A Silver Lining in 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: October 2nd, 2018
This is a blog about dog cancer. As such, you are probably here looking for some advice. Something useful to help this dire predicament you are in with your loved dog.
Most often I will write about some outside the box approach to treating your dog’s disease. Maybe a new therapy that is coming up, or a supplement or some other clinical tool that you can use to help beat the odds. This was the drive leading to The Dog Cancer Survival Guide, Apocaps, the Coping Guide and the monthly webinars,.
But there is more to this picture than trying to keep your dog healthy and happy.
What do I mean? I mean you. What is going on with you, as a dog guardian, as a person dealing with something that it seems has no solution.
You are all in different stages of the dog cancer Iditarod. The Iditarod is a grueling, 1,161 mile long dog sled race that takes place in Alaska. It is long and it is hard. It requires ongoing emotional strength and fortitude to continue in harsh, extreme conditions.
Coping with dog cancer is indeed like the Iditarod. Those of you on this road know what I mean.
I was speaking with a man today with a Lab recently diagnosed with bladder cancer (transitional cell carcinoma). He said something that I should share with all of you in this journey. It went something like this:
“Now that I know, every day becomes more precious. I have always loved my dog. But now, each day I have with my dog is important.”
This is the silver lining of dog cancer. Although a huge, dark cloud overshadows much, you may be able to find a hint of silver somewhere. Each day is important. Each 24 hours is filled with many minutes and many more moments.
Each moment is a chance to share your world with your loved dog.
I would like to leave you with a quote. This is from Viktor Frankl, Holocaust survivor, about his time in a concentration camp. I hope you find it comforting.
“…everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms — to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”
Best,
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.
Dear Dr. Dressler,
I contacted you 2 years ago so as to get your opinion on cancer medications for my dog.
He had just undergone cancer surgery, and two types of cancerous growths were found and successfully removed (1) squamous cell carcinoma in his mouth and (2) intestinal adenocarcinoma with evidence of vascular invasion. The surgeon recommended we have follow-up chemotherapy. Eventually metronomic therapy was recommended using a combination of peroxicam and cyclophosamide, for an initial period of 9-12 months, which was subsequently extended..
So here we are 2 years later and my dog (who will be 14 years old this coming April) is still on this regimen. Remarkably his bloodwork (CBC plus T4) have all come back negative. And his IBD is under control. But age and arthritis are now coming into play. For the past week we have been giving him ‘Zeel’ and hope to see some improvement soon.
So the question I have is, in your expert opinion, when can we stop his chemo? When will he be considered ‘cancer free.’
I would appreciate hearing your thoughts on this subject.
P.S., appreciate getting your “Dog Cancer News” updates. They have provided a great deal of insightful information.
Hello Dr Dressler
I hope you don’t mind me contacting you, but our little 13 year old staffie, Rosie, was recently diagnosed with mammary gland cancer, (needle aspirate), together with inflammation of the pancreas (poss cancer – no definitive diagnosis undertaken – ultrasound scan only) She also has vulval beeding with undiagnosed cause, possibly benign polyps, not confirmed as vet thought her other problems outweighed further investigation. As we still felt Rosie had a lot of life in her, and not wanting to consider the only option that seemed to be open to us, we brought her home with a supply of Tramadol.
Anyway, I came across your site when looking for advice on alternatives to help our little girl and I have been giving her Apocaps daily and follow the suggested cancer diet, mostly chicken/turkey and green vegetables. (I also give her IP6 and flax oil & cottage cheese – 1.5 tbsp to 3 tbsp). However, just before I received the Apocaps I had started to give her curcumin in the form of 2 caps of CuraMed daily and I wanted to ask you if they can be given alongside the Apocaps since they also contain curcumin. I want to give her every chance but I also am concerned about the possibility of overdosing her.
I would welcome any comments that you have.
Ann-Marie
Scotland
We lost our 7 year old Lab to TCC in August and even though I did not find out about your website, book, etc until close to the end, your section on how to deal with the loss of your pet and the decisions one has to make at the end were very helpful.
As you quoted above, dealing with cancer in your beloved pet makes you realize how very precious they are and life in general.
We miss her every day but we know we did everything humanly possible and in the end we made the ultimate sacrifice of letting her go and freeing her from the pain.
Sharlene,
So sorry for your loss.
With sympathy, Dr Sue
Hello, i was just wondering if there are any new procedures for TCC, my norwegian elkhound, 12yr old, was diagnosed and they did an 2 ultrasounds 4 months apart, 1 xray, and they used some type of scope to put a cathiter in her urethra, vet said it was pretty tight getting it in. Only gave her a month and it has been 2 mos. I do have her on many supplements, herbal remedies, and homeopathy treatments. She seems to be fine other than it takes her a while to urinate, but does not have frequent urges as she use to months back. She is also on peroxicam 10 mg 1x day. Tramodol as needed. She weighed 67 lbs few months back but i can tell she has lost at least 5 lbs. I have her on natural food ( ground turkey, chicken, brown rice, spinach, broccoli, tuna), fish oil and cottage cheese/flax oil mixture. Vet said when she no longer can urinate it would be time to put her down. Should i be having further bloodwork done or xrays to moniter her progress. Vet gave me an option for chemo drug but i dont want to put her through that. thank you
Dear Sandra,
I would first be sure you read this post:
https://www.dogcancerblog.com/blog/an-overview-of-what-else-can-i-do/
Secondly, on top of the items in the post above and the Guide, talk to your vet about infusions of injectable neoplasene directly into the bladder.
Best,
Dr D
Sadly my MacKenzie passed away this morning, but her last days were active and happy – I believe thanks to your diet and recommendations
Dear AJ
we are sending you our very best during this sad time of departures-
thinking of you
Dr D
My 11 year old Cairn, MacKenzie, was diagnosed with hemangiosarcoma 3 weeks ago. I am working with a local oncologist and we started Palladia on October 31. I bought your book, put Kenzie on the cancer diet and plus Apocaps and K-9 Immunity +Transfer Factor. In addiiton she is getting Reiki and Acupuncture. Kenzie is doing well on all this. My question is this – you state in a video that this diet is only an anti cancer diet. How can I adapt it for my other Cairn who is healthy, but quite enamored of the cancer diet. I cannot figure out what would be harmful to a healthy dog in the diet. Thanks so much and thanks for your great book and ideas!
Dear Aj
The diet is not good for dogs with pancreatitis or kidney disease or allergies to ingredients in the diet…the fat can be a bit much even for a healthy dog. Otherwise though it is okay for healthy dogs but I don’t make the recommendation for all dogs due to these exceptions..
I hope this helps
Dr D
dr d:
“jolly,” my 10 year old, best friend, little 11 pound mini-dachschund, was recently diagnosed w/tcc of bladder: after biopsies taken, and while awaiting diagnosis, i went to a holistic vet and started raw rabbit diet and several herbal supplements. 1 week later, dianosis came back and was positive for tcc and i went to an oncologist. the oncologist admitted she didn’t “know” holistic medicine but that at least 2/3 of her clients were also concurrently receiving holistic treatments. however, jolly’s appetite had dramatically decreased and she had developed diarrhea, all since starting the new diet and herbal supplements. the oncologist insisted we go off the raw diet and that jolly could have anything she wanted to eat and that she must eat “ravenously” and have normal bowel movements, before any chemo was started. she did put jolly on tramadol, as she felt jolly was having more pain than i had realized. another medicine she had me continue was the thyroid medicine she was supposed to be taking. a week went by and jolly’s appetite still wasn’t great, and although she wasn’t still having diarrhea, her stool was very soft and gelatinous. benefiber was started and all the herbal supplements were stopped, except for the yunnan baiyao she was receiving, as she continued to pee blood…both from the bladder/urethral cancer and from the 5 hour (really was under anesthesia for 5 hours) cystoscopy from hell that a horrible internal medicine doctor had put her through for the biopsies. another week went by and the oncologist finally let us start piroxicam thank god. then, towards the end of that week, i found a hard lump on jollys’ back left hip that actually felt like bone (ii thought she had dislocated a hip). the er vet took xrays and the bone wasn’t involved. the aspirated it and sent it off for cytology and culture. the cytology came back negative for cancer and the culture also came back negative. they now think it’s a sterile granuloma from an antibiotic shot she had received 4 weeks prior, when her home vet thought she had a “terrible uti.” so, at first the plan to move on with intravenous chemo was put on hold but then back on yesterday, once the surgeon who saw her said it didn’t need cut out. so, jolly went in for her first dose of intravenous chemo today. i was so scared. i cried when they took her away. she did great and i did the best i could. now i sit reading more of your book and then found you here on this website. i just ordered apocaps and k-9 immunity. i haven’t said anything to the oncologist that i was considering this, and she is now out of town until next wednesday. am i understanding it correctly? k-9 should be given as soon as it gets here (2 days) and won’t hurt her with the chemo still in her system??? and, the apocaps…they should actually get here tomorrow, or at the latest, in 2 days. can i go ahead and start that, too? should i wait for a while now that the chemo is in her system? there’s something i was reading about some supplements aren’t to be given during the chemo times…is this one of them, and when can i start it? also, i just read in one of your blogs that you suggested alternating apocaps with artemesian. i do already have that one. it was one of the ones the oncologist stoppped earlier. i know, you don’t know jolly’s case and you might not want to contradict her oncologist…i just want your opinion. i just read an artical about dogs getting chemo and how their immune system is in jeopardy from day 5 to day 7 after chemo and i want to boost her immune system for this. any advice please? thanks. jollysmommy (jollysmommy@yahoo.com)
Dear Jolly’s mom
first i would suggest the exercises in the initial part of the book to insure you have the best internal state to be dealing with this problem. Secondly, get the intestinal issues totally under control before staring any new treatment including supplements. Once the stool and appetite are normal, start things one at a time. This dog clearly needs to be handled gingerly. Apocaps is being used concurrently with chemotherapy except you should have veterinary supervision with what you are doing and have open discussions to bring Jolly’s health care into the open with the people involved. Apocaps should not be used at full strength with some drugs used in chemo protocols so get your vet involved and visit:
Immune stimulation is discussed at length in the Guide
I hope this helps
Dr D
Dr D – I was re-reading some of the previous posts and I saw that on June 1 with Kelly you talked about alternating Apocaps with artemisinin on a 5 day cycle. Could you be more specific with what you mean by this? I had written to you about my Shiba Inu that has b-cell lymphoma and has become drug resistant (July 21st). I am at a point now where I need to try this – she is 30 lbs – so how do I do this 5 day cycling with apocaps and art? And do you recommend art or artemix?
Thank you! Ann
Dr. Dressler-
Our 8yr old lab was diagnosed with hemangiosarcoma 3wks ago. His spleen had ruptured and he had an emergency splenectomy. We started Cyclophosphamide & Piroxicam, but have started seeing a holistic vet. She is suggesting Neoplasene. We did not have an ultrasound done of the heart and another holistic vet expressed concerns about the use of Neoplasene.
In doing research on Neoplasene I came across your website and I would really appreciate your views on this. The vet who suggested Neoplasene was going to work with Dr. Fox @ Buck Mountain.
Thank you for your input and I have also ordered your book.
Dear Lynn,
I would (with your vet) also consider yunnan baiyao, apocaps, beta glucans (k-9 immunity unflavored) or modified citrus pectin, omega 3’s, and deliberate life quality enhancement as discussed in the Guide.
I have had some positive results with Neoplasene and I feel this is a viable option.
I hope this helps,
D
And yet a third question – re the diet, if deciding to use beef, one should not use ground round, correct?
Dear Chris,
usually we use lean ground beef. Not sure what the fat content is in ground round, but too much fat can cause digestive upset and sometime pancreatitis…
Best
D