Hi Dr. Dressler,

Of course there are many things to consider after such grave diagnosis’. Yet MORE to digest and being aware of. Often times the more options put forth … the more questions become needed. As I described in my post of what supplement is best for dogs with diagnosed mast cell cancers.

Our veterinarian did not suspect mast cell cancer at all so he did not give our dog a Benadryl injection prior to removing the skin growth that we found on our 9 1/2 - 10 -year-old Golden Retriever earlier this month. And, unfortunately, I did not know about you or your blog then or read about doing this. In your other post on mast cell tumors and pre-surgery Benadryl injection you said “Make sure that your Vet is on the ball…”

We have been very happy with the veterinarian that we have been going to for over four years now. He and his colleague have been veterinarians for 25-30 years and he has the bedside manners of an angel and anything we have needed him for … his answers and his logic and his medical explanations have never been disappointing.

But how can someone really know if the Veterinarian they have chosen (or have been pleased with many years) is on the ball with EVERYTHING? This is really a rhetorical question for obvious reasons.

We have had our Golden a little over 6 1/2 years and we had been to 3 other Veterinarians prior to finding our current veterinarian. He was able to help her with a big problem several years ago when everyone else (including ourselves and service dog personnel and the three other veterinarians) were at a loss. But that is another topic/medical problem.

When we went to get our Golden’s stitches removed last week from her recent surgery (removing what was LATER found out to be mast cell tumor - grade 3) I asked him if he had ever heard of giving an injection of Benadryl prior to a surgery on a potential mast cell cancer tumor. It was a chaotic day and neither my husband or I remember his response! He responded right away without hesitation but I can’t remember a thing he said. I have a “feeling” that he MAY have been ‘baffling us with bullsh*t’ but I can’t say for sure now. And, of course, NOW it doesn’t matter as it was not done.

Unfortunately, I think many of us find ourselves in a predicament whereby a certain condition comes up with our beloved pets and THAT is when one finds out if their veterinarian “is totally on the ball.” Unfortunately so. Perhaps that could be another topic — the list of a thousand questions you should ask your veterinarian before choosing him or her as your veterinarian!

The list of potential problems/conditions is ongoing and that poses a problem when it does comes to choosing a veterinarian as well as where someone lives. That is one reason why I like the program MYSTERY DIAGNOSES (for humans) because people find themselves going from doctor to doctor to doctor for years on end before finding the problem. And sometimes the problems the conditions are SO RARE that it may take one doctor in 10,000 that is familiar with THAT certain condition. Been there, done that with myself and “syringomyelia”. Took 4 years for my diagnoses. And a great percentage of those people, including myself, had to diagnose themselves!

The myriad of symptoms also propose a problem and OFTEN throws doctors off. One recent medical condition that I saw on that program was so rare that the blood test to confirm it was only done in another country (I think it was Switzerland)!

So, our veterinarian is very good but NOW, we see, is not perfect. When he called us with the grave diagnosis he also told us that further surgeries or treatments would not help at this point. We most assuredly agree and would not allow further surgeries had he suggested any. And then, many folks like ourselves, do not have thousands of dollars to spend on treatments that may only give her five more months (as an example). Quality of life over quantity of life again. A dog can become a research animal with the best of intentions but certain choices may put the dog through too much and then the dog passes away only months later anyway.

Dr. Dressler … You were very fortunate to be able to go to Cornell. And I am from, and used to live, only about 45 minutes away from there. It is one of the best colleges especially for veterinary medicine. And it most definitely sounds like you have more than a vested interest in everything you can find out beyond schooling. But, for the rest of us, how to find more “Dr. Dressler’s” is surely not an easy task!

Thank you,
Lori Michaelson

I think, but am not certain, that our veterinarian described Brandy’s skin growth on her underbelly in very much the same way you did. Even though I know he is an experienced veterinarian… I felt I had to ask him if he had seen anything similar after his close examination prior to surgery. And I was very pleased with his answers although his first educated guess was that it was probably nothing.

I know there are many many wonderful veterinarians out there and I DO include ours as one of them.

My long post was really to help so many of us know if our “Vet is on the ball.” I now do not know if HAD HE given Brandy a Benadryl injection (just to be safe) prior to surgery — could it have saved her many many more months or years? Something we will never know.

In other words, I guess sometimes it does come down to responsible pet owners to find out as much as they can about ANY conditions. As well as to keep the closest eyes you have on your beloved pet.

Brandy was our first Golden and I remember doing all kinds of Internet research for information on them. Right away I found out that they were more prone to hip dysplasia. But she was not yet two years old yet and I was hoping she would not acquire it. Not so lucky. One morning she tried to get up and walk and she “froze” — scaring us greatly. And THEN finding the diagnosis that she did have it. Very early on.

Cancer was the very last thing we would have been thinking of even during her later years. Yet we had to find out the hard way. *sigh*. I had NEVER come across this type of cancer in all that I have read. But I know now!

A big thanks to you and Rochelle!

And now… OUR household dilemma described in the Omega-3 vs Krill oil thread!

Lori Michaelson

Hi Julia,
I am sorry to hear this bad news. Grade 3 MCT are not good. BUT there are some things to consider:
First, consider MDR-1 mutation testing. See the next blog. Rarely a problem in Labs but if you want to be extra extra extra safe get it done.
Second, DEFINITELY discuss cimetidine and triamcinolone acetonide infusions. Print out the blog for dosing. The triamcinolone also can decrease the oral pred requirements.
Third: other things! There is tons of unsound advice out there that has not been really checked out for safety and/or benefit. Here are some things that have:
Ask your vet about ND commercial food, shown to extend life by itself in lympho dogs (without other treatment) by median 6 months, which is solid.
IF No ND, then please research and consider implementation of the following AFTER consulting with your vet or oncologist for precautions (presented for information only but not recommendations for your dog):
a.go low carb, high fat, moderate protein diet. Cancers love carbs. Change foods very slowly by mixing with regular food over 2 weeks to stave off diarrhea.
b.Add fish oil or krill oil (I like krill) up to about 18 caps per day. Introduce slowly and work your way up, also over 2 weeks. Some oncologists don’t like the antioxidants in some of these in the astaxanthin found therein during chemotherapy…a theoretical concern but discuss with your vet.
c. A vitamin supplement, normal doses. DO NOT load up on antioxidants but maintenance antioxidant have been shown to lessen toxicity of chemo without decreasing efficacy.

Regardless of diet, also learn about:
Beta Glucans (see K-9 Immunity), non specific immune stimulator, seems to help with survival times in my experience.
Melatonin, AT NIGHT. Total darkness at night. Anticancer effect documented very well, almost totally ignored in vet med.
EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate) daily (check out Teavigo). Anticancer effect documented, also almost totally unknown in vet med except one rediculous toxicity paper using 200X standard human doses where they killed a bunch of beagles. Disgusting.
Luteolin, multiple documented anticancer effects.
JUVEN, mixed in cottage cheese especially if your dog starts losing weight.
Modified citrus pectin. Antimetastasis effect by receptor blocking documented, also unknown in vet med(okay, you get the idea..)
Curcumin mixed in lecithin for absorption through intestinal wall, start slow, work your way up to full dose over 2 weeks. Can make stool yellow.

Start fresh ginger, 1 teaspoon peeled and chopped, daily in food for nausea and mild immune stim, also mild pro-apoptosis effect in cancer cells.

Direct sunlight, for black dogs about 1-2 hours twice weekly to boost active Vit D3 (don’t bother with oral, can’t get high enough levels), don’t overheat your dog.

Excercise, train, build your dog’s self esteem, stimulate and interact with your dog a lot.

There are gobs of other things but that should get your teeth in something.

Best,
Dr D

Hello, Dr. Dressler

I just learned a couple of days ago that the bump on the muzzle of my 8 year old male dachshund is a mast cell tumor. This was determined after an aspiration taken by our vet. The bump, which as been there for up to a year or so, has recently gotten a little larger and does seem to swell/shrink a bit. This bump is on the upper right side of his muzzle and is now about the size of a dime, but initially was the size of a bug/mosquito bite (about a year ago.) It has not changed size over the past 3 months, give or take. Having read other accounts, this sounds like a slow rate of spread to me.

He is a very healthy dog who joins me regularly for 4+ mile hikes and/or runs in steep terrain and I have observed no other drastic signs or symptoms in his behavior. I have noticed that he has had occasional scratching episodes when no fleas or other skin irritants are present, but these are short lived and not severe ( ie no self mutilation). I understand now this could be related to the release of histamines associated with the tumor. This symptom has been present for about a year or more, but doesn’t occur often. I plan to treat this with 1mg of Benadryl/per 1 lb of body weight if it reappears.

So the vet is telling me that the recommended procedure for this is to remove the tumor, but that it will be very difficult to get good margins. Moreover, she says that my dog may be quite disfigured after the surgery (not just scarred but disfigured!) She also stressed that there are no guarantees that this tumor has not metastasized, which would render the procedure pointless. Moreover, it is not known at this point if the tumor is indeed malignant.

I read on another site that mast cell tumors that have been around several months without significant growth are often benign. What’s your take on that? Part of my dilemma is that I would hate to put my dog through the stress associated with this procedure, and remove part of his nose when it may be unnecessary, or may not even stop the spread of the cancer. And if the tumor is malignant, what kind of quality of life is he going to have after such a procedure? It seems to me that he’s perfectly OK - strong appetite, appropriate weight, good temperament and great stamina, etc, and that has been unchanged over the past year.

I recognize the real challenge here is the location of the tumor and whether or not the entire tumor and margins can be removed. Are there any alternative methods of treatment you might recommend that are less invasive?

Are there any key follow up questions I should ask my vet about his prognosis? Is there more information or data that can be analyzed from lab tests that show the grade or severity of the tumor? What kind of nerve damage or other impact on his olfactory senses could be caused by the procedure?

Based on what information I have, and the signs/symptoms present, I am leaning towards riding this out without surgical removal of the tumor. It just seems like a big gamble for something that might not require such drastic measures or prove ineffective. If I thought that this procedure would cure him, but still leave him disfigured, then I would do it. But that question cannot be answered.

Any help or insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your time.

Thanks so much, Dr. Dressler!

I will be heading back to the vet this week to have him looked at again, likely get the biopsy done, and discuss your suggestions. I am also not very far from UC Davis and my pet sitter recommended I tap into that resource as well.

As I get more information, I will return to post the information in hopes of helping others out there.

thanks again…Matt

Hello, Dr. Dressler:

My 6 year old Boston Terrier just had a number of small masses removed, several identified by needle aspirate as MST. Our onocologist recommended fametidine (5mg for an 11kg dog).

What are your thoughts on Cimetidine versus Fametidine?

My brief lit review of available journals seemed to indicate that the inhibiting factors found in Cimetidine are not present in other H2 blockers. Would you advise asking my onocolgist about switching my dog over to Cimetidine? Or are there other factors that might preferentially indicate fametidine?

Thanks so much,

Chris

Dr. Dressler,

My dog is under the supervision of the Onocology team at the University of Florida’s Small Animal Hospital (Lucky for both my furry child and I, we live in the area).

The histopath results for my dog’s masses came back quite good. Of 12 masses removed, only 5 were MST. 3 were Grade 1, excised with clean margins. 2 were graded as low Grade 2, excised with clean margins. The onocologist recommended discontinuing any H2 blockers for the time being.

However, I went ahead and ordered a number of supplements to help my little boy along. He’s been taking 1000mg of purified fish oil daily (which seems to be the indicated dosage, from what I’ve been able to cobble together, for an 11kg canine). The Oncologist indicated that this was a good treatment option, as eha/dha have a number of concurrent health benefits beyond MST “starvation.” In addition, I now have a 99% decaffeinated EGCG supplement (4mg total caffeine content per softgel), and I’m going to start him on 200mg twice a day. I also ordered softgels of 750mg curcumin extract. My read is that 375mg 2x daily is about the right dosage for his size and weight.

Even our Oncologists was not aware of the recent literature on EGCG and Curcumin. I sent them links to a few selected articles (PubMed).

I’m feeling good about both my Boston’s prognosis, and the combination of supplements I have arrayed for him. I am curious, however, if I have the dosage right. I know I’m not at a level where toxicity would be an issue, but I would like to know if there is any other literature out there re: the proper dosing.

Chris, there are no published doses in dogs for any of these. But I will give you my opinion on what you wrote:
1. The dose of EGCG is way too high for a Boston. I would give about 125 mg of EGCG daily for a large dog. You have 400 mg daily for a dog about 1/4 of this size. I think that is way. I would give 25-50 mg, once daily, on an empty stomach (or with as little food as you can).
2. I also think the dose of Curcumin is high also. An average supplement dose for a human is about, very roughly and depending on manufacturer, 250-500 mg daily of Curcumin itself. If you assume a 150 lb human, the supplement dose (antioxidant dose, which true is too low but just FYI) for a 25 lb dog is 1/6 that amount, or roughly 45-85 mg daily. You are proposing giving 750 mg of curcuminoids daily. Okay, true, most of this stuff will get passes in the feces, but…even so, seems pretty high to me. Why don’t you give 1/2 of the capsule you ordered daily mixed in soy lecithin, which you can get from the health food store. Use a turkey baster of a syringe from your oncologist to dose your dog. Give on an empty stomach please.
Get their input and approval before doing this so you can be sure everything is okay before starting (sounds like you are doing so..)!!

Sounds like you are working on getting the oncologists up to speed on cancer treatment beyond surgery, chemo and radiation!! Nice!

Glad to hear no grade 3, but keep on those tumor sites regardless, as sometimes (rarely) the grade does not always indicate tumor behavior..

“Good on you” for taking the time to be your dog’s health advocate!!
Dr D

Yay!!
Good!
Again, don’t forget the soy lecithin for curcumin absorption enhancement..
D

You are welcome!
Hm. If a mast cell tumor is in the lymphatics, it is likely in the body…I believe based on what you wrote that your oncologist likely does not want to do surgery because the cells are already in the body, and if one is doing surgery one of the main goals is getting the cancer out of the body (or debulking the growth because it is a problem based on size, getting infected, etc). So perhaps that is why they are choosing radiation instead of surgery at this stage- getting the cells out is not likely since they have spread..although without a bit more info I cannot give you a certain answer.
Hope that helps!
Dr D

Krishna, answer to mast cell tumor within a lymph node (and likely lymphatics): The lymphatics are a circulatory system, like blood. When cancer cells are within lymph nodes, there is a pretty high probability they are in the body, circulating in lymphatics…but as micrometastasis, which are hard to pick up because they are just cells imbedded in places they should not be, or circulating, not doing much…but later they pop up as cancer metatstases.
I believe, although I cannot be sure, that that is why they suggest radiation instead of surgery at this time.

Dear Dr. Dressler,

I see that your expertise is with dogs but I was wondering if you would be able to comment on possible treatments for a cat who recently had surgery for a malignant rectal mast cell tumor (it was just inside the rectum, not far). My cat is an 8 year old male, neutered, domestic mix although possibly half Russian Blue. He\’s always been a very active and energetic cat, his diet is both canned (Wellness brand) and dry kibble (Nutro natural). Prior to the discovery of the growth and subsequent surgery, he had no symptoms. The tumor was found incidentally while our regular vet was expressing his anal glands during an routine office visit. He had surgery 4 weeks ago and the pathology came back saying that the growth was a malignant mast cell tumor. (He recovered just fine from the surgery and his back to his old normal self.) We had a consultation with an oncologist vet last week who wants to do an ultrasound, re-tested his blood (all normal, no mast cells floating around) and has suggested radiation therapy or possibly chemo with CCNU (lomustine). My questions are these:

1. Is ultrasound the best diagnostic imaging for small animals to check for other tumors that might be inside or should they be doing an MRI, CT or X-Ray?

2. Assuming no other tumors are found, is radiation therapy the best first choice for this type of tumor, since there was no way they could excise it to clean margins, or would chemo be a better choice? (I can\’t imagine getting my cat into the carrier and to their clinic 3x a week for 5 weeks plus subjecting him to anesthesia each time.) I\’m not sure how effective radiation would be, plus the possibility that the tissue in that area could become scarred, painful and interfere with proper defecation.

3. Should I adjust his diet to exclude foods with grains?

4. Should I add any supplements such as curcumin, which I had been reading about earlier before I found your site here?

5. Do you know someone who is an expert on this in cats that you could point me to? There is so little information or studies done on visceral MCT\’s in cats (especially rectal) it\’s very difficult to know what the best course of treatment is
.
Thank you.
Jessica

The recommended treatment for grade 2 mast cell tumors is wide excision. That means wide margins (a lot of tissue removed…hopefully 1-1.5 inches on all sides approximately. Although the malignant potential of grade 2 MCT’s can be malignant, some are not. Try to get a wide excision done, that, in my opinion, is the best use of your dollars. Get the cells out of the dog.
Oncologists have not researched the information on this blog. It might be illuminating printing the abstracts on the links I provide for his or her review…it can help everyone involved. He/she should almost definitely have heard of cimetidine (as most everyone has…it is Tagamet, a common over the counter med).

Cathy,
Your post requires individualized attention as it is too complex. You can contact me directly. What did your vet say? He or she should be addressing many of these concerns.
D

1. There are no studies I am aware of showing that neoplastic mast cells respond to stimulation either by beta glucans or by cimetidine.
2. The medicinal mushrooms as a group tend to protect against side effects of chemotherapy. More specifically cordyceps protects against marrow suppression from cyclophosphamide and nephrotoxicity from other agents. Do a search for cordyceps and colony stimulating factor in the bone marrow and nephrotoxicity. There are also links in the medicinal mushrooms blog you should read.
3. Intralesional triamcinolone is for MCT of the skin/subcutis, not spleen, correct.
4. “Antioxidants” is a huge area and is hugely oversimplified in conventional veterinary thinking. Read the blog post on it, and also the one on ozone for some supplemental info. I will do another one soon to help with people’s general understanding.

Other than that, try to read the blog posts one by one. I have a book coming soon too that tries to do exactly what you are requesting.

D

Thanks so much,
Dr D

Marti,
I am sorry to hear this bad news. It is all too common.
please check out the latest blog entries on radiation and the previous one on life quality.
Also do a search on luteolin. Key words luteolin, mast cell stabilization, and cancer, etc. You should look into Lutimax which contains luteolin.
You should be thinking about intralesional triamcinolone, cimetidine, carb restriction, and all the rest of it. Honestly, it would benefit you and yours to just start reading this blog from the beginning….lots to talk about!!
Go Big Red!
Best,

Great to hear good news! D

My vet doesn’t want to upset my dog’s system right now by changing his diet prior to radiation, but she was willing to consider the luteolin after I gave her some links from some research I did online. However, I could not find anything about dosing info, and this was new info for her. He ways approximately 65 pounds. Any advice?

He takes benadryl twice a day andhas been getting dermcaps forever due to skin dryness and allergies, so I don’t think that he would need a new fish oil supplement. When he was undergoing chemo, she put him on famotadine instead of cimetidine. What is it that the latter offers, that the former does not, and is there any research to document this? She had us take him off of the famotadine once we stopped with the chemo. Should we request that he start back up with the cimetidine? She didn’t tell us the protocol yet, so that may be part of it.

I’m concerned, mostly because of his age, that she wants him to undergo radiation 5 days a week every week for a month. Doesn’t that seem like an awful lot? It will be in a small area just around his lip where the tumor appeared / reappeared, but still.

Dr. Dressler,
Please give me some advice. My dachshund was just diagnosed with a mast cell tumor by his anus. I went to a surgeon on the vet\\\’s advice and she said she wouldn\\\’t be able to get much of a margin because of its location. And he would possibly be fecally incontinent.

I asked the vet about using prednisone to shrink it some. (it\\\’s about 1 cm). She said prednisone doesn\\\’t work well with mast cell tumors. She said surgery is the best option.

Is there any alternative to help him? He\\\’s healthy otherwise, but this week I see that pooping seems to be harder for him.

What else can be done for this boy? I just lost my other dog recently–she was older and had kidney failure. I\\\’m not ready to see him go too.

Thank you,
Marcia

Mardi,
there is no published dose in dogs. This is outside the box, extrapolated from humans.
Go to the Lutimax website (SynoRx is the manufacturer) for more info, a good place to start….
Dr D

Dr. Dressler,

My dog has recently had a Mast Cell Tumor removed from her mouth, just under her tongue. She is now going through radiation treatment and has completed three treatments so far. My doctor is pushing for chemotherapy while we are going through the radiation, but I am hesitant because I had another Oncologist tell me that chemo during radiation can cause some problems. What is your opinion on this?

Also, last Monday I found another lump (about the size of an egg yoke and with the same texture) on her rear right knee. I had it aspirated and the doctor said that it was another MCT because of the amount of Mast Cells that were found in the blood. By Thursday it had disappeared and the surgeon decided not to operate. At the same time all of this has been occurring, the dog has been suffering from one infection after another. First the ears, then the anal glands, salivary gland, and then a bumpy red rash in the pubic region with a few bumps around the area where the “MCT” was supposedly on her knee. Last night I found a flea on her tail (the first flea I have seen in three years.) My question here is, could all of this be caused by a reaction to fleas? Could the “MCT” on her knee really have been a severe reaction to a fleabite? She has had some problems with skin allergies in the past, but has only been exposed to fleas once, about three and a half years ago.

I have noticed that much of the treatment and research for MCT (like other diseases) is concentrated on attacking and defusing the direct threat. In this case it’s the MCT. Has anyone ever looked past the MCT itself, at the correlation between MCT and hyper allergic animals, to see if they are more likely to develop an MCT?

Very Respectfully,

Jon

PS. If I may make a comment from a patients point of view. I have found that doctors and vets are a lot like college professors. Many of them are profoundly great at what they do, but many are also profoundly over confident with their knowledge. Your advice to one of the previous writers was spot on, by telling her to get a second opinion. I have found that the more opinions I get the better, and the more interested the doctor is in my dog, the more honest the treatment for the dog is as well (generally.) In the case of serious disease such as MCT, I have found that it is better to drive a good distance to get the right doctor at the right price, which also seems to be higher with uninterested doctors…

God Bless you and all the Vets that take time out to go the extra mile and answer our questions!

Dr Dressler,

Thank you for creating this blog. My bulldog mix is a happy healthy dog expect for the MCT issue. Her first MCT was on her FL leg, which we had removed with a botched skin graph. This surgery left her leg disfigured and months of recovery. I went to a specialist thinking for sure she was in good hands. Her 2nd MCT appeared on the other front leg just August of this year. This time we went to our local vet and they removed it and got clear margins with a simple incision and quick recovery.

Just the other night I was bathing her and while washing her muzzle I found the 3rd one. Our vet is on maternity leave but they exised it and of course it was a MCT. I asked they give me prednisone and we are giving her benadryl twice a day. Her surgery is scheduled for Dec 26.

My questions are:
1. What questions should I be asking?
2. What are the best grain free allergy sensitive foods on the market?
3. What is the best supplement or combo of supplements to help dogs suffering from recurring MCT’s?
4. Both her prior surgeries she has gotten clean margins. This one on her muzzle concerns me. Should we be approaching this differently?

Thank you, I will try anything as long as she is happy and healthy.

Jon, there is a bit of a link between MCT and allergic stimulation. I will blog on this in the future.
However, a MCT is not an actual allergic reaction, it is a cancer, as you are aware. They fluctuate in size based on the histamine released within the mass which causes swelling which can then decrease over time.
My personal belief is to stage radiation/chemo, not simultaneously.
D

Nardine,
I am glad to hear Mystik is doing well!
D

Mattew, first hopefully you can get a second opinion on the path review. You are considering chemo in a 1 year old, with occasional severe side effects that could affect life quality. Make sure you get confirmation of a grade 3.
I cannot give recommendations to individual dog owners.
Research luteolin, which is a bioflavonoid with nice anticancer effects that stabilizes mast cells (Lutimax). Research curcumin, and omega 3 fatty acids like krill oil and or salmon oil. Read previous blog entries about building self esteem and diet.
Good luck,
D

Hi Dr. Dressler! Thank you so much for having the most comprehensive source of advice on the internet with personalized and thorough responses.

Like many of the people on here, I am trying to figure out the best way to support my wonderful dog, Fallin– my chocolate lab who recently had a Grade 2 mast cell tumor removed with clean margins (not as wide as they would have liked, but they say they got it all). My vet recommended that I just closely monitor Fallin for tumors to return. However, I hate feeling that it is just a waiting game and there is nothing else that I can do.

I would like to get her on a healthy diet with the appropriate supplements in order to boost her immune system to be proactive and hopefully keep tumors from not coming back. Do you have any suggestions as to a specific diet and supplements to support me on this plight?

I currently bought Blue Buffalo food, which is organic and has more natural products than the dry food I was using before. Before that, I tried to make a homemade, carb free diet (”cancer diet”), but her stomach did not take well to it even when I tried to ween her onto it slowly with the dry food. I also started to give her the Budwig’s protocol that I read about online, which is the organic cottage cheese blended with flax seed oil.

Besides food, I am especially interested in a specific regiment of supplements, vitamins, etc. I have done some searches online, and there is just so much out there that I don’t know where to begin! I don’t want to go crazy and buy everything!!

Could you help with ideas on diet and supplements? Fallin will be 4 years old in April and is around 80 pounds of love! =)

Thanks so much,
Amy

Dear Dr. Dressler,
I have posted twice but I guess I forgot to put in the website that I posted to. At any rate our border collie/shepherd mix, Cassie has a mast cell tumor located on her leg where the hock meets the thigh. Clear margins cannot be achieved and there would be a big hole where the tumor was. She would need a skin flap. The tumor has been graded as a I and I have decided not to put her through the agony of an operation. She has two spots showing up on an ultrasound and Xrays. One is by the spleen and the other is near the lungs. I am going to have a needle aspirate done on the one by the spleen. I guess that chemo and radiation therapy would be the way to go. I live in Ottawa, Canada and it would be so expensive for me to get the food and supplements that you have on your website. Can you suggest a protocol for my Cassie as I am so bewildered at this point I don’t know what to do. The vet wants to amputate her leg. This is riduculous I think. I cannot get a second opinion from other vets because she is already involved with the one I have. They are very pickey here and I already lost one dog to mast cell tumors. She suffered a great deal because the vet did not get the proper margins and did not stitch her up properly. I am so scared that this is going to happen again I am beside myself. If you could give me some suggestions I would very much appreciate. Thank you.
Joanne

Hi Ashley,
the most favored chemo protocol with mast cell tumors, in my opinion, is prednisolone with vinblastine. That is a better combo as far as I am concerned. You should be in touch with an oncologist if possible.
Also in my opinion, I doubt that K-9 immunity is too much of an overload, but every dog is different and I cannot give individual dog advice. You should discuss luteolin with your vet as well (see that blog post).
D

Shirley,
good work on advising the benadryl injection. Raw diets for cancer dogs is usually a bit of a no-no. Sometimes the immune system is not up to par and the microbes in the packaged meat may be too much.
The blood test you are talking about is called a buffy coat smear, good idea.
The conventional perspective is to do chemo, but many vets do not advise it for grade 2, since sometimes it turns out fine. Other times not so, so we have a quandary. There is no right answer. If you decline chemo, advise frequent full body cancer checks (ultrasounds, cbc, chem panel, urinalysis, chest films, buffy coat smea, physical exams, aspirates as appropriate) frequently as decided by you and your vet.
You might want to discuss EGCG, Curcumin, krill and Luteolin with your vet.
D

Dear Dr. Dressler,

My 3 year old golden lab recently (October) had a mast cell tumour removed from his chest. It was classified as grade 2, they believe it was removed with clean margins and liver and spleen biopsies (and ultrasound) indicated that the tumour did not appear to have metastasized (sp?) at this point.
He has been particularly itchey dog all of his life (chews his feet ALOT), and this doesn’t seem to have changed. In addition his scar from his surgery seems to change colour (some days seem very red), something that we had noticed with his actual tumour, is this something we should be worrying about?
At this point in time we have been advised that additional treatment does not seem necessary and that we should just check him over regularly for lumps etc.. does this seem reasonable advice?
Thank you so much for your time and help

Dear Dr. Dressler,
Cassie had her first chemo done today,also fine needle aspirate of the dot on her spleen. The protocol that this oncologist is using is as follows: Vinblastine and lomustine with prednisone pill. Is this a good protocol. She pooh pooh the luteolin and did not even want to hear about it. She told me that she is the oncologist and that I must follow what she says. Unfortunately this Animal Hospital (tops in our city of Ottawa) is the only one that does chemo. So, I guess that I am stuck with her protocol. The above would go on for nine weeks. Boy is this chemo expensive. Thank goodness I have pet insurance!!! It only covers $2,000 but that is better than nothing. I have been giving it some thought and I am considering ordering the K9 Immunity, even though our dollar is only worth 79 cents. Do you think that it would really help my dog. As I said before I don’t get good vibes off of the people I have seen so far so I am left in the lurch, sort of speak, and have to trust them whether I like it or not. Your comments or any help you can give would be most helpful. Once again I would like to take this opportunity to thank you as I know you are very busy.
Regards,
Joanne

Natalie, sorry to hear about this.
Sounds like you may have an allergic dog, which has a theoretical link with mast cell tumors. Talk to your vet about treatment for itch, also whether benadryl and cimetidine might be worthwhile. Find out also the mitotic index of the tumor (how many cells were dividing per high power field, a measure of how aggressive it is). If 5 or less, this is more aggressive (a fast moving cancer) and you would, in my opinion, consider more treatment. If over 5, median survival is 70 months, generally less aggressive.
D

That is too bad about the oncologist. You might want to read the post about prejudice in viewpoints, which, of course, is just another viewpoint (mine)! As far as chemo goes, yes, it is good. And in all honesty oncologists have more experience than I delivering chemo protocols as that is what they spend most of their time doing. I cannot say whether the K-9 immunity will for sure help your dog, only that some dogs benefit from beta glucans…which is the best anyone can say.
D

Dear Dr. Dressler,
I realize I have already asked you about artemisinin but found some web-sites that sell it and it all so different. Can you recommend a company to buy it from so that I don’t get some placebo or something. Also how much per day would you give to a 60 pound dog. This might help Cassie.
I phoned her Oncologist today and she really took offence to my asking again about intralesional triamcinolone. Unfortunately Alta Vista Animal Hospital here in Ottawa is the only facility in this City that give Chemo. I am stuck and that is it. Hopefully what she is doing will work. Cassie is only seven and very strong so I am hoping she will pull thru. Thanks Dr. D.
Joanne

Joanne, yes, most definitely talk to your vet about intralesional triamcinolone!!
Good luck,
D

Thanks Dr. Dressler,
Our vet did give Benny a shot of intralesional triamcinolone last Friday, February 6th, 2009 and the tumour is reduced a little in size, but not as much as we had hoped. He also got a shot of benadryl.
Our vet also has Benny on 10 mg. of prednisone daily and 2/3 tablet of Pepcid AC. Every day with him is a “gift.”
Thanks for responding to my post.

Joanne & Benny

I have a 12 year old yellow lab, in fairly good health. In the last week he has had some hip problems. We already have him on a glucosimine chondrotain regiment. When I went to the pet store and this woman told me of a product called the MISSING LINk, a natural canine omega 3 superfood supplement. He has been on it for 2 days, and I have ntoiced he got 3 fatty tumors within a day. Is this a sign that this product might not be for him? How can I get rid of the fatty tumors without surgery, or atleast decrease their size?

Hi Dr. D!

I want to buy your book, but my husband is not a believer. You see our 4 year old female Boxer, Layla, was diagnosed almost 3 months ago with grade 3 mast cell tumors in her lymph node in her groin. We’ve already spent thousands of dollars…

We had one infected lymph node removed almost 3 months ago and during that time it spread to the lymph node right next to her colon. The doctor said they could not remove it due to the location. Meanwhile, she also sprouted two tumors on her nose.

Layla was on an I.V. chemo/prednisone treatments for her first 2 weeks, then her WBC were too low and she had to take time off. During 2 weeks with no treatment, the tumors on her nose started getting bigger again. The oncology vet said that she wanted to try a pill form of chemo she takes every 3 weeks, because she was not seeing the best results from the I.V. form. Layla still seems to be in good spirits though, still eating, still playing, but has gained a significant amount of weight due to the steroids.

We are soo scared we are going to lose our baby, she is so young and full of love still to give us! We are newlyweds, recently out of college so we do not have a large income and are getting discouraged about whether or not chemo treatment is the best treatment for Layla. The oncology vet, does not seem to ever have time to sit down and talk about functional supplements and of course she is the only one around.

We have changed her diet to EVO Chicken kibble with 3 pumps of fish oil mixed with water; a daily multi-vitamin; K9 Immuno-modulation therapy by Aloha Medicinals; and Benadryl 3 times a day. I think she has been eating better than I have lately…But I am still not sure that we are doing everything we can.

Questions to you:
I want to try a vet who is more in to functional supplements. Do you think this is a good step to stop chemo and try supplements? or both?

If I could persuade my husband into buying your book, does your book cover specific grade 3 mast cell tumor treatments?

Dr. D, I wish I had all the money in the world so I could bring her to see you! From watching your video, you seem to have more compassion for animals than most vets.

Thanks for being you!

Katie from Tulsa, OK

Hi Dr. Dressler:
I have left many posts but have no answers from you except getting my vet to change her mind on treatment.
I have to say that we are so pleased with Cassies’ cancer. Sher is now in remission and her tumor is gone. She is still getting Chemo but only every other week with pills. She is also still on K9 immunity with trans factor. This is very expensive so I am going to switch to the other pills that you mentioned on another blog page. I was of the understanding that tumeric was also good for treating cancer. Is this a proponant of curcumin or is it completely different. I was going to mix it with wheat bran but then I realized glutens are not healthy for dog cancer patients. I am still looking for some letchithin. When the lump is gone, as they say and Cassie is in remission how long do they continue chemo for. It can’t be forever surely. At $200 - $400 per treatment it is getting really expensive but has done the job. Could you please answer my post, I would appreciate it very much.
Joanne and Cassie

Dr Dressler,I have been using neoplasene (bloodroot) since august,2007,for mast cell tumors,have removed 14 plus tumors,most of them small. Have you any knowledge of this treatment? Thank You

my 8 year old lab, alley, has been diagnosed with mast cell cancer on the base of her tail. we are going to vet oncologist next week. they talked about possibly removing her tail. i know they do tail removals routinely in certain breeds as puppies, but how big of a surgery is it for an adult dog? thank you -alley’s mom

oops, started this but mailed it by mistake.
My female english setter, Chloe, is near 12 years old. She was diagnosed with hemangiosarcoma 15 months ago.. Her spleen was removed and weighed 5.5 pounds. Now they don’t think she was misdiagnosed because she lived so long without treatment.

Today, April 13th, she has been diagnosed with a mast cell tumor via biopsy.. It is on her right had lower leg, near her foot.. Too tight to excise because they can’t get good margins. The lymph node in same leg,in her thigh, is involved. She was given 50 units of ccnu 2 weeks ago and is still on prednisone, benadryl and pepcid. I followed up with an ultrsound today to see what else might be involved. It has spread to an inch tumor in her spine near her bowel. I have been feeding her EN formula dog food since her hemangiosarcoma diagnosis 15 months ago, afraid to feed her off the shelf dog food. It is supposed to be easy on the stomach but has rice in it.. Now, I read that grain is not good for dogs and might trigger mast cell tumors. Not sure what to believe and what to do at this point. Anybody out there with any advice?

Hi Doreen:
My seven year old border collie was diagnosed with a mast cell tumour on her right hock. She has gone through many weeks of chemo and the tumour has completely disappeared. She is in total remission.
The diet that I give Cassie is one where there is not wheat products in the food. It is called Holistic Blend. Do not know if you can get it in the States. I also give her flaxseed powder and coconut oil along with K-9 Immunity and K-9 Transer Factor. She also gets four fish oil caps every day. She too is on Prednisone but the dosage has been cut down to a 1/4 pill per day. I am now checking into Bloodroot - it seems kind of toxic and am not sure if it is a good thing. We will have to see what Dr. Dresslers’ comments are on this. I wish you all of the best. The chemo seems to be the best thing. We had Pet Insurance so it cost us about $2,900.00 out of our own pocket and the insurance paid $2,000.00. I would imagine in the states you have better coverage for animals than we do here in Canada.
Good Luck and I hope that this helped.
Joanne and Cassie(my baby dog)

Hi Dr. Dressler,

My husband and I adopted an 8yo husky/shepherd mix named Ike with a grade 2 mast cell tumor. He was being euthanized on a Monday morning and we took him in the previous day to try and give him the best life possible. He is truly amazing. He is going to have surgery to removed the lymph node as the tumor is no longer there (he chewed it off) and chemo will be given after he heals. I want to do everything possible for him and I feel very confident with both my vet and the surgeon. I do however feel I’ve been lacking knowledge in the area of diet. I’ve read some of the entries from above, but would please recommed a food, etc…? He is taking benadryl, pepcid, prednisone along with sucralfate daily and want to provide the best diet with interfering with his medications. Any information would be very appreciated and thank you for this wonderful blog.
Lori

Some options are Innova Evo, ND food by Hills, Blue Buffalo.
Change foods slowly by mixing over 7 days or more!!!
I will discuss diet is the upcoming webinar, and will go over your question in more detail:
http://mydogvet.com
Best,
D

Hi Jonathan,
yes, a drug that blocks a mutated Kit tyrosine kinase receptor found on some mast cell tumors. It is not available yet to my knowledge:

“The Committee’s conclusions by majority decision at the end of the re-examination procedure were
that the benefit-risk for Masivet was considered acceptable in a restricted indication for dogs in a sub-
group that exhibit a positive response to treatment (i.e. treatment of non-resectable dog mast cell
tumours (Grade 2 or 3) with confirmed mutated Kit tyrosine kinase receptor) and, therefore,
recommended the granting of a marketing authorisation for Masivet. ”

Not for all cases of Grade 2 or 3 MCT!

I will talk more about this pending drug in the webinar…see:
http://dogcancervet.com

D

Doreen I will also answer more detailed questions this Sunday on the webinar if you are interested:
http://dogcancervet

Hi Dr. Dressler,

Thanks for a great site! My 8 1/2 year old lab had a Grade 2 MCT removed last year (under front leg), now she is coughing which the vet has treated a potential low grade pneumonia, however after 4 weeks it is not responding, it is getting worse if anything. My question would be and i understand you can’t give specific advice so will try and keep this generic:

Do MCT often spread to the lungs/chest? (lymph nodes in chest), if it has spread to the chest i’m worried her end will be particularly unpleasant (choking), is this likely with a MCT on the chest? What is the best way to appraoch MCT if it is the chest in your opinion?

many thanks for your help. Please keep up the good work!

Hi Dr Dressler-
I’ve recently discovered what appears to be two dark skin tags, one on the back left leg and one on the back, and a small lump slightly larger than a pea near the ribs of my seven year old pug Iggy. My boyfriend and I have just moved to a small town and have enjoyed our new veterinarian. His bedside manner is comforting, he seems knowledgeable, and the staff is very sweet. Today we took Iggy in to look at the skin tags and lump and decided to schedule surgical removal and biopsy of these growths.

I myself am a nurse and wanted to be prepared to discuss all possible options with the vet and had read about MCTs and corresponding treatments before our appointment. I voiced concern about possible MCTs and followed up with asking about the anesthesia he uses for surgery. He detailed pre-medicating with Ketamine and I believe Fentanyl with Isoflurane during op.

I mentioned the Ketamine/ metastasis connection and also pre-medicating with benadryl due to possible histamine release. Both suggestions were basically pooh-poohed as something he’d never heard of (the ketamine) and that the growths were too small to release sufficient histamine for benadryl to be needed. Now I’m afraid he thinks I’m an internet junkie who can’t seek out reputable information… I realize that Iggy hasn’t been diagnosed with mast cell tumors YET but pugs are susceptible and I want to take all precautions.

I have two quick questions.
1) Would it be safe to give Iggy OTC benadyl the night before surgery if Dr won’t give IV? He’s 17 lbs and the dosage suggestion I’ve found would be 10mg po.
2)How hard should I push the ketamine issue? Should I go to another vet?

I’m also including one of the few articles I could find regarding Ketamine and Metastasis from Anesthesia and Analgesia. Hope this is helpful to others out there with skeptical vets!

http://www.anesthesia-analgesia.org/cgi/reprint/97/5/1331

Thanks again,
Andrea

Dear Dr. Dressler,

My beloved bullmastiff, Lucy, has been living with a diagnosis of multiple grade 2 mast cell tumors since November of 2006. Lucy is now 7 years old.

She has been on Chlorambucil off an on since her diagnosis. The first time she went off of the drug because her lumps had been resolved for approximately 6 months. Sadly, they returned after 3 months and so we started giving her 4 mg of Chlorambucil per day again.

Lucy has twice been taken off of the chemo because, as you can guess, her white blood cell count dropped. She was taken off of the the chemo last August and her white cells rebounded quickly. In the meantime, she was treated as needed with low doses of prednisone (5 mg per day). However, in January the tumors began popping up all over and we put her back on the chemo. Now her white blood cells have dropped again and so, again, we have taken her off of the chemo.

Lucy takes a multi-vitamine, fish oil, vitamin E, Benadryl and Pepcid every day. Is there something more I should be giving her? Is there something I can give her to help her bone marrow?

Lucy’s skin itches her and she has developed very dark patches on her belly where her legs and tummy rub together. She licks it all the time. I have a topical treatment but it doesn’t really do much.

Lucy is 94 lbs and that is actually big for her frame. Even though she is a bullmastiff, she is a small one. Her appetite is great. But her tummy has always been sensitive - since she was a puppy. I have heard that virgin coconut oil may be good for her skin. Is this true? If so, what should I get and how should it be administered?

Please let me know if there is something I should try for her bone marrow and/or her skin. I will do anything for her.

Thank you very much for your time.

Sincerely,

Catherine

Dr Dressler:
My 11 yr old greyhound has been recently diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma. They are unable to surgically remove it do to the location in her lower jaw. Recommendation is radiation which I will know the schedule today of what they think should be done. What about non-conventional medicine, such as turmeric, and artemisinin can they be used together. Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

John

Hello there,

First of all, thanks so much for this blog.

Second, the back ground. Tabasco is a 6 yr old male boxer. A grade 1 mast cell tumor was located on his testicals sometime in late Feb. or early Mar. On April 17, we completely removed his testicles at which time we got the grading of the tumor. Clean margins with that surgery. A x-ray and ultrasound of his body cavity was also done post surgery when the results came back and he was clear. On May 26, 2009 a second tumor was identified on his left hock and that was removed that day. Came back as grade 2/low MST, dirty margins. I know this is not a great prognosis, but at this point I want to prevent the MST from spreading throughout his body.

The vet recommended applying a bloodroot salve to the excision of the tumor that came back with dirty margins to remove any remaining cancer cells. Do you have any experience with this? What is your opinion? I have found conflicting opinions on the internet. Very positive from pet owners and absolutely horrifying from human use. I’ve seen photos of peoples noses sloughing off.

We did apply it yesterday to the tumor excision site. It seemed to cause pretty severe discomfort for Tabasco so I washed it off about 3 hours before the recommended time. The discomfort lasted even after it was washed off and the site was swollen this morning. I guess that is what you are supposed to see?

Any light you could shed would be greatly appreciated.

Amber & Tabasco