How Long Does My Dog Have?
ByIt is very important to do what we can to avoid ongoing depression when trying to cope with cancer in our dogs. Ongoing depression is exhausting, steals our reserves, and clouds judgment.
It decreases your dog’s chances of good life quality during a life with cancer. Yes, your ongoing depression.
Please do not misunderstand me. There are many legitimate reasons for guardians of dogs with cancer to be depressed.
Here are some of these reasons:
Take a look at median survival times with conventional care (chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery):
- Hemangiosarcoma of the spleen: median survival time after spleen removal without chemo is about 2 months, and with chemo is up to 6 months.
- Transitional Cell Carcinoma of the bladder: median survival time on piroxicam alone is about 6 months.
- Melanoma of the toes: following removal of the affected toe, this cancer will take the life of half the patients within a year, assuming there is no evidence for spread at the time of surgery.
- Lymphosarcoma: patients receiving the Wisconsin chemo protocol have a median survival of roughly 6-10 months.
(For more specific data on median survival times with different cancers and protocols, see The Dog Cancer Survival Guide.)
So there is every reason to have sadness. But….continued sadness is not helpful to you or to your dog. After experiencing the grief, it is time for an expectation analysis. Time to organize yourself and move forward.
Suppose your dog was diagnosed with lymphosarcoma, and seems to be having good overall life quality 6 months later. Guess what? This is very good news! Median life expectancy with chemo being 6-10 months, about half the dogs with lympho have passed away in as little as 6 months after being diagnosed.
And that is with chemotherapy!
If you have a dog with lympho and your dog is doing well 6 months after diagnosis, you are already beating the curve, since median survival is as low as 6 months in some cases with the chemo.
What if your dog has lympho and is on pred only? Median survival for those dogs is roughly 2 or 3 months. So you are ahead of the game if your dog has good life quality 2 months after diagnosis.
If you were to look at some of the other statistics above, you can see that if you had a dog who underwent spleen removal 8 weeks ago, is not on chemo, and is still maintaining, you are beating the odds. This is very, very good news. This is successful treatment!
An integration of these statistics in one’s mind allows for a realistic picture of where we stand with conventional cancer care.
We really must take into account how short these survival times are in our expectations! We need to redefine success in malignant cancer management.
An understanding of these figures also tells us how we are doing with the addition of our “outside the box” treatments discussed here and in The Guide.
Once we get past the grim reality of these numbers, we can alter our expectations and begin appreciation with gratitude.
The practice of gratitude for each of these days, realizing the odds, is they key to avoiding continued sadness.
Best to all of you,
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.
48 Comments
May 9th, 2009 at 1:05 pm
Hi Dr. Dressler – you are so right about having gratitude on a daily basis. My Mack, 11 yr golden, was diagnosed 8 months ago with a brain tumor, left olfactory lobe. He was given 3-6 months to live with no surgery, no radiation. He is on Prednisone and Phenobarb along with 18-19 suppletments/herbs. I will now add zinc. So yes, so far we have beaten the odds (and I feel guilty saying that,) but he and I are happy everyday and take it day by day.
Thank you for all you do,
Karen Bender
Springfield,NJ
May 9th, 2009 at 6:12 pm
I was in a fog for 6 weeks, on pins/needles, not knowing how long Jimmy would be with me after his diagnosis hemangiosarcoma. I think I found it earlier than normal and as far as we can tell it originated in the abdomen near the prostate. After his biopsy that left a belly full of staples, I think HE was depressed for awhile and then I was depressed too thinking I would have to run out in the middle of the night to put him to sleep. As soon as I decided to go on and enjoy everyday with him and not live in fear that he’d drop dead at any second, things got a lot better. It’s been 3 months and we take it day by day and I pray often for wisdom as to when it’s time to let him go. Your blogs/website, etc. have been VERY helpful. Thanks. Amy
May 10th, 2009 at 8:28 pm
Hi Dr Dressler,
I just purchased your book and am still in the process of reading it.
I have a 5-year old male Rough Collie that was diagnosed with Lymphosarcoma April 1, 2008. We started him on the Madison protocol a couple of days later. I took him to a holistic vet in our state and we started him on several supplements. We also switched his diet to Sojo’s Europa (Grain-Free) dog food mix and I add cooked turkey. He went into remission after his first treatment and stayed in remission until December. We decided to try Lomustine instead of the Madison protocol again. I kept him on the supplements and food as before. He has been feeling great. He is running, barking and even playing tug. He never played tug even as a puppy. His mood has been great and I am very thankful. So, when I took him in for his check up on May 5th I was shocked and crushed to find out the Lomustine seemed to quit working after only 4 months. I am not ready to give up and I don’t think he is either. Everyone at the clinic was surprised he came out of remission because he is so up in mood and activity. His activity level is down a bit after the his Vincristine treatment on Wednesday but is still acting really good. I understand that many would say that he has already beat the odds and been with us more than a year when his prognosis was 6-10 months. I am very optimistic by nature and don’t give up easily. If he were feeling poorly or I could see that he was too tired to continue, I may feel differently. If Apollo were your dog, or you were treating him in your clinic, what types of supplements or treatments would you use? What steps would you take?
Also, is it possible to cure Lymphosarcoma? I have been told that it is not but most of the news I get is very pessimistic at best. I would appreciate any assistance or advice.
PS – PLEASE do not tell me that he has already beat the odds and I should just accept that and prepare for the worst. I can’t sit back and do nothing. I need to help him any way that I can.
Thanks!
May 11th, 2009 at 9:28 am
Dr. Dressler,
I downloaded your book this weekend and called your office this morning to get some direction.
I have a Boxer that just turned 11 in March. He was just diagnosed with Primary lung cancer. They did an aspirate and advised furthur to something called Adenocarcinomas. X-rays showed a mass which looked to be on the top of his heart. The Ultrasound showed the mass to be in the frontal lobe of his lungs on his right side. We were planning to do surgery to remove the mass the next day because the mass is putting some pressure on his trachea. They wanted to do a CT Scan to provide the exact location of the mass. The results of the CT Scan showed the start of a smaller mass furthur down in the 3rd lobe on his right side. They are not suggesting surgery after the finding of the 2nd mass.
I started researching on the internet and found information on your book, blogs and video.
I am looking for some direction on what to do for him and need your help. He is a healthy and active dog with the exception of the cancer now. I want to do whatever I can for him.
Thank you for your time,
Jared
May 11th, 2009 at 9:28 am
Dr. Dressler,
I downloaded your book this weekend and called your office this morning to get some direction.
I have a Boxer that just turned 11 in March. He was just diagnosed with Primary lung cancer. They did an aspirate and advised furthur to something called Adenocarcinomas. X-rays showed a mass which looked to be on the top of his heart. The Ultrasound showed the mass to be in the frontal lobe of his lungs on his right side. We were planning to do surgery to remove the mass the next day because the mass is putting some pressure on his trachea. They wanted to do a CT Scan to provide the exact location of the mass. The results of the CT Scan showed the start of a smaller mass furthur down in the 3rd lobe on his right side. They are not suggesting surgery after the finding of the 2nd mass.
I started researching on the internet and found information on your book, blogs and video.
I am looking for some direction on what to do for him and need your help. He is a healthy and active dog with the exception of the cancer now. I want to do whatever I can for him.
Thank you for your time,
Jared
May 11th, 2009 at 9:54 pm
Jared,
we will be in touch with you tomorrow-
Dr D
May 11th, 2009 at 10:00 pm
Good for you Karen, and your Mack.
Keep it up!
D
May 11th, 2009 at 10:06 pm
Thanks Amy. Reminds me of my dog Bjorn. He has had extensive orthopedic repairs on his limbs (courtesy of yours truly) and I was always afraid dogs on walks would hurt him, so I would secretly hope they would stay away to keep his legs safe. I realized Bjorn was picking up on my fear as he showed aggression to the other dogs. Once I realized it, he has gotten about 50% better.
Amazing.
D
May 11th, 2009 at 10:10 pm
Sandy, you need to get through the book! There is a lot you can do, from supplements to diet to mind-body techniques for your dog. Follow the Full-Spectrum Attack Plan!
I have yet to see a true cure for lympho unfortunately, but I know of one dog who has lived over 4 years following chemo. So don’t lose hope!
D
May 13th, 2009 at 6:11 am
Dr. D.,
We recently purchased your book. Our dog Nicholas was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor in June of 2006. Back then, we treated him with Lomustine for 6 months. At the time, the doc stated that this was a one time deal. It has been 2 1/2 years since his last dose. I read in your book that the drug is very effective in shrinking the tumor but once given, it can act like a vaccine and would not be effective the second time.
Nicholas has been recently displaying signs that the tumor is growing. Is there any time limit as to when you feel a second regimen might be effective or do the tumor cells respond as if the Lomustine is a lifetime vaccine? We were under the impression that the Doc. told us it was a one time thing because survival this long is quite unheard of.
He currently takes Essiac tea, IP-6 & Inisotol, Omega 3 fatty acids in organic flaxseed oil, vit. ester-c, garlic tabs, maitaike mush, liver detoxifier, boswellia, DHEA, Bromelain, prednisone (30mg/day), xue yu tang, and tan yu tang. He is fed Wellness Core, (Holistic food, high protein, lo carb).
We took your recommendation regarding Doxycycline and got a prescription today. The Doc that prescribed the Doxycycline thought that there should be something else used with it. Do you know if there is something that should be paired with the Doxycycline?
We will be purchasing the K-9 Immunity medicine soon as another supplement.
Can you give us any other suggestions?
Thank you for all the information we acquired from your book. We are off to war now,
John & Paulette
May 13th, 2009 at 10:07 pm
A very, very experimental treatment is the use of methyl jasmonate in aerosolized in Vick’s inhaler. It could help in particular for lung and brain tumors and possibly with other cancers. Zinc should be taken with it.
Do a google search. It has never been used on dogs although I am excited to try it. Here is a site online that seems to offer it in smaller quantities.
http://www.caymanchem.com/app/template/Product.vm/catalog/9000059/a/z;jsessionid=6AF8EB3828BD154DF1B30ADAA307787C
Here’s more:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080825132111.htm
file:///Users/dressler/Desktop/methyl-jasmonate-cancer-and-leukemia(2)
http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/cgi/content/full/65/5/1984
You need to get to be willing to risk serious or fatal side effects when you do stuff like this, so be cautious and deliberate.
Find a vet who is willing to help. It should only be used in cases of life or death.
D
June 5th, 2009 at 2:31 pm
My 7 year old Great Dane, Daisy, was just diagnosed with bone cancer. Our vet prescribed Tramadol and Deramaxx for pain and inflamation, and she does seem to be responding well to these as a way to improve her quality of life right now. Otherwise, we’re feeding her all the protein she’ll eat and staying as positive as possible with her. From what I understand, this is a very serious and aggressive form of cancer with no real options. She manifested with limping in her left hind leg, then it progressed to her left shoulder. X-rays of her left shoulder gave it away. Are there any other “quality of life” in the short term recommendations? Thanks!
June 20th, 2009 at 12:15 pm
Hello. My almost 9 year old Wheaten Terrier was just diagnosed yesterday with a cancerous brain tumor that is located on her brain stem. The vet said average life is now 3-5 months…longest he has seen is 9 months. The only thing he has given me is 7.5 MG of Prednizone and Pepcid twice daily (every 12 hours). There are people on here talking about other drugs. I also have found this item called EZ Clear. Since I just found out yesterday I’m crying all day and in a fog. But I don’t want to waste time if there is possibly something out there that can prolong her life. I am going to see if my local Barnes and Noble has your book tonight. If you have any suggestions in the mean time please let me know. Thank you.
June 21st, 2009 at 1:37 pm
Hi again Dr.Dressler – my prior comment is above dated May 9, 09 re Mack, my 11 yr golden diag’d with a brain tumor in the left olfactory lobe in Sept08. Since the beginning of this month (June 09) he has taken a negative turn. Mack’s breathing is somewhat labored(he just saw our vet on June 18,) he is awake much more than he should be at night, and very stiff legged and weak in the hind legs. He is still a voracious eater. My question is: can he take MELATONIN with prednisone and phenobarb? I know you say 5mg per 40lbs of weight. Thank you so much,
Karen
August 20th, 2009 at 8:39 pm
I have a 12 year old Malamute/Great Pyr mix who was diagnosed with an inoperable liver tumor at the end of June. He had exploratory surgery which confirmed the diagnosis. It had spread to his sinuses and he had been bleeding profusely from the right nare (which is what prompted me to bring him in to the vet–along with the fact that he had been experiencing some weight loss). The vet’s office made a call to UW Madison’s vet school, but they would not start my Big White Fluffy Moose on any chemo.
The vet said that the tumor was too big–that if they were to remove it, he would not have enough functional liver remaining to keep him alive.
I have had him on K-9 Immunity, Luteolin, milk thistle, parsley, modified citrus pectin, cimetidine, and a basically pure protein diet. I have been feeding him chicken breasts (he goes through filve to seven of them a day) and 1-2 chicken livers each day. He also gets beef roast and freeze-dried beef liver as a “treat”.
From the time they took the film of his belly to the time of the surgery, he lost six pounds. In the six weeks since the surgery, I have had him on this regimen and he has only lost one pound.
He had to go back for an additional surgery, as his abdominal wound dehisced, but the vet was very pleased with how he looked. His appetite is phenomenal, his attitude is great, he loves visitors and attention, and is an all-around happy boy.
The vet said to just keep doing what I’ve been doing.
They cauterized the sinus tumor during the first surgery, and there has been no further bleeding (thank God!).
I had a long talk with the Moose, and told him that he couldn’t go anywhere just yet–he had to hang around long enough to be a senile, silly old man!
I did try the diet that you recommended in the book (which I called “Moose Mash”), but he wanted nothing to with it. It was meat or nothing.
He has gotten very spoiled, though–he won’t eat the chicken unless I warm it up in the microwave!
September 4th, 2009 at 12:26 pm
We have a 11-12 year old Black Pomeranian, she was diagnosed with bladder cancer in Feburary 2009 and was treated for 3 months before for other things before we did further testing. ChiChi came from the dog pound, we have had her the last 4 years. Our vet said her tumor was to large for surgery, he gave her medication for the irration, and which no longer is working for her. We noticed she is looking more and more bloated and she now can’t control urination, a lot of blood in her urine. She eats good, still wants to play…but she does have more bad days then good as she sleeps alot more.
My question is how long do animals have with this diease? Our Vet said take it one day at a time and love her, which we have. My husband is ready to put her down, I feek guity even thinking about it. We more than likely will take her back to the Vet soon. She dribbles blood quite a bit. When is the best time for her, not me.
Thank you for any advice.
September 9th, 2009 at 2:53 pm
I have a 12 year old Boxer named Silas. She was diagnosed with Hemangiosarcoma and a tumor close to her spleen. She was sick that that but has been doing better. She started eating and feeling better but then she just stopped eating. Now she hasn’t eated in several days. She was also diagnosed with lunch cancer.
Can i help her eat? Can anything be done?
Thank you for any advise!
September 10th, 2009 at 8:54 am
Patricia,
There is a life quality analysis section that you should really read in the Dog Cancer Survival Guide. It helps you make decisions like this. Transitional cell carcinomas, the most common type of bladder cancer, have a median (approximate) survival time on Feldene (Piroxicam) alone of about 2 months. Every dog is different though..
Thinking of you
D
September 29th, 2009 at 8:16 pm
Big White Fluffy Moose update!!
Well, my boy apparently didn’t get the memo that he’s Really Really Sick, because he is “rockin’ the free world”. He is still happy, eating well, socializing, surveying his “kingdom” from the hill in the backyard, and generally enjoying life. He has even begun, recently, to get back up on the couch.
He got tired of chicken after a while, so he is eating beef now. He is consuming about three pounds a day.
My biggest problem with him right now is trying to get him to put some weight back on.
Anyone have any ideas?
October 15th, 2009 at 4:07 am
Moose-Goose!
I had to take Big White Fluffy to the doggie doc for a sore on his leg, which I am hoping is just an infected skin tag and not another tumor, and I discovered, to my delight, that he has gained 2.6 pounds!!!
Whoo-hoo!!
October 15th, 2009 at 10:49 am
I have only recently found your website and feel that your information may have come too late for our dog.
Our 15 year old Australian shepherd dog had never had any urinary problems and then in June, he stopped drinking and was trying to urinate every few hours, so we took him to the vet and they diagnosed a bladder stone and we did surgery on the spot. The vet reported that he found a mass near the bladder but since our dog was neutered, thought it may have been due to some inflammation since his bladder showed inflammation at the time of surgery. Since then, he had some good days but over the last few weeks, started losing his appetite and straining when trying to have a bowel movement with rather loose stools. His frequent urination was replaced with frequent attempts to have a bowel movement. Due to the loss of appetite we again talked with our vet who recommended a mineral supplement called lixotinic (2 teaspoons a day) and we tried that for a few days with no great results and then took him back in to the vet. The vet said the tumor was in the spleen or liver and had likely spread from the mass he had seen upon bladder stone surgery in June and was diagnosed by our vet September 29, 2009 with what he thinks is adenocarcinoma. He has put him on 40 mg prednisone (20 mg twice a day) and his appetite increased only the first few days and then he went off his feed (I switched to Blue Buffalo puppy kibble as recommended by a holistic vet and from what I read on the internet) and water. We have put him on K9 Immunity critical care pack, have added 1000 mg fish oil, 1000 mg milk thistle and have a decaffeinated green tea extract ordered which will hopefully arrive soon. We also have started him on the Chinese herb Yunnan Baiyao Friday, October 9, 2009 giving him 1 capsule every 12 hours. Unfortunately our dog does not want to eat anything (we have tried just about everything we could think of as well as what other people from blogs, etc have suggested) since October 6, 2009 or drink since October 9, 2009 of last week and has developed diarrhea as of this past Friday, October 9, 2009. We have been giving him electrolytes (pedialyte) via syringe as well as force-feeding a food mix to him and have started him on peptobismol for his diarrhea as of Saturday/Sunday October 10/11. The vet says it is fine to continue him on both the prednisone and peptobismol but basically acts as if there is nothing else to do and that the cancer will likely spread to his lungs. He is exceptionally weak as of this writing. Any suggestions you may have would be most appreciated. We are really at a loss and trying to learn as much about this as possible but feel as if we are too late except to give him palliative care at this point. If that is all we can do, that is fine, I just want to know all options. Thank you for reading and this great website/blog.
Judy and Gilles
October 17th, 2009 at 9:43 pm
Hi Judy and Giles,
sounds like some vague information from your vet. You need data. Consider a second opinion and get an expanded work up to figure out what you are dealing with in reality. The guesswork makes everyone feel especially helpless as there feels like no decision can be made. Get the dog somewhere where they can help you make decisions using objective information! And try to move quickly if you can. Best, D
October 17th, 2009 at 9:48 pm
One more thing
he sounds like he had colitis (large intestine inflammation) and now enterocolitis (small and large intestine inflammation). I would taper off pred slowly, stop all the supplements, get him on a diet of chicken with baby food, and talk to the vet about some stronger meds for the inflammation of the intestine (metronidazole, tylan powder put in capsules, olsalazine, slippery elm, etc). All the stuff given by mouth could be messing up his digestive tract.
best
d
October 22nd, 2009 at 8:57 am
Dr. Dressler,
Thank you so much for your response and suggestions. We took him off the Yunnan Baiyao almost at the time of our writing to you, especially after what we thought was diagnosed as a hemangiosarcoma was now diagnosed as an adenocarcinoma. Unfortunately our dog became so weak, barely able to walk and still not eating or drinking that we decided to have him put to sleep shortly after we wrote to you. I so wish that I had contacted you earlier as he was such a fighter I find it hard to see this happen and feel as if we could have done more and have helped him, at least not to become so weak. Everything seemed to happen too fast and because we live in fairly rural area, our options for vets are somewhat limited. Before we took him to the vet, he walked down to our creek and just wanted to stay in the water, as if it made his stomach feel better. He had done the same thing a few days earlier and I had to really coax him to get out, so I was wondering if this was his way to deal with pain or inflammation and even went so far as to think about putting an icebag on his stomach area while he was resting. Was this a crazy idea? In addition, when we took him in to be put to sleep, he was so dehydrated that the vet had to use a catheter in his jugular making the whole experience that much worse, as if he was not ready to give up and I still feel guilty, not quite convinced we did the right thing at the right time. I was not happy with the results while he was on prednisone and worried that we should have stayed with Previcox which we had used after his bladder surgery off and on when he seemed in pain or was not eating with great results. The vet thought prednisone was the way to go, saying it should increase his appetite and could decrease the size of the tumor(s) but they may come back more aggressively. I understand that you can not just switch from preds to the non-steroids pain medications, so I just kept him on the preds and had actually started to decrease the amount over the last few days. For some reason I can not explain, it just made since to me but was not what the vet recommended so I was not sure what to do, which has also added to my feelings of guilt.
I also am worrying as we have 6 other dogs and one of the older dogs has recently developed diarrhea too, making me wonder if there is some connection. I will look into giving her the slippery elm.
Over the past many years, I have had 12 dogs or so, 6 are still with me, 3 of the 6 that have passed had to be put to sleep for cancer, so I am very worried about the others and truly appreciate your website and writings. One very thoughtful idea from our previous vet was to clip some hair from our dog and keep it in a baggy, which the vet said he could open and “smell” his dog whenever he wanted. Although difficult, I did appreciate his advice and have done the same thing ever since with our other dogs. Just something that maybe some of your readers may want to consider…
Again thank you so much for answering our post and caring.
judy and gilles
October 29th, 2009 at 5:55 am
We had a question regarding the K9-immunity critical care. Because we lost our dog to cancer, we still have an opened bottle of both the K9-immunity critical care and K9-Transfer factor. We were wondering if it is okay to give these to our older dogs who are not showing any signs of cancer or if we could give them to someone with a dog that may need them more than our dogs, or just to keep them for a “just in case” situation (hopefully not).
We were also wondering what else we can do to help others (pet owners, vets, dogs, etc) in the fight against cancer. Besides donating money, what other ways can one help?
Thanks again for a great website and so much help, you are an inspiration (thus the question about helping others).
Judy and Gilles
November 2nd, 2009 at 10:37 pm
Hi Judy and Giles,
I avoid the use of beta glucan containing supplements for dogs with immune mediated diseases. Broadly these are things like hypothyroidism, skin allergies, lupus, pemphigus, dry eye, lyme disease, amyloidosis/Shar Pei Fever, inflammatory bowel disease/food allergy, and others. Since we are talking about non-specific immune stimulation with beta glucans, we don’t really want to worsen problems that have an immune basis, at least theoretically. Other than that I think they are fine for healthy dogs.
Financial help of course is always a valued commodity. Helping people who comment about having financial difficulties with gifts for their dog (like a nice present of the Dog Cancer Survival Guide, hint, hint) is practical service. Giving encouragement to commenting readers helps. Helping the dog nation by volunteering at shelters with an intention to be of service increases healing overall in the world.
Thanks for your words.
Best,
D
November 4th, 2009 at 7:55 pm
Dr. Dressler-
Our boxer Camden is 10 yrs old and has been diagnosed with a splenic tumor and liver hemangiosarcoma. The tumor has ruptured and is bleeding into her abdomen which has caused her labored breathing. We don’t want to give up on her because she hasn’t given up yet. She still eats, socializes, goes to the bathroom, and is generally herself. The big problem right now is her anemia. We are giving her 15mg of prednisone daily and started 200mg twice daily of liquid milk thistle. Our vet also suggested starting her on another herbal supplement from Vietnam that will help her blood clot which I don’t have the name of. Do you have any other suggestions for us? Possible supplements to help get the anemia under control, if possible? Thanks for your time and reading about Camden. Shawn M.
November 5th, 2009 at 3:03 am
Hi Shawn M,
First, I want to say that I admire your courage to not give up on your dog. I am not a vet but am curious to see what Dr. Dressler advices for many reasons. Although to this day I am still unsure of what cancer our dog had, the vet did say it was either in the spleen or liver so I am very interested in learning about these type of cancers. We did lose our dog to this horrible disease, long story-see above comments, and I think there were a multiple of issues involved. Not asking the right questions to the right people was a big one. I learned from this website about the herb Yunnan Baiyao. If you have a chance, check it out. I can also forward you some other information I found on it. We did purchase some and I have an unopened box if you are interested. I would like to help others in anyway with their fight against cancer and can send you the box if you want. Our dog also suffered from anemia, more due to his lack of interest in eating and drinking. Our vet recommended a product called Lixotinic. It was in liquid form and our vet sold it but I did a search on the internet and found you could buy it that way also (I think they may have changed it’s name but you will find it even if you search for the lixotinic supplement). I believe they also use it for horses. I have not seen it mentioned on this site (although can’t say I have made it through all the posts) and there may be something better. Anyhow, just some things for you to search as you await Dr. Dressler’s advice. I know I spent as much time as possible trying to learn what I could for my dog as well as for us. The whole experience has made me extremely interested and motivated to learn as much as I can and to somehow help. I wish you and your dog all the best and if I can help in anyway, let me know, even if it is to just talk/write.
judy
November 5th, 2009 at 7:29 pm
Judy&Gilles-
Thanks for trying to help. We appreciate your support. Sorry for your loss. We know it hurts, we lost our first boxer 2 years ago to a tumor on his heart.
Shawn M.
November 7th, 2009 at 4:10 pm
I am feeling very betrayed by our vet tonight. We started with him because he has advanced equipment for treating arthritis. We had tried every diet and supplement we could find. We absolutely did not want to use NSAIDS. The lazer heat treatments that his office offered did not work either. It was going to be either put her down or try an NSAID. He suggested Metacam. She turned into a new dog. She was herself again. Three months later I took her in because she couldn’t get comfortable lying down. Didn’t seem to be in pain, just uncomfortable. His alternative vet suggested we go back to supplementing the Metacam with Tramadol. Two days later, the dog started having contractions in her side. We rushed her to the vet. We discussed not wanting to put her through surgery if it would only prolong her life for a short while. We insisted on x-rays and ultrasounds of her liver and lungs. The vet was very positive about her having good quality of life for a long time. He had been after me to do something about a very large lipoma. We said since she still had a good future we would do that at the same time. Today we have been telling people about her splenectomy and we get the feedback that there is no way she is going to live more than 3 – 6 months. I specifically told the vet that I didn’t want to put her through a surgery if she was just going to expire in 30 days. He did everything but bald face lie to us to get our money. Why did he encourage the lipoma be taken off when she had such a limited life expectancy? We wouldn’t have even had the splenectomy if we had know how much longer she would live. He knew from the first visit we had that we were prepared to put her down because of bad arthritis. Why would he think we would subject her to major surgery just for 3 – 6 months? I am furious.
November 8th, 2009 at 11:46 am
Shawn, I think they are probably talking about Yunnan Baiyao, or Yunnan Paiyao.
http://www.dogcancerblog.com/chinese-herb-for-bleeding-dog-cancers/
I should let you know though that if the tumor is bleeding severely the way to deal with it is with a transfusion followed by surgery to eliminate the source of blood loss. Labored breathing caused by blood pooling against the back side of the diaphragm is severe, and pills/extracts/tinctures usually will not be strong enough to deal with the problem I am sorry to say, at least not typically. The treatment would have to more more aggressive to make a big difference I feel.
Best,
D
November 8th, 2009 at 8:22 pm
Dr. D-Thanks for responding. Camden is doing very well. We wrapped her abdomen with an ace bandage and a towel for 2 days, as directed by our vet, and her body did absorb the effusion of blood in her abdomen. Since then she has been doing better. In the meantime I have been feverishly scouring the internet for info on canine cancer of the spleen and liver. I have changed her diet to boiled turkey, brown rice, chicken broth, and herbal supplements with her prescription medicine as well. I started her on liquid vitamin e complex for antioxidant benefit to boost her immune system, liquid iron supplement for her anemia, liquid milk thistle to detox her liver, yunnan paiyao capsules to stop the internal bleeding and increase blood circulation, GuiPiTang-GeXiaZhuYaTang to increase blood platelet production, plant derived digestive enzymes to aid in the breakdown of her food properly, and finally 10mg prednisone in the morning and 5mg in the evening. She improves each day and that’s a day more we get to spend great quality of life with her. She was not a candidate for surgery due to the 2 organs that cancer has settled into. Her liver “looks like swiss cheese” with the hemangiosarcoma on it. I was told a transfusion could be an option only if her RBC went up. At the time she was at 18% and going lower. The dr’s didn’t feel she would survive it. So we didn’t risk it. We really thought we were going to have to euthanize her last Tuesday 11/10, but I guess there were other plans for her. We realize we have been lucky. So I am doing the best I can to provide the best care for her as long as she wants it, until the cancer eventually takes over. Which we obviously hope is later than sooner. Hopefully someone else can benefit from the info I have posted here. I think we might have caught the cancer at the right time and help from above.
November 12th, 2009 at 9:11 am
Moose again….
I had to take him back to the vet for a lesion of some sort on his abdomen. It is (was) about the size of a quarter; it appeared almost like a little piece of skin had peeled back/scraped off somehow. The big problem was that he wouldn’t stop licking it. The vet removed it and sent it in for histopathology because he didn’t like the way it looked and said it didn’t look like anything he’d ever seen before (he’s been a vet for a very LONG time). My concern is that, even if this is a cancerous lesion, what–if anything–are my options? He has already been denied chemo and radiation for the liver tumor, so I doubt that they would be willing to do anything for this. (It was the UW Madison vet school that said he was not a good candidate for chemo.) He’s in really good shape otherwise–he’s maintaining his weight, he’s eating, he goes for walks, gets excited when people come over, jumps up on the couch and naps….
Eveyone who has seen him is very suprised–and happy–that he is doing so well. He was diagnosed with this inoperable liver tumor back in June, and he’s been fighting the good fight his long–I’d hate to see all his progress become undone because of this.
So, Dr. Dressler, my question for you is what could I do for him if the news comes back ominous (as I am currently terrified that it will)?
November 12th, 2009 at 9:44 am
My 11 year old boxer just had x rays that show an abdominal mass and spoting on the lungs. I never got any clear answers from the vet regarding how long he’s got with us. We love him very much but decided that we were not going to operate or do chemotherapy. Right now, the vet has given us morphine. This was yesterday and I am still tryng to wrap my mind around the fact that on Monday he was his old self and now he is dying.
November 12th, 2009 at 10:08 am
I wanted to add that the vet wasn’t very optomistic about the use of predizone. She said if I chose Chemo, no predizone. Surgery, other than biopsy wasn’t mentioned at all and I assume that had to do with the fact that there are quite a few spots on the lung. I told her that I was not going to put an 11 year old dog through chemo, but she did not recommend the predizone. It seems it was chemo and morphine or morphine. I took the morphine. My head is spinning with wondering what to do. Would predizone actually be helpful?
November 17th, 2009 at 2:38 pm
Shawn M. will you please contact me about what you are feeding Camden? My dog has the same type of cancer. Could you email me at kasue1954@yahoo.com ? It lets less spam through. Karen and Janie
November 22nd, 2009 at 3:35 pm
Hi,
I’ve been reading the posts here with interest. My 12y/o lab has a growth near the bottom of her spleen and bleeding in her abdomen. Almost 3 weeks ago I took her in for acupuncture and mentioned her distended abdomen. My vet did an ultrasound, lung and heart xrays, and blood work.She is anemic and the growth which is fairly small seems to be at the bottom of the spleen. The only way to know is surgery of course. I wasn’t ready to potentially lose her on the table. He said odds were 50/50. I started her on Yunnan Baiyou because I had some and knew it was good for clotting. I’ve been giving one-4x a day. What dose are you recommending? Every day I struggle with whether or not to do the surgery but feel very concerned about the anemia. It is so hard to just watch her gradually deteriorate. Is there something I can give her to help the anemia? I was also wondering about wrapping the abdomen-is this a good idea? I’m starting to think about trying the surgery but feel so worried about the anemia.I just don’t see how she could survive it being anemic-am I off on this? At this point she still eats but only salmon, meat,and a little canned food. Thanks for any input!
November 26th, 2009 at 10:08 pm
Hello Dr. Dressler. We have a 9 year old Siberian Husky that has been diagnosed with Squamous Cell Carcinoma that first manifested itself on her tonsil. We had it excised approx. 2 months ago. Prior to the surgery, Abbie’s breath was very foul and it was great, almost puppy-like immediately following the surgery. I don’t know whether to attribute this to the antibiotics she was given or to the removal of the tumor. Following the tissue biopsy and diagnosis, we discussed various treatment options with our Vet who has been very supportive of our decision to not put her through chemo and radiation treatment.
Instead, we have put her on a diet of cooked chicken / beef mixed into a “special sauce” of cottage cheese blended with organic flax seed oil w/ Lignans (2:1) which is called a “Budwig Protocol” for human cancer victims. She eats approximately 1 to 2 cups of the oil/cottage cheese mix daily. We supplement this diet with twice daily “Hoxsey-Like” formula elixer (1.5 ml each); 20 barley grass pills (340 mg each)spread thoughout the day; an Essiac vegi-cap; 500 mg Bromelain; beta Glucan (700 mg); Potassium Gluconate (550 mg); Ester C (500 mg); Heart Plus Caplet; IP 6 & Inositol and a Krill Oil Caplet.
To date, Abbie has been doing quite well. She shows no outward signs of illness and appears and acts like quite a healthy and happy girl. She still enjoys playing with our other dog ( 4 year old Boxer) and acts normally, although her breath is not as sweet as immediately following the surgery. It’s nowhere near as foul as prior to her surgery however.
Anyway, we are contemplating the addition of some Graviola to the above mix and would appreciate your comments or recommendation regarding its use.
Thanks in Advance
Tim & Darla
November 28th, 2009 at 7:01 am
Hi-
Camden passed away yesterday. She fought hard, but the cancerous tumor on her spleen caused her to hemorrhage for the third time in a month. She went quietly and at home. Good luck to all of you fighting cancer with your dogs.
November 29th, 2009 at 9:14 pm
Judy,
surgery is your best chance for both increased survival and possible cure. Get a skilled vet or a board certified surgeon. Transfusion before surgery is standard when you have severe anemia before surgery.
See the blog post on yunnan baiyao:
http://www.dogcancerblog.com/chinese-herb-for-bleeding-dog-cancers/
best,
Dr D
December 10th, 2009 at 8:20 am
My 9 year old precious Maltese, has just be diagoised with Oral Malignant Melanoma. Stage 1. Should I put her through Chemo and radiation, as well as the immunization shot? I don’t want her to suffer needlessly with these treatments, only to have her die in a couple months. She is acting normal right now. Please help. The doctors want to start treatment on Tuesday.
December 13th, 2009 at 12:26 pm
Susan,
please read and really consider the following post:
http://www.dogcancerblog.com/the-most-important-question-in-dog-cancer-care/
You also need to gather data about survival times and odds related to side effects or adverse reactions. Suffering needlessly may or may not be a part of your dog’s future. It is time for more information gathering from those providing the treatments so you can, with a clear mindset, be your dog’s number one health care advocate. You may want to read the e-book I wrote to help in this process too.
Best,
Dr D
January 26th, 2010 at 4:24 am
Dr. Dressler,
My 11 year-old shepherd mix Jakey had recurring hemangiosarcoma on his back left leg. My vet and a nearby vet school recommended amputation to extend his life by “hopefully” 6 months. That was 3 years ago next month! I’m so thankful for the past 3 years! But this past Sunday he was diagnosed with lung cancer, probably mets from the hemangio. He can’t stand up for long, but does seem excited to get up and go outside, will eat this special game meat food I found and seems to enjoy being around people, so I’m not ready to end his life yet. He is on regularly scheduled pain meds and does not appear to be in any distress.
My dilemna is that I don’t want to leave him alone for long and I work 12 hour night shifts. My pet sitter has agreed to stay with him overnight, but do you think making these changes would be more disruptive to him than to just leave our schedule the way it has always been? I don’t mind paying for the overnight visits at all, but I don’t want to freak Jake out. Do you think it would be comforting for him to have someone with him all the time? He knows the pet sitters, they’ve been with us for years, so they aren’t strangers, but they don’t usually spend the night. My vet said he might live another 2 weeks or maybe another 2 months…if he was actively dying I would just stay home with him, but we’re in this in-between state right now and I don’t know what would be best for him.
Any advice you have would be appreciated.
January 31st, 2010 at 3:55 pm
Dear Laura,
check out the life quality assessment portion of the Dog Cancer Survival Guide. There is also a blog post that can help:
http://www.dogcancerblog.com/life-quality-in-dog-cancer-dr-dresslers-joys-of-life-scale/
You need to consider your dog’s life quality for his time here. You are the best judge, but get the information you need first.
Best
Dr D
February 8th, 2010 at 4:13 pm
Hi,
We have a 15 year old cocker Spaniel Mix, Hanna, who has been retaining fluid in her abdomen. We had 3lbs (of fluid) drained atthe vet last week and had all kinds of tests run…came back that her organs were fine, she was slightly anemic and the fluid contained no blood only high level of protiens, x-ray did not show any significant mass…She has been on salix (diuretic) and the last two days has lost her appitite…The Vet now perscribed predisone to see if we could get her to start eating…Any suggestions?? She has been taking short walks and is still very interested in the family and what everyone is doing…Any suggestions would be appreciated!!!
February 15th, 2010 at 8:53 pm
Dear Mary,
It is critical to get a diagnosis. An ultrasound is needed as the next step.
Dog life quality assessment is important you should read up on this…covered in detail in the book which is an important resource…also
http://www.dogcancerblog.com/life-quality-in-dog-cancer-dr-dresslers-joys-of-life-scale/
Best,
Dr D
February 18th, 2010 at 11:29 pm
Dear Dr. Dressler:
I’m in the same boat as the reader Jared from May 11th, 2009. My choc lab was also diagnosed with primary lung cancer with a large tumor pushing her heart to one side of her chest and many other metastases in both lungs. My vet isn’t experienced in chemo for small animals so she sent me to another clinic here in town. Kona is now on Vinorelbine and has started her first treatment. My vet doesn’t have much experienc with this med and is referring to a local university vet clinic for advice. I would like to know what I can expect from this treatment as he claims to not know but we’ll re-xray her in two weeks and see if there’s any improvement. I now have to force feed her special RX dog food since she won’t eat even the tastiest meats i cook for her. She isn’t throwing up food but does thrown up water daily. Can I expect the tumor to shrink? Her quality of life right now isn’t very good. She continues to lose weight, is very tired all the time and sleeps 95% of the day. She also seems depressed. When I’m home she just follows me around the house and plops down to sleep. What is the expectation with this treatment realistically?
February 21st, 2010 at 12:41 pm
Dear Cami,
the data is all over the place. Here’s a reference for you:
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/119822218/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0
Bottom line is that first a diagnosis needs to be made and secondly the tumor should be removed surgically for maximum survival time. It also depends on how much spread of the (presumed) tumor there is. As you can see, in terms of tumor shrinkage, the majority of dogs did not respond to vinorelbine by itself very much.
I hope this helps.
You may want to consider getting the info on quality of life and other important factors that will be coming up for you in the Guide. A good portion of the book deals with some of the more slippery ideas and how to make decisions that work for both you and your Lab.
Best,
Dr D