Cancer Cases

My 14 year old weenie dog was just diagnosed with prostate cancer and adenocarcinoma.  He was straining to poop are his only issues.  I’m told to feed him a wet diet and we started Piroxicam every third day.  I don’t know if chemo or radiation would be helpful or just stick with meds. Any advice on a plan and a good receipt oe wet food that would be helpful?

Dr. Steve's Advice - to review your conventional options, I encourage you to consult with an integrative oncologist like Dr. Kendra Pope or Dr. Erin Bannink. I believe both offer telemedicine services, and you should be able to track down their practices by Googling their names

To have any hope of resolving cancer holistically, your dog needs to be eating real food, not canned or kibble. If you haven't yet found a fresh meat-and-vegetable diet for your dog, make a move in that direction. There are recipes in the Featured posts on this page, from Gold Standard Herbs and Aleksandra Topic

Herbally speaking, we have had success in dogs on healthy real food diets by adding in "Blood moving" formulas for the abdomen, such as Kan Essentials' Dispel Stasis in the Middle Palace, and Dispel Stasis in the Lower Palace. To enhance these formulas and add additional anti-cancer effects, I would suggest also using Harmonize the Qi from the same company. You can access all of those formulas through Aleksandra Topic by following the instructions in this post: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1158575954706282/posts/1420037418560133/

Lastly, I assume your dog has been neutered. If not, that should also be one of the first steps you take, along with a healthy diet.

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Our beautiful three-year-old rescue weim Rowan was diagnosed with aggressive T cell lymphoma today. We are in shock. He began drinking excessive amounts of water about a month ago, and after getting his annual bloodwork checked, he was diagnosed with hypercalcemia. He is not acting sick besides drinking a lot of water. The prognosis is grim, maybe six months with chemo. He has been fed an ultra-clean, fresh food diet since we rescued him at one year old. He begins ozone therapy, Chinese herbs, and acupuncture tomorrow. Possibly mistletoe therapy later this week. Any insight would be greatly appreciated. 

Dr. Steve's Advice - I have a soft spot for Weims, so I hope you can get help for your dog. Here are some recent comments I've made regarding lymphoma: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1158575954706282/search/... You're already doing the first step: getting a holistic consult.

Make sure that whatever else you do, you incorporate Minor Bupleurum in some way, as it will help reduce hypercalcemia and its deleterious effects on kidney function. As well, it is anti-neoplastic and will help combat that high thirst. A new version of this is available to vets from Natural Path via www.atimetohealherbs.com. It is called LSA Formula. Hopefully this gets you started.

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My girl was just diagnosed with liver cancer. Vets said her liver was taking up 75% of her abdomen. She is quickly losing weight (the reason I took her in in the first place). They prescribed steroids. I put her on those but also added in milk thistle, fish oil, CBD, a mixed mushroom tincture, and digestive enzymes. I would appreciate any and all recommendations on what to replace the steroid with, food recs (I’m lost here. Cancer diets are low/no carb so I’m worried she won’t gain the weight she needs?), and any other supplement I should start her on. She is 13 and weighs 19lbs (normal weight was 25).Thank you!!

Dr. Steve's Advice - The first thing I think for for the treatment of liver cancer (hepatocellular adenocarcinoma) in dogs is Dispel Stasis from the Middle Palace by Kan Essentials. It can often halt tumor growth, or maybe even shrink the tumor if we are lucky. You can source genuine versions of Kan Essentials products from Aleksandra Topic at aleks.topic1@gmail.com

I'm not sure I understand the use of steroids, but if they are trying to stimulate her appetite, an alternative is Six Gentle Pets by the same company. It is an antidote for cachexia, which is the term for the loss of appetite and wasting that attends many cancers. 

For each product, if you use them, find the dose for your dog's weight in the table at https://nphc.ca/using/dosage and give that amount twice daily at least

Here's hoping you can get your girl feeling better.

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This is my special little man Milo. He is a 15.5 year old pug. He came to me five and a half years ago with inoperable mast cell cancer.  My vet, Dr. Doug Kneuven, has been treating him with a raw diet and Kan Essentials Blood’s Palace. The tumor has shrunk significantly and he’s been doing great. He has greatly outlived his original prognosis of only having a few weeks to a few months to live. 

This past Wednesday we had a little bit of an emergency. Milo developed a very large ulcer on his right eye. My vet sent us immediately to our local emergency and specialty center so that he could be admitted until ophthalmology could see him the next day. His eye did in fact rupture and we decided the best course of action was to remove that eye. Despite his age he came through surgery great. 

When he was in the process of being admitted the emergency room vet was shall we say less than positive. She gave me a litany of everything that was wrong with him- age, cancer, severe spinal stenosis, chest is misshapen, and a new and somewhat concerning diagnosis of having gallbladder sludge. Obviously now that I know that it is there I’d like to prevent it from becoming an issue. 

I have two questions- first, what if any supplements or herbs or diet changes should I make concerning the gallbladder sludge. Secondly, is there anything that you recommend that I give Milo to preserve the health of his remaining eye?

Dr. Steve's Advice -  Milo looks very cute. And he is wearing a Superman costume like the dog on the Gold Standard Herbs website!

I would suggest a couple of small changes that you could ask Dr. Doug Kneuven about to address these problems. 

First I would change Blood's Palace to Dispel Stasis in the Palace of Blood since it is even more anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer. I would also ask him to add Harmonize the Qi (Minor Bupleurum or Xiao Chai Hu Tang) to your protocol. If the ulcer was preceded by immune keratitis, Harmonize the Qi will slow or halt its development in the other eye. It is also anti-cancer and synergistically interacts with Blood's Palace and Dispel Stasis. Lastly, it is one of my go-tos for gall bladder sludge. 

You should also add a choleretic western herb to the protocol, the most famous and common of which is simply Dandelion (the herb, not the root). You can often buy dandelion greens in the produce aisle to steam and add to his food, or pick up the tincture in a health food store.

Those changes should make a significant difference. Say hello to Doug for me!

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Cancer knocked on our door and my baby Mr. Gomez was just diagnosed with carcinoma. He was coughing a lot and we took him to the ER vet where they drained 6oz of fluid. The fluid cytology test has carcinoma cells in it. They think it’s in his chest. He has a couple of lumps there. Since I don’t want to put him through chemo or surgery, I researched holistic treatments and started putting him on Farmers Dog with supplements (Turkey Tail, seven shrooms, Green Rover and CBD oil). He’s still coughing a lot and I started giving him Marshmallow Root. He’s been on these supplements for about 3 days now. Wondering how long until I can see changes/improvement and if there is anything else I can do. He’s still eating and going potty. He’s 12 but before this episode, he has been very healthy and upbeat so it’s been very disorienting. My heart is shattered and any help/advice is appreciated. thank you 

Dr. Steve's Advice - Always, for pulmonary tumors, lean heavily on a real food diet and two herbal formulas from Kan Essentials: Dispel Stasis from the Palace of Blood, and Harmonize the Qi. You can obtain both of those from Aleksandra Topic at aleks.topic1@gmail.com

To the fresh food diet, I would add 1 clove of garlic a day (not a bulb, just a small piece of one); 1/4 tsp of turmeric to each meal; IP 6 (found online) and omega 3 fatty acids. If you make a start on all of the above and drain the fluid as needed in the interim, you should see your dog stabilize.

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I have 2 dogs, and in the past 3 days, I found out both probably have cancer.  I am waiting for lab results to confirm the 2nd, so I will post about her case later.  

My barely 9-year-old Lab, Bogie, was just diagnosed with a soft-tissue sarcoma in his front wrist.  The lump didn't look like most sarcomas, it looked more like a lipoma (in an odd location), and the initial cytology came back inconclusive.  I decided to have it removed and biopsied.  It is Grade I, but they were not able to get clean borders (which I guess is common with this kind of cancer in this location).  The past couple of days, he seems lethargic, but I don't know if that is from his meds (the surgery site got infected, so he is on Amoxicillin/Clavulanate Potassium and Rimadyl), if he is just feeding off my emotions, or if there is something more going on.

He has an appointment with a radiology oncologist early next week, and he also has an appointment with his holistic vet in about 2 1/2 weeks.  But I was hoping you could offer some suggestions of things I can start earlier to increase his healthy life.  

He is on a lower-carb, home-prepared, lightly cooked diet about 33-50% of the time.  (protein sources 50%, carbs, usually from starchy veggies like sweet potatoes or beets 10-20%, non-starchy veggies 30-40%.)The rest of the time, I feed him what I consider to be better-quality commercial food: Grandma Lucy's, Real Meat, and, as a last resort, Honest Kitchen.  He has been off  kibble completely for slightly over a year.  

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.  Thank you for your time!

Dr. Steve's Advice - I'm sorry to hear your year has gotten off to a rough start. Hopefully you've managed to get some help from your holistic vet, that your dog is more perky again, and that the tumor is still very localized. I have a few suggestions for you to get things going. 

First, consider moving entirely to a real food diet. There is emerging evidence showing herbal protocols are much more likely to be effective if they are backed up by raw or cooked fresh food. If half the diet is processed, you are still feeding foods that are pro-inflammatory (and thus still tumor promoting). Please keep that in mind.

From a Chinese medical point of view, single fixed lumps on the distal extremities commonly represent Blood stasis, which can be understood as the formation of a tumor because of poor circulation. So it's important to drive the blood supply to the site. Turmeric in the food can help with that and has a myriad of anti-cancer effects. 

Soft tissue sarcomas also seem to be partly accumulations of Phlegm in Chinese medicine, so anti-Damp and Phlegm-transforming herbs can help.
A formula incorporating both of those requirements that might help prevent those 'dirty margins' from developing into anything is Kan Essentials Sublime Joint Formula. It has several anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory herbs in it, and is a top consideration for soft tissue tumors appearing on the distal extremities. 

Add some omega 3s to the diet, preferably at the high end of the dose for whatever product you're using. Add one small clove of garlic to the food as well, to help channel the action of the omega 3s into fighting cancer. Lastly, add in IP-6, which I've seen specifically helpful in tumors of the distal extremities. 

Hopefully this helps you out!

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Hi, I was wondering what the safest pain medication would be for a dog who is in the early-ish stages of renal failure? My senior Lab, who was my foster that I adopted, developed bilateral chain mammary cancer and had a double mastectomy last December. One of the cancers (there were multiple found) was highly aggressive and she was given 3 months to live because it had already spread to a lymph node. She has now lived over ten months, though the cancer has spread to her lungs. I started her on some nutraceuticals and Chinese herbs that were prescribed by a holistic vet a couple of months ago once we discovered the cancer had spread to her lungs. She was doing absolutely fantastic and no one could believe she has lung cancer. However, last week, she suddenly started drinking massive amounts of water and also coincidentally started severely limping on her right leg. An initial urinalysis and bloodwork is not indicating endocrine disease, so my regular vet is thinking the kidney damage may be from the holistic supplements and herbs, or the Carprofen she was put on a month or so ago for a painful arthritic left hip, or both. Since she has now developed severe pain in her right leg or hip (she had TPLO surgery on the right leg two years ago), the vet switched her to Gabapentin, because she said the Carprofen she’s been on is not good for dogs with kidney issues. However, the 300mg of Gabapentin twice a day is doing absolutely *nothing* for the pain, and she’s keeping me up all night. What other options are there for pain relief that would be easiest on the kidneys? Thanks! 

Dr. Steve's Advice -  the history of hip pain, previous cruciate injuries, tumors, lung involvement, thirst and sleeplessness all point to a Shao Yang disharmony being at the center of your dog's problems. This Chinese medical diagnosis also is associated with kidney issues as well.

At the risk of oversimplifying, a Shao Yang disharmony creates a disruption in circulation, where peripheral structures like joints don't get enough blood flow, leading to aching pain, while internal structures like the kidneys and lungs get congested. The bottling up of energy also creates insomnia and thirst.

Assuming this is true, a formula called Voltrex (https://goldstandardherbs.com/products/Original-Voltrex-85g-p647327438) by Gold Standard Herbs should significantly improve your dog. Within a couple of weeks you should see the pain and thirst subside, sleep improve, and probably even the kidneys improve. It also has an anti-cancer effect that should help keep those tumors under control.

Once you've gotten what you can out of Voltrex, Lumbrex can support your dog further. Lionel's Legacy, a senior dog rescue in San Diego, uses the formulas as a one-two punch in all their painful dogs to help get them comfortable and mobile again

If the herbs do help, a real food diet will help them work

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Hello Dr. Steve,

My 15 yr. old Beagle, Grace has been experiencing reactions like in the videos attached. She seems to only be bothered outside in the sun and shadows. Because of her age I opted to not have an MRI done. Her eyes checked out fine. The vets best guess is that it is focal seizures and she is on Keppra that seems to help. Wondering if you have other thoughts on what this could be.?  Thank you so much!

Dr. Steve's Advice -  That is interesting, Saving Grace! Grace most likely has stimulus-sensitive myoclonus, which are involuntary jerking motions that can be precipitated by stimuli such as motion and/or bright light.

In Chinese medicine, sensitivity to bright light is considered a feature of Blood deficiency, as is muscle twitching. A safe thing you can try to remedy both is Liver Support by Kan Veterinary Essentials (https://www.amazon.com/Kan-Herbs-Essentials.../dp/B00NDF4W1M). I can't be sure it will work, but I think it might and it should be safe to try in an older dog

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 Hi Dr steve, sorry back for another question, about my cocker spaniel that has lymphoma, the homemade food that I usually make are, meals for Fido chicken and rice recipe, and just food for dogs,whole wheat macaroni and turkey, I substitute the whole wheat macaroni, for a gluten-free macaroni, and my two HUA Dalmatians that have many struvite crystals in their urine, urine is very yellow, the pH is sometimes high at 9, and other times at 6. Specific gravity is high, and a trace of protein. 

Sorry, my question is, is meals for Fido homemade recipe or just food for dogs homemade recipe good for both my cocker spaniel and my Dalmatians, I just ordered A SAMPLE of Dr Harvey's  PARADIGM, would that be a better choice of food for my dogs? I definitely want to move away from kibble. 

Thank you so much for your time.

Dr. Steve's Advice -  I can't tell which Dr. Harvey product you're getting that purports to be a complete diet. The Paradigm product appears to just be a greens supplement, which is fine of course, but doesn't look like a complete diet.

From what I can tell from the guaranteed analyses, the Just Food Turkey and Macaroni is 50% carbs on a dry matter basis which is way too high in my book when you're trying to acidify urine or treat cancer.

The Chicken and Rice diet looks better. Add the Paradigm to that for your lymphoma pup and you probably have a pretty good diet. For the Dalmations, just use the diet alone, so we don't have the Paradigm causing a lot of alkalinization of the urine

That's my take, anyhow...

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Hi Doctor Steve-  I have a 8 year old Yorkie with a lymphoma skin cancer diagnosis (diagnosed in May, gave 3-6 mos to live). Please see his below supplements I have him on currently. He just got over a huge skin infection that almost took his life so he is on prednisone right now and curious if I should tapper off of it. Looking forward to your response in how I can keep him comfortable and live as long as possible with this horrible diagnosis. 

Bones and Co - raw diet
1/2 Progressive professional capsule 1xday (Vitamin D3 250 IU, Calcium 250mg, Phosphorus 56mg, Boron 750mg)
1/2 Mens once daily 1xday (mykind organics)
Standard Process Canine Immune Support (1/4tsp 1xday)
Stass Breaker hubal blend - 2 teapills 1xday
Wei Qi Booser herbal blend 2 teapills 1xday
Turkey Tail Mushroom (1/2 tsp 1xday)
THC drops
CBD powder
2.5mg 1xday

Dr. Steve's Advice -  

Sorry to hear about your little guy's cutaneous lymphoma. On the plus side, it looks like you have access to holistic veterinary care, so that's good. Your doctor is trained to use proprietary Chi Institute formulas rather than the Classical Chinese formulas I favour, so they may not appreciate me meddling in your case. If they are willing to add something orally, I would recommend Minor Bupleurum (Xiao Chai Hu Tang), as it helps everything else work. They should only use versions containing Ginseng, not Codonopsis. They can access the organic Natural Path version from www.atimetohealherbs.com or you/they can also obtain the Kan Veterinary Essentials version known as Harmonize the Qi.

Something they might not mind because it is being applied topically is Xian Fang Huo Ming Yin (Angelica and Mastic Combination) from Natural Path, also accessed through the above website. If they are unwilling to do that for you, Kan Veterinary Essentials sells a tablet version you can probably find online called Sublime Joint Formula.

If you use the tablets, crush about 7 or 8 of them into a fine powder using a food processor or a mortar and pestle. If you use the Nat Path version, it already comes as a powder. However you get it, thoroughly mix the powder into a 1 oz. of calendula salve like this one: https://www.amazon.com/MJs-Herbals.../dp/B0033MG6UK. If you use Nat Path, mix in about 1 1/2 tsp of the powder.

Apply a few times a day, covering it with a little doggy T shirt of some type if you want. The salve (especially if made with Nat Path powder) should de-inflame and shrink at least somewhat any tumor to which it is applied.

Hope that helps you out!

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Hi Dr. Steve! First off thank you for doing this and helping all of us. You’re amazing! I wanted to share my situation in hopes for some help! We were suppose to get my German shepherds mammary tumor removed 2 weeks ago when they told us it’s not worth it because they found tumors in her chest X-ray right before the surgery and she’s over 12.5 years old. She is in perfect condition no signs of illness what’s so ever. Eats plays walks normal. The mammary tumor has been there for about a year we originally got it checked but we’re too scared to remove it because of her age and assumed like a previous one she had that it would be Benign, but it grew a lot and decided we want to get rid of it. She got spayed and they completely removed her uterus 3.5 years ago. But this is scary news we got I really wanna help her because she is in great shape please please guide me!! I have new blood work and X-rays I can show you, I want to see if you  think we should remove the breast tumor and maybe give her medication for the lungs to shrink that? Please help me. I started giving her the mushrooms holistic meds and the gold life for immune support from the pet well being these past 5 days and I do see improvement in her breathing. I was told by a nutritionist that it has vegetable glycerin which is bad for cancer. I also heard fenben shrunk many dogs tumors and was wondering if you think that would be a safe and good route to try along with home cooked meat and chicken with veggies. The nutritionist told me to try some high potent mushrooms and herbs plus Benadryl and Tagamet. I’m so torn what route to go!  She’s acting completely great except she breaths a little hard sometimes when walking around. Oh and blood work was perfect. Please help me I GREATLY appreciate your time. 

Thank you! 

Dr. Steve's Advice -  my favourite herbs for pulmonary tumors of any cause are Natural Path's Xiao Chai Hu Tang (Minor Bupleurum) and Modified Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang (Modified Persica and Carthamus). They are sold through vets, especially holistic ones. If there is one in your area, I'd recommend seeing them.

If that's not possible, you can try the Kan Essentials versions, often sold on Amazon in the US. They are called, respectively, Harmonize the Qi, and Dispel Stasis in the Palace of Blood. Whether Nat Path or Kan, these herbs will decongest the lungs and are anti-cancer. Dose according to the guidelines at https://nphc.ca/using/dosage

Once breathing is more normal, then my personal bias would be to remove the mammary tumor, especially if you can get the breathing improved. The fewer tumor cells in the body, the easier it is for anti cancer compounds to do their work.

Whether to do chemo depends on the drugs being contemplated, the potential side effects, and the likelihood of success (i.e., the median survival time). If the MST wasn't super high, I'd use the herbs instead

I applaud the homemade diet. It is being shown to make a significant difference in determining whether animals go into remission or not, especially when using natural therapies.

Mushrooms are fine, but I don't know what herbs they are recommending. If they have proven helpful, continue them. If not, then as long as they don't clash with the Kan ones (assuming you try them) then they should not be a problem. I don't see vegetable glycerine as an issue. I don't understand the recommendation of Benadryl and Tagamet. They are mainly for mast cell tumors, not mammary tumors. I have no experience with Fenbendazole.

Hopefully this helps you out!

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Hi Dr. Steve! My little 11 year old 70lb mastiff/hound girl had a lump on her throat about the size of a golf ball. Fast forward 2 years and it got the size of a tennis ball. Took her to the vet that said he wouldn’t touch it because of the location and best to wait and see, hopefully she outlives it. A month after that her neck turned into a tree trunk. Took her to the vet again said she had pneumonia and possibly an abscess or cancer in her neck. Treated with cephalexin and after 2 weeks developed an allergic reaction to it (fever, excessive panting, phlegm, problems breathing) Neck had gone down some with herbal remedies for lymphatic flow but lump got about 6-7 inches. Vet prescribed clavamox for pneumonia and she had another allergic reaction. Went to a different vet after first one told me there was nothing more she could do. New vet did blood work and X-rays, still slight pneumonia and trachea & esophagus we’re pushed to the side, bloodwork showed inflammation/infection and slightly anemic, said all organs and everything else looked good and would do a biopsy of the lump in a week in pneumonia was better. Prescribed doxycycline and had another allergic reaction. Saw a different vet at the same clinic got an ultrasound done on the mass and found out it was fluid filled. Vet lanced and drained it with no sedation, took a biopsy and sent off to pathology, prescribed prednisone 20mg/day then taper. Pathology said no infection and no cancer WOO HOO! Vet said “sterile abscess/cellulitis”. Lump was a lot smaller but still there. Two weeks later the lump had swelled back up and she had problems coughing while eating, drinking, and breathing again. Took her back in and they drained another 60ml out with a needle and put her back on 20mg of prednisone a day. A week after that it swelled up again plus there was a a new lump above it swelling  too, was drained again (40ml). Asked about the new lump doctor said she didn’t know what it was, but she could see red blood cells and clumps of white blood cells when she took fluid out of it. Increased her prednisone to 40mg/a day. Now that brings us to today almost 2 weeks after having it drained it has swelled up again, will be going back in on 11/3 to get it drained again. Just got yunnan baiyao and gave her one (make sure she’s not allergic then give her normal dose?). Do you think the yunnan baiyao would be helpful for this? I’m just stumped on what to do for her as these lumps keep filling up with blood. I looked up dog goiter and the top lump looks a lot like it. Also she has gone from 86lbs to 70lbs within a month, the antibiotics really messed up her stomach. Have her on a really good probiotic regimen now and she is eating 2-3 times what she normally does and poop is good but is not gaining weight. Could that be her thyroid? I’m at a loss of what to do and the vet isn’t really giving me any answers. Any suggestions you have would be greatly appreciated! Sorry for such a long post. Thank you so much for your time! 

Dr. Steve's Advice -  that's a bizarre condition, to be sure. I'm not seeing that anyone checked thyroid levels. Given the difficulty your dog is have of maintaining weight, they should be checked when you go in tomorrow.

If the thyroid is abnormal, then I would recommend Modified Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang (see below) in tandem with Xiao Chai Hu Tang (Natural Path's Minor Bupleurum, sold by Kan Essentials as Harmonize the Qi, often online). Those two formulas are my go-tos for thyroid tumors

If the thyroid is normal, Is the diet you're feeding raw? That can cause some dogs to have difficulty maintaining weight. If so, make at least 10% of what you see in the dish cooked whole grains, like oats or barley.

If thyroid is normal and the diet is not a low- or no-carb raw diet, then I would suggest Lift the Qi (also known as Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang or Ginseng and Astragalus from Natural Path) to help improve assimilation and reduce the accumulation of bloody fluid in the neck.

Otherwise, given the pneumonia and anemia, I would suggest Dispel Stasis in the Palace of Blood (also known as Modified Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang or Modified Persica and Carthamus from Natural Path) as a second formula to use, along with the Yunnan Bai Yao. I've used the formula successfully to resolve masses that make pools or cysts of blood in the neck.

The Nat Path formulas are available through veterinarians.

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Hi Dr.steve! This is Mona. She is 11 and was diagnosed with osteosarcoma a little over 3 months ago and had the bulk of the soft tissue mass removed from the back of her mouth. That is the extent of her treatment, plus gabapentin and mushroom complex. About a month ago her eyelid came up like that and stayed. Vet says its just her 3rd eyelid and dogs do that when eye is in pain but he sees no other abnormalities. She doesn’t seem to be in pain when i touch the area around her eye. About maybe a week or two ago i noticed her vagina is swollen and hard. She is peeing normally and seemingly pain free and licks it sometimes but not constantly. She lets me touch it and it doesn’t seem to hurt her. I will add the only reason we found the mass in the back of her mouth was because she was yelping in pain when chewing on a toy or barking, so that is me reference of knowing if its in pain plus she doesn’t jump away or anything. Thanks in advance  

Dr. Steve's Advice -  I'm not sure what the mass is near the vulva. Ask your vet to do an impression smear or aspirate to figure that out.

As for the eye, if it otherwise looks normal, then a retraction of the eye into the socket such that the third eyelid comes across like that does suggest potential bone erosion by the tumor.

If on the other hand the pupil is constricted in that eye, then she could simply have Horner's syndrome, which can resolve on its own

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Hi Dr Steve, I reached out to you not too long ago about my cocker spaniel having lymphoma, I seeked out a holistic vet, as you recommended, and she said there was nothing she could do for her, that the oncologist knows Best. Jacey is on her second dose of lomustine and doesn't seem like it's helping, she actually looks worse. here is a copy of her latest blood work. I was wondering if you had any suggestions on what I should be giving her? Especially on her lessions.

Thank you

Dr. Steve's Advice -  That's too bad you couldn't find anyone to help you locally. I will do my best to fill the gap.

You probably saw the post from yesterday about the Yorkie with the same problem. That post is here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1158575954706282/posts/1212945592602651/

You could certainly obtain the ingredients for that salve and apply it a few times a day to the tumor site on your Cocker.

Regarding the lab work:

- it looks like there might be an infection in the tumor. Ask your vet to prescribe a basic antibiotic like Cephalexin to use along with the lomustine

- it looks like the drug is causing liver and kidney problems. I would start trying to manage that with Kan Veterinary Essentials' Glehnia and Rehmannia Combination which you can find online. See if that helps the mild anemia that is developing as well as the low creatinine and liver function tests. It should also hopefully lower the SDMA and BUN. All of that might take a couple of weeks, so recheck the blood work then to make sure those improvements are happening.

Those three things - salve, herbs and antibiotics - should help. There are other things that can be tried but let's see if we are on the right track with those ideas

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Dr. Steve, would welcome your thoughts and recommendations.  Great Dane puppy girl, 18 weeks when growth was first noticed.  She was 58.5lbs.  Currently she is 21 weeks as of a few days ago and 65.5 lbs 

Growth was 1cm x 1 cm on  8/16/2022; now 2cm x 2cm.

Thank you for this opportunity to learn from you.

Angel

Dr. Steve's Advice -  that looks like a histiocytoma, a benign tumor. They generally slowly resolve on their own, but if it gets raw, you can put some sort of soothing healing salve on it.

Your veterinarian can confirm that's what it is by looking under the microscope at an "impression smear" of any raw areas that currently exist.

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Hi Dr Steve thank you for adding me to the group, I have a 13-year-old cocker spaniel Jacey, that was just diagnosed with cutneause lymphoma skin cancer, she started 36mg of lomustine last Wednesday,she will get one capsule every 3 weeks, she  also started  enrofloxacin on the 5th day after starting the lomustine,she also takes 425mg of denamarin daily, and 10mg of Prednisone daily. This morning I woke up and Jacey had a nose bleed, it was bleeding for at least 30 minutes, should I be concerned? Should I get her over to the emergency room?  Picture of her blood work, that was just drawn on July 13th. Her oncologist said everything looked good, her white blood count looks good, and to stop the enrofloxacin. And to start her second dose of lomustine on July 27th, and of course it being a Saturday the oncologist office is not open.  I'm also attaching blood drawn prior to starting the lomustine, on 6/20/22

Thank you

Dr. Steve's Advice -  I can see a lot on that blood profile that does not look good, including high potassium wtih a low Na:K ratio (signaling potential adrenal gland fatigue or Addison's disease), high BUN (suggesting possible early renal failure) and sky high liver enzymes (suggesting any number of problems). The pending SDMA will shed light on whether kidney disease is present. The pred may be aggravating the liver, but that's still quite an increase, even for pred. Denamarin is unlikely to make any meaningful dent in those numbers. If the blood sample was not properly taken or preserved, that can raise potassium.

I guess my point is that there are more questions than answers at this point. Is there a holistic veterinarian near you that can support your dog in these issues, since the oncologist is unconcerned about them?

Since the platelets were sky high a few days ago, a sudden thrombocytopenia from the lomustine seems unlikely, but it has been documented. So that is one differential. Another, given the liver problems in evidence, is liver failure leading to reduce clotting factor synthesis. If your dog's whites of their eyes are looking at all yellow, then that may be the issue although the high BUN suggests the liver is not in failure.

Patricia Rabell Leonard, it's probably wise to rule out platelet deficiency then with a CBC at a local clinic today. They may have a transfusion to help your dog begin clotting again, if that is the issue. Definitely you should not proceed with further chemo until you've sorted out these other internal issues. Lomustine does not commonly cause or aggravate liver disease, but it certainly may and there are many cases on record. Until you've figured out what's up with the liver, you should hold off on further use of the drug, at least in my opinion.

Hopefully this helps. Once you have clarity on what's going on in these other systems, I can weigh in further, in the event you can't find a local holistic vet to add to your team.

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Hi there! My GSD, Kai, was diagnosed with advanced lymphoma. He’s 9. all of his lymph nodes are massively swollen and over the last two weeks, he’s dropped a lot of weight. We switched his dry kibble to JustForDogs until he became disinterested. I’m cooking chicken/beef for him at home and mixing it with rice & eggs. 

He is also having some diarrhea with blood
He’s also been panting more often, even in a relaxed position on his dog bed 

He is having a more difficult time getting up and doesn’t move around a ton. I just got omega 3 and chewables for his joints. His skin around his groin is still super irritated. And he’s been fighting an ear infection for a while now too

Is there anything else I can feed him for weight gain?
Are there any other supplements I should be giving him? 

How do you know when it’s nearing end of life?

Thank you so much for your help!

Dr. Steve's Advice -  Holistic medicine, like any other medicine, works best when started early. I don't know if you're going to have time for herbs to work here. Minor Bupleurum (Harmonize the Qi) is the bare minimum start along with a real food diet. Mushrooms like turkey tail are commonly used to support dogs and stimulate their appetite. Really, the best advice is to find someone local that can see your dog regularly until he gets stabilized. Low dose corticosteroids can help support dogs in the short term, boosting their appetite and shrinking lymph nodes. They work best when used with herbs. When used alone, they just hasten the end. Hopefully there is someone close by who can implement these ideas with you 

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Thanks for the add.  So I have a 10.5 year old Boxer female who’s had many vaccines through her life and been on apoquel since she was 3 years old.  She’s been fed kibble most her life been exposed to outside and inside chemicals.  Her life and my life changed on 5/2021 with her splenic HSA and primary lung cancer diagnosis.  The tumor didn’t burst or bleed but she also had a slightly enlarged renal lymph node so we knew it’s spread.  We had the surgery and took out the spleen and entered her into a UW Madison clinical trial called ACE.  

 At this time we had a consultation with a holistic vet made big time food and lifestyle changes for her that we believe helped expand her life but don’t know for sure if these things actually did anything.  For a good while she would eat raw, keto and lightly cooked balanced manufactured food that’s been vetted through reputable Doctors.  She was on this trial from 06/21 until 08/22.  We were told make her comfortable and enjoy your time and last resort try radiation or chemo.  I’ve spent thousands on supplements from IP6, Apocaps, I’m yunity, Dr Doug’s Fenbendazole and Tumeric bites, paw paw and graviola to name a few.  I have also tried ozone therapy IV and inhaled for abut 1.5 months which didn’t seem to do anything aside from increasing her energy.  For the last couple months her appetite has been spotty with her daily intake being mostly raw goats milk and raw eggs.  I do manage to get lightly cooked proteins into her when she’s hungry.  I will also syringe organic pumpkin into her as well.  She will get raw goat whip also from time to time.  She gets adored beast pre and probiotics on rotation and AB liver tonic and turkey tail.  I am now going to try Rockster canned dog food and hope she likes that.  She’s lost weight and muscle not sure what else can be done.  One of her lungs is filled with tumor and the other has small nodules.  Her renal lymph node is big impacting local vessels and arteries.  Should I consider prednisone at this point?

Dr. Steve's Advice -  Vets have a saying, that no dog should ever die without having at least tried some prednisone. I would suggest an anti-inflammatory dose. Note that you have done really well to get her to this point, You should count those two years as a victory and she has lived way longer than she likely would have if you'd use chemo, per published trials

Your dog appears to have cachexia, which is associated with advanced cancer states, where the body weight mysteriously declines despite a normal appetite, but then it declines, too. A Chinese herbal formula called Six Gentlepets, probably available on Amazon and otherwise perhaps through Diana Hermann (see Featured posts, above) is somewhat of an antidote for cachexia. You're a bit late getting it started, but I would try it if your dog still has the will to live.

Also consider omega 3 fatty acids (the highest dose you can manage for her) and 1 clove of garlic a day. The latter two can also help counter cachexia

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 Good morning Dr. Steve! I have my eight-year-old golden retriever who has the left peripheral nerve sheath tumor who is on prednisone 15 mg twice a day gabapentin 300 mg 2 to 3 times a day and Amantadine 100 mg once a day.  The prednisone is making him extremely hungry and peeing extremely frequently and very long. Normally that would not be an issue however the more he gets up to go to the bathroom up and down the steps the more he is using his left front leg which ends up with him limping more. And every single time somebody goes into the kitchen he hast to go in there thinking he’s going to get food and again putting more stress on his leg. I do have a message into my vet who is off till Monday but do you have any recommendations for natural alternatives to prednisone?

Dr. Steve's Advice -  about the only thing that may work is Augmented Bupleurum and Kudzu Clearing Formula, sold by Kan Essentials and hopefully available online somewhere (Amazon?) if your vet doesn't want to stock it for you. If the pred has been beneficial lameness-wise, then we know that inflammation was causing a lot of the pain. The above herbal formula is an acute-acting neural anti-inflammatory that you can introduce. If you see further improvements in lameness after that, then you can probably safely start cutting the pred dose back to something tolerable for you and your dog.

Hope that helps!

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 I noticed this on my dog last night 

Do you know what this could be?

She has a meningioma and had SRT radiation on Oct 17th but that was by her brain 

ALSO

I've gotten some supplements from her acupuncturist however, was wondering what you think about red rover supplements and apocaps? Please help. Not sure where to turn or where to get a good CBD that has anti tumor properties to help her

Dr. Steve's Advice -  

that looks like it could be sebaceous adenitis, which is not nearly as problematic as a meningioma, so don't lose sleep over it. When you see your vets next, ask if it looks like sebaceaous adenitis to them as well. They should be the ones to treat it, so they can be sure it integrates well with your dog's cancer treatments.

I don't see a problem with the Red Rover products or Apocaps. I don't know CBD brands well enough to tell you who makes a good product for tumors, sorry.

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 Hi Dr. Steve, my 7 year old Golden Retriever was just diagnosed with Lymphoma. Her right submandibular lymph was visibly swollen on Tuesday and they aspirated the node and that is when they discovered the lymphoma. Since then every day her appetite has decreased. They took x-rays today and did not find any masses just swollen lymph nodes. She goes to the oncologist Wednesday for the ultrasound and further testing. We are hopeful that we are catching this early enough to be able to treat it. What diet would you suggest for her to help her eat more in the meantime that would be beneficial for her? I appreciate any advice you can give. Thank you! 

Dr. Steve's Advice -  I'm sorry to hear about your dog! Such a sweetie by the looks of him.

A clinical trial going on right now is showing that real food diets likely greatly increase survival times in cancer, so you should plan to feed that going forward. Examples are commercial raw, commercial cooked and refrigerated diet, or a diet you make yourself, such as the one pinned to the top of this Facebook page. Meanwhile, cater to his whims while you are getting his treatment figured out. I'm assuming he will favour cooked meats, etc., so I'd focus on those.

Depending on what type of lymphoma he has, he could do very well on chemo. I'd try to find a local holistic practitioner to help you, though, as herbs can really potentiate outcomes. For example, we've noticed Minor Bupleurum can help stop lymphoma coming back post chemo and sometimes even boost chemo efficacy, if your concologist is okay with concomitant use.

If the prognosis is poor, all the more reason to find a local holistic practitioner, as there are many natural remedies that can help, even when drugs cannot.

Good luck!

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 Hi Dr. Steve! Gus is a mixed breed male dog. He has a tumor in one testicle and I'd like to know if you have experience/recommend removing only the testicle with the apparent tumor. My reasoning being twofold: 

1) The potential negative impact on Gus' health if they remove both testicles and
2) the potential negative impact on his behavior (Gus has been described by trainers as an "impostor" dog who pretends to be tough and aggressive because he's actually insecure. He is more nervous than other dogs and socializing him takes a lot of patience and it isn't always possible. Because of this, we've heard that castration could be detrimental. However, he was just living on a farm for a month, and the owners said that, based on his behavior there, we should definitely remove both testicles. They said that Gus isn't insecure but tries to take ownership of every place he's in, yet he doesn't know how to be a pack leader, that he's unpredictable and can attack other dogs for no apparent reason, that he can't ever fully relax because he's always on alert. In their opinion, this kind of dog can become more relaxed and social after castration.

It's hard to know who's right because they've all seen different sides of Gus and all are true. I don't think he's aggressive by nature, though, but I suppose no dog ever is with their human parent. 

We work very hard at adapting life to Gus' needs and can't afford for him to become even more difficult so we'd really appreciate your feedback. 

Many thanks in advance!

Dr. Steve's Advice -  the impact of neutering on behaviour depends on the dog. Certainly both intact and neutered male dogs can be aggressive. I find most aggression problems in neutered dogs are amenable to Chinese herbal medicine, a real food diet, and behavioural therapy if needed. Aggression problems in intact dogs can be more severe (i.e., of the dominant variety), raising the risk of law suits, etc., so keep that in mind. If you don't have a holistic practitioner to help with the behavioural issues, it would be wise to find one.

Regarding whether one cancerous testicle can be removed and the normal one left behind, the answer is that it is feasible. Note that if the cancerous testicle is one that is cryptorchid (i.e., not descended), then at the very least a vasectomy should be performed on the remaining testicle, so your dog doesn't pass the trait on to some unlucky pup during an accidental breeding. Doing a vasectomy on the remaining testicle can make it a more specialized procedure, resulting in higher costs and inconveniences (e.g., travel, long waits for an appointment, etc.), so bear that in mind.

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 Hi Dr. Steve! I was referred to you by a friend and am reaching out for help and advice! 

Our doggie Bentley was just diagnosed with what they think is a Histiocytic sarcoma tumor in his right lung. He also has a small mass on one of his ribs that popped up in the last week (I know this because we brought him to the vet last week because of 2 other lumps that ended up being lipomas). He has also been experiencing a hacking cough (he’s had this ever since he was young, but he would only have one cough every so often - it’s increased in frequency the last few days) and reverse sneezing that occurs like 20 times a day. This has only been going on for a few days and was starting to worry me, so we brought him in. Our vet said that she doesn’t think the reverse sneezing or cough is necessarily related to the tumor in his lung (she thinks he might have gotten kennel cough while at the groomers). Actually, the chest X-ray was only done because she was doing an X-ray on Bentleys shoulder (he somehow injured it and had been limping - in addition to the lump and cough/sneezing). She was trying to rule out arthritis or bone cancer with the X-ray (which we did). So, now we are left with figuring out how to treat him the best way we know how. We have an appointment with the oncologist for Monday morning because if possible, we want to have the masses removed. So, we have to do an ultrasound to make sure the tumor is isolated to one lobe. I’m hesitant to do chemotherapy because with my last doggies lymphoma, it made him so sick and seemed to have severely shorten his life. I regret taking that route and wish I had treated it holistically. I just didn’t know what I do now

I’ve been doing constant research since we got home and have a list of Holistic options. But, I wanted to see what you thought first. 

I would love and very much appreciate any advice! We are so sad, devastated and scared of losing our baby or having him be uncomfortable. Thank you in advance!

NOTE: We don’t let our girls lay, jump or sit on him and definitely won’t allow that now. This was just a one time thing and I thought it was cute!

Dr. Steve's Advice - I think it's feasible that you could manage this without chemo, especially if the existing tumor can be safely excised. Even if it has dirty margins or there is evidence of lymph node spread, I would expect MSTs from herbs to rival those from chemo. I would use the protocol even if the rib lesion turns out to be a tumor as well. Note that if there is evidence of spread, chemotherapy doesn't particularly help at that point.

We know that for herbs to work , a real food diet is an absolute MUST. Outcomes are likely to be much poorer for dogs fed kibble and canned diets.

If you can find a holistic vet to treat your dog, ask them to obtain the herbs listed below, from Natural Path, as they are stronger and more consistent in their effect. If you can't find a holistic vet to help, then you will have to use the Kan Essentials equivalents, from either Amazon or Diana Hermann (per her post in Featured posts, above).

1. Natural Path's Liu Jun Zi Tang, sold by Kan as Six Gentlepets
2. Natural Path's Modified Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang, sold by Kan as Dispel Stasis in the Palace of Blood
3. Natural Path's Xiao Chai Hu Tang, sold by Kan as Harmonize the Qi

Treatment should be lifelong, or at least several years, before you stop.

You can also add some items to your dog's food: omega 3 fatty acids, at a high dose, with 1 clove of garlic per day; 1/2 tsp of turmeric; supplemental vitamin A; and supplements like Milk Thistle and IP-6

You're probably getting the impression that more is better with integrative treatment of cancer. You're trying to redundantly inhibit at least one of six areas where tumors have to experience success in order to grow and spread. If you can do so, tumors effectively become dormant, which is why herbal therapies work so well. As long as they are geared toward the symptomatic presentation of your dog, the prognosis for long term stability is reasonable. If she becomes symptom-free, don't get tricked into stopping treatment. It can take years for tumor cells to die. Until that time they are often just dormant, and come roaring back as soon as the pressure is off when the tumor-toxic milieu created by the supplements is removed

Hope that helps! I'm optimistic you can accomplish something here. A big clue that you're headed in the right direction is if the cough resolves within a couple of weeks of starting the herbs

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Hi Dr.Steve,I hoping you may have a cocktail that could help?. I got this message from one of our adopters this morning (I have a non-profit rescue). We adopted this beautiful meat head to an amazing family about six years ago. We think he’s roughly eight or nine years old he is an American bulldog. 

This is what his mother text me this morning. I’m hoping there’s something you might be able to suggest that could help even in the smallest way.

 Good morning Mary. This is Julie. I am Rocky‘s mom. I want to let you know that he is has grade 3 mast cell tumors. We are working with an oncologist right now to find out what our options are. I am beyond sad to be writing  this to you. He is such a love. He is our hero. My heart is broken. I want to thank you and your team for bringing him into our lives. We will never be the same. Please send prayers.

Dr. Steve's Advice -   a good many dogs respond to a formula called Modified Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang (available to vets from Natural Path Herb Company), especially when teamed with Xiao Chai Hu Tang (Minor Bupleurum) from the same company. Holistic vets can access those for you and it's worth getting one involved with treating Rocky in person, as there are many other supplements that can help, including Quercetin and vitamin D.

Kan Essentials makes a milder form of those two formulas, sold often online (e.g., Amazon) as Dispel Stasis in the Palace of Blood and Harmonize the Qi, respectively. I strongly recommend getting a veterinarian involved who will prescribe the powdered versions from Natural Path, though, at least until Rocky is stable.

Lastly, a real food diet is absolutely essential if Rocky is to have any chance of going into remission. I don't know if Rocky for sure has a shot at that, but I've seen it happen. Hopefully the owners are motivated to give this problem both barrels by accessing the above, to give him the best chance of remission.

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 Hi Dr. Steve

I have a 7 year old rescued male chichuahua Coco. In late August he had emergency surgery for masses on his liver. He almost passed during surgery because his blood pressure dropped. Fortunately the surgeon was able to correct his pressure and remove the tumor and some of his liver. The biopsy showed spindle cell sarcoma, which seems to be a rare cancer. He recovered well from surgery and started doxorubicin chemo every 3 weeks for 6 treatments.  He is done with chemo. Now,  he has a collapsing trachea according to a chest xray. He is coughing a lot and a corneal ulcer in one eye. He has antibiotics for eye .
I make his food Dr.Harveys Paradigm with chicken added, turkey tail mushroom and Sardines. He eats well and plays , but, the coughing annoys him.
What else can I do help him stronger and heal.Thank you very much.

Dr. Steve's Advice -  thank you so much for your patience in waiting for a reply to your question. I've been a bit overwhelmed of late.

I think there is a lot you can do for Coco to help prevent tumor recurrence and stop the cough. I would suggest Natural Path's Xiao Chai Hu Tang (Minor Bupleurum); or, if your vet won't supply that, Kan Essentials Lift the Qi. You could give Dispel Stasis in the Palace of Blood from Kan Essentials at the same time. My guess is you'll find them both on Amazon if you're in the US.

The two products together should greatly reduce airway irritation and coughing from the collapsing trachea, while also help reduce the chances of tumor recurrence, since both formulas are anti-cancer. Lastly, the products may help heal the ulcer, especially if it is due to KCS. Even if it's not, they may help.

As to the diet, it sounds fine. Make sure that the plant component is ample, making up at least 15% of what's in the dish. Hope that helps!

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 Dr. Steve, is there anything you can do to help my dog? Detailed summary follows below: 

Patient’s name: LuLu
Age: 16
Weight: 44 lbs
Breed: Border Collie
Sex: Female/Spayed 

Details of cancer diagnosis: hospitalized on 9/15/23 for bleeding liver mass, pale mucus membranes and dehydration; during CT scan of chest and abdomen it was discovered that Lulu has metastatic disease in her abdomen (masses in both her liver and spleen which are not surgically excisable). Changes were also seen in the small tissue nodules of both lungs, indicating cancer spread. Lymph nodes in abdomen were mildly enlarged, indicating her body’s response to disease (not likely to be lymphoma). Cytology was unfortunately inconclusive, but advanced stage Hemangiosarcoma is highly suspected. Primary metastatic liver cancer is also a possibility, though more rarely seen. 

Details of all treatments: No chemotherapy at this time, as drug of choice is contraindicated due to LuLu's heart condition. Alternative compounded chemotherapy drug is unlikely to extend LuLu’s life beyond one (1) month without surgery. Prognosis given 9/16/23 is days to weeks. 

Current at home treatments include: 

• 9/16/23 started Panacur C 22.2% Fenbendazole (50mg/kg dosing for 3 days on, 4 days off, repeated for 3 cycles; changing protocol on 10/6/23 to mid-range dose of 150mg for 4 days on, 3 days off).

• 9/16/23 started Yunnan Baiyao (1 capsule every 12 hours; administered red pill 9/18 during collapse; have since increased to 1 orange YB capsule every 8 hours).

• 9/16/23 started Denamarin for medium size dogs (1 capsule daily); will be increasing this to the large size dog dose. 

• 9/18/23 started Lixotinic iron supplement (5ml daily) discontinued on 10/2/23 due to undesirable ingredients. 

• 9/19/23 started I’m Yunity (5 capsules daily).

• 9/19/23 started Adored Beast Colloidal Silversol (1 tsp 3x daily; reduced to 2x daily on 9/26/23). 

• 9/23/23 started new diet (Healthy Dogma dehydrated vegetable and fruit base mix with added organic 93% lean ground turkey).

• 9/25/23 started Boiron Phosphorus 30c (3-5 pellets in cheek as needed).

Other daily medications in use:
Pimobendan (7.5mg every 12 hours)
Thyrosyn (0.3mg every 24 hours)
Prednisolone (5mg every 24 hours)

Other supplements: B12, CoQ10, Taurine, L-Carnitine, milk thistle, hyaluronic acid and RX clay. 

Other conditions to consider: Previous biventricular myocardial failure. Mild degenerative mitral valve disease. Resolved right sided congestive heart failure. Previous multifocal neurologic disease. Early kidney disease. Atypical Addison's disease. Hypothyroidism. Long-term GI issues. Dental disease.

Dr. Steve's Advice -  sorry for the long wait. Hopefully it's not too late to offer some advice. From a Chinese medical perspective, these conditions are Blood stasis tumors. Given the likely diagnosis of hemangiosarcoma, I would suggest Xiao Chai Hu Tang (Minor Bupleurum) and Modified Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang (Persica and Carthamus). We've seen these formulas stabilize hemangiosarcoma cases and they have a broad base of effect, serving to both fight cancer and stabilize the heart, while helping the bone marrow restore the red blood cell count. Even so, hemangiosarcoma is a very tough customer because it bleeds so easily, allowing the presence of even a tiny tumor to obviate benefits of the herbs, which would need a fair bit of time to put the tumor on its heels, were that possible.

Your vet can source those as Natural Path Formulas from www.atimetohealherbs.com. You can also get a milder version yourself from Kan Essentials. If you do that, you're looking for Harmonize the Qi, and Dispel Stasis from the Palace of Blood. You can obtain those from Aleksandra Topic using the instructions she provides here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1158575954706282/posts/1420037418560133/ If she advises Dispel Stasis is out of stock, ask for Blood's Palace instead, and find yourself a turmeric supplement in the meantime

Laura, you're making all the right moves for Lulu. Hopefully you can stabilize the situation

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Hi Dr. Steve

My beautiful 12 year old Jenny had an ultrasound Wednesday that revealed three cancerous tumours in her liver & one in her intestines.
The detailed report was not available but these were the initial same day findings.

I was told that maybe she might have 2 months & no treatment is available with potential results that would outweigh the pain she would endure.

She was put on pred.. twice a day to reduce inflammation.

She had been very picky with her food (raw fed since a puppy) . I have been cooking her brown rice/ cooked skinless boneless thighs. I had added heart and gizzards but changed it up to only the thigh after seeing her diarrhea wasn’t clearing up.

I read with intestinal cancer a diet higher in omega fats is beneficial? I was also wondering about products by Adored Beast Apothecary for her gut or pumpkin?

I am hoping for a miracle.
Dr. Karen gave us an additional 8 years with our Dodger who crossed the bridge at 16 and she saw Maggie Lab thru til we let her go at 15.
Jenny had been raised at the same clinic & am hoping…

Any advice would be very appreciated.

This is my beautiful girl.

Thank you

Dr. Steve's Advice -  did the diarrhea clear up with the diet change?

There are just so many things you can try that they really don't fit into one post. I would push for a final written ultrasound report that you can share here. What were the signs and symptoms that made you get an ultrasound done? If you can share the report and the specifics of exactly what is going on, I might be able to suggest a specific anti-cancer formula for your dog.

Meanwhile, omega 3s are theoretically helpful in all cancers. As long as your dog didn't get diarrhea from them, give the maximum tolerated dose. Add 1 clove of crushed garlic a day to help the body deploy those omega 3s more effectively in fighting cancer.

Another couple of things you can use in virtually all cancer cases: Six Gentlepets by Kan Essentials, which helps fight cachexia while having anti-tumor effects; and the addition of turmeric to the diet. For a dog that size, probably half a teaspoon per meal

Regarding the diet, there's no real advantage to giving brown rice. You'd be better off using vegetables and beans that have more micronutrients that can stave off tumors and which are a more dilute form of starches, such that we don't run the risk of feeding your dog's tumors (since cancer loves carbs).

Probiotics and pumpkin are fine to add to the food to help support a healthier microbiome.

Hopefully this helps you make a start

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 Hello Dr. Steve! 

My dog has nasal cancer. Started her on the Budwig Protocol and Fenbendazole. Just really hesitant to do radiation, even though her tumor is in a good spot for it...at the end of her nostril. The potential side effects worry me. I'd like to treat her holistically because she's a happy, active, otherwise healthy 15 year old...and we kinda live that lifestyle anyway.
She's on Yunnan Baiyou for occasional bleeding, along with mushroom complex and turkey tail, astaxanthin, CoQ10, colloidal silver, turmeric paste and a homemade cancer diet. My question is: I started the FenBendazole (a recommendation from a holistically healing group) and 3 days later her nose/tumor started stinking so bad. Like it makes my eyes water and she lost her appetite. Could it be that everything is working and penetrating her tumor causing die off, and that's the smell? Or is it more likely she coincidentally developed a bacterial infection at the same time? There is minimal brown drainage on her blankets...that smells putrid.
Also is there anything you might recommend I add or delete from her regimine? Or any Chinese antibacterial/antifungal herbs? Any thoughts about Cesium therapy?

That's a lot...but I'm trying my best to keep her comfortable and get her immune system in good fighting condition. 

Thank you!!!!
Britny & Zoey

Dr. Steve's Advice -   it could be both a die-off and an infection. A short course of antibiotics probably won't hurt (i.e., a few days worth), if the problem is still persisting.

I've used Kan Essentials' Dispel Stasis from the Palace of Blood, which you can get through holistic practitioners. The Natural Path equivalent is Modified Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang. I have also used a formula called Xin Yi San (Magnolia Flower Powder) along with it, if the tumor stubbornly refuses to shrink.

I don't have any expertise relating to Cesium, sorry. That is a question for an oncologist like Dr. Erin Bannink

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Hello! Firstly, I’d like to thank Dr Marsden and the group administrators to provide people with the opportunity to make inquiries about our pets’ health and receive advice. I live in South America and this is the first time I write here. 

This is my dog Merengue, he’s a 16-year-old poodle. Merengue has been struggling with a series of health conditions (PKD, high blood pressure, vomiting/regurgitation, enteritis and diarrhea with and without blood, and more recently, a heart-based tumor though not 100% sure it is cancer as we won't conduct a biopsy nor any surgery because he's too old to tolerate anesthesia). Although I have contacted a holistic DVM from USA who specializes on Chinese Medicine and he has recommended Chinese formulas for the dog's various conditions, we still haven't been able to find a solution for all of his health issues, especially his GI issues. The Chinese formulas have helped to reduce the frequency of vomiting, but they haven’t stopped it.  When Merengue vomits, he vomits something like white foam (please check the picture attached to this post), which also includes yellow bile sometimes. This usually happens once or twice a week, sometimes in the mornings just after waking up, or perhaps during the day due to acid reflux. The diarrhea happens when he has eaten/taken something that upsetted his gut. The holistic vet has made us change Merengue's diet, and he has not eaten any carbs for the past six months. He has protein (mainly chicken and sometimes some beef, as turkey is not available where I live, though he should eat more cooling proteins as suggested by the vet) and some butternut squash or pumpkin. Although at the moment he’s not eating other vegetables and leafy greens because it was too much fiber for him a few days ago causing him to have diarrhea, I usually include some chard, parsley or cucumber in his meals.   

The supplements Merengue's taking are Si Miao San, Yi Guan Jian and Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang (Sun Ten supplements, he takes half capsule of 250mg each one, twice a day). He also used to take Xiao Yao San for IBD, but I had to discontinue it because it cause him to have bloody diarrhea three weeks ago, perhaps due an ingredient that caused irritation in the gut. He also takes 10ml of GastroElm in the evenings, before bed. I started complementing his diet with a bit of probiotics two weeks ago, to help him with bowel motility. For his high blood pressure, the dog was prescribed telmisartan by a local vet.

I have done several bloodwork panels and ultrasound but the local vets cannot get down to the cause, and the conventional treatments they offer have been of no help at all. Gut Microbiome tests are unfortunately not available in my country.    All of this started after Merengue was wrongly administered Doxycycline in Dec 2022 by a local veterinarian, to prevent leptospirosis. I think this might have really damaged his gut. Before this, though he already had elevated levels of urea-nitrogen, he did not vomit nor have diarrhea. We have been dealing with this for a year now. 

Recently, the holistic vet recommended Chai Hu Jia Long Gu Mu Li Tang formula to start treating the heart-based tumor, but I still have not administered it as I am afraid of the possible side effects, in case any of the ingredient upsets the dog's gut...  

How would you recommend to approach this? I am open to try any herbal or other Chinese supplements you advice... Thank you once again Dr Marsden!

Dr. Steve's Advice -  

the big clue as to what to do here might be the heart-base tumor. Always, in holistic medicine, we get furthest when we find the common origin of disparate findings. Shao Yang disharmony may well be the tie that binds. It causes:

- renal disease, including some hypertensive PKD cases

- intra-thoracic tumors

- susceptibility to dysbiosis (such as from doxycycline administration)

- GI upset, by causing Stomach and Large Intestine Yin deficiency, which YGJ helps offset

I'd suggest asking your vet about it. When you start it, if GI signs finally improve, check any renal parameters a few weeks later to ensure they are staying stable or perhaps even improving.

That's probably the first thing I would try. If it works, then YGJ, XCHT and XFZYT will form a synergistic trio going forward. SMS might be less essential

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 Dr. Steve, I have a 1 yo rough collie just diagnosed with either acute leukemia or lymphoblastic cancer ( waiting on the flowtology ?) test results for the exact cancer. Looking for any advice or help with natural supplements that could help. We have an oncologist’s appt on Tuesday of next week. This is our sweet girl. Thank you for your time.

Dr. Steve's Advice -  sorry to hear the news. That's a big conversation, especially when you don't have a diagnosis yet. I have a few suggestions:

1. A real food diet meat and vegetable diet. It's pivotal in cancer therapies working, especially holistic ones

2. Supplement the diet with some basic anti-cancer supplements: omega 3s, a small clove of garlic daily, IP-6, and turmeric

3. Find a local holistic veterinarian if you can, who can assess your dog in person. For me, the info I get from an exam is crucial to knowing where I have to start with a patient

4. Have your holistic or conventional veterinarian schedule a telemedicine consult with Dr. Erin Bannink, a gifted integrative oncologist: https://www.mettapets.info/mvp-member-teleconsults

5. You may also be lucky enough to have Dr. Kendra Pope, another integrative oncologist, consult with you in person. I think she prefers to see people in person, but you can request at least an initial telemedicine consult: https://prismvethealth.com/consultation-request/

Hopefully this helps you out in the next few days

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