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Featuring Demian Dressler, DVM and Sue Ettinger, DVM, Dip. ACVIM (Oncology), authors of The Dog Cancer Survival Guide
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Life Quality

Help Your Dog Eat with A Paper Plate!

I wanted to share a Picky eater tip I got from my wonderful Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine (TCVM) vet. 💕 Dr. Hale suggested using paper plates if your dog has an upset tummy. She said this is something that palliative care/hospice vets use. 🐾💕 Glass, plastic, metal, etc., will all retain some smell, even if…

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Colostrum for Energy in Dogs with Cancer

Is colostrum snake oil? Or is it worth using for a dog with cancer? Dr. Nancy Reese explains why it can help your dog.

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If Your Dog Isn’t Eating, Figure Out the Problem

We tend to use an appetite stimulant when our dog won’t eat. But it turns out, that might not be the best choice.

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Dog Cancer Treat: Snack Water

Does your dog refuse to drink water? Renée has a way to tempt her to drink up: Snack Water!

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How to Give a Dog Pills: 23 Sneaky Treat Ideas

Dogs who hate pills may just need a tricksy treat! Sneaky ideas for treats to hide pills from experts: our readers.

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A picture of a dog, with the words Prednisone for Dogs

Prednisone for Dogs: Uses for Dog Cancer and Other Medical Conditions, Side Effects, Alternative Options, and More

What is prednisone for dogs, why is it prescribed so often, and how can it help your pup? Read on for everything you’ve ever wanted to know about prednisone for dogs—including uses, side effects, dosing, and more…

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Coronavirus and Your Dog: What You Need to Know

Are dogs at risk during the coronavirus pandemic? Are we at risk from them? Nancy Reese, DVM, Ph.D. (Epidemiology) offers reassurance and information.

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Dogs die in hot cars. Animated dog riding in car.

Dogs Die in Hot Cars

Dogs die in hot cars, and they die MUCH SOONER than you would think. If your dog has cancer, definitely DON’T leave your dog in a car!

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More Melatonin and Dog Cancer

More details on melatonin and dog cancer, including the whys, hows, and how much.

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Sleep, Dog Cancer, and Melatonin

Melatonin and dog cancer … why this powerful natural hormone produced inside your dog’s brain can help fight cancer. Inexpensively!

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Is Sunshine Bad for Dogs with Cancer?

There’s a common myth that sunlight is bad for dogs with cancer. But, that’s not true. According to Dr. Dressler in the Dog Cancer Survival Guide (Chapter 13), the only dogs who shouldn’t be exposed to the sun are those with Squamous Cell Carcinoma or Hemangiosarcoma. For all other cancers, dogs should be free to…

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Is My Dog Dying? Here Are Some Warning Signs and Symptoms

How do you know if your dog is dying? Learn what signs to look for, and how to handle them.

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Improving Life Quality with Hospice for Dogs

Hospice for dogs is not about giving up: it’s about focusing on comfort and closeness.

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Playdates for Dogs with Cancer

Dogs are social animals just like us. And, our dogs can get lonely even with our company, especially if they’re the only dog in the house. Dr. Dressler covers this topic in chapter 15 of The Dog Cancer Survival Guide, which talks about life quality and “brain chemistry modification” strategies as step five of Full…

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Is My Dog Still Happy?

So, is your dog happy? It’s not always easy to tell. But there are certain tell-tale signs that will help you know one way or the other.

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Lavender Oil for Dogs

Is lavender oil for dogs an indulgent luxury, or a necessity? You’d be surprised!

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Better Life Quality: Play with Your Dog with Cancer

How important is it to play with your dog with cancer? Very!

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How to Know If Your Dog Is In Pain

How to know if dog is in pain? There are dozens of signs of pain in dogs, and MOST of them are unrecognizable. Learn how to know if your dog is hurting. 🙁

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How to Help Your Dog with Cancer When He Won’t Eat

When your cancer dog won’t eat, it’s really frightening. It makes you think they’re close to the end, right? Don’t panic – try these things to help.

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Osteosarcoma and Amputation: myths and facts

In my last blog, I gave my recommendations about osteosarcoma (OSA) work up. Now it’s time to talk about treatment. Conventional treatment for OSA targets: The primary tumor with local treatment (surgery and/or radiation) The likely micrometastasis with systemic treatment (chemotherapy) Today, I am going to talk about amputation. The Goal The main goal of…

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Beta Glucan-containing mushrooms in the news again!

Beta glucans are back in the media, this time is the form of a new mushroom extract. This of course will not be surprising to our regular readers or anyone who has read The Dog Cancer Survival Guide, since the use of these compounds are part of the full-spectrum approach to canine cancer.  This approach…

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Time and the Joys of Life in Dog Cancer

We are very busy in modern life.  It seems as time goes on, the faster it speeds by. Dog cancer is connected in many ways to time.  There is the question that is most pressing: “How much more time do I have?”. This is an important piece of information to get, along with the odds…

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Better and Longer: End of Life Care

An article in the New England Journal of Medicine was just published that showed that human cancer patients lived both longer and better with hospice care. Patients with a type of lung cancer lived almost 2 months longer with hospice care than those who did not.  Similar trends have been seen with other terminal diseases…

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Treatment Plan Analysis in Real Life

Yesterday, a 13 year old Rottweiler came in to the hospital. She had been limping, and there was a swelling in her front leg, down on the forearm.  It was firm and slightly warm to the touch.  The area was about 4 inches long. We took X-rays of the sore leg.  The films showed a…

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Life Quality: Is My Dog In Pain?

Physical comfort is very important for a dog’s life quality.  When it comes to canine cancer, life quality is a central topic that deserves much attention. Since the systemic cancers are so formidable and resist successful treatment, often increasing life span and maintaining a normal life quality are main goals. Life quality can be evaluated…

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Making Time for Full Spectrum Dog Cancer Care

There is a big difference between coming up with an idea to do something, and doing it. We humans are very good at deciding that we should do.  The problem is that many times we sort of lose track of this focus, and don’t totally follow through. This is a very important issue when it…

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Manageable Challenges and Life Quality

Manageable challenges and life quality: your dog with cancer NEEDS to feel good about himself. Continue to challenge her, to boost her sense of self-esteem!

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Life Quality in Dog Cancer: Dr Dressler’s Joys of Life Scale

When we are dealing with cancer in our loved dog, especially the bad cases, we immediately enter into a new way of thinking.  We start to have thoughts about life quality assessment.  We are put in a position where we are in control of  life and death (euthanasia) decisions.  Sometimes in a very sudden way,…

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Pain in Dog Cancer and Life Quality

Many have concerns their dog may be in pain.  And rightfully so, since pain is a definite negative.  Pain control is a massive topic all by itself, and it is by no means strait forward. There are different kinds of pain. Sometimes  dull, throbbing pain happens in cancers like osteosarcoma (bone cancer).  Severe pain in…

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