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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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Acupuncture

Acupuncture can be used in dog cancer treatment, but it’s usually only available from a holistic veterinarian.

Dog Cancer Pain: Acupuncture?

Dog cancer pain: acupuncture? Even if your vet dismisses it, it is more than just a placebo!

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pet insurance for dogs

Pet Insurance for Dogs with Cancer

Pet insurance for dogs didn’t used to cover cancer costs … but that has changed. Woo hoo!

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Using the Full Spectrum Approach: Alternative and Complementary Therapies for Dogs with Cancer

When my dog was first diagnosed with cancer I spent time every day looking for help for him.  It’s what we do.  My vet was wonderful, and together we worked out a great conventional treatment plan.  But I wanted more. I wanted everything that had any chance of helping. Sound familiar? In addition to terrific…

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“Alternative” Strategies That May Help Dogs with Cancer

Some conventional vets find Chapter Fifteen in The Dog Cancer Survival Guide one of the most controversial sections of the book. It’s where Dr. Demian Dressler talks about his fifth step in Full Spectrum cancer care: brain chemistry modification. Dr. Dressler has found that it’s really important to boost your dog’s mood in order to…

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DogCancer.TV: Using “Alternative” Therapies for Dogs with Cancer

Dr. Dressler and Dr. Ettinger talk about some of the all natural, holistic, and homeopathic approaches to cancer care for dogs.

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DogCancer.TV: Meet the Veterinarians, Dr. Dressler and Dr. Ettinger

Dr. Dressler and Dr. Ettinger talk about their backgrounds and why they decided to “write the book” on dog cancer.

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DogCancer.TV: The Full Spectrum Approach to Dog Cancer Care

Dr. Dressler and Dr. Ettinger discuss Full Spectrum Cancer Care and why the willingness to look at any and all available treatments is so important.

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Some Science Behind Acupuncture for Cancer Pain

Cancer is very tough.  And because we do not have a reliable cure for cancer, we must use every tool that helps to deal with cancer in a loved dog. One of these tools is acupuncture for cancer pain. Acupuncture in cancer has in the past been debated, and the use of acupuncture for pain…

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Prejudice in Chemo Side Effect Treatment for Dogs

Bias (prejudice) is an important issue in medical treatments being withheld.  Some of these treatments may have benefit, and dog cancer is no exception. Managing the side effects of chemotherapy is an important part of cancer care.  Chemotherapy is most commonly delivered at the Maximum Tolerated Dose (MTD).  This means the highest doses that the…

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dog cancer pain

Pain Meds for Dogs: How to Manage Pain for a Dog With Cancer

Dog cancer pain control is really important, especially because dogs hide their pain symptoms so well. Learn how to treat your dog’s pain.

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Thanksgiving and Coping With Dog Cancer

Thanksgiving and dog cancer….a horrific pair. Coping with canine cancer is heart-wrenching any time, and during the holidays can be almost unbearable.  Here are some tips that can help a guardian cope with dog cancer during this season. During holidays, there are expectations that people will act or feel certain ways.  If we see family,…

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disruptive stress and dog cancer

Disruptive Stress and Dog Cancer

Coping with dog cancer is extremely stressful. Certain life events, like coping with dog cancer in your loved family member, create such stress that it actually disrupts normal thinking.  This is called “disruptive stress.” This is very natural and common. However, disruptive stress has been shown to have a real negative effect. Disruptive stress creates…

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Innovations in Dog Cancer Care

Cancer may be the toughest adversary in medicine today. When a dog lover is faced with a dog cancer diagnosis, one of the most common questions is, “Are there any other options?”  Many guardians are urgently looking for options beyond what seems to exist in conventional medical care today. For this reason, The Dog Cancer…

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My Homeopathic Vet and Cancer

A reader of this blog asked a provocative question with a few different parts. Let’s look at it more closely to help all the guardians dealing with a dog cancer diagnosis. First, he wrote that his Golden Retriever (the number one breed for canine cancer now) is diagnosed with cancer. Next, he wrote that the…

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My Homeopathic Veterinarian and Dog Cancer

A reader of this blog asked a provocative question with a few different parts. Let’s look at it more closely to help all the guardians dealing with a dog cancer diagnosis. First, he wrote that his Golden Retriever (the number one breed for canine cancer now) is diagnosed with cancer. Next, he wrote that the…

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But Will Palladia Work?

I recently received a question about whether the chemotherapy drug Palladia would work for a dog with cancer. This guardian wrote that her dog was breathing hard, all night, and that X-rays showed the cancer had spread to the lungs. She was asking as to whether the drug Palladia would work for her dog. In…

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Signs 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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My dog is limping. Pug laying on the floor.

“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.

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Different 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…

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What 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…

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Dog Cancer: Does Acupuncture Make It Worse?

There are few up to speed clinicians these days that will argue acupuncture is hocus pocus in cancer medicine.  If they do, the rest of us will point to this paper, and this one, and this one..and those are just a few. Now, Western clinicians are accepting that acupuncture does good things for pain, nausea,…

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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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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…

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A Dog Cancer Wake Up Call

From time to time I receive comments from readers who express opinions about what they will consider in treating their dog’s cancer. These particular folks segregate themselves into a single group…the “anti” people. First, we have those who are very impressed with conventional veterinary care.  This is my background, so I see the appeal. Big…

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End of Life Care in Dog Cancer

The end of life stage can be very hard on everyone. It often is gut-wrenching to see your dear companion start to say goodbye. Like any weighty decision, sometimes the emotions involved can paralyze our ability to choose. During these times it is so important to gain some clarity by seeking support in counselors, support…

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Everything is overwhelming…

Many dog lovers, especially those of you who just received the news that your dog has cancer, feel very overwhelmed.  This is very common and completely natural. So many questions arise.  How did this happen?  Where did the cancer come from? Why wasn’t this picked up before?  Is it the food? Vaccines? Chemicals? What do…

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Prejudice in viewpoints on Dog Cancer Care

One of the things I realized in my quest for defining what I’ve coined a “full spectrum approach” to treating cancer is personal bias. I am not talking about racial or sexual discrimination of course.  Rather, something I realized that we all carry within us, and I include myself in this, is the presence of…

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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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