This is interesting because I thought I read as recently as a few days ago a man who wrote into your blog and said his dog responded well to chemo, radiation etc… and was doing well. Then 3 weeks on Pallaidia and his dog was dead. Is there something we don’t know? Like other new drugs I would hesitate to use one of my dogs as a guinea pig when a drug first comes out.

What if you coupled surgery for mast cells tumors witha a follow-up of Pallaidia. My yellow lab, had 3rd stage mast cell CA, in her chest area. The tumor was removed and supposedly well encapsulated. 6 months later another errupted to the adjacent site. 3 months later another errupted again to the adjacent site. After 6 operations supplements antioxident food. 17 months later the tumor came right back to where it started plus another near her rectal area. Her final surgery she came home to me throwing up for 15 days, a temporary fix for this was Protonix. 2 weeks before her final surgery she had started Arteomicin..We will never know what went wrong.. Stopped the Arteomicin after the surgery.. All the tumors were well encapsulated..
My girl was strong healty right till the end. Kidneys, liver,excellent.. She started to fluid bloat.Lasix keep her going another 2 weeks.. However it appears that these tumors once removed are still stemming in the bloodstream. What if you have the tumor removed with a follow-up of Palladia.Has that ever been considered ?

I think people should try to stay with evidence base medicine (conventional) and use alternative medicine as an adjuctive treatment or last resort.

My little girl Ellie was recently diagnosed with a mast cell tumor on her butt near her anal area. It is not well defined and surgery will not get enough margins. Radiation is financially out of the question and chemotherapy is expensive as well. I would try chemotherapy but I am just making it financially. Through our oncologist we tried a new method involving Vitamin D in a study at a university near us. Her calcium levels shot up and she needed to be hospitalized for 3 days with fluids and other medicine she was on to begin with. She was very ill. We decided not to continue this treatment. One of our vets told us about Pallaidia. Our oncologist told me today that it will be available to oncologists only in July. Our regular vet will not be able to get it. You might like to check with your oncologist to see if they can get it. It may be much less expensive then other chemotherapy medications. Donna

Experimental Therapeutics, Preclinical Pharmacology

Phase I Dose-Escalating Study of SU11654, a Small Molecule Receptor Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor, in Dogs with Spontaneous Malignancies1 ,2
Cheryl A. London3, Alison L. Hannah, Regina Zadovoskaya, May B. Chien, Cynthia Kollias-Baker, Mona Rosenberg, Sue Downing, Gerald Post, Joseph Boucher, Narmada Shenoy, Dirk B. Mendel, Gerald McMahon and Julie M. Cherrington
School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, California 95616 [C. A. L., R. Z., M. B. C., C. K-B.]; Veterinary Cancer Referral Group, Los Angeles, California [M. R., S. D.]; Veterinary Cancer Referral Group, New York, New York [G. P.]; SUGEN, Inc., South San Francisco, California [A. L. H., N. S., D. B. M., G. M., J. M. C.]; and Pharmacia Animal Health, Kalamazoo, Michigan [J. B.]

Purpose: The purpose of the following study was to investigate the safety and efficacy of the novel multitargeted indolinone receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) inhibitor, SU11654, using a canine model of spontaneous tumors. This p.o. bioavailable compound exhibits potent inhibitory activity against members of the split kinase family of RTKs, including vascular endothelial growth factor receptor, platelet-derived growth factor receptor, Kit, and Flt-3, resulting in both direct antitumor and antiangiogenic activity.

Experimental Design: This was a Phase I trial in which successive cohorts of dogs with spontaneous tumors that had failed standard treatment regimens received escalating doses of SU11654 as oral therapy. Pharmacokinetics, toxicity, and tumor response were assessed.

Results: Fifty-seven dogs with a variety of cancers were enrolled; of these, 10 experienced progressive disease within the first 3 weeks. Measurable objective responses were observed in 16 dogs (including 6 complete responses), primarily in mast cell tumors (n = 11), mixed mammary carcinomas (n = 2), soft tissue sarcomas (n = 2), and multiple myeloma (n = 1), for an overall response rate of 28% (16 of 57). Stable disease of sufficient duration to be considered clinically meaningful (>10 weeks) was seen in an additional 15 dogs, for a resultant overall biological activity of 54% (31 of 57).

Conclusions: This study provides the first evidence that p.o. administered kinase inhibitors can exhibit activity against a variety of spontaneous malignancies. Given the similarities of canine and human cancers with regard to tumor biology and the presence of analogous RTK dysregulation, it is likely that such agents will demonstrate comparable antineoplastic activity in people.

This article has been cited by other articles:

C. A. London, P. B. Malpas, S. L. Wood-Follis, J. F. Boucher, A. W. Rusk, M. P. Rosenberg, C. J. Henry, K. L. Mitchener, M. K. Klein, J. G. Hintermeister, et al.
Multi-center, Placebo-controlled, Double-blind, Randomized Study of Oral Toceranib Phosphate (SU11654), a Receptor Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor, for the Treatment of Dogs with Recurrent (Either Local or Distant) Mast Cell Tumor Following Surgical Excision
Clin. Cancer Res., June 1, 2009; 15(11): 3856 – 3865.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

——————————————————————————–

C. Khanna and I. Gordon
Catching Cancer by the Tail: New Perspectives on the Use of Kinase Inhibitors
Clin. Cancer Res., June 1, 2009; 15(11): 3645 – 3647.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

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S. Letard, Y. Yang, K. Hanssens, F. Palmerini, P. S. Leventhal, S. Guery, A. Moussy, J.-P. Kinet, O. Hermine, and P. Dubreuil
Gain-of-Function Mutations in the Extracellular Domain of KIT Are Common in Canine Mast Cell Tumors
Mol. Cancer Res., July 1, 2008; 6(7): 1137 – 1145.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

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A. Rusk, E. Cozzi, M. Stebbins, D. Vail, J. Graham, V. Valli, J. Henkin, R. Sharpee, and C. Khanna
Cooperative Activity of Cytotoxic Chemotherapy with Antiangiogenic Thrombospondin-I Peptides, ABT-526 in Pet Dogs with Relapsed Lymphoma
Clin. Cancer Res., December 15, 2006; 12(24): 7456 – 7464.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

——————————————————————————–

J. M. Cherrington
Taking Biological Targeted Agents into Clinical Trial
Am. Assoc. Cancer Res. Educ. Book, April 1, 2005; 2005(1): 23 – 29.
[Full Text] [PDF]

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Well…40% isn’t the greatest,and I’ve heard that a bottle of a human cancer drug..Sulusin,I think it was called..sold for a bottle of 50,000 dollars just for 25 pills. I have read articles about how cabbage and kale help fight cancer in humans,and we are currently trying it on our dog,mixed with can dog food.(the dry stuff seemed to lack in protein.)..So far he is urinating better,but he now has a cough because his lymph modes in his neck are swollen.I’ll try to keep posting on his progress..who knows..maybe it’ll work. I know I’m not paying out thousands of dollars for chemotherapy,just to have the doctor say..”Well,there’s only a 30% chance it’ll work.”

Our Beloved dog Nelly has M.C.T. grade 3 she was given 30 days to live over one year ago with 17 rounds of chemo bumps sill were coming up. She has so many on her removing them or radiation was not an option. We started her on Palladia June 10th we are very happy with the results so far since Nelly has been on it no new bumps! all bumps are dying. Any pet owner who is going thru this nightmare I tip my hat to you this is the worst thing that could happen to our beloved kids.

Do we know what the cost of PALLADIA will be when released in 2010?

Can anyone tell me more about CoQ10 and using it for dogs with tumors?

An update on our Choc Lab taking Palladia: (my 1st post from Aug 1)
After 1 week on Palladia our vet oncologist was surprised that his tumor has already shrunk. He is more comfortable and is eating (his tumor is in the back of his mouth-oral melanoma.
Any extra ‘comfortable’ life we can gain is a + our dog is 13+ yrs old and has many fatty tumors in his chest.
I will keep updating after our weekly checkup.

My 10 year old Jack Russel has been on Palladia for 2 weeks with amazing results, one tumor disappeared the others shrinking. Just heard today from the oncologist that Pfizer has not produced more since the first,they have 2 weeks supply, this is so disheartening and disappointing to hear this. We are all anxious to continue this treatment.

So, after our vet consult I feel more confused…it sounds like Palladia has limited response (40%) and definite GI side effects. It is free still plus costs of blodwork etc, not that this is so important to me.

On the other hand, it sounds like pred plus vin, or pred vin and ceenu, have much higher response and less side effects that affect quality of life. I am actually leaning more toward pred vin and maybe ceennu at this point, with palladia perhaps as a last ditch resource when those can no longer be used/if there’s no response.

Radiation was also mentioned, to shrink the neck tumor. Although mitotic index in biopsy was 0, it’s grown noticeably in days from tennis ball to grapefruit size. Ugh. I think this will be outside our means financially and time-wise which stinks.

The internist at least pointed out that there is not a huge variance in treatments—buying a few more weeks at times. That made me feel a tiny bit better. Still wish I could just cure it for him though. And I still feel terrible for not getting him in sooner—who knew a tiny bump could be such a problem?

Geralyn, I am so sorry to hear this news. My thoughts are with you in this difficult time of departure. May your sadness soon be replaced with memories of your happy days together,
Thinking of you,
Dr D

Dr. D,
Could you comment when Palladia might be a good idea/the only option? From what I’m reading on other sites, it works very well in specific situations, and I’ve heard from my vet too that you only use it after regular chemo doesn’t work. Maybe it shouldn’t be used in more advanced stages? We’re just starting down this road…one removed surgically a few months ago and a new one showed up just last week. I have a holistic vet, and even some of the herbal treatments are tough on the gi tract, and he’s already having trouble with presdnisone, so we have my dog on a bland home cooked diet already to keep it from irritation. I would like to know what you think in case the other treatments don’t work. Thank you.

Hi Doug,
I am so sorry about your boy. This is a nasty, unpredictable disease and you shouldn’t blame yourself. Luna nearly died from anaphylactic shock from the mast cells before we went to Palladia. She also had an armpit tumor, which is incredibly painful for them, so leaving it alone probably wasn’t an option for you. It was a last resort for us, as I’m sure it was for you. My vet is now saying that dogs may need to take a break from Palladia after a couple of weeks, but they’re really still figuring it out as they go. Luna is taking a break now after some dramatic weight loss and a really low white count, and I will definitely discuss your experience with our vet before we start up again. Thank you so much for sharing your story.

My Pepe is only 7 but has a nasty grade 2 tumor with a mitotic rate of 15 on his neck. Two surgeries, 3 weeks apart, have done no good because the tumor is back and bigger than ever (bigger than a grapefruit). He started on Lomustine, which seemed to help for the first treatment, but the cancer got smart for the second treatment and got bigger. Then we tried Vinblastine with the same response. First treatment helped, but the cancer got smart and just laughed at the second treatment. Good news is that it seems to be localized to just the neck/shoulder area with no spreading to lungs or internal organs. I’ve had him on Benadryl to control the histimine response and Prednisone to help control the size and tolerating those very well. He is starting on radiation Monday, but will start Palladia tomorrow. After reading some of the comments about Palladia, I’m scared to death he will bleed out. At this point, what are our choices, though? I’m not ready to let him go. This all just started in July and I’m floored at how much it’s advanced and the emotional torture I’ve already been through. This is my first real exposure to dealing with cancer in someone I love and it has been the most frustrating experience in my 42 years of existence. The pain I’ve suffered in my life doesn’t even compare to the helplessness and hopelessness this disease makes me feel. Yes, he is just a dog. But for someone with no human children, he is my pride and joy and if Palladia works, I suppose I’m willing to take the risk. For all those still fighting the fight, I wish you all the best and the wisdom to know when to let go. I only hope I’m strong enough when the time comes.

I am more confused than ever. Sy, my 11 1/2 yr ols Chessy was diagnosed with 7 grade II and III tumorse on 8-25-09. All were removed with some margins clear. I immediatley brought him to the U of Iowa to begin the Palladia treatment. Initial wk brought some adverse reactions. The second week showed diminished reactions. The third week he showed signs of being slightly anemic as well as discoloration in the nose. Therefore he was removed from the meds for two weeks. Today he will get CBC, serum and urinalysis to determine whether we can restart the med. After reading this blog I do not know what to do with him. There has been no regrowth that I can find and he seems to be holding his own but I want every day I can have with him while he maintains a good quality of life. He is being treated traditionally and holistically and I think it is going well but if the palladia is going to kill him sooner what am I to do??? There does not seem to be a great consensus about what is good. I have not heard about the 6wk dosing. My understanding was he would be on the meds for the remainder of his life or until there was evidence of the return of the mast cell tumors. I can’t think straight anymore…

Hi Sara and KN: My Doberman will soon be starting Palladia. You had expressed concerns about the effect of that drug on your other dogs. Have you received any comforting information from good sources? I have the exact same concern for my second dog who seems quite healthy and devoted to my girl who will undergo treatment. They sleep together, play with the same toys and drink from the same water bowels. I would be grateful if you can share any information with me.

My 13 year old Benny, described above, had another tumor rupture 10/15. The tumors on 9/16 were unseeable with the altrasound. They had visibly grown in one months time. During this month he was on Palladia 100mg, and handling it well. Unfortunately it did not stop the growth. He is off of Palladia and we are living day by day. We took him off because it was not helping. Fortunately the bleeding episode was short lived and he regained energy after a day of rest. I just wanted people to know that just because they seem to be handling it well does not mean it is working. I wish all of you luck who are dealing with cancer and to those who have lost the fight cherish the memories.

I was told today that the Vet. schools that have it will no longer be getting any. What they got is all they are getting. I was told there is a drug over seas. It is free but it cost $100. just to ship then there is the cost for all the tests and monitoring that needs to be done while the dog is on it. I have a Chinese Shar-Pei that will be 4 in Nov.. She has MCT. stage 3. We did her 1st surgery last year followed with 3-4 months of chemo. ccnu and vinblastin.
It came back 3 months ago in the same place. Did another surgery, much more aggressive than last. Saturday found a lump in neck skin. Cells showed up in it and in the node on shoulder. Just got done this pm with a bone marrow extraction. Should have results on it tomorrow. Will go from there.

Tami,

This web site has an extensive list of financial resources to help with cost of vet services. Good luck! http://www.speakingforspot.com/helppayingforveterinarycare.html

Our almost 10 year old miniature poodle Starbuck (14bs) was diagnosed with a Grade III mast cell tumor following surgery on April 30, 2009 to remove a rapidly growing tumor in his inguinal area. The surgery margins were clear and a lymph node next to the tumor was free of cancerous cells. The surgeon said that he could not understand the Grade III classification since the margins were clear and no indications of cancerous cells in the lymph node. The surgeon felt that Starbuck would be fine.

The tumor returned in the suture line and on July 15, 2009 our regular Veterinarian referred us to an Oncologist and an MRI etc. were performed on July 21, 2009. The Oncologist recommended Palladia treatment and advised us he was part of Pfizer’s experimental program and that the Palladia was free.

A chemotherapy program involving Palladia was begun on July 22, 2009. The medicines were:
Palladia – (two 10mg tablets) every other day
Prednisone – 5mg Once daily with full meal
Benadryl – One 25mg tablet every 12 hours
Pepsid – 10mg, 1/2 tablet every 12 hours
Thyroid – Soloxin, 0.1mg, two daily (a holdover from our regular Veterinarian)

A program of weekly visits to the Oncologist was initiated, primarily for blood tests.

After the first week the Oncologist stated that the tumor had shrunk 1/4 of an inch and he was pleased, but did not know if it was the result of Palladia or Prednisone.

After the second week the tumor had grown and surgery was recommended to reduce the load for the Palladia.

A second surgery was performed on August 14, 2009. The margins were not clean and the tumor was graded Grade III.

Beginning with Week 9, Prednisone was discontinued. Starbuck has shown steady weight increases (he has reached 17.2lbs) and has had a voracious appetite. During walks, cigarette butts were always a target and you had to watch his every step because he could “sniff” them out even if he could not see them. If he was observed picking one up, a command to “spit spit spit” usually resulted in him spitting it out. However, if it got to the back of his mouth, he would not spit it out. He also loves sun dried earthworms which are common in the street where we live.

On September 15, 2009 (Week 9) Starbuck vomited four times in fairly rapid succession and the Oncologist sent us to our regular Veterinarian for “hydrating” and Cerenia. There have been no recurrences of vomiting. The vomit contained strange items and it was my conclusion that it was something he had eaten during the morning walk.

On October 13, (Week 13) Starbuck had diarrhea three times in rapid succession on a short 3 block walk. The Oncologist recommended ceasing Palladia and called in a prescription for Flagyl. There has not been any subsequent diarrhea and all stools have been normal.

It was not possible to get an appointment with the Oncologist due to scheduling problems until Wednesday, October 21 for blood tests and review.
Since Starbuck has been on Palladia ~14 weeks the Oncologist said he was going to reduce the amount of Palladia and said to give him Palladia Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I opined that MWF was not a significant change from every other day at which time he got a little testy and said he would go and re-calculate. Upon his return, he said that Starbuck was on the minimum dose and that MWF was what it should be or that we could take him off Palladia if we wanted to. It was up to us.

During the time Starbuck was off Palladia, Benadryl and Pepsid (continued with Thyroid) his demeanor improved daily and he returned to some of his prior personality traiats such as requesting to be in my wife’s lap during coffee in the morning and climbing on the couch behind me to sleep in the “computer” room. He never did those things once while on Palladia.

He is losing hair color (from a slight reddish toward white) and his skin appears to be going toward an albino kind of pink.

We questioned the Oncologist about his itching which had been a long time problem of licking his feet, sometimes on the bottom and sometimes on the top and then rubbing his eyes. He stated that he did not treat itching and our regular Veterinarian would have to treat that. I should have, but did not, remind him that he set the schedule with Palladia to include Prednisone and Benadryl.

The “Remission Status:” prognosis from the Oncologist began with “no evidence of disease until August 24th when it changed to “Partial remission” until September 12 which then stated “Apparent complete remission”.

We resumed the Palladia on Wednesday evening October 21. It is now Thursday ~noon and Starbuck has returned to his demeanor while on the Palladia. When not active in eating or walking, he lays down and goes to sleep. Although he appears to be sleeping soundly, he is aware of his surroundings and watches the kitchen because he knows his “treat” of a pill of some kind will be forthcoming wrapped in a thin slice of roast beef.

We are agonizing over the known side effects of Palladia over long term use and the possibility that long term use could be fatal, and are seriously considering stopping the Palladia before the cure becomes worse than the disease. The thought, however naive, would be to restart the Palladia if it recurred.

We invite comments from knowledgeable people who have faced Starbuck’s type tumor and survived.

Fred

My Shar-Pei (age unkwnown) is being treated with Masivet (since Sept 2nd) and for 2 weeks with chemo as well.
However the MCT seem to be the same size. We live in Europe (the Netherlands) and are actually waiting for Palladia to be available here. We have been told maybe November?? Is Palladia the same drug as Masivet (by ab science, Paris) ??????

One of the dogs that came into rescue back in June had to have his ear removed. The biopsy came back with mass cell cancer, Grade 3. He had lumps around his neck and his shoulder. The vet that did the surgery, reccomended we take Gonzo to an oncologist to do the chemo. Gonzo was on chemo for about a month and his white blood cell counts were going lower and lower. The oncologist reccomended we try the drug Palladia.

We started the Palladia around the 1st week in October of 2009. We went back for blood test within a week and a couple of days, which would be around Oct 12. The lumps on Gonzo’s neck were gone. We just went back On Oct 26, 2009 for more blood test and the lump in Gonzo’s shouder is now gone. Gonzo is in remission.

We have not looked into the long term effects of this drug, but we did look at the fact that Gonzo apparently had a screwed up life before he came into rescue and he is a 10 yr old Great Dane Mix. If this drug can give him even the slightest chance at having somewhat of a normal life for whatever time it lets him, we will use it. Gonzo runs around playing, he enjoys life now, he is starting to gain weight at a normal rate(came into rescue 70 lbs underweight, weighing only 40 lbs). We are very thankful for this drug

Very curious what the difference would be between Masivet and Palladia. Since they both work with the same principe? (dna markers?)

http://www.masivet.com/

Regina,

“Michigan University has developed special laboratory examinations of the tumor tissue…..”Mast cell tumor prognostic panel”. They search for special immunochemistry which defines mutations which render the MCT more sensitive to palladia. Tutu did not have that mutation so palladia will not be used now.”

Do you have any more information about this? This is the first I have heard about it. Is Michigan University the only place that does this or are other oncologists performing this test?

Michele: Sorry for the delay in commenting. Michigan State University has apparently done much of the basic work in the prognostic panel. Your oncologist can make direct contact with them and submit tissue samples. Google found
http://www.vetpathology.org/cgi/content/abstract/41/4/371
Though this is an abstract, a scientific article is available at the same site.

http://www.masivet.com/
Here you can read more about masivet. with my dog it did not work (enough) but another dog I know how started at the same time, in about 1,5 weeks the tumors were almost gone!

Dr. Dressler,

Have you heard of Kinavet and/or do you have any information on it? My dog has been through chemo, radiation and has been on Palladia, but his tumor is proving very resistant.

My vet mentioned a really new drug called Kinavet that is similar to Palladia, but is a “cleaner” drug. Basically, it’s his last hope and I just wanted to know if you have had any experience with it.

Thanks in advance.

Yes, I have used it with success. I would consider it’s use in the treatment of dogs with aggressive grade 2 or 3 mast cell tumors, under veterinary supervision for your particular dog’s needs.
Best,
D

Fred, Kinavet is the same as Masivet. I live in Europe (amsterdam) and my dog was treated with masitvet for mct. At the beginnening the tumors got smaller, however after a short while we had no results anymore. A friend of mine his dog had spectaculair change with his dog’s mct! Kinavet (name for US) or Masivet, is mastinib. My dog had no terrible side effects, neither had my friend’s dog.
You can read more at the webiste of ab science, http://www.masivet.com

We are no waiting for Palladia to come to Holland. May next week, maybe in jan/febr 2010!!!!
I am at least a little scared of this medicine, but all our options have run out.

Esther

Update on Pepe.

Pepe started taking Masitinib (Kinavet, the European approved drug sent from Paris) on the 3rd of this month and is doing well. I’ve learned a few things about this drug in the past 9 days and, if anyone is considering tring this, I hope this information helps you decide.

First, a little background. Pepe was diagnosed with a grade 2 MCT in July on his left prescapular area. The tumor was remove right away, but the tumor came back with a vengeance. I immediately brought him to an oncologist who scheduled him for a second surgery. Because the tumor had such a quick recurrence, he was started on Lomustine the day after the second removal.

On 9/16, Pepe’s oncologist determined the Lomustine was no longer effective and switched him to Vinblastine and put him on Prednisone. I was also giving him Marin and SamE to help protect his liver. I ended up stopping the SamE because the Marin alone was doing a good job and the fewer pills to give him the better.

Pepe’s treatment stayed the same until 9/29 when it became clear the Vinblastine was no longer working. It was 9/30 when he started on Palladia and 10/5 that he had his first radiation treatment. In the meantime, I was researching like crazy for natural treatments and remedies and found some information on cottage cheese and flax oil by Dr. Johanna Budwig of Germany. It seemed strange, but her theory was that if you whip the cottage cheese and flax oil together, the flax oil would become more highly absorbable into the system and would more quickly restore missing electrons in the body. I mention this now because it will be more relevant a little later in this post. Anyway, I tried this emulsion with Pepe and it didn’t seem to help so I stopped it, but did not forget about it.

Pepe had a total of 4 radiation treatments, but was taken off Palladia for two weeks due to diahrrea. During that time, the tumor spread to his neck, but we would not realize it until 11/3. That was such a heart-crusher. I should also mention that I have been giving Pepe Omega fatty acids and multivitamins to help him recover and protect him as much as possible from all the drugs taking such a toll on his body. But, he’s been bright and happy and surprisingly energetic most of the time and doing very well. Don’t get me wrong, he’s had some really bad days in this process, but overall he’s been a real fighter and when I see him run and play, it’s all worth it.

On 11/11, Navelbine was added to his treatment, which helped for about two weeks then Asparaginase was added with his third treatment. That combo seemed to help a little, too, but the tumors just refuse to get smaller, they pretty much stay the same size now.

This brings me to Masitinib (Kinavet) and some of Dr. Dressler’s treatments mentioned in his book.

As I mentioned earlier, the Masitinib has been tolerated very well, better than Palladia and seems to have really slowed the progression of the tumors, which Palladia stopped doing without the radiation to help it. Make sure your dog has an empty stomach when administering this Kinavet. Pepe sometimes doesn’t finish his dinner so I make sure his food is available through the night if he gets hungry. Big mistake. He vomited about an hour after I gave him the Kinavet and up came the food he was snacking on. Kinavet also seems to increase his thirst a bit and gives him a some soft stool, but nothing that can’t be managed.

The interesting thing is that, although the tumors are not shrinking, Pepe is in less pain and has more mobility. He hasn’t needed painkillers for 4 days now and he ran like the wind when I took him out yesterday. He was so happy it just warmed my heart and made me feel like everything was going to be ok. He has been struggling with a little fluid buildup, but we are managing it with lots of massage.

I also want to mention that I started Pepe on a combo of soy lecithin and curcumin about a month ago and Lutimax about 5 days ago. I don’t know that the lecitin/curcumin was working because it was such a mess to mix it, I just started poking holes in the lecithin gelcaps and giving him the curcumin capsules with it hoping they would dissolve together in his belly. But a few days ago I had an idea that I thought would work to make it easier to administer it and this is where Dr. Budwig’s concoction has become really important.

I took her mixture of cottage cheese and flax oil, added two teaspoons of Lutimax, added two gelcaps (poked and squeezed in) and added the powder of six capsules of curcumin and whipped it up until it turned into the mousse-like texture it’s supposed to be. If I understand Dr. Budwig’s intention clearly, this mixture is an awesome delivery system and should only compliment the affects of the Kinavet. I’ve given this super-concoction to Pepe for two days now, and I think it’s helping. It certain is not making him worse and I’m hoping that a little more time will yield the results I’m looking for. I am also giving him two teaspoons of Lutimax powder dissolved in water each day along with two capsules of Lutimax each day. Oh, I almost forgot the K-9 immuntiy and Transfer factors. Pepe has been on these the whole time.

I realize this is long, but I really hope that Pepe’s experience can help other dog parents out there.

I would also like to tell Dr. Dressler that I’m still reading the book, but it has helped me so much so far and I’m truly grateful to have such a comprehensive guide to help me.

Thanks for your contribution!
Dr D

I just found out that my English Bulldog has a Grade III mast cell tumor that is poorly differentiated. Here mitotic index is 6/10. Does anyone know if that is good or bad?

Also, is it too late to get a dog into the Palladia trial that gives the med for free?

If the trial is closed, does anyone know what the cost of Palladia will be? I have been unemployed for a year now and am praying that Pfizer will price it reasonably.

Thanks.

Dr. D,

To go along with my post to Gary, by chance do you have any advise with the Palladia? My girl and I have been battling MCT for about 9+ months and after CCNU (via the Pax II trial), CTP protocol (worked well with radiation until very recently) and now starting the Palladia just looking for any advise.

Also, my vet at Michigan State had mentioned that if the Palladia didn’t seem to work that there was a similar drug (works in similar fashion) available from a French drug company. Maybe an alternative for some people to consider???

Thanks again!

Julian, the drug you are referring to is masitinib, available through the compassionate use program at AB Sciences in New Jersey. Ask to speak with Dr. Albert Ahn and let him know Dr Dressler sent you. The veterinarian on the case will need to be involved, monitoring and dispensing the medication.
Dr D

Jason,

My dog was also on Palladia. He was about 45 lbs. and was on 50ml every other day. Dispensing fee was $25 for 4 pills plus weekly blood work, which all came to about $1000 per month depending on the number of tests that were run or if he was also give chemotherapy. I would say the quote you got was accurate.

Best of luck to you and your dog! Enjoy every moment you have together.

Just wanted to share the price which I was given at Michigan State University for the cost of Palladia. Looks like it may be a medication worth shopping around with various vets.

$10.27 for the 50 mg tabs
$ 3.68 for the 10 mg tabs

Thank you all for sharing prices – it really helped. Apparently, our facility is very expensive – claim they are a specialty clinic and have a 24 hour service, but we don’t need all that since Palladia is a chronic medication… So I checked with a regular vet in the area, they have to do a special order with Pfizer but the price was less – about $16 per a 50ml pill. Still more than MSU is charging, so I will keep on shopping around. It’s sad to think that some people who get a $25 quote can’t afford it, and let their dog deteriorate, yet there are cheaper options but they are not aware of it…
By the way, the blood tests, etc are a separate charge and have been costing us between $300-450 each time, so any little bit of help is important. Thank you all again!

Anyone have any luck with treating Squamous Cell Carcinoma? My cat has it.

Thanks

HI Carolyn

Is it a SCC tumor and has it increased in size at all? Are you doing anything holistically too?

Thanks

Becky,

My heart goes out to you. I lost a wonderful cat to cancer last year and I cant believe I am going thru it again.
I am trying holistic remedies with modern medicine.
Definitely talk to a holistic vet also adn look up Budwig diet for dogs. It cant hurt.

My little one feels awesome after a week on it.

Take care

Eric
It is a SCC tumor, left maxillary. The tumor has not grown, the mass is smaller, however, it is difficult to measure due to the location of the mass. She is considered stable disease, no new growth for months. For us, the use of Palladia has not been without side effects. We had to take a “drug holiday” after 3 months on the drug. We restarted her meds at a lower dose and she is handling the lower dose well. The first two months of treatment we had to take her in weekly for blood work and check-ups, we now take her in monthly. Although Palladia was not initally intended for SCC,it has stablized her disease. I took her to a holistic vet, the holistic vet was unfamiliar with Palladia, and did not feel comfortable prescribing/trying anything until she researched Palladia. On the advise of the holistic vet we did change her diet. She suggested a “cooling food” (fish based) medium to high protien, and no grain.
I hope this helps. My heart goes out to you, please let me know how your cat is doing.
Carolyn

Hi again Carolyn,

How long did it take Palladia to make the mass smaller?

Thanks
Eric

Hi,
My 7 year old pug was diagnosed with MCT about 3 months ago. She had two surgeries to remove the masses…but within the past month she has developed 5 new little masses. The oncologist started her on Palladia–every other day..and on the off days, she takes Prednisone..SHe also takes benedryl and prilosec to ease her tummy..she does vomit on occasion.. She has been doing this combination for only a week…in the last two days she has been having accidents in the house–which never has happened before…she will just be walking around and suddenly there is pee on the floor…i dont think she realizes its happening… could this be problems with kidneys and the Palladia–as Eric mentioned above—so soon after starting the Palladia?

thanks–
Lisa

Amanda–Hi
Zoe had swelling too and the prednisone and benedryl helped almost immediately–within days of starting it…but after a week thats when the accidents started in the house…i guess they drink so much water and just gotta go—We saw the oncologist today and she gave us something called Prion to help with the incontinence…my sisters dog also has cancer and she experienced the same thing (accidents, etc) with the prednisone but said after a while it just evens out and accidents dont happen…we’ll see if this drug helps in the meantime.
Not so good news with the Palladia–it didnt seem to help as the bumps actually got a little bigger just in a week..so our vet decided no sense paying money for something that probably might not work..We decided to try CeeNU (Lomustine)instead…oral drug, 2 pills only every 3 weeks…Zoe is still taking prilosec, prednisone, the prion and benedryl…She is cheerful, energetic, and you wouldnt suspect that she has cancer just by looking at her…we shall see how this CeeNU works…
good luck! (-: think positive..
lisa

Eric
For us it was 3 weeks before the tumor shrunk about 20% . She has been stable since the middle of September. We have not had any problems with accidents in the house. We had a long spell where she would not drink any water, would only eat snow. We have not had any problems with kidney function, but her ALT and BUN levels have been consistently rising. Her last blood, she was slightly above the normal levels. She goes in again next week for another check-up, so we will see where her levels are at that point. The first three months were extremely hard, her appetite decreased, her personality changed, she developed diarrhea, and wouldn’t drink. After taking a break from the Palladia and starting up again at a lower yet therapeutic dose things are going much better. We also give Pepsid twice a day to help with the stomach upset and diarrhea. By looking at her you would not believe she has cancer. She has lots of energy goes for two long walks daily and plays in the park. . She does have a good quality of life, better than when she was first diagnosed. Palladia is a hard drug to work with but for us it was the best option we had. If you try Palladia don’t be afraid to ask question and keep the vet informed of any changes you notice in your pet. You know your pet better than anyone else go with your heart and you will never be wrong. Please keep my updated.
Carolyn

Hi Lisa,

Because your dog is on Prednisone and Palladia, it will be prone to infections, mainly urinary tract infections. We had to continually check my dog’s urine, sometimes we had to run a culture to find out exactly what kind of bacteria was involved in order to get her on the right antibiotic. Several times our local vet would look at the urine and say there was no visible bacteria, but I knew she had an infection so I had to insist on a culture, and sure enough it showed an infection. When she had an infection, she would leak pools of urine when sleeping. The bed pads they sell for humans greatly helped to keep it off the couch and her bed. Also the Prednisone will make them urinate more.

I preferred the Masitinib because it was every day (leaving no room for the drug to wear off between doses), and she didn’t have to be on Prednisone with all it’s side affects.

I had great luck with Pepcid (Famtamodine) for stomach upset. Also you need to get anti-nausea and anti-diarrhea drugs from your vet to help with GI upset so you don’t take a break from the Palladia or Masitinib, any time you go off either cancer drug, the cancer has a chance to become resistent.

It is also important to take walks and enjoy being happy with your dog as Dr. D. says, your dog knows how sad you are, it’s a great stress reliever for you both. Good luck and enjoy every minute.

Our almost 11 year old “lethal white” sheep herding mix was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in Oct. We did 5 radiation treatments and now the oncology vet feels the tumor is slightly larger but not as large as before the radiation. She is recommending the Palladia since we don’t want to put her through more radiation or traditional chemo. I realize that Palladia is for Mast Cell cancer, what about thyroid cancer?

Dear Lisa,
I thought maybe you would like this post and possibly it could help:
http://www.dogcancerblog.com/escaping-dog-cancer-days/
Best,
Dr D

Dear Reader,
I think maybe you would like this post, and possibly it would help:
http://www.dogcancerblog.com/escaping-dog-cancer-days/
And yes, I have investigated b17 and I have not yet found clear evidence for supporting it’s use (in my opinion of course).
Best
Dr D

Hi Carolyn,

I started the Palladia today. They had to have a compounding pharmacist make up a compound prescription since she is petite and needs 5 mg doses. What stinks is the pill melted in her mouth today and I hope that won’t upset her and I hope she got most of the dose. I have to try Palladia because her eating has declined and her water intake too.
What dose was your dog on that caused the tumor to shrink? My vet put mine on 5mg and she is 5 pounds. The vet told me that I need to wait 4 to 6 weeks to see if it will help. I am really hoping that this is going to save her.

I can’t thank you enough for the info you are giving me. I am really hoping the best for your lab.

Take care,
Eric

Eric
If you are interested there are a couple of web sites about the Palladia clinical trials you can access on line. If you are interested I will attempt to send you the link. Also, there are some pet cancer support groups on line that I have found very helpful. Let me know.
Carolyn

P.S. Carolyn,

What are you feeding your pooch? I am reading so many different opinions what to feed that I am confused.

Thanks!!!

I just started my dog, Riley, on Palladia today. He is 7yrs young and was diagnosed with anal gland carcinoma last March. He’s had two surgery’s to remove tumors and lymph nodes as well as a course of radiation. I am a little nervous about this drug as it is new and seems to have several possible side effects. He is in good spirits and otherwise good health. I’m afraid this drug may change that and make him sick. Has anyone had success with this drug in treatment of anal gland carcinoma?
Lori

Help please! Our English Bulldog who is 8.5 years old has a very large aggressive mast tumour on the right side of his face and neck, it has grown and wrapped around. After spending loads of cash, and seeing the Oncologist, the answers were all so very diluted. Go on Chemo, then maybe shrink it, maybe surgery, radiation not really an option but considered, could be a good candidate for Palladia. Long story short, my husband and I are very frustrated and upset because the cost is insane and the prognosis is so poor. We decided to try Palladia because it is designed specifically for Mast Cell tumours. Does anyone know what the cost is for a 70 pound dog. The quote I just recieved is $3000 a month just for the visits to the specialist not including the meds. They want us to go weekly, pay them $700 for the visit and the blood work weekly, and they don’t have the costs yet for the Palladia.

Please help me get some answers, I’m very angry with the way these matters are being handled and feel that we are being taken advantage of at this moment. I live in Vancouver, BC, and can easily make it to Seattle for treatment.

I was under the impression that Palladia could be administered by the owner?

Thanks anyone who has some info.

Hi Jennifer,

I had a 60 pound Weimaraner with mast cell tumors Grade III, miotic index 10, surgery not an option once it matastized elsewhere. After going through this myself – first and best option is to surgically remove it with wide margins, if Grade I or II, should cure it. If not I feel it is better to skip the chemo and go straight to Palladia. If it works for your dog you may only get 6 months to a year, which in dog time is a lot of time, and really helped me to have her a little longer. The cost of Palladia itself is only part of it, the weekly blood tests to check for low white cell count, urine tests and fecal tests can run up the bill. They also have the dog on Prednisone which is cheap, but causes infections, usually UTI’s which can also add to the cost. The Palladia is given at home by the owner every other day. Another option is a similar drug called Masitinib, maybe since you are in Canada you can get this easier than here in the US. You don’t have to give Prednisone with it and saves those side affects. The Masitinib is given at home daily by the owner. The Masitnib was $140 for a 3 month supply through AB Science who is dispensing it on a “compassionate basis” until it gets FDA approval here. The Palladia was free as we were still on the test program which ended December. It sounds like your vet is being honest with you preparing you for the expense. With 2 $1,000 surgeries, and 6 months of treatments, blood work, etc. I spent $10,000, then the cancer became resistent to all treatments and I had to put her down. You have to decide if you want to go through all this, the dog will go through boughts of nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but supplements and drugs mentioned in the Cancer Care Book and on this free blog will help with that.

I know I will have to go through it again with my dog’s daughter who has had Grade II mast cell tumor disease if some day she gets Grade III or high miotic index, so for now I’m following the wonderful information from Dr. Dressler for her: surgery as soon as she gets a lump which needle aspirate shows to be mast cell tumor, supplements and tagamet and a low histimine diet to help with the histimine overload which causes problems. If she does get advanced cancer I will go straight to the Palladia or Masitnib. My vet here in Montana was very reasonable but the weekly blood work & tests which are very important in the beginning to check for white cell count and liver and kidney function, still ran $100 – $200 each time, but after the first month your vet should go to a biweekly then monthly protocol, which will help the expense. Find a good oncologist and develop a relationship with them, then they will help best they can. Most vets are not doing this just to line their pockets. Treating cancer is expensive.

Good luck, enjoy every day.

Jennifer,

There is an Oncologist in Seattle that you may want to call for a consult. Her name is Dr Keri Meleo and she works at Animal Cancer Care Specialists. She is terrific and is very well known within her profession.

My dog has an extremely stubborn grade 2 recurrent mast cell tumor. He’s been through surgery, radiation and we’ve been administering Palladia at home for the last three weeks. I have to admit, my dog has been experiencing unpleasant side effects from the drug and we are still struggling to get the correct dosage for him. It’s been very, very frustrating.

At this point in time, there is still no word on a definite price for Palladia. I was charged a dispensing fee of $19 at our last visit. However, I was warned to expect to pay approximately $600 (my dog is 75 lbs) per month for Palladia alone. I was quoted an estimate of up to $1500 for the first 6 weeks, of which would include bloodwork and checkups on a weekly basis. Thereafter, we will need to go in for bloodwork every 6 weeks, of which may cost around $200 per visit. If my dog is able to tolerate Palladia, then his treatment is expected to continue for 6 months.

Good luck,
Teresa

Has anyone tried using Palladia to fight bladder TCC or any other cancer than MCT? Our onc vet is recommending replacing our current chemo, Mitoxanthone, with Palladia because our lab’s bladder tumor has re-grown (after surgical removal and 5 chemo treatments). I thought it was only effective for MCT?
Thanks,
JoAnn & Jake
(10-yr-old black lab, bladder TCC dx’d 10/09, toe melanoma dx’d 12/09)

Dear Jennifer,
I am sorry this is a hard time. The reason why the answers seem diluted is that cancer medicine is all percentages, but not yes/no or right/wrong. We, sadly, do not have a cure, so everything else is kind of based on probability of some “success”, and what success means to you may be different from what it means to a veterinarian.
The reason the costs are high is that that costs of medicine are high. As an owner of a veterinary hospital, for 1 vet working 6 days a week, it takes about $65,000 a month simply to pay the bills. I am not kidding. So it is very difficult for everyone, and obviously nobody is suffering like you are.
Palladia can be administered by the owner (you) but it is not a mickey-mouse drug and the follow up is important to keep your dog safe.
Here are some more things to consider:
http://www.dogcancerblog.com/mast-cell-tumors-in-dogs-some-advances-in-conventional-care/
http://www.dogcancerblog.com/diet-for-dogs-with-mast-cell-tumors/
http://www.dogcancerblog.com/mast-cells-and-luteolin-in-cancer-treatment-part-1/
i use this supplement (with luteolin) in my patients:
http://www.apocaps.com
also see:
http://www.dogcancerblog.com/why-use-stomach-medication-for-mast-cell-tumors/
http://www.dogcancerblog.com/mast-cell-tumor-surgery-and-benadryl/
There is more info in the Guide.
Best,
Dr D

Paladia equals death….don’t be fooled. My perfectly healthy golden retiever developed a mass cell tumor at age 9. She had surgery and was fine. Vet recomended paladia just in case of tumor coming back. Bailey…. My dog was dead in 2 months…. Didn’t even have time to put her down it went so fast the last few days…. Stay away from this drug. DO NOT USE