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.
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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
Dear Carolyn,
Thanks for sharing your story,
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
She really is petite, how old is she and what is her name?
Have you tried hiding the pill in/wrapping it in wet food or a kitty treat? I do all my lab’s pills inside wet food, liver sausage, cheese whiz, peanut butter, basically anything she will eagerly eat. Will your cat lick water off your finger? Some day’s that was the only way I could get water into my lab.
For my lab it was 3-4 weeks before we noticed any shrinkage (about 25%) in the tumor. I was disappointed and scared when the first 2 weeks we did not have any response, but we also did not have any new growth which I had to tell myself to take as a positive sign.
My lab weighs 74- 78 pounds and we started out on 110 mg, which was the suggested dose for her weight. The 110mg dose was every other day for approximately 3 ½ months during which time we had some bad side effects. We then went to 110 mg every 72 hours for 4 weeks and still had unmanageable side effects lack of eating, lack of water intake, diarrhea, dehydrated, and personality change. We went down to 100 mg every other day and still had side effects that were not controlled even with supportive meds for the diarrhea. We are now on a dose of 90 mg every other day, which so far she is handling well. In fact she gained weight over the last 4 weeks, her appetite is better, and she is much happier. We were at the vet yesterday, the tumor has continued to decreased, the tumor sight looks at least near-normal, if not normal. From what the vet can see, they are unable to tell if the tumor is present or not, there is a small amount of gingival thickening (which may or may not be tumor. Also, all her ALT and BUN levels which last month were elevated above normal have gone back down to normal levels.
So we did get a positive response using Palladia, we are at stable disease if not partial response, but it was a rough road.
We will keep your cat in our prayer. Please keep us posted as to how your cat is doing.
Carolyn
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
Hi Carolyn,
You are awesome. I am so happy for you and your lab!!!
My email is pray4animals@yahoo.com. If you do send me something, please put Carolyn in the subject line or Palladia. I get alot of spam.
Quick question…Is it normal for her to be sleepy on the night of the day she received the Palladia?
Her name is Princess and she is 16. I saw a bumper sticker that says “Who rescued who?” That is perfect. She gives me more love than I could ever give her.
Take care,
Eric
P.S. Carolyn,
What are you feeding your pooch? I am reading so many different opinions what to feed that I am confused.
Thanks!!!
HI
Is anyone experiencing weight loss? I am thinking it is from her eating but I am curious
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
Dr D
Do you know if Palladia can put strain on the heart or hurt the heart?
Thanks for your time
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.
Jennifer,
Mu cat is on Palladia and I administer the dose at home. The Palladia was about $50
Good luck
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.
Hi Jennifer,
and all others on the difficult but soul enriching journey of dog cancer:
I had a little more advice since I’ve been through this if you will indulge me.
The only cure for mast cell cancer is total surgical removal. If the site is inoperable or Grade III with high miotic index, your only option is cancer care. But this is actually a good thing, it gives you time to adjust to the idea that your beloved pet’s time is near. If the treatments work to hold back the cancer, and you can control the side affects with drugs and supplements, then you have quality time to spoil your dog and go for more walks together. You don’t have to take it to the very end like I did, but you can use it for a while. That will also help with costs, you choose when you are done.
You can also help with costs by using a regular vet to do the blood, urine and fecal tests, sending the results to the oncologist. Regular vets are usually cheaper. I had to follow the strict weekly protocol because I got help through the test program, hopefully the protocol can now change. The tests are very important, they will not only help your vet check your dog’s health, but you will get peace of mind knowing the liver, kidney’s, heart and lungs are okay.
Hang in there and enjoy every minute.
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
Thank you everyone for your feedback and advice. I truly appreciate it. Teresa, your quote sounds similar to other people I have seen post regarding dogs this size. I’ve already made a phone call to Dr. Meleo’s office and let my regular vet know we would like a second opinion on how to manage the cancer care. Thank you so much again everyone and best wishes to all of you.
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 Becky,
very helpful comment, thank you
Dr D
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
Thank you Dr. D. Some of the challenges we are facing are because the drug is only on Emergency Release program here in Canada, so I believe there is a strict protocol for the Oncologist to follow. As you know they are specialists and the rate is close to $800 a week just to visit them, and for them to do full testing, this does not include the cost of the drugs.
We have had a lot of experience visiting various specialists over the years because our dog is an English Bulldog, and they are notoriously plagued with interesting conditions. At one point we had to see the Neurologist because his mouth was hanging open, (turned out to be something to do with his ear). In the past (unrelated) we have been through ultrasounds, allergy injections (trial), several operations to remove (benign) tumours,one on his back,one on his foot, one cancerous tumour removed on his head, his ear was enclosed (due to allergies). We have a great relationship with our Vet, and have always given our Bulldog the best care no matter the cost.
With a price tag of a potential: $4000+ a month for the visits and the meds est. for Palladia, we must take this into consideration, especially based on the rate of success.
Also, I believe for my family, (and that includes our Bulldog) any time you are diagnosed with something as serious as this, you always ask for a second or even third opinion. This not only gives you options, but allows for time to process and discuss the information. Over the years and speaking to so many different vets, it really depends on their experience, perspective, values, etc. a combination of these qualities.
I have nothing but the deepest respect, gratitude and admiration for all of the wonderful things that Vet’s do all over the world. Thank you Dr. D, for this useful blog/forum and everyone who participates to help support each other.
Thanks again, I am very grateful for all of the feedback. It has helped me tremendously.
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
Oh and by the way…. Her counts were great so the mast cell tumor did not kill her. It was the drug! Do not use this drug. My local vet (not the oncologist who prescribed this) gave me all the blood work. This drug will kill your dog and not in a kind way.
Thank you Ryan. I’m so sorry to hear about your girl. We are very skeptical of all recommendations for meds and appreciate your feedback on the Paladia. At the moment we are waiting for second opinion from the specialist in Seattle. Our Bulldog was also very healthy at the start, the Vet could not believe his age, and he had nothing show up on any of the tests. However, his situation is very serious because the tumour is so aggressive. It is very, very frustrating to think that there is nothing we can do. The tumour is so large and wraps from his check half way around his neck. I wish we could have surgery, but have been told it is not an option and even if we do everything he still only has maximum six months, if we are lucky.
Dr. Dressler,
I’m enjoying your books, but I have not seen anything on palladia, and I wanted to know if you ever heard of it being used on Transitional Cell Carcinoma? Just recently my 12 yr old BlueTick Coonhound had an ultrasound after two doses of Mitoxantrone, it showed that the tumor in his bladder and the iliac lymph nodes were unchanged; however, the cancer was now seen in his prostate as well. Is Palladia something you would use for this type of cancer, or would you use something else? Also, do you see anything wrong with give prostate supplements along with the chemo drug?
Thanks so much for what you do, and the information you provide.
Best Regards,
Mark
So it looks like we exhausted the Palladia option; the mast cell tumor on our 12 year old boxer stopped responding and he had a few scary incidents involving blood in his stool and coming out of his nose/mouth, so we stopped Palladia. In a way, we are much happier – his personality is back to normal, he seems happy and alive, he eats well and drinks water now instead of licking snow for hours at a time…Palladia definitely had a very negative impact on his personality and the quality of his life and we only realize now how bad it was. But the tumor has grown so much – it is located on his front paw and looks grotesque as if it is about to burst; the vet told us we soon will be facing either an amputation or having to put him down…The sad thing is, this is the only tumor that he has on his body, and it has been the case for the full year (even after radiation failed), so I keep on hoping that we can eradicate it somehow. Out vet did not mention anything about Kinavet, so I am grasping a straw of hope that maybe it will help before he goes under knife. Do I understand it correctly – the only thing we have to do to get my boxer on it is to ask my oncologist to have it shipped from AB Sciences on a compassionate use program? Is there anyone else on the site besides Donna who has used it and can comment on its efficacy? Thank you so much in advance..
Ryan McDonald?
Please tell me the symptoms your dog experienced from Palladia. I am so sorry about your dog.
Elena,
If Kinavet is also called Masitinib, which I got through AB Science on a compassionate use program, it is very similar to Palladia and I’m afraid you will have the same side effects. It worked for a short while to decrease the tumor. Unfortunately sounds like surgery is the only option to save his life. Maybe try the other remedies in the Cancer Care Guide, but you might not have enough time.
Elena, the answer to your question is yes. Kinavet (masitinib) is available through Dr. Albert Ahn and AB Sciences in New Jersey. Have your oncologist request it for you.
Best ,
Dr D
Hi my virtual vet,
As I’ve said before, I just went through a bad year with my older Weimaraner with Grade III Mast Cell tumors, I learned a lot trying to deal with the advanced cancer. I have finished reading your book and am right now ordering Apocaps for the 9 year old daughter of this dog. She has also had a life time of mast cell tumors, having 8-10 tumors removed every 1 to 2 years. She had 8 Grade I and Grade II tumors surgically removed only a year ago. She has been vomiting occasionally the last couple of months which I thought was stress of her mom being sick and dying, now I think it is the cancer and histimine. She’s getting more lumps, they appear one day and by the next are gone, which makes it very difficult to get a needle aspirate as they usually appear when the vet is closed for the night or weekend. I will get these aspirated as soon as I can, but I’ve recently mapped out 10 lumps which I’m pretty sure some are cancerous. I’d like to start her on Apocaps and see if this helps. I know surgery cures the cancer, but if she is growing 10 new lumps every year, it seems the cancer is systemic and is surgery helping? She hates it and has become fearful of people after so many surgeries.
She seems healthy otherwise, but when I have my vet aspirate the lumps, I’ll have her do a all over health exam to make sure it hasn’t spread internally. I’ve changed her diet to what you recommend, given her Tagamet which has helped with her stomach upset. I’m wondering if I were lucky enough to bring her to you, what would you recommend doing now? Do you recommend the Apocaps every day for the rest of her life? Your book mentions rotating between the selection of treatments, do you do this with the Apocaps? It seems a bit overwhelming that she would need 9 capsules of Apocaps every day for the rest of her life, that would be a bottle every 10 days, rather expensive, but not as expensive as trying to save her life later with chemo and Palladia. If this was your dog what would you do next?
Hello everyone. We had to say goodbye to our boy yesterday. Never had the chance to try any of the new medications. Everything happened in about two months time. It is hard to say whether or not things would have been different if we had a second opinion earlier on. We never administered chemo, radiation, or anything harsh, just appreciated each moment with him. In the end, he let us know it was time. Thank you Dr. Dressler for having this place for people to discuss and for provinding alternatives. Nothing is worse then the feeling that you have no options.
Thank you Becky, and Dressler. I will give Kinavet a shot before moving to more drastic measures.. The tumor has shrank in size after the vet told us to temporarily double Pred doze, and has been somewhat (but not entirely) stable since. One more thing I would like to mention – I took Bozo off dog food when the Palladia side effects started showing, and the effect been enormously positive – his tummy is doing so much better. No diarrhea or vomiting, which we would expect even without Palladia, due to the size of his tumor and histamine that must be associated with it. I would normally switch between oatmeal, rice or mashed potatoes for a “base” (a cup), add a freshly cooked meat (chicken breast, smoked turkey, or cooked ground beef or turkey) (also about a cup), and a cup of freshly boiled veggies for each meal (a mix of broccoli, cauliflower and carrots) – he loves it and hasn’t had stomach issues since I changed the diet, even on bad days… I also give him calcium for supplement and benadryl/Pred/Pepcid daily. He just finished a two week course of Prilosec, and I think it may have helped his tummy as well.
Good luck to everyone going through the trial with their babies; and thank you for all the help.
I am so sorry – of course I meant Dr. Dressler. Sincere apologies, and thank you so much for helping all the suffering doggies and their parents. You site (and the book) has been an absolutely invaluable source of information. Thank you again.
i have my 5 year old golden on palladia for fibrosarcoma of muzzle.i wanted to start lutimax alond with the palladia.has anyone done this?if so, are their side affects or increased diarreah?
Dear Brett,
Sadly there are no studies on this. And I will say that a not-uncommon side effect of Palladia is diarrhea. The best strategy would be to start one and then wait about a week or so before starting the other. On top of this, the supplement I use in my patients is Apocaps, which I would reach for before Lutimax due to the combination approach.
Best,
Dr D
This is in response to Lori who posted about two months ago. My dog was diagnosed with anal gland carcinoma almost 3 years ago. She has since had 1 surgery, tried a few different types of chemo and had one round of radiation late last year. She did try Palladia for a few weeks in the fall. Although it did bring her calcium levels down, it did not shrink her tumor. She also experienced muscle weakness in her hind legs and we discontinued use. However, she has had some positive results with Kinavet. She has been using Kinavet for a few months with no side effects. There has been some shrinkage – not a lot – but no growth. My dog is now 12 and a half years old which is older than anyone ever gave me hope for. Good luck with your pooch.
Hello all,
I have a Boston Terrier who has an enlarged heart which has made it impossible to use prednisone. She has a Grade III MCT which was removed with clear margins the first time and than it came back. This MCT is on her vulva, so there is not anymore room for them to remove again. I got 3 opinions on that to be sure that everyone was in agreeance to not remove it. She also had a Grade II MCT on her belly that was removed that they did not get clear margins on, but thankfully has not returned since its removal last August 2009.
We have been down the road with a holistic approach and still continue those treatments. We have also been palladia users. She responded well to the palladia initially and the tumor started to shrink almost immediately, but after 1.5 weeks on the palladia, she acted like she could not see us and her eyes were as big as gulf balls. The oncologist took her off of it for a couple of weeks and than we restarted. Instead of every other day, we reduced to MWF. 1.5 weeks into it again, she had the same effect. We took her off of it again. The next time we started it up at half the dose 3 times per week and she had the effect the first day. Molly can no longer take palladia. This is I guess a rare side effect that they have seen where she is having “neurological” side effects to the medication. It was quite a disappointment because she did have success with taking the medication for the tumor reduction.
Now, the tumor has flared up again and we have begun our treatment with masitinib under the compassionate program. The only thing I find interesting after reading here, is that she is only taking it every other day as with the palladia. I have not read anywhere else that anyone is on an every other day program, so I think I will call the oncologist to be sure. She just started this journey, so I will keep you posted on her progress.
She will be 12 years old this August and is full of life when this tumor is at bay. She currently only has the one tumor that we continue to be challenged with. Because of where it is located, it easily bothers her, so I have to be on top of watching her every day.
My prayers are with each person struggling with cancer and their dogs. I myself have been surrounded by cancer in my family and through animals, so it is a very nasty word to me. God Bless each of you during your journey with your best friends!!
In reply to Elena
I’m not sure if your dog has a form of skin cancer, but you may ask your veteranarian about trying capsaicin cream. Capsaicin has been found to be effective in stopping cancer cells from replicating. The cream greatly reduced the size of the tumor one of my dogs had (by about 75 %) when nothing else was working. He did later die, but that was due to the efficacy of valproic acid treatment in killing cancer cells – a clot of which went into his heart.
Currently am beginning cancer treatment for another dog that has congestive heart failure, too. She was supposed to have died from heart failure two years ago, but has done well with drug treatment. Am hoping the Palladia aids in keeping the cancer behind her eye at bay, so that she may have a comfortable interlude and be able to cross the rainbow bridge quickly and peacefully when the time comes.
Best wishes to all of you and your lovely four footed friends
P.S. Capsaicin cream is used externally and applied topically – my dog had skin cancer.
We just started Izzy on Palladia for TCC last night after no success with carboplatin or mitoxantrone. He spent a few minutes groaning about an hour after treatment, but stopped and seemed ok. I would appreciate any anecdotal info on side effects. This is a last ditch effort on our part. Up till now, his quality of life has been pretty good. Just has to pee every hour and has some trouble defecating too, but he does it. He’s a ten year old Australian Terrier. Mark, please let me know what’s happening with your coonhound
We need help!!
Hello all!
My Labrador-Mix, called Arthur, 7 years old – has today his second resection of mastcell tumors. I get a information about Palladia from the veternary – unfortunatelly we can´t buy Palladia in germany as yet. Maybe someone could help us to get Palladia from the U.S.??? Sorry for my bad english but my dog needs help urgently. We can´t wait if Palladia is on the market in germany.
Thanks in advance for every comment!
Angela & Arthur
I have a beautiful 12 year old Border Collie Mix who was diagnosed w/ MCT. It is on the bottom portion of her hind leg in the ankle area. Because of all we have read, and after visiting her vet and oncologist, we feel comfort treatment is her best option. Having the surgery is not an option for her as the oncologist does not feel he can get it all and her physical as well as her mental recovery would be extremely difficult. She is deathly afraid of going to the vet clinic and shivers and salivates nonstop the moment we walk in. We feel her quality of life would deminish greatly just due to stress. We have decided to treat her with prednisone, pepsid, benedryl, and DHA w/ algea. This should keep her as comfortable as possible AND hopefully allow her to continue with her daily life of chasing rabbits, squirels and lizards. Fortunately, our vet suggested my family make the decision to do what is best for our Sierra, NOT what is best for us. I treasure my dog so much. She was a rescue dog we aquired when she was a gangly teenager. I am lucky to have her in my life
Dear Angela,
you should see if you can get Masivet in your area (masitinib). It is approved in Europe.
Best,
Dr D
Angels, if you can leave your email address for me, I can try to help.
Eric can you contact me about how your cat is doing on Palladia?
Dr. D, my cat is supposed to start palladia today. Do you have any suggestions on dosage or if I should even bother?
He has subcutaneous hemangiosarcoma (metastasized) not to lungs yet though.
To add to my last post, my email is : ScrappyUSA@aol.com Does anyoneknow how to reach Eric. This is the ONLY post I found with someone who has given Palladia to a cat.
Lani Nolan
Thanks for listing all the comments you got on Palladia
Autumn has been on Proxicam for almost 3 monthes. 5mg once a day. She also takes Carfate 2x’s a day. Her stomach is getting upset. Proxicam is working well. Any suggestions how to make her stomach feel better and stay on Proxicam. She had dark stook last week and threw up 2x’s. We hate to take her off because it is keeping the immflmation down. Any suggestions as to what we can do? Thank you
Melissa
My 8 year old cat, Andy, was diagnosed with thymoma, a very rare type of cancer, at the end of April. Surgery was attempted but was unsuccessful because the mediastinal mass was invasive so he was given Prednisone for one month in an attempt to shrink his tumor.
A chest Xray this week showed the cancer has progressed and now covers the front of his chest cavity. He is eating, is playful, and interactive so we started giving him Palladia this week in another attempt to shrink his tumor mass. Has anyone found Palladia effective in cats? Have any studies been done? I’d like to get more information if possible.
Thanks,
Rowena
For Izzy’s mom and others who have requested anecdotal info on side effects… My 75lb shepherd mix was put on Palladia a few weeks ago. The dose was every other day, and was 90mg (low end for her weight). I only administered 4 doses. The difference in her condition on the days she received the drug was so dramatic that even after 4 times, I knew palladia was the cause. First, she began panting about 2 hours after the dose and continued panting at least 12 hours afterward. She was restless, antsy, and seemed jumpy. She was also withdrawn and wouldn’t respond to her name or come to me. Most significantly, she experienced rear leg weakness and stiffness (which she already has), but on the Palladia days, she would actually fall down and was barely able to walk up her ramp. All of these side effects happened on the first dose, though with each of the subsequent doses the side effects seemed to increase. I decided that even if the drug helped shrink the tumors (regrowth of a rib osteosarcoma with lung metastatis), these were side effects that I couldn’t live with.
Rowena Henry:
I don’t know if this is an option for Andy, or cats in general, but the antibiotic doxycycline has been shown to help slow the progression of tumors in some cases due to its ability to prevent the formation of new blood vessels that “feed” the tumor and help it to grow. Just a bit of information I thought may be worth mentioning to your vet. It has few side effects and from what I understand it is very unlikely that it will do any harm. Of course, this is in relation to dogs, so it may be different or not an option for cats. Good luck with your boy.
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