Get Dr. Dressler's Dog Cancer Diet FREE Palladia, the first drug officially approved for use in treating dog cancer has arrived. This was described in the Dog Cancer Survival Guide by it’s pre-market name, SU11654. Now it’s finally ready for release.
Palladia, made by Pfizer, has been approved by the FDA. It is expected to be available next year. This drug is approved for treating mast cell tumors in the dog.
The fact that this is the first drug approved for dog cancer may be odd for many. What about all those chemotherapy drugs that are used? They are not FDA approved?
Well, the facts are that vets and veterinary oncologists have been using human drugs the whole time. As a matter of fact, many of the drugs we use generally are not FDA-approved for use in the canine.
Why?
It turns out that FDA drug approval is allowed for one species at a time. On top of that, approval is for one disease or problem. In veterinary medicine, we have cats, dogs, birds, rabbits, monkeys, snakes, and so on…many different species, and they all need treatment.
It would take hundred of years and staggering amounts of money to get all our drugs approved for all these different species and diseases.
So vets have “off-label” drug use privileges. Off-label drug use means we can use drugs approved for one species (including humans) freely in other species.
Let’s take a look at some of the facts around Palladia.
Like most of the conventional treatments we use in treating dogs with cancer, the numbers for Palladia are a bit disheartening.
The median duration of objective response (meaning how long the Palladia’s effect lasted on mast cell tumors) was 12 weeks. Yes, 3 months of tumor shrinkage or disappearance is what you can expect. This number is taken from the original study.
After 3 months the cancer came back.
On top of this, not all dogs with mast cell tumors even responded. It turns out that roughly 40% of dog with mast cell tumors will actually respond to the drug, while the majority do not.
This means that while about 40% of the time the cancer either went away or shrank, in the remaining 60% of dogs Palladia had no effect.
Sigh.
If you would like to look at the original data for yourself, here is the link.
This highlights important points.
First, there is a big to do about Palladia. But, the actual statistics are depressing. Interesting contrast between hype and reality.
Second, I think most guardians of dogs afflicted with mast cell tumors would not be jumping for joy at these numbers, in spite of the festivities at Pfizer.
Lastly, this shows how important it is to leap sideways in our efforts to really treat canine cancer.
The more I think about dog cancer, and disease in general, the more I believe early choices are key, long before old age.
I will start addressing how dog cancer does not start in old age, in future posts. Instead, it starts many, many years before hand. We need to start taking steps earlier, much earlier.
Best to all,
Dr D
About the Author
Dr. Demian Dressler, DVM is known as the "dog cancer vet" and is author of Dog Cancer Survival Guide: Beyond Surgery, Chemotherapy & Radiation. Visit his blog and sign up free to get the latest information about canine cancer. Go to http://DogCancerBlog.com.
{ 161 comments… read them below or add one }
← Previous Comments
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?
I would love to hear more about Masivet too. We have an 11-year old Ridgeback who has had stage III/IV mast cell cancer for 4 years. He’s had four surgeries to remove tumors, 3 or 4 rounds of chemo (vinblastine) and has been holding steady for a year on Prednisilone and Denamarin for liver support. But, the tumors are back and new ones are emerging… I will be calling the oncologist again tomorrow. I don’t like what I read about Palladia and am interested in knowing more about Masivet. Any info, anyone?
Thank you.
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.
Michele: I found the direct Michigan State animal health website which is quite interesting. Search under imunohistochemistry for mast cell tumors. Note the flow sheets. Your oncologist must be aware of this information.
http://www.animalhealth.msu.edu/Sections/Immunohistochemistry/
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!
Before I give our dog story, I have a few comments in answer to some questions other posters have asked. I asked them of our oncologist, and I recommend you find a good onc. to guide you and your regular vet through this. Our onc is 21/2 hours away, but comes up here every Thursday to a satellite office. During the rest of the week our regular vet supports us with palliative care and communicates well with the onc. Our onc offers 24-hr on-call support for our concerns and questions, and will call our ER or regular vet with instructions if an emergency occurs.
Regarding the concern about other dogs in the yard with treated dog, our vet says it becomes a concern if the well dogs are copraphagic–if they are eating stools–or if they lick the ground where the treated dog urinates. It is suggested that the stool treated dog’s feces be picked up (with gloves) and disposed of when possible, and the dogs be monitored in the yard if they are stool-eaters. If you’re worried about one of your others licking the urine just throw some dirt of cat litter over it.
In regards the return of tumors, my oncologist has us on a 6-week trial to determine if our dog will tolerate the med and if it reduces the tumor. We were told that if successful, this med will be continued, possibly at a reduced dosage or dosing schedule (now at MWF), for life. As long as she can tolerate it, she will take it at some level. I’ve had animals with tumors or immune-mediated anemias on Pred for life and they exceeded life expectations by years. It can be a good thing. Our onc says the med will be on market the first of 2010 (no idea about price), so local vets will be able to provide it if you choose . Those of you without an oncologist nearby will be able to have this med if your pup can just hang on another month. Be sure you and your vet do your homework about dosing levels and schedules, and GI protection preparation for any side effects. Re dosing levels, our dog is overweight (but otherwise healthy), and our onc has set the dose amount at the appropriate level for the lean version of our dog: i.e., we aren’t dosing at actual weight but at weight of body mass minus the excess fat. If your dog happens to be overweight, you might check with your vet to see if the dosage is for actual weight or adjusted downward for ideal weight. Just a thought.
Also, someone wrote that they had their dog on both Palladia and Pred! Our vet nixed the steroids with the Palladia, not only because of our pet’s steroid intolerance, but because the Palladia should be enough, if it’s going to work. Plus, having to take both would not only put a lot on the dog’s GI tract, I’d think, but also confound the results. How would you know which is working and which is causing the GI bleeds or other Sx? You might want to streamline that.
We’ve just started Palladia on our 8yo yellow English Lab, Punch. She has nasty squamous cell carcinoma in one nostril and on the haired part of the nose on that side, reaching far up into nasal passage. Use of Palladia for SCC is off-label but Pfizer has okayed it and is giving the meds. The tumor looked great when she was on pred but she is very steroid-intolerant and had to be taken off it. Similar problems on dexamethasone, and it did not control the tumor. We are trying Palladia because her tumor is doubling every week and at the current rate will cause us to euth her within 3 months, for humane reasons. I know there are potential problems with this med Rx and some of you have voiced the concerns, but consider all options, please. Remember there are some dog owners who refuse to give Rimadyl for arthritis pain because some dogs died from severe GI bleeds attributed to the drug. It can happen with a number of meds, even aspirin. To some extent it’s a crap shoot regarding whether a med will help without severe or fatal side effects. I guess it’s a matter of options, and we’re low on those. Good luck to all of us!
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.
Update on Starbuck.
We resumed the Palladia schedule per the Oncologist’s recommendation from every other day to MWF on October 21st. Starbuck returned to his demeanor prior to his previous short break in the Palladia schedule and on the evening of Monday, November 9th he received his Palladia at 6:15 PM and lay prone on the floor until we went to bed. It appeared that the Palladia was having a severe effect and he was in his 17th week of continuous treatment. Starbuck had also developed what appeared to be a MCT on his right ear.
At that time we decided to discontinue Palladia until his next appointment with the Oncologist which was scheduled for Wednesday, November 18. I had rather hoped that the Oncologist would reduce the dosage to something more tolerable at that visit. We provided the Oncologist with charts supplied by Pfizer which recommended a 33% reduction for every instance of any type of problem after a short withdrawal of Palladia. He stated that Starbuck was already on the minimum recommended. However, the charts provided by Pfizer are weight based and the dosage was never reduced below the mg’s recommended for Starbuck’s weight based on the Pfizer charts. The Oncologist drew a sample from the growth on his ear and from another small growth on his chest and after preparing slides, etc. stated they appeared to be mast cell tumors. On that basis, the Oncologist stated that the Palladia was not working and there was no reason to give him any more.
Based on information (probably from this site, not sure), we had ordered K9 Immunity and K9 Transfer factor on November 9 and began supplying Starbuck with both on November 13. He responded well and without the Palladia, returned to a much happier state. (The Oncologist approved the K9 introduction into Starbuck’s treatment)
I downloaded Dr. Dressler’s book and following reading Chapter 21, ordered LutiMax (containing Luteolin) and began giving Starbuck daily doses on Thursday, November 26, so at this time he has only received three (3) doses. I crush it to a powder and add broth from a can of “Taste of the Wild” dog food.
We visited our regular Veterinarian on Friday, November 27 and his only recommendation was to make Starbuck as comfortable as we could. We questioned him about removing the tumor on his right ear which has grown to about the size of an “English pea”. He did not recommend we remove it and we told him that we had been treating it with 1% Hydrocortisone cream which had been recommended by our Son-in-law (who is a Veterinarian) and he agreed with that treatment. His reaction to our purchase of Luteolin was to laugh, but then admit he had never heard of Luteolin.
At this time we are down to Luteolin supplemented with K9 for treatment in addition to:
1/2 tablet of Benedryl every 12 hours
1/2 tablet of Pepsid every 24 hours
Thyroid (twice daily)
And as much loving as we can give him.
Fred
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
Dr. Dressler,
I had not heard of Kinavet until reading it in Donna’s comment above.
Starbuck’s Oncologist never mentioned it even when we parted company after he stated that Palladia was not working and we should discontinue it.
My regular Veterinarian does not want to get involved although the Kinavet folks said that all he had to do was write them a letter to get the Kinavet.
The video at Kinavet is impressive and you say you have had success. I am sure you read my blog above and a fundamental question if Starbuck did not respond to Palladia is if there is any significant possibility that he would to Kinavet?
I did place Starbuck on LutiMax for four (4) days, but stopped it when he appeared to be reverting to his demeanor of lying flat on the floor almost comatose as he did after 17 weeks of Palladia. Prior to that he had been very active and had reverted to his personality before his first surgery.
I am going to search for an alternate Oncologist tomorrow or a local Veterinarian interested in something beyond the failures of just using surgery followed by chemotherapy and/or radiation.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Fred
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
Thanks, Dr. D. I appreciate your response. Fred, I have more information on Kinavet (Masitinib) if you’re interested in pursuing it.
My veterinary oncologist contacted the AB Sciences office in New Jersey and applied for compassionate use of the drug. They replied about a week later stating they needed a letter from her describing the situation. She also faxed them Pepe’s records so they could track all the treatment options we’ve tried.
The New Jersey office made the request to the main office in Paris and they shipped a 3-month supply, which arrived just a week later. Cost for the 3-month supply was $280 at 250mg per day. Pepe’s weight hovers around 45 lbs.
It is administered daily, unlike Palladia and, as far as I know, does not put the dog at risk for lameness. Vomitting and diahrrea are the most common side affects.
Because Pepe had his last dose of Palladia on Monday, he has not started the Kinavet yet. He will get his first dose tomorrow, after the Palladia is out of his system, and I’m really excited and hoping for a good response. My vet said that, from the information she was able to get, dogs that don’t respond well or at all to Palladia are more likely to respond to Kinavet but, of course, there is no guarantee.
Pepe has been battling his MCT since July and has been handling the treatment pretty well, all things considered. It has spread from his shoulder to his neck, but he still doesn’t let it get him down very much. He did have a pretty bad weekend before Thanksgiving, but has overcome whatever happened to knock him down. If he didn’t have such a zest for life there is no way I would put him through all this so I feel I owe it to him to exhaust all options.
I hope this information has helped and I wish you good luck in finding a vet that is willing to work as hard as you are to do the best for your dog. I know there is not much information on Kinavet, but it’s definitely worth a try.
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.
Here is a link to a video that shows how to mix the cottage cheese and flax oil for anyone who is interested.
http://www.budwigvideos.com/articles/20080531
Thanks for your contribution!
Dr D
Any word yet on the cost to the consumer for the palladia starting January 2010?
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.
Gary,
I can tell you a bit about the Palladia. I’m sure that the Palladia trials are complete as I am getting ready to start my girl on it actually this week. In regards to the mitotic index, if I understood a different article I just read, this is middle of the road as I think Dr. D doesn’t recommend surgery in cases under 5.
I asked the Vet here (Mich State) about this because they have been receiving the drug for free and dispensing to certain paitents since last year. I’m assuming per some trial set-up with Pfizer. While they were able to dispense to me for a reasonable price ($20 for what will be several months) they are telling me that the drug will likely be around $7/pill. Seems in line with the Cytoxin which I had her on until recently.
I’m not sure what vets or vet schools currently have access, but maybe your current vet could attempt to obtain some through one of the larger teaching schools.
Good luck and best wishes!
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!
Dear Julian,
The mitotic index is a measure of how aggressive a given tumor is. It is used in trying to ascertain how aggressive Grade 2 mast cell tumors are as well, since they are “intermediate” as a class, which leaves one in a paralyzing situation when faced with what to do. A Grade 2 mast cell tumor with a mitotic index that is LOW has a much higher chance of living a long time (less aggressive) than one which is high (more aggressive). A mitotic index of less than or equal to 5 yields a median survival of 70 months, while greater than five yields a median survival of only 5 months. These numbers are with a combination of conventional care (surgery, chemo, +/- radiation).
Bottom line: surgery is the best chance of cure for the mast cell tumors that are curable. Not all mast cell tumors are curable. The mitotic index helps one ascertain how long a dog will survive after receiving veterinary care that includes surgery. Mitotic index is not used as a indicator of whether or not to do surgery, however.
Hope that makes sense.
D
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
Hi everyone – I wanted to share some news on pricing for Palladia. We spoke to our vet on Friday and they are going to charge us about $25 for a 50ml pill. For my dog who needs 2 pills every other day, the cost of treatment including blood tests, etc will be about $1,000 a month. Can anyone else share what their vets are charging?
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.
dear dr.d,
i have read your article and accompanying posts concerning palladia with treatment of mast cell tumors; however, i wanted to get your opinion of my yellow labs mast cell tumors development.
jenna is 14.6 years old and has had a noticable mast cell on her side currently the size of a golf ball (has been slow in progression over the past several years) however, in the past two weeks i noticed four or five smaller masts develop on top of her head, and even one between her eyes. they are very small (size of a pea) what is your experience with the occurance of and multitude of these masts as i have noticed just recently. any insight is greatly appreciated. thank you
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
Dr. D,
First and foremost, “Thanks” for all the time you take to help all of us out here. I spoke with my vet because we may be going away from Palladia (given that she doesn’t have the “mutation” and may be getting some side effects). The vet at MSU was very familiar with the masitinib and have pills via the compasionate use program. We may be looking to go this route soon.
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!
Dear Julian
I hope it helps
Best,
Dr D
Anyone have any luck with treating Squamous Cell Carcinoma? My cat has it.
Thanks
Eric
My 13 year old lab has squamous cell carcinoma and has been treated with Palladia since Sept 2009.
HI Carolyn
Is it a SCC tumor and has it increased in size at all? Are you doing anything holistically too?
Thanks
Hi all interested in Palladia and treatment of mast cell tumor. My 12 year old Weimaraner has struggled most of her life with MCT, grade II, we always had them surgically removed. Last February she got a grade III tumor, miotic index 10, very bad news. We removed it surgically and the lymph node it had matastitized to, and a few other grade II tumors. After she healed we started chemo, Lumostine and Vinblastin. Her white cell count dropped so low we had to discontinue the protocol and wait until it went up, then start again. I think this caused the cancer to become resistent.
Through the wonderful people at WSU Vet Teaching School, I was able to get her in the Palladia program. Her tumors immediately responded to it and shrank to nothing. She tolerated it well and had a great quality of life. She did get sick when we tried to go on a camping trip, but returned to good health when we got home. She did well for 4 months on the Palladia, then new tumors started to grow. We got her into the Masitinib program, which is similar to Palladia. She responded well, needed a some drugs for nausea, but then great quality of life. The Masitinib worked for 6 weeks, then the tumors started to grow. When they got 4 inches across it was decided to let her go, they were starting to bother her. I just put her down two weeks ago and am still crying, she was my AKC certified Tracking Dog Excellent, and mother of her breed champion daughter and son. Going through this was hard and very expensive with all the blood tests, vet checkups, and medicines. But we loved her so much we had to do everying possible until there were no options left. I am glad we went on this journey with her and had almost another year with her. Now I face the same journey with her daugher, she has had a few Grade II’s removed through her life. This is not a journey for everyone, if the medicines even work for your dog. My lessons learned were to catch the disease early in the dog’s life and do everything possible to stop it before it gets Grade III. I will read your other posts to see what advice you have for working on it early. I wish I had found this site earlier.
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
Dear Becky,
Sounds like you are becoming all to familiar with the number one reason for dog mortality in this country. I am sorry you have to go through all this. I just wanted to refer you to a little explanatory blog on grade versus stage. Recall that mast cell tumors do not typically progress from Grade 1 to 2 or from 2 to 3:
http://www.dogcancerblog.com/dog-cancer-words-you-should-know-grade-and-stage/
Here are some other blog posts you might be interested in:
http://www.dogcancerblog.com/why-benadryl-for-mast-cell-tumors/
http://www.dogcancerblog.com/diet-for-dogs-with-mast-cell-tumors/
http://www.dogcancerblog.com/when-to-avoid-chemo-for-canine-mast-cell-tumors/
http://www.dogcancerblog.com/dog-cancer-decisions-in-the-gray-zone/
There is a plethora of organized information in The Dog Cancer Survival Guide.
Another though for you would be the Compassionate Use Program for masitinib, available through AB Sciences and Dr. Albert Ahn. I have had some good results with this drug. You need to have your veterinarian contact them. AB Sciences is located in New Jersey.
Best of luck,
Dr D
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
Carolyn,
You are awesome for the info you are giving me. The holistic vet I go to is against Palladia because he thinks it is hard on the kidneys but I am scared that I don’t try everything I can. So I think I am going to start up the Palladia this week.
I will post more results….
Thanks so much
Eric
P.S. What side effects did you experience so I can look out for them
Hi again Carolyn,
How long did it take Palladia to make the mass smaller?
Thanks
Eric
Hi,
Has anyone seen any kidney problems with the use of Palladia?
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
My dog just started taking prednisone, benedryl and pepcid on Sunday for a mast cell tumor that has only just starting bothering her. We are thinking about starting the Palladia though after reading the comments on this site I am a little leary of the side effects. She has been having accidents in the house too and I am not sure but maybe its from the steriods? She also has quite a bit of swelling in the leg with the tumor. The tumor is on her thigh but the leg is swollen down to her foot. Walking and massaging it seems to help. The area inside her thigh is very red. All of these symptoms started this past weekend. The emergency vet says Lady Rage had a massive histamine release from the tumor. Until that time the tumor never caused any problems and she has had it for many years. Any suggestions on how to relieve this? I have an appt with the oncologist on Monday the 15th and am trying to keep her comfortable until then.
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
I wonder if the accidents are their way of telling us they are sick?
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
I have a question about another kind of therapy (don’t know where to put it instead) After losing my dog 8 weeks ago, I remain questionning if I took al the right steps. Palladia wasn’t available yet in Europe, and we tried Masivet (Kinavet) (which did something, but not enough) we tried vinblastine, lumustine (ccnu), tagamet and prednison.
I cannot stop learing about all kinds of treatments and I have read a lot about b17 laetrile. Dr. D, have you considered trying injections with b17????
Esther
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.
Thank You Becky–that is helpful information!
And I think you are right about the walks and my dog knowing that i am sad–she follows me everywhere lately..more so than before(she’s always been mama’s little girl) (-: I am more stressed than she is , it seems–so great idea.(-:
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 Marcy,
If you are seeing a board certified oncologist, they are the most qualified to make chemotherapy decisions. They are very good at what they do. Dogs on chemotherapy plans benefit tremendously from the expertise of oncologist input.
Best,
Dr D
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 Becky
Great advice!
Dr D
← Previous Comments