More on Curcumin and Dog Cancer
Dr. Demian Dressler is internationally recognized as “the dog cancer vet” because of his innovations in the field of dog cancer management, and the popularity of his blog here at Dog Cancer Blog. The owner of South Shore Veterinary Care, a full-service veterinary hospital in Maui, Hawaii, Dr. Dressler studied Animal Physiology and received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of California at Davis before earning his Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from Cornell University. After practicing at Killewald Animal Hospital in Amherst, New York, he returned to his home state, Hawaii, to practice at the East Honolulu Pet Hospital before heading home to Maui to open his own hospital. Dr. Dressler consults both dog lovers and veterinary professionals, and is sought after as a speaker on topics ranging from the links between lifestyle choices and disease, nutrition and cancer, and animal ethics. His television appearances include “Ask the Vet” segments on local news programs. He is the author of The Dog Cancer Survival Guide: Full Spectrum Treatments to Optimize Your Dog’s Life Quality and Longevity. He is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, the Hawaii Veterinary Medical Association, the American Association of Avian Veterinarians, the National Animal Supplement Council and CORE (Comparative Orthopedic Research Evaluation). He is also an advisory board member for Pacific Primate Sanctuary.
Updated: December 26th, 2018
In the last post, I introduced curcumin, a useful tool against cancer found in turmeric.
In this post we will look at some of the effects and practicalities in the use of this remarkable substance.
Safety should always be questioned. Curcumin is exceptionally safe when given by mouth. Read more here.
One of the complaints about it is that it is not absorbed significantly when taken by mouth (passes through in the feces). True statement. But…
Curcumin taken by mouth does have effects in the body after all, in spite of low levels being taken up in the blood. It was shown in a human clinical trial that large doses (over 3 grams) decreased the levels of a chemical signal with links to cancer development and progression.
This chemical signal is called prostaglandin E2. This signal was measured in the bloodstream.
This means that actually some of the curcumin taken by mouth does indeed have effects on the body. Check it out for yourself here.
Curcumin, at least in test tube studies (in vitro), shows a most definite ability to cause cancer cells to end their life cycle. Another way of saying this is that it is an apoptogen, or something that causes programed, healthy, end-of-life for cancer cells.
One way that curcumin is able to do this is by injuring the mitochondria, or the energy factories in the cancer cells. Here is an abstract about that.
To learn more in nutrition, and diet for dogs with cancer, get a copy of the Dog Cancer Diet
Curcumin is able to shut down the activity of one of the central chemical signals involved in cancer development and progression (NFK Beta). This molecule is perhaps one of the most important molecules in the whole field of cancer.
On top of that, it has effects to slow the growth of blood vessels feeding tumors, helping to stop cancer expansion.
For more info on these different ways curcumin helps fight cancer, read on here.
In humans, most of the research has focused on intestinal cancers. The reason is because the stuff, after taken by mouth, goes down into the intestine and contacts the wall of the intestine.
Since these intestinal cancers are less dependant on curcumin getting in the blood to contact the cancer cells, that is where the interest has been.
I believe curcumin has broader application than that. Since we know it has effects outside the intestine, and it is non-toxic, it should be applied more for dog cancer.
Curcumin does not dissolve well in water. This is one of the things that limits its absorption. You can overcome this by mixing it with lecithin and water and making a slurry.
Get a copy of this informative seminar to learn more on apoptosis in cancer treatment
Lecithin is available online. It is very , very gooey, so you add some water to the curcumin-lecithin, about 4 parts water to 1 part lecithin.
You can put some low sodium bullion in it for flavor, or similar agents.
Many of the commercial preparations have bromelain with it, to enhance blood levels. No problem.
Doses are approximate, and taken from human literature. For a large dog, use about 2 grams two times a day, as an estimation.
Do not use curcumin with gall stones, stomach ulcers, or within 10 days of surgery.
There is a possibility it should perhaps be avoided with liver problems in some references. I believe this effect is not likely based on serial blood tests in my hospital with its use, but discuss with your vet, as always.
There is more in how curcumin fits into the full spectrum plan in the downloadable cancer book on https://www.dogcancerblog.com/book
Best to all,
Dr D
Dr. Demian Dressler is internationally recognized as “the dog cancer vet” because of his innovations in the field of dog cancer management, and the popularity of his blog here at Dog Cancer Blog. The owner of South Shore Veterinary Care, a full-service veterinary hospital in Maui, Hawaii, Dr. Dressler studied Animal Physiology and received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of California at Davis before earning his Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from Cornell University. After practicing at Killewald Animal Hospital in Amherst, New York, he returned to his home state, Hawaii, to practice at the East Honolulu Pet Hospital before heading home to Maui to open his own hospital. Dr. Dressler consults both dog lovers and veterinary professionals, and is sought after as a speaker on topics ranging from the links between lifestyle choices and disease, nutrition and cancer, and animal ethics. His television appearances include “Ask the Vet” segments on local news programs. He is the author of The Dog Cancer Survival Guide: Full Spectrum Treatments to Optimize Your Dog’s Life Quality and Longevity. He is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, the Hawaii Veterinary Medical Association, the American Association of Avian Veterinarians, the National Animal Supplement Council and CORE (Comparative Orthopedic Research Evaluation). He is also an advisory board member for Pacific Primate Sanctuary.
My Labrador/mix Dog who is 14 years old was diagnosed 5 months ago with anal cancer ….vet said nothing could be done and gave my dog 3 months to live, i have been using 900milligrams of Turmeric (Super Bio curcumin) since the diagnostic and dog is not only moving better from hip problems but seems to be doing better …noticed dogs health improvement within 14 days since begun use of turmeric many months ago ..Changed vets and new vet is into holistic/vitamin therapy ……Thanks 🙂
Hello,
I just stumbled on this post. We have a tweleve year old Bernese Mountain dog. She is in very weak condition, down to 60 lbs after 110 lbs about a year and a half ago. She has an exposed tumor on her back side that is oozing and smells. The vet says she is too weak to operate on. Two years ago she had a Mast stage 3 tumor removed from her side. Would turmeric help her at all?
Dear Michael
is the vet abosolutely certain? Weight loss does not preclude surgery, and it seems his tumor is causing the problem. Also consider Kinavet or palladia (oral chemo) with an oncologist, Apocaps, Neoplasene, the dog cancer diet, benadryl, some antibiotics, and famotidine. Your vet will know about most of these. Curcumin is in Apocaps as well as a host of other beneficial compounds. There is a lot of information on dog cancer supplements in the Guide, for both your and your vet if needed.
Please keep the vet involved with the decisions.
All my best
Dr D
I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF A DOG DOES NOT YET HAVE CANCER AND IS 11 CAN I GIVE HIM TURMERIC CURCUMIN ON A DAILY BASIS TO PREVENT HIM FROM EVER GETTING THE HORRID DISEASE AND HE IS 60 POUNDS SO HOW MUCH IF CAN BE GIVEN TO HIM SHOULD I GIVE? THANKS ALOT AND FIND A SOLUTION FOR SO MANY DOGS GETTING CANCER. LAURIELYNNE
Dear Larielynne,
although curcumin has beneficial effects I would hesitate to say it will prevent cancer across the board. The truth is that if it did, we could all just take curcumin and the world would be free of cancer for ever, which is a great thought but does not seem to be happening. It does have some anti-cancer effects in lab animals and in test tubes, and does little harm. The doses are in the Guide, and please consult with your veterinarian on specifics for your dog. Large dogs can take several grams a day, but do check with your vet as curcumin, like anything else, can rarely have side effects. I hope this helps-
Best,
Dr D
So your product Apocaps for a 65lb dog would be: 9 capsules daily x 30= 270.
With 90 caps per bottle I would need 3 bottles per month which would come at a cost of $180 a month total. How many people can afford this??
Shame that maximum profit is the name of the game in our world.
Dear Shin
the cost is that way because of the ingredient costs. 2.2 pounds of luteolin costs almost $2000, and the same with apigenin, and these are just two of the ingredients. Sorry. I hear you but we are using costly ingredients that have beneficial effects.
D
My golden retriever just turned 8. In July she suddenly became ill. The vet determined she had a large tumor on the spleen that was bleeding. Her condition was complicated by the fact that she has kidney disease. She survived the spleenectomy, but the biopsy report indicated the tumor was cancer. The vet does not recommend chemotherapy because of her kidney condition. I feel helpless against the cancer. Is curcumin safe for dogs with kidney disease? I am going insane trying to find a way to treat the cancer threat. Cancer diets and kidney diets seem to collide.
Thank you for any advice you can give
Sandy
Dear Sandy,
there is much more that can be done. You are correct in that you need to cut the protein by about half for dogs with kidney disease and also cancer. Yes, curcumin is safe but there are much better supplementation approaches that use the acive ingredient in curcumin (the curcuminoids) as well as other apoptogens. You should check into apoptogens. You should also consider that doxorubicin has minimal kidney effects, and there are still other chemo options. You should however continue to educate yourself on how to minimize chemo risks, as well as on anit-metatstatic supplements, immune support, and life quality steps that can help your dog’s brain chemistry. You can read more about each of these topics in the Guide and for bits and pieces you can review the blog posts here. Use your vet’s guidance, and don’t be afraid to get the info you need!
Best,
Dr D
My dog (11 lbs, 9 years male pomeranian) has Oral Melanoma Sarcoma on fourth premolar n the hard palate. It was 1.5 cm when 1st discover, become 3 cm while waiting for the confirmed diagnosed (within 2 wks), now abt 4 cm and also spread sideways.
1. Question abt Apocaps. I read he summary of your clinical study on Apocaps, the dog with oral melanoma sarcoma did not show any positive effect with Apocaps. Should I try it anyway? Is Apocaps can be grounded to powder and sprinkled it to food? Can apocaps can be use alone or should only work with Krill oil? My dog can only take liquid (I blended his food) and put it on with syringe.
2. Question abt Turmeric. I started added turmeric on his food (I just gave him too much-almost a teaspoon: but will use less in future). But, do you think I can also dilute the powder in water and swab it directly to his cancer? Will it shrink the cancer faster?
3. On his histopath report, the pathologist found it difficult to get definitive diagnosis due to the extensive secondary changes in the mass. The main differential diagnosis was amelanotic melanosarcoma. Poorly productive flat bone osteosarcoma is conceivable. But, my oncologist have also suspect that it could be fibrosarcoma. Oh.. it confused me!, So, what in your professional guest is the right treatment for my beloved boy?
Thanks,
Nancy – Hayward, CA
My boxer has mass cell 2 cancer how do i give it to her and do you think it whould work on her how much and where do i get it
Dear Michella,
So sorry to hear about your Boxer.
I use this supplement as the curcumin supplement in my patients. Remember to always get veterinary supervision when you are making changes in your dog’s health care plan. I assume also that it will be removed and biopsied? Has that been done already?
Best,
Dr D
Dear Dr Dressler,
Don’t know if my recent post went through, but just in case, wanted to write again rather than wait and see–time is precious. I sent a message last May (above), and since then did recently start Holly on Apocaps.
Her prior elevated liver enzymes were a worry, but the specialty vet finally gave in to my local vet and we started her on Rimadyl beginning of November, hoping it would help both the arthritis symptoms and the inflammation of her urethra. But after over 2 weeks she had no obvious improvement in any of her symptoms and seemed drugged and lethargic.
so I took her off Rimadyl and put her on Apocaps instead when I read taking both was not advised–but how long do you think it will take before we know if the Apocaps is making a difference (it’s been about a week)? Is Pepcid AC–prescribed along with the Rimadyl– not recommended with Apocaps?
A recent ultrasound showed that the thickening/mass on her urethra had grow slightly, but the only way to be sure if it’s TCC is to go in and get cells and I don’t want to put her through that at this point–especially if it wouldn’t change anything we’re doing for her.
I want to do everything I can for her and it’s so hard to know what’s best, especially when she is so reserved and dignified about her undeserved situation.
We have never used any pesticides or herbicides around her, have always fed her the best food (mostly organic), never left her anywhere for too long, so she didn’t have extended periods of having to hold her pee–all the supposed risk factors of TCC. The only possible link is she might have to that is some possible Scottish Terrier in her lineage (we found her on the side of the road in the Shenandoah Valley).
We also started her on antibiotics for possible bladder infection based on her symptoms, and her urinalysis showed some crystals in her urine (another indicator of infection), but so far that has not made any obvious difference either.
Any input you might have would be so appreciated.
Thanks
Dear Eileen-
I usually give up to 3 weeks for the Apocaps. You also might try Metacam or Deramaxx instead of Rimadyl if you are going to use an NSAID. You might want to try a very low dose along with Apocaps but your vet of course must be involved and also must keep an eagle eye on those liver (and kidney and PCV) markers. Have you also started her on the cancer diet (different than a normal maintenance diet) and the supplements and everything in the Guide? I would really get it and read it. It is an easy read and you will get a lot of info, more than I can get to here…
Best,
D
Hi Dr. Dressler,
I just stumbled across you while researching Mast Cell tumors in canines. My 8 yr. old chocolate lab “Huey” had a mast cell tumor removed about 2 1/2 mos. ago. His pathology report came back really good w/ clean margins and a score of 2, (bloodwork was also clean), so you can imagine my surprise when we had a new lump checked out (close to the original surgery site) and it was cancerous and also now involves his lymph nodes on one side. He was given 6 mos to live. I just didn’t want to accept that, so was doing some research on my own. Right now he is on prednisone, benadryl and pepcid. The new tumors have actually almost gone completely away and the lymph node feels smaller to me too. Chemo is not an option for us financially. I see you tout turmeric as a hopeful aid in slowing down the tumor growth. Can you tell me if it’s safe to administer with what he’s on currently and if so, what would the dosage be? My vet is not into the whole holistic thing, so I can not seek her out for these questions.
Hoping to have our beloved Huey Boy around for a while longer!
Humbly,
Lori
Dear Lori,
good question. The active ingredient you are going for is curcumin in the turmeric. However, the body has some problems getting this cancer fighting supplement into the blood once it is taken by mouth. For this reason I created Apocaps for my patients, which has curcumin. If your dog was my patient, I would use Apocaps. Make sure all of the medical decisions made for Huey are done with a vet’s supervision. And please get your Guide! It will surprise you how much you can do!
Best,
D
Dear Dr Dressler,
Thanks for your inputs. I would have tried but unfortunately my dog Alex passed away on 11th June 2010 at 8.30 p.m. The diagnosis had been late, earlier findings being arthiritis and later on Edema. I had thus changed the vet, only then the correct diagnosis came. I had put him on Arte ( artesunate ) immediately as soon as I came to know of the medicine, as he was past surgery. Dr Singh had very kindly guided me. I was also trying low doses of Noscapine for the past few days. He had become weak and finicky eater as vital time had been lost in the initial stages. He was uncomfortable for the whole day. I thought he had been in pain and gave him meloxicam and called the vet. He suggested Fortwin but before we could administer he began to sink and passed away. A dear friend and angel who will always be missed. I just was able to put myself together so posted. I only wish that some channel is opened by way of which constant flow of info and supplements can be made to some vets here in New Delhi so that we can fight this wicked disease in the future. I would like the subscription to continue so maybe I could guide others. You are doing a wonderful job. Best wishes and good luck