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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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Recommended Supplements for Dogs with Cancer: The Most Important Supplements in Order of Importance from The Dog Cancer Survival Guide
Readers of The Dog Cancer Survival Guide check Appendix A to find the most important supplements for dogs with cancer listed in order of importance.
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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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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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How to Make Decisions About Dog Cancer Treatments
Overwhelmed and anxious, and unsure how to make decisions about dog cancer treatments? Read this article to find out how to “think like an entrepreneur” and calculate the risk.
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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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Your Dog Cancer Journal
Keeping a dog cancer journal — even a simple one — can help you and your dog tremendously. It doesn’t have to be fancy or take a long time. If you’ve got a pen, you’re all set.
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Treating Dogs with Cancer As If They’re My Own
Can I treat a dog in my care as if he were my own?
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Guidelines for Dealing with Your Dog’s Chemotherapy Side Effects
As I’ve discussed in other posts, chemotherapy is very well tolerated in dogs. Yes I know that is hard to believe. I have had family members get chemo and we have all seen it on TV, but happily it’s not like that for dogs. Approximately 80% of dogs do not have side effects at all…
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Metronomic Chemotherapy for Dogs with Cancer
What is Metronomic Chemotherapy? Metronomic chemotherapy is a relatively new type of chemotherapy that uses low doses of oral (pulse) chemotherapy given on a continuous treatment schedule. Since it is given daily or every other day, the chemotherapy is given at lower doses then typical chemotherapy, often with a reduced toxicity profile. That reduction in…
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Diet and Dogs with Cancer
Dr. Ettinger’s views on diet have changed since she co-authored The Dog Cancer Survival Guide and attended the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Associations’ conference. This is important stuff!
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Common Cancer Mistake: Assuming Chemotherapy Is Not an Option
Do dogs suffer during chemotherapy for their cancer treatments? This veterinary oncologist has an answer that might surprise you.
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What’s My Dog’s Prognosis? When to “Believe” Numbers You Hear from Your Vet
Dog Bone Cancer Prognosis: Dr. Susan Ettinger looks at two case studies to show how statistics cannot predict how an individual case of canine cancer will turn out.
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DogCancer.TV: Palladia™ and Dog Cancer- What You Need to Know
Dr. Ettinger and Dr. Dressler discuss the use of Palladia, an FDA approved drug for dogs, as a chemotherapeutic treatment for dog cancer.
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DogCancer.TV: Diarrhea and Dog Cancer What You Need to Know
A short video in which Dr. Dressler and Dr. Ettinger discuss several causes of diarrhea due to dog cancer and some methods that may help attain gastrointestinal relief for your dog.
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DogCancer.TV: Help for Your Dog’s Nausea
In this video, Dr. Ettinger and Dr. Dressler discuss nausea as a side effect of dog cancer, in addition to some methods and treatments to help deal with nausea.
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DogCancer.TV: Vomiting and Dog Cancer- What You Need to Know
In this video, Dr. Ettinger and Dr. Dressler address some causes of vomiting due to your dog’s cancer, as well as how to cope and when further intervention by your vet may help.
Read ArticleThe chemotherapy appointment, demystified
Ever wonder what happens at your dog chemotherapy appointment? The idea of chemo may conjure up an image of a bunch of people sitting around in chairs hooked up to their IV chemo lines, but how do we do that in dogs? Let’s break a typical chemo appointment down, with Charlie as my example. Charlie…
Read ArticleMy Dog is Young…and Has Cancer??
These days cancers in young dogs do not seem to be that rare. And they are especially difficult since it is such a shock. Often we have the perception that things like this do not happen, or should not happen. Yet we are faced with this brutal reality that seems impossible to accept and even…
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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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The Oncologist’s Perspective on Chemotherapy and Low White Blood Cell Counts: Part 3
Extremely low white blood cell counts and sepsis are rare side effects of chemotherapy that require immediate and urgent care.
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The Oncologist’s Perspective on Chemotherapy and Low White Blood Cell Counts: Part 2
There are specific tests oncologists use for white blood cell counts before, during and after chemotherapy. Find out what tests your dog has to have to stay healthy during treatment.
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The Oncologist’s Perspective on Chemotherapy and Low White Blood Cell Counts: Part 1
Chemotherapy and Low White Blood Cell Counts: how important are these low counts? How do they impact your dog’s cancer treatments?
Read ArticleThe Oncologist’s Perspective on Chemotherapy and Gastrointestinal (GI) side effects: Part Two
In my last blog post, I told you that most vomiting and diarrhea associated with chemotherapy was mild and could be managed at home. Unfortunately, there are exceptions. Typically if your dog is vomiting, you will be instructed to hold on food and water to rest the GI tract for 12 to 24 hours. But…
Read ArticleThe Oncologist’s Perspective on Chemotherapy and Gastrointestinal (GI) side effects: Part One
Obviously, you are concerned about your dog having side effects from chemotherapy. No one including me, the oncologist, wants your dog to get sick. Chemotherapy targets rapidly dividing cancer cells. However, there are normal cells in the body that also rapidly divide as part of their normal function. It is these cells that can be…
Read ArticleLymphoma – what you need to know BEFORE you see the oncologist
In my last blog post on lymphoma, I shared that I would personally treat my dog with a multi-agent chemotherapy protocol if she was diagnosed with lymphoma. You will learn a lot about diagnostics and treatment options once you meet an oncologist, so in this blog post, I will share some of the things you…
Read ArticleCCNU Use for Lympho Rescue Protocols
Chemotherapy in dogs is used differently than in people. In people, there are protocols that might in some cases eliminate the cancer for many years. In dogs though, the cancer usually comes back, many times in months. (For this reason, we use a wide variety of treatments above and beyond chemotherapy in the Guide). However,…
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…
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