Spice of Life: 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: August 5th, 2019
In researching topics for expanded treatments of dog cancer, I have discovered surprises aplenty.
Because of the desire for options beyond surgery, chemo and radiation for dog cancer, I chose to look in areas that I would have ignored just a few years back.
One of the hottest topics in cancer research right now is the dietary flavonoid group. This is just a bunch of substances that are found in foods which have beneficial effects against cancer.
We all know that certain foods or dietary choices have influence on cancer development and overall health. I came accross a statistic in human medicine that stated that about one third of cancers in people could have been prevented with lifestyle choices (this was excluding the effects of cigarette smoking).
One of the biggest lifestyle choices is the inclusion of certain foods that combat the effects of environmental carcinogens, genetic tendencies, trace water pharmaceuticals, viral DNA changes, dietary carcinogens, electrical field effects, and more.
Most of these naturally occuring flavanoids have very low toxicities. One of the biggies is curcumin.
Curcumin is found in turmeric, which is the spice that is used in curries. Curcumin is exceedingly interesting for dogs with cancer. It is one of the core ingredients I use in cancer supplement programs for my patients and I have seen literal shrinkage of different dog lumps, like hemangiosarcomas of the skin, fatty tumors (lipomas) , fibrosarcomas, and plasmacytomas. I rely on it a lot.
This substance is being used as a model for tons of anticancer drugs in development right now. Here is some info. Over 40 different curcumin analogs (new drugs using curcumin as a template) are being researched at Ohio State University.
Why not just use the curcumin, instead of going through all the bother of making these new drugs? There are two main reasons.
My grandfather left me these wise words: “When you want to find the reason for something, look for the dollar.”
So of course money has something to do with it. You can’t patent a naturally occurring compound. However, if you tweak its structure to produce a synthetic analog, get the lawyers together to protect the intellectual property, patent it, you are set for years. In this way big pharma protects profits.
Secondly, curcumin has some bioavailability problems. This means that the stuff doesn’t, to a large extent, get absorbed into the blood after it is taken by mouth. However, there are ways around this.
If you want to find out more about curcumin, please read the next post!!
Best to all,
Dr Dressler
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.
I have a 5 yr old boxer who was just diagnosed with cancer. X-rays showed fluids that spread to the lungs. I was told nothing can be done for him. He is a happy,energetic, still eating with no problem and he is going to the bathroom with no problem. For the past 2 days i’ve notice his breathing is heavy. I checked his guns and still pink. Anything that I can do
My 14 yr old Australian Shepherd mix was diagnosed with a urethral mass a year or two ago, discovered after elevated ALP liver enzymes. It was not conclusive if it was TCC, but I started her on curcumin 800mg daily.
My local vet referred me to a specialty vet who prescribed Tramadol for her arthritis pain because an NSAID like Rimadyl (which my local vet was pushing hard) would be too hard on her liver (I also had her on a glucosamine supplement). The mass remained stable for about a year but her symptoms have been more pronounced in the last month. It wasn’t conclusive again if her urinalysis detected a urinary tract infection, but rather than subject her to another needle test we decided to try an antibiotic to see if her symptoms subsided.
In the meantime we did start her on Rimadyl for the inflammation, to see if it helped with her arthritis as well as inflammation from the thickened urethra. I also got some Milk Thistle extract to support her liver and the vet prescribed Pepcid AC for stomach upset.
After 2 weeks she didn’t seem to have any obvious relief from Rimadyl of the weakness and pain in her hind legs, and she seemed much more listless, so Sunday I took her off everything except the antibiotic. This morning (Monday) she seemed brighter and more alert, so I’ve decided to finish the antibiotics and started her this morning on the Apocaps, leaving her off the Rimadyl for now, and will wait to see how it goes.
My question is should I still give her the Pepcid AC or would that interfere with the Apocaps? She has always had a very sensitive stomach. And should I resume the Glucosamine?
Sorry for the long entry, but I’m shooting in the dark and don’t want to do unintentional harm to this fantastic little spirit. She still wants to be here despite all her troubles, and I want to give her what she needs to have as good a quality of life as I can for however long she has left.
Thanks very much for any help you can give
I have a 11 yr old golden retriever that was just diagnosed with Hemangiosarcoma of the spleen. You mentioned taking Tumeric for Hemangiosarcoma of the skin, but is it also safe for this type?
What is the correct dosage of Turmeric for a Dachshund weighing 21lbs?
He is 10 years old. He has had disk problems in his back and he has had two previous back surgeries. Will Turmeric help at all with the disk problem in his back?
How much Can I give a dog with a liver tumor? 3 of her liver values are normal right now acording to her blood tests. Two vets have said they do not think she would survive surgery- because it is so large.
Hard part she has no symptoms and it was found at a routine physical.
Thank you,
Joanne,
the dose for an average large adult dog is roughly 2 grams two times a day, taken from human studies.
Thanks!
D
How much of this spice should you be giving your dog each day!
Thanks
Hi Dr.Dressler – I am currently giving my golden tumeric bid for his brain tumor along with other supplements. He was given 3-6 months to live on Sept. 4, 08. Today is 6 months and he is still a happy, active boy. We are taking it day by day. Thank you for your website,
Karen Bender, Springfield, NJ
Thanks a lot Karen, I hope it helps.
D
Iam from India. We have been using turmeric in our cooking for the last 5000 years. There was a company that tried to patent it, but could not because of the public uproar.
Iam a strong believer in capitalism. If a company has genuinely put in the effort to make a drug or any other product, then of course, it needs to make cash off of it. But not with something that has been around for 5000 years.
That said, anytime I make boiled chicken for my dog, I do add a dash of turmeric. She loves the flavor and I love that it is good for her. Talk about win win!
Hi Anu!
Good to see you!! (on the blog as well as in the pet hospital)
🙂
D
Hi:
I wish I had known about you when my dog had cancer. He ultimately died from it. I adored him and it was very difficult to lose him.
I’m curious if your business is only online, and if you have a practice, what city do you practice in? I’m in L.A. Of course, I have no dog now but I’m hoping to get another, however challenging that might be (given my strong attachment to my late dog).