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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: October 25th, 2019
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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 just sent a comment with a few questions about my dog’s liver cancer & also about Apocaps. Just wanted to say that customer support did get back to me with the info I was wondering about concerning the Apocaps ingredients & diff. label on Amazon’s product photo. They were very helpful!
Hi, I wasn’t sure where else to ask my questions after reading the book, searching the blog & calling customer support at Functional Nutriments.
My dog, Saffron, is a 16 yr. old Am Staff/pit bull. She was just diagnosed with liver cancer. She had an ultrasound done after her vet saw a spike in her ALT & ALP enzymes on pre-dental bloodwork. On the US, he saw various areas that looked like ill defined masses. I didn’t want her to go through having a wedge biopsy done due to her age, so he did an US guided needle aspiration-taking about 5 samples-that were sent to Texas A&M. (Her results on the pre-op coag test were good.)
The biopsy results said presumed hepatic neoplasia with a note from the pathologist indicating hepatocellular carcinoma. At this time her only signs of discomfort are being picky about eating & she has slowed down a bit (but she has had mild arthritis in her knees for the past 3 years).
I downloaded & read The Dog Cancer Survival Guide and some of the blog articles, but can’t seem to find much about dealing with liver cancer. At first my vet recommended starting her on Prednisone, but then decided to wait because she is still eating & doesn’t seem to be in pain. Does that seem reasonable or should she start now rather than waiting? He also looked into any poss. metronomic chemo agents for management, but said he didn’t find anything that seemed useful for this type of cancer.
Saffron has already lived beyond her life expectancy and I am so grateful for the extra time that I’ve had with her. She has always been by my side for support during the past 7 years while I’ve had a chronic illness. I am planning to follow the book’s recommended diet, nutraceutical, supplement, emotional therapy protocols to help keep her comfortable as long as I can. Is there anything more that might be helpful for this type of cancer?
I immediately went to order the Apocaps and saw I could get them tomorrow from Amazon Prime, but the ingredients on the product label shown there are different than the ingredients on the Functional Nutriments.com website. Is this the same product or an older version? I called FN customer service because I don’t want to order the wrong thing & also wanted to know what the shipping time is if I order directly from them, but haven’t heard back yet.
Also she is on 8 mg. once daily of Apoquel, which she’s been on for 5 years for skin allergies, and she gets an Adequan injection once a month for the arthritis. Are either of these contraindicated while using Apocaps or anything else?
I would appreciate any guidance about my questions. Thanks!!
-Taran Harraghy
I just wanted to thank you for putting up a site for dog cancer.
My dog was diagnosed with end-stage Hemangiosarcoma 14 months ago. My vet is more “medical model” oriented, but said that in his 40 years as a vet, the dogs with it pretty much die. He told me that if I did the $10,000 surgery to remove his spleen, many times the dogs bleed out on the table and it only extends their lives by a few weeks. He said that even if I did surgery, plus chemo, it still only adds maybe another 20 days and that they don’t tend to live more than a month, two or three at the very most and that almost never happens. Well, I told him that I was going to try to heal my dog and took him home. I used Yunnan Baiyao to stop him from bleeding out in the beginning. I used turkey tail mushrooms based on that study, but then, I did 14 days of water fasting and my dog is still with me and still doing pretty well. I say it because people need real hope. On the year anniversary of my dog’s diagnosis, the vet said that it was an outlier. I didn’t say a thing, but my dog had a melon-sized tumor in his spleen and had secondary tumors and had such bad coughing and lung sounds and 2 weeks of water fasting changed everything.
I have used the Dog Cancer Survival Book for the past 5 years with 2 Golden Retrievers with different cancers. I have not been able to find any info in the book or on your blogs regarding the use of apocaps while treating multiple myeloma with chemo.
I would appreciate any direction as to where to find any information. Thank you.
Hi Karen! In general, Apocaps and the other supplements Dr. D recommends in his book can be used with any cancer type. They address the hallmarks of cancer, the things that ALL cancers share. So most vets would say Apocaps is appropriate no matter the cancer type, but check with your own vet, of course, about your pup.
Hi Jayme,
I adimt I saw your message when it came in, and have only waited to reach out back to you, well, because sometimes I have to pace myself as well. It is wonderful being here to help people and their dogs, yet this is a tough subject as you know first-hand. I admit that sometimes I need to take a few breaths to keep going, because I feel with everyone on this journey.
Thank you for letting me know about Samson. He sounds like a “once in a lifetime” dog. They show us such wonder, courage and faith. Their world is so simple, and I don’t mean that in a derogatory way. Their world is simple because they never doubt what is important. Their people, their pack, each day. That is a huge lesson for us all.
As you move forward, I blieve Samson will be with you, and you know what? Your experience with him through this is going to help countless other people and dogs who will go through a cancer diagnosis. We need to spread the word about good nutrition, early detection, and enjoying every moment instead of waiting. Remember him in his glory days and know he’s romping in new fields now, supported by all your love.
Hi Jayme,
You’re right that the optimum dose of Apocaps for a large dog can be very expensive. But remember this is a nutraceutical, not a chemical product. You might consider using a lower dose. In my opinion, some is better than none. Think about it.
My dog was a Weimaraner, and yes, we saw the stats that told us even with surgery and chemotherapy our best possible prognosis was 4-5 months if we were very lucky. We had the surgery, which was actually what diagnosed him. We didn’t know his spleen was cancerous before the op. And dogs can do without their spleen. Metronomic Chemo was still relatively new (still is in many circles) but at my request my vet checked it out. It was less expensive and much easier to give. Very gentle, low dose, very little side effects. We had him on Apocaps and the dog cancer diet, and really learned to revel in every day. Our dog did not bat an eyelash at any of this, the chemo or anything else. I think we were very, incredibly lucky, if you can put luck to something like this. The lesson I learned was, it’s possible. My dog was not a number, and neither is yours. Whether you have months or years ahead, it’s the days that count. Laugh with him and love him and all your decisions for him will be the right ones. Take care!
Hi Jayme,
You’re right that the dosage of Apocaps for a large dog can be overwhelming on the pocket. BUT, you might consider using a lower dose. Yes, it lists the optimum amount per body weight, but in my opinion some is better than none. Thi
Hi Susan,
I apologize for not responding to your last message. Our Samson crossed over the rainbow bridge this past Monday. We are heartbroken, but I knew it was comming. I admit I never expected it to be so quick. He was a trooper till the very end and his presence certainly is missed….we will never have another like him. He was very special! He sure did love the homemade cancer diet. So glad he at least enjoyed his meals along with all our love.
Hi Jayme,
You haven’t failed, and this is not your fault. Sometimes, crappy things happen. It’s very sad that so many of our dogs, especially pure breeds, have the possibility of cancer bred into them. Add to that the toxic world we all live in, and I’m afraid our dogs often suffer.
But. I had a dog with splenic hemangiosarcoma, and you know what? He beat his prognosis. He went over four years past his cancer and passed away in my arms at age 16 just last Christmas. So please don’t give up. You mention some good supplement and I know you’re doing the research. Check out http://www.apocaps.com. Apocaps was develope specifically for dogs with cancer, from high quality, natural ingredients which target getting the cancer cells to switch off and die (apoptosis).
Is home made food better than store bought? Yes. There are however some better brands being produced. Your can find tips in the Dog Cancer Diet (www.dogcancerdiet.com) with a free download available, and the full diet is in the Dog Cancer Survival Guide book. You may also want to ask your vet about Metronomic Chemotherapy. It’s particularly recommended for hemangiosarcomaa, and it’s a protocol you can give at home, with the proper precautions.
Please released those feeling of failure. They are not valid, and they’re not helping your boy. There is a lot you can do, and we’ll help you however we can.
I can’t thank you enough for your response Susan. I have checked and printed out the Dog Cancer Diet. And in doing so, I have been receiving numerous emails filled with helpful information. I wish I could afford the apocaps, but sadly I would need 3 bottles a month for him due to his weight. I will do the Cancer Diet, but I noticed Halo was his first choice in store bought and one of the others is Blue Wilderness Duck formula. (good to know)
Now with regards to your baby living another 4 years, may I ask what breed and what treatment you went with? I inquire because the research I did stated with surgery, chemo and radiation may only extends their life 6-8 months, tops. With surgery alone only 2 months. We are not willing to put Samson through that for such a short term extension. We are more concerned with quality of life vs extended life span. anyway, if these treatments worked for you I’d love to know!
Thank you again for your response, as you’ve been very helpful.
Dear Dr. Dressler,
My 6 yr old Great Dane has blood work and a urine analysis Done a month ago. His liver enzymes were slightly elevated and he has bilirubinin his urine. So we scheduled an ultrasound and discovered he has a mass on his spleen, which is believed to be Canine Splenic Hemangiosarcoma. We declined the aspiration panel to confirm the diagnosis because we were concerned with bleeding, as well as possibly causing the cancer to spread quicker. We currently give him Milk Thistle to aid in reducing his slightly elevated liver levels and wondered is there any other supplement/s you would recommend giving him?
Also, we feed our furbies Blue Wilderness wet and dry food. I’ve not had any issues with this food as some others have and wondered if there is a need for supplements such as Spiugreen? Do you know if this is a really good supplement? And is a home made food really better than the store bought? I have three other doggie and want to do my best to help prevent disease. I’m feeling as if I failed my boy….
Whatever suggestions you have are truly appreciated
Hi Drs. D and Sue:
My Irish setter was diagnosed seven weeks ago with adenocarcinoma of the lung which metastisized to the rt. elbow joint, causing lameness, which is how, after several sets of X-rays and rediologists reports — all negative for cancer by the way– we finally were given the bad news and a biopsy was done. He received palliative radiation for the tumor in the elbow, which seemed to help w/ pain slightly. Tw weeks into radiation she was started on Vinorelbine/palladia, and did very well for 5 of the 7 scheduled treatments. On his week “off” from treatment (week 6), he started to backslide, wouldn’t eat, wasn’t bearing much weight on the bad leg. The re-check X-Ray of the lung showed that the disease had progressed. I was shocked, as I didn’t this this was a possibility. The oncologist suggested carboplatin (one treatment every 3 weeks). He got his first treatment this week and has started to perk up. Of course, U am very skeptical as per Dr. D’s comments about second try chemo drugs during this whole ordeal he has been on K-9 Immunity Plus (4 tabs per day), a probiotic; dogzymes (Nature’s Farmacy — added recently), and I just ordered Apocaps, which I should get tomorrow. My question is can I use them w/ K-9 Immunity Plus? My dog has a very delicate stomach generally and I’ve geen giving him Pepcid (20 mg) daily, cerenia (so far, 2x), he’s also on Piroxicam (2 per day), and gabapentin at bedtime. I’m doing the homemade diet Dr. D. suggets, except my dog hates liver and cottage cheese, so I mix the latter with yogurt. He will eat eggs, turkey and chicken when he’s nit nauseous. Veggies are difficult. I’ve been using organic baby food to get them in — is that okay? Does he need more viatamin supplements? My oncologist is not big on nutritional support — basically thinks it’s fluff, so that makes it impossible to discuss this with him. He says no antioxidants and nothing with sulphur — I wanted to try Cantron, a human neutraceutical that’s also used on pets, and does the same things as chemo (or purports to) w/o the side effects, but it has sulphur. At this point, I’m thinking of trying it — especially is this new chemo makes him sick or also doesn’t work — does that happen often? I can’t get a straight answer from the oncologist. Thanks for any suggestions