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.
If a dog has a spleen associated growth, is it not safer for the dog to abstain from removing the spleen due to risk of fatal bleed out and instead give the dog bioflavonoids, butchers broom and horse chestnut to strengthen the vessels to lessen the risk of a natural (non-surgically caused) bleed out?
Hi Paul,
I’m sorry about this diagnosis, any cancer diagnosis is tough, and it’s always worse when it’s our own beautiful dog. There is a good blog to look at
https://www.dogcancerblog.com/blog/new-approaches-to-squamous-cell-cancer/
The Dog Cancer Survival Guide book has a great couple of pages on “Questions to Ask Practitioners”, but too long to post here. Basically you want to ask things like “what is the diagnosis”, “What is the grade and/or stage of the cancer” “What are the treatment options” “What are the possible side effects” “what will this mean to my dog with/without treatment” “What do the options cost” “how do I know if my dog is in pain”, etc. You might want to let your vet know you want to investigate complementary treatments to help. Ask if your vet can refer you to anyone. Write down the answers. We wouldn’t recommend homeopathic treatments within a blog, because 1, it’s not our speciality, and 2) homeopathy can be very effective, but it’s very individual to the character of the human or animal who needs the treatment. I don’t know what state you’re in, but you can google “veterinary homeopath” and perhaps find someone in your area. Now please remember, whatever numbers/prognosis you get, remember you dog is not a number. The number quoted are based on median survival times, which means some go a whole lot longer and some of course don’t. But start to write down the questions you already have. You can download The Dog Cancer Diet from the main blog page, so please get good, real nutrition started as soon as possible. There is a lot you can do. Good luck!
Dear Dr. Dressler,
My 12 year old PW Corgi was just diagnosed with a quarter sized Sqaumous cell carcinoma located unfortuanately on the back underside of the tongue. We will be seeing an oncologist next week I hope. What questions should I ask and also what might you recommend homeopathically? Thanks for any help☺
Paul
Hi Anna, This is heartbreaking, and you’re doing everything you can for your boy. Three is so young! Yes,Turmeric has been shown to have very good effects in helping with cancer. Apocaps, the nutraceutical Dr. Dressler formulated has Turmeric as a main ingredient, as well as many other high-quality ingredients which have been shown to help turn hon the process of “apoptosis” (natural cell death) in cancer cells. Please check out http://www.apocaps.com which explains how Apocaps works. They are available from http://www.dogcancershop.com and from Amazon. If you give your boy the best nutrition possible, he will be as strong as possible during this fight. You can download a free Dog Cancer Diet from the main blog page. Just enter your email and you’ll get an instant document giving the best foods to feed, and those not to feed. Our hearts are with you and your boy. All the best.
Hi. My beautiful 3 yr old Staffie is losing his short fight against the dreaded grade 3 mast Cell tumor that have come up aggressively after surgery to remove the original one 4 months ago. I have been told he cannot be saved this time around but I want to do everything I can to help him fight. I know Turmeric has cancer fighting qualities and I’d really appreciate some input on this, ie- how much I can give him, is it safe with all his other Meds. As time is really of the essence here I would really love to hear from people asap
I have a dog that is approximately 5 years old. Roughly four years ago, he was “diagnosed” with osteosarcoma, although it seemed that most tests came back inconclusive at that time. He was put on a course of Deramaxx and I was told he wouldn’t live much longer than a few months. The mass on his front leg did eventually shrink, but never completely resolved. Given his longevity and through my own online research, I have wondered if he didn’t have osteochondroma or another form of benign tumor instead. It has recently started growing again and has become increasingly painful. He is back on Deramaxx. I am wondering if turmeric wouldn’t be a better alternative for him. Or, is it ok to use turmeric in conjunction with the Deramaxx? He is approximately 70-80 pounds.
My dog has several large lipomas and I’ve been wondering about using turmeric essential oil diluted in a carrier oil, to massage them. Do you know of anyone who has tried this method?
Hi Sandy, My first question; are you sure the lumps are lipomas (soft, fatty lumps which are harmless), and have these lumps been aspirated or biopsied by your vet just to make sure they are benign? It’s always a good idea to get this done.
Following that, there are articles which claim topical application can be beneficial against lipomas, and I can’t confirm that. My caution would be using a turmeric essential oil. Essential oils as a rule should not be taken internally, and our dogs love to lick, especially things on their body. So if you try it, even in a carrier oil such as olive oil you may want to consider using a high-quality turmeric powder mixed in carefully. It will stain, and your dog will want to lick it, so please take precautions.
Thank you Susan, that’s very helpful. Yes, they’re definitely lipomas and I’m giving her turmeric extract already which seems to have stopped them growing. I might try a massage with 1% turmeric essential oil on a bump on her shoulder where she can’t reach to lick it.
Sounds like a plan Sandy. Good luck.
did you make a topical cream? I’m trying to find out same info
Hi. I just wanted to say, I have a 3 yr old staffie with mast cell tumors and I mixed ùp a thick paste of tumeric and olive oil which I massage into the masses when they are looking inflammed. I definitely see a big improvement when left on overnight. The only issue is that the tumeric stains EVERYTHING he lays on so I bandage it up overnight so it can really be absorbed. Its not going to get rid of the tumors altogether, but I was amazed at the improvement.
What is your feeling about Tumeric raising body temperature ? and is it an issue? The preparation i am using with my dog is with Bromelain and is like 425 mg. How many capsule should I give a 60 lb dog?He had a nerve sheath tumor between his brachial plexus and spine, and had a left foreleg amputation. Also will tumeric thin the blood? I am also giving him an omega three supplement and we cut a toenail too short and he bled profusely. He takes no other meds.
My 12 year old poodle weighs 7 lbs. She has oral melanoma, and I have been treating her with curcumin, beta glucan 1 3/ 1 6, catsclaw, and shark cartilage for about a month now. Recently I read that adding black pepper would help her get theses herbs into her bloodstream better. I just ordered 10 mg black pepper extract tablets. What is your opinion on my treatment, and what dosage/ ratio/ should be given/ how many times a day? Thank you!
How much curcumin are you giving her? My 21 lb dog also has recurring oral melanoma.
I have a 7 year old Boxer named Pugsley. 2 years ago he was diagnosed with a hemangiosarcoma in his testicles(removed by neutering) and 2 mast cell tumors, type 2 and 3. Type 2 on his ear and type 3 on his hind hock. After much discussion about amputation (the hind leg was inoperable) and chemo (not affordable, very fixed income!) I put him in a trial phase for Paclical Vet/chemotherapy. It was a blind trial and after 3 administrations his liver function deteriorated so treatment was stopped. He ended up not getting the Paclical Vet, but CeeNU. Prior to the beginning of the trial I found your web site and it got me doing a lot of research. I changed his diet from Pedigree dry food to a raw diet, including ground broccoli, celery, parsley (all for the high concentration of flavonoids) and ginger. I added chicken liver and beef heart (trimmed of fat). I make “Pug patties” out of this mixture, hamburger size, and freeze them for a 2 week regimen. Pugsley weighs 104 lbs. (he is a BIG Boxer!) so I feed him 3 patties per day with broth and one raw chicken leg or thigh. He also receives 3 daily doses each of 25 mg. benadryl, 400 mg. cimetidine, 4800 mg. Omega 3 Fish oil and 1000 mg. (1/4 tsp.) turmeric with each “Pug Pattty”. The tumors began shrinking before the Paclical trial was started and have continued shrinking to this day. The one on his ear is almost gone, and after a visit to his vet 2 weeks ago the one on his leg was determined to be scar tissue from a slice biopsy. No indication of any hemangiosarcoma could be found. My vet pronounced him a cancer survivor! All of this has gotten my vet very interested in cancer treatment, including the alternatives. I have referred him to your web site. Thank you for helping us all doc!