Articles
Dr. Demian Dressler has been writing articles for DogCancerBlog.com since 2008. If you’re looking for excellent advice and insight into your dog’s cancer, this site has hundreds of articles to use. You can search using the box above or choose a topic from the navigation menu. And you can always ask us for help!
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A distressing part of dealing with dog cancer is data on the current standard of care in veterinary medicine for our dogs with this disease. Conventional veterinary care includes chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery, with a little emphasis on diet. The problem we are facing is that most people are a bit surprised at what we…
Read ArticleSigns of Dog Lymph Node Cancer
Many find a bump or a lump on their canine companion at home. The first question is usually, “what is this?” Sometimes the second question is, “Is it a gland or a lymph node?” These are good questions. The reason is that glands, or lymph nodes, become swollen for different reasons. Like in people, infection…
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Breast Cancer Signs in Dogs: What to Look For and How to Think About Mammary Cancer
Finding a lump on your dog’s breast is not good: Learn how to examine your dog for breast cancer and when to head to the veterinarian.
Read ArticleThe Sign of Cancer Hidden in Plain Sight
We’ve been looking at signs of cancer. So today, let’s look at a really obvious one that can fool all of us. One of the first things I review during a patient intake is the body weight. Next, I compare this weight with the numbers over the last couple of years. So am I just…
Read ArticleA Sign of Dog Cancer to Know About
What are the signs of dog cancer? That’s a tough question. There are internal cancers and there are external cancers. With the external cancers, those that are found in the skin, the space under the skin, superficial muscles, or in bony structures that are close to the outside of the body, many times we see…
Read ArticleBut Cancer Treatment at My Dog’s Age?
So many guardians post comments on this blog, asking questions that have to do with age and cancer treatment. Let’s look at this topic today. I have an old dog. What is the right choice for cancer treatment? This central question usually can boil down to whether the life quality negative of the treatment is…
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“My Dog Is Limping, But No Pain” – What You Should Know
If you find yourself thinking “my dog is limping but no pain is there,” think again. Limping is a sign you should take seriously.
Read ArticleBetter 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…
Read ArticleHelp! Found A Lump On The Dog… Now What?
Dr. Demian Dressler, best-selling author of “The Dog Cancer Survival Guide”, explains exactly what to do when you find a lump on your dog.
Read ArticleDifferent Pain, Different Drugs
In some ways physicians have it easy. An MD can ask a human patient, “Are you in pain?” It’s a bit tougher for us animal lovers. Interestingly, we are in the same boat as pediatricians in this way. We have to go by signs, feelings, intuition in some cases. And sometimes the truth is that…
Read ArticleUsing Dog Cancer Statistics
The one of the first steps in the plan for helping you with dog cancer in The Guide is data collection. Without data about your dog’s cancer, survival times, life quality during treatment, side effects, costs, nursing care you will be expected to do, your dog’s normal life expectancy and so on, you will be…
Read ArticleTreatment 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…
Read ArticleUrinary Problems And Cyclophosphamide
One of the most common chemotherapy drugs used today is cyclophosphamide. This medication can be given at home, as it comes as a pill that is given by mouth. It can also be given as an injection in the veterinary hospital. One of the side effects that is seen in about 1 in 10 dogs…
Read ArticleIs Cancer Caused By Old Age?
Cancer is due to the fact that our dogs are living longer. Right? This was recently stated by a publicly aired news broadcast, by an expert. And the topic was dog cancer. I’m here to tell you that this is incorrect. And as usual, there is ample back-up evidence. But first, some clarifications. In the…
Read ArticleThe Inflammatory Diet and Cancer
It turns out that modern changes in our dog’s diets may have a link to cancer development. It is now known that cancer needs inflammation to start, and to get worse. Inflammation is the process where body parts get red, swollen and painful. If we get an injury, inflammation happens as the first step in…
Read ArticleDiagnosis of Nasal Tumors
Tumors of the nose and sinus in dogs are often difficult to diagnose at first. These tumors are located inside the nasal passages, invisible to the naked eye, at least in the earlier stages. Many times a guardian will notice that their four legged family member starts to sneeze more often. The first thought can…
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Latest on Dog Food and Cancer
Is there a link between dog food an cancer? Many feel the answer is yes, and there is evidence to support this link. Today’s post will look at some of the newest thinking on dog food and cancer. First of all, a dog’s wild diet is quite different from that of a modern, commercial diet. …
Read ArticleMetronomic Chemotherapy
Traditional chemotherapy is moving in a new direction. In the past, chemotherapy used a strategy called Maximum Tolerated Dose (MTD). Simply put, this is giving the highest dose a patient can handle, ideally without an unacceptable risk of side effects. The reason this strategy is used in cancer medicine is that the drugs we have…
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Cerenia: An Option for Dogs with Vomiting
Cerenia can really help with dogs who are vomiting or getting nauseous. Ask your vet!
Read ArticleCalcium Tablets May Contain Carcinogenic Lead
Does calcium matter to a dog with cancer? How about carcinogenic lead? Many dog lovers are feeding their dog The Dog Cancer Diet in The Guide, with very good results. A dog with cancer has a unique metabolism that is totally different from a dog with no cancer. With this in mind, it is clear…
Read ArticleWhat is Treatment Plan Analysis?
Imagine you want to spend some time somewhere. Maybe the mountains, maybe the city…it is time for a trip. There are many ways to get there. Perhaps having as much time as possible there is your main goal. Maybe you drive at breakneck speed to get there, wasting no time, and extend your time there…
Read ArticleMore On Being Your Dog’s Guardian
In the last post, we looked at how critical it is for you, as your dog’s guardian, to be in good mental shape to help your dog. This means paying attention to things that could hurt your ability to think clearly, act rationally, and really focus on the things that truly matter. There will be…
Read ArticleTaking Care of Your Dog’s Guardian
The Olympics are a test in sports against the world’s most formidable athletes. To win in the Olympics, an athlete must not only tend to diet, practice, and technique. An Olympian must use every edge to win, including managing emotions and the mind under intense pressure. Coping with a canine cancer diagnosis is an Olympian…
Read ArticleDoes Massage for Dogs with Cancer Do Anything?
Life quality is a major part of dealing with canine cancer. Since cancer is a disease that impacts a loved dog’s quality of life, it makes sense that we should pay attention to it. Treatments designed to kill cancer cells are not enough. One of the overlooked areas in conventional veterinary medicine is that of…
Read ArticleLife 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…
Read ArticleGlutamine, Immunity and Canine Cancer
Cancer is a whole-body disease. When we think about cancer, many times we tend to look at it as if it were just a single growth. A single growth is called a tumor. We can see tumors, either on the body of a loved dog or with a tool to see the inside of the…
Read ArticleMagnesium and Dog Cancer
The strategy of Full Spectrum Care is used in the Dog Cancer Survival Guide to take advantage of anything that is safe and effective to get an edge on dog cancer. This means we have to look not only at chemo, radiation and surgery, but also on all those other things that might help a…
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