniel Tue, 11 Nov 2008 22:57:36 +0000 http://www.dogcancerblog.com/?p=148#comment-246 I have a "rottie"rescue and have seen way to much pain. This wonderful loving breed( as well as all animals )suffer to much because people don't know how to read the signs. People have done things to these big"pups"that thank God most people don't know can be done.When I get a new rottie the first thing is a trip to our vet.Any problems are taken care of Pain being among the first.I treat them as I hope to be treated when I can not speak for myself. Thank you for talking about this important part of their life .. peggy "rottie rescue" I have a “rottie”rescue and have seen way to much pain. This wonderful loving breed( as well as all animals )suffer to much because people don’t know how to read the signs. People have done things to these big”pups”that thank God most people don’t know can be done.When I get a new rottie the first thing is a trip to our vet.Any problems are taken care of Pain being among the first.I treat them as I hope to be treated when I can not speak for myself. Thank you for talking about this important part of their life .. peggy “rottie rescue”

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