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!
Surgery and Supplements: Bleeding Risks
All herbs and supplements are safe because they are natural, right? Wrong. The word “natural” seems to mean harmless. No side effects. Non toxic. But this simply is false information. Anything in the body, no matter what it is, can create a harmful. effect. Drinking too much water, seen with swine sometimes, can give seizures. …
Read ArticleHelp Metastasis with Flax Lignans
In the world of Full Spectrum care for dog cancer, we try to look for anything that gives us an edge. This edge could be related to survival, life quality, decreasing treatment side effects, or finding something that just works better than the old way. This is a major goal of The Dog Cancer Survival…
Read ArticleAfter Cancer: Do Carcinogens Matter?
According to the National Cancer Institute, carcinogens are any substance that causes cancer. It makes sense that we would want to protect healthy dogs from carcinogens. Since dog cancer is the number one cause of death, limiting a family pet’s carcinogen exposure is the right choice. But, what if your dog already has cancer? Does…
Read ArticleDog Cancer and Carcinogens Near You
How did my dog get cancer? When faced with a dog cancer diagnosis, this question needs to be answered. Most have heard of carcinogens. For many, carcinogens are kind of “out there”, something that we have heard of and may have disregarded. For others, carcinogens are important. Especially if they are close to us. Do…
Read ArticleDog Cancer Clinical Trials
These days really seem like “ruff” times for many. Bad economy, emotional strain, and a lot of general hardship. If you have a dog diagnosed with cancer, but you cannot afford expensive treatments, what can you do? There are several different options in The Dog Cancer Survival Guide. I know that not everyone can afford…
Read ArticleNew Approaches to Squamous Cell Cancer
A cancer we see in from time to time veterinary hospitals is called squamous cell carcinoma. Even though it is not as common as other cancers in dogs, for any dog lover coping with this diagnosis, it is a huge issue. These cancers are not fun. First of all, especially in advanced cases, they are…
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Dog Food: Is There A Cancer Risk?
Naturally, when we talk about the cause of cancer, diet is brought up. Many will immediately poo-poo the notion that what is eaten can have an impact on cancer development. It is amazing. Watch the condemnation without investigation. On the other hand, many feel there is a link, and there is evidence to support that…
Read ArticleYou and Cesar Millan
All of you going through coping with a canine cancer diagnosis are in the trenches. Some are enjoying sunny days as they come, and some are in the depths of suffering. I remember hearing a song once, and although I am not sure who the artist was, what he sang crystallizes what many feel: “Nobody…
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Dog Cancer diet: Higher Protein Bad For Kidneys?
Time to bust another myth. How many of you have heard that “protein is hard on the kidneys?” Well everyone, it is time for a reality check! This matters quite a bit for dogs with cancer. Most of us with some interest in nutrition agree that there is sound logic that a high protein, moderate…
Read ArticleEssiac: Could It Cause What It’s Treating??
For years, Essiac has been touted as an herbal anti-cancer remedy. It got a lot of publicity and press, and has become entrenched in the minds of the alternative health community. It is used to a great extent, and some use it for dog cancer treatment. Let’s look at this a little closer. Many are…
Read ArticleIntestinal Cancer and Curcumin for Dogs
Dogs will occasionally get tumors involving the stomach and intestine. Not as commonly as humans do, but we see it nonetheless. And for those dealing canine cancer, it does not matter how common one or another cancer is if your dog has it! One of the approaches used to help these cancers are certain chemotherapy…
Read ArticleThe Shock of Dog Cancer
I was recently helping an English Lab named Amber. Amber was diagnosed with a mast cell tumor by fine needle aspirate. Amber’s humans, Beau and Heather, were devastated upon hearing this news. Like many dog lovers, they had heard that dogs could get cancer. Sure. Dogs can get the same diseases as people, right? However,…
Read ArticleWhat Makes Canine Lymphoma Different?
Canine lymphoma, also called lymphosarcoma, is a strange cancer. Not that cancer is not strange in general, because it is. But lympho is different. This cancer involves a certain type of white blood cell, the lymphocyte. Most have heard that white blood cells are an important part of the immune system. It turns out there is…
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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…
Read ArticleMirtazapine for Dog Cancer
Dear Dog Lovers, A newer drug is being used frequently lately, and I would like to make sure everyone dealing with a canine cancer diagnosis has heard of it. This medication may help some dogs out there, so let’s keep everyone up to date. The drug is mirtazapine, also called Remeron. Now granted, many of…
Read ArticleDog Cancer Tests: Blood, Urine and More?
Healthy dogs should have early detection cancer screens. The reason for this is that veterinarians often fail to eradicate cancer in a given dog. The fact that cancer is the single number one cause of dog death should make this clear. If you have a dog of about 10 years of age or more, statistics…
Read ArticleNeoplasine Update
Full Spectrum Cancer Care is a way of thinking about treatment for a disease that goes beyond what is conventional. This idea was put forth to try to help normal people get an edge on canine cancer. When we are faced with a problem that lacks real solutions, it is time to start thinking outside…
Read ArticleDog Prostate Cancer: Intraoperative Radiation
Prostate cancer in the dog is very different from that in people. Not because the cancers themselves are that different, but because treatment success is different. This has not been good news for our dogs. The success rates (due to surgical techniques, mainly) for dealing with human prostate cancer are much better than for dogs.…
Read ArticleEscaping Dog Cancer Days, part 2
In the last post we looked at a challenging topic: being happy and at the same time time coping with canine cancer. Since so much of humanity’s attention is on the pursuit of this commodity (happiness), let’s spend a little more time on it. One of the previous points made was that it can seem…
Read ArticleEscaping Dog Cancer Days
Most, if not all of the readers of the Dog Cancer Blog have an interest in being happy. Why not? Dealing with a dog cancer diagnosis can be the most challenging and daunting task faced in some one’s life. During this time it can be quite a struggle to be happy. The sadness, frustration and…
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Is Dog Cancer Treatment the Same as Prevention?
I’ve been thinking about a distinction that deserves way more attention from those who want to be their dogs’ primary health advocate. Why are distinctions important? One meaning of distinction is, “the act of making or keeping distinct”. So there is action implied in distinctions. Many time actions are built in to words because they…
Read ArticleSigns of Dog Cancer and Decompensation
People are often stunned to find out their dog has cancer. Why? Because cancer seems to hit out of the blue. I often hear “but he’s been fine until the last couple days!” In this article, I’m going to take just a minute to explain why “cancer” seems to happen overnight. (Hint: it’s because of…
Read ArticleThe Premature Frenzy: Resveratrol
Ever since Dr. Oz mentioned resveratrol on Oprah, the media has anchored this substance into the minds of dog lovers across the country. Granted, resveratrol is very interesting. And the anti cancer effects of resveratrol are quite interesting too…but mainly in test tubes and petri dishes. If one were to use this as the basis…
Read ArticleHomeopathy for Dog Cancer?
Using homeopathy for dog cancer is a mixed bag in terms of the literature, but it may be useful for certain cancers. What Exactly Is Homeopathy? Homeopathy is a system of medicine based on the administration of very diluted amounts of substances that mimic the symptoms of the disease being treated. The underlying idea is…
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I Need An Alternative Veterinarian!
When on the hard road of dog cancer, we have to use all tools at our disposal. The reason is obvious: we still don’t have a cure for systemic cancers. Thus, most in their right mind would agree that an unsolved problem demands open-minded consideration of all approaches. At the same time, the challenge is…
Read ArticleIs There Hope For Dog Cancer?
Hope. Even looking at the word on a computer screen can cause an odd mix of feelings. This is especially true if you are coping with a canine cancer diagnosis. If there was ever a double-edged sword, hope is it. On one hand, allowing yourself to feel hope can turbocharge your abilities and motivation. On…
Read ArticleSmoke Screens and Dog Cancer
Is medical science ignorant? This is quite a loaded question. When you are coping with a canine cancer diagnosis, it may feel at times like the answer is yes. Let’s take a closer look at the fog surrounding dog cancer causes and the dollar that keeps you in the dark. A spot-on word that is…
Read ArticleDetoxification in Dog Cancer
One of the ways companies make money on cancer is by using words that sound great but mean little. “Detoxification” is one of them. Let’s take a closer look at this. On the surface, getting rid of “toxins‘ is a good idea, right? “Toxins” bad, “detox” good, correct? Well, sure, except nobody really knows what…
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