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Cancer Posts From the Wellpet List - Page 2
By Various Authors

Hi Sam!
Thank you so much for the info you posted. It explains a lot. Kashmir has always been moody and I wondered if she was just being particularly ornery!

For just over a month now her absolutely amazing vet has been searching for a suspected tumor. Kashmir's been at the clinic so often and we've tried everything. The first clue was Kashmir's high calcium. We've eliminated all of the other possible causes and the vet said that in 99% of cases, a tumor is the cause. Kashmir was getting weaker and sicker. The vet and I thought long and hard about whether or not to try exploratory surgery. She wasn't sure whether or not Kashmir would survive the surgery but said that if she didn't she wouldn't have had long anyway. After a lot of serious soul searching I decided to do it, partly so I'd always know that I tried everything I could for my baby, and because there was such a good (I thought) chance of finding something.

Well, Kashmir survived and is going strong after a week or so of slow but steady recovery. The vets didn't find anything and so figured the tumor was in her chest. It's not. The first plan was that if we found a tumor we'd tailor Kashmir's chemo to fit the cancer (I hear this is standard). But now we've got her on prednisone because we simply don't know what kind of cancer it is. Again, all her other tests (and there have been sooooo many) are normal. The fatty liver isn't cause for concern yet the vet says, though we're actively treating it so that it doesn't become a concern. I suspect it happened because Kashmir did lose a lot of weight in the past few months.
So that's our story. She's 11 and until now was healthy except for food allergies. Any other questions or suggestions, feel free to share or ask! This has been a real learning experience for me. I only wish I didn't have to learn on my best friend. Take care!
Kathy and Kashmir

K & K--- My practice is as a nephrologist--a subspecialty of internal medicine that deals with diseases of the kidney--and with the trials and tribulations of people on dialysis. I (really we--there are 7 of us in our group who do nephrology) get consulted several times a year for hypercalcemia. I'm sure your DVM has gone through this with you but just in case let me share the thought processes that I go through when I see hypercalcemia--realizing that people medicine and cat medicine are bound to have differences.

First, cancer and particularly certain blood cancers (multiple myeloma and lymphoma) are high on the list--some kinds of lung cancer cause it as well. A later middle aged individual with a high calcium and weight loss and "that cancer look," which is something I can't describe or teach to my students but is very real, need a very careful look over for tumors--careful exam, blood work, x-rays etc. Sounds like you and Kashmir have been there and done that--to use a phrase that is already starting to wear thin.

Next is that calcium and it's negatively charged ion co-travelor, phosphate, are under tight hormonal control. The main system is a small group of glands behind the thyroid in the human called, appropriately, the parathyroids. If they are overactive they can drive the calcium up and the phosphorus down. The thyroid itself is sometimes involved and it is simple to check--overactive thyroid can cause weight loss and high calcium. Again, not so cheap but reliable blood tests looking at parathyroid and thyroid hormone levels in the blood should be part of the work-up.
Lastly are a group of weird things that we think about but seldom see. There is a bone disease called Paget's disease that increases calcium. So does hypervitaminosis D--applicable is you've been feasting on polar bear liver or at the health food store or if you're a dialysis patient on injectable vitamin D. There is an unusual syndrome that we almost never see called milk-alkali syndrome from the days when people would chew antacids by the bottle and swill milk for stomach problems--it is actually a form of hypervitaminosis D.

That's about it for the differential diagnosis. The treatment involves maintenance of hydration--in fact in people we use lots of intravenous fluid and then a powerful diuretic such as Lasix to wash some of the calcium out through the kidneys. We use prednisone because it has some anti-tumor effect and also increases renal excretion of calcium. Lately we've been using more bis-phosphonates which are drugs that prevent calcium from being released from the bone. This works real well in Paget's and in most cancers--Didronel and Aridea are the two drugs with which I am familiar--again people medicine and vet medicine aren't the same.

Probably more information there than you wanted. I apologize for the length of the response. Might ask your vet about the bis-phosphonate stuff and if cats get hyper-parathyroidism--they sure do get hyper-thyroidism but I'll bet this has already been checked.
Hope Kashmir continues to mend.

Regards--
Sam Eby

Michelle asked what treatments
I had tried on Cheyenne. They were similar to those used by Kathy, except I used Bovine Tracheal Cartilage (Vitacarte) instead of shark cartilage, and my dog had the amputation. The other big difference was that it took four months from the first visible symptom (limping) for my vets to diagnose my dog's cancer; three different vets thought it was a ligament problem.

Here's what Cheyenne got after the surgery:

DIET
Twice daily 1 cup frozen Bil-Jac, plus:
Mornings 1/2 cup plain yogurt, boiled egg (4/wk), 1/2 cup greens or canned rutabaga or pumpkin, sprinkle of alfalfa sprouts, 1 tsp blackstrap molasses (4 x/wk)
Evenings 1/2 cup raw beef liver 5 x/wk, cottage cheese 2 x/wk, plus 1/2 tsp cod liver oil (2 x/wk) or safflower oil (5 x/wk)
Note: I started out feeding 1 1/2 cups Bil-Jac, but since Cheyenne put on four pounds the first month, I reduced the Bil-Jac and added more veggies for bulk.
SUPPLEMENTS Probiotics (alternating) Acidophilus Spectrabiotic (CellTech) Enzymes Bronson Multi-enzyme (1x2) Bromelain 500 mg (1x2) Herbs Red Clover (2x1) Chaparral 500 mg (2x1) Echinacea/goldenseal extract (1ccx2) General vitamins Vitamin B-50 (1x1) Anti-oxidants SuperSprouts & Algae (CellTech) (1x2) Vitamin C (sodium ascorbate powder) (8000 mg/day) Vit. E 400 IU (1x2) Super-oxide dismutase (3x2) Amino acids Megamino complex (2x2) Super Blue-Green Algae (CellTech) (1 tsp/day) Seacure (3x1) Homeopathics Bioplasma (6x2) Bovine tracheal cartilage VitaCarte (10Gm day)

I also consulted with a holistic vet who advocated no amputation and the use of shark cartilage and laetrile. However, just those two supplements would have cost me about $400/month; as a graduate student, there was no way I could afford it. I tried the Vitacarte for two reasons: 1) in humans, there appears to be stronger anecdotal evidence for long-lasting effectiveness against cancer than with shark cartilage; and 2) I persuaded the company to donate a supply of Vitacarte.

I can't say whether anything I did was effective, since Cheyenne only lived two months after the amputation. The factors working against her were the late diagnosis, the amputation, and her youth (osteosarcoma seems to hit young dogs much harder than older ones). But I can say she cleaned her bowl every single meal, kept a beautiful coat, and kept her weight.

I have mixed feelings about the use of amputation. The allopathic world feels it's essential with osteosarcoma to amputate the earlier the better, to relieve the pain and slow the cancer. When I checked one web site for a big veterinary oncology clinic, they had an owner survey that showed 100% satisfaction with their pet's quality of life after the amputation; that was a big factor in my decision. But in our case, it turned out to be the wrong decision. Cheyenne did recover pretty quickly from the amputation, though the first week was really awful. A VERY hard adjustment for me to see my girl mutilated like that. Still, within a week she was jumping on the bed and into the car on her own . . . but a week later, her other hip developed dysplasia and things went downhill from there. She was only 3 and never showed any hip troubles before.

Reina Pennington

In mid August of 1996 we were dealt a cruel blow after taking our 6.5 year old Bernese into the vet to check on a nagging cough we'd not been able to get him over. Radiographs revealed that Barons thoracic cavity was filled with obvious growths and lung shadowing. Our vet said he was pretty sure it was cancer and told us he wished to consult with a local canine cardiologist and also with the vet school at Colorado State Univ.. It didn't take long for the diagnosis to be confirmed, cardio/pulminary and full lymphatic involvement in cancer. We were told there was little to be done with the state of advancement and that the dog probably had at best, two weeks to live. Exploratory surgery was ruled out by the extensiveness of the involvement on the x-rays and we were told there was little hope Chemotherapy or Radiation would help at this point. We were sent home to wait and watch our dog die.

After recovering from the terrible shock of the diagnosis, rather than sit idly by, I opted to contact a holistic vet for an opinion. A phone consultation with Dr. McCall in California turned into one of the most exciting learning experiences I've had. Here was an vet that refused to give up on a dog deemed hopeless and offered ideas and compassion. Our fundamental plan was to attempt to restore what we could of Baron's immune system and rejuvenate the liver as much as possible such that we could hopefully raise the overall general health of his body so he could fight the disease. This was to be done primarily through nutrition. Commercial processed crap was to be eliminated as much as possible and Baron was to be switched to as much a raw diet as possible. No pharmaceuticals were permitted, Pred was particularly forbidden. Below, I detail the ingredients we used to meet this criteria. As we became comfortable with the routine and Baron began to respond, I sought out further help and assistance from noted people like Marina Zacharias, Dr Ken Harshman, and Dr. Deborah Mallu, all noted people in holistic treatments. Various supplements were added to the basic diet to enhance the effects of it and to aid in detoxification.

Here is the regimen we followed for Baron:

1. First and foremost in importance was to get the dog on as much a natural diet as possible. Since Baron was raised on processed kibble I was reluctant to totally switch to a natural rearing type diet. My concern was a relapse to pancreatitis which we battled with this dog from a young age. The ONLY kibble Dr McCall will recommend is Flint River Ranch (a mail order food from California that is oven baked and uses human grade ingredients). We used the Flint River as a base. As Baron responded to the new diet we gradually cut back on the amount of kibble until the majority of each meal was comprised of fresh raw components.

2. Fresh raw vegetables with each meal. Veggies should be grated or juiced. We use a juicer and recombine the pulp with the extracted juice. Our guys get at least a cupful each meal now. Everything from broccoli, squash, parsley, carrots, apples, cauliflower, and beets to yucca root. It's important to use plenty of leafy green vegetables for the vitamin C component.

3. Fresh raw meat 2-3 times weekly with meal (we shop for deals at the grocery stores now and freeze). Everything from chicken wings, chicken necks (which can be purchased cheaply and in quantity), organ meats, beef muscle meat, and occasionally raw eggs. If your dogs are not used to eating bones and you fear they may swallow them whole, cleave the chicken wings and necks into half inch chunks and feed. Avoid adult beef liver, it can be heavily laced with toxins.

4. About a half cup of plain yogurt with each meal. Do not use the low fat, non-fat, or flavored varieties. We opted to use the Brown Cow organic variety.

5. Natural Vitamin E - 800 IUs/day

6. Sodium ascorbate - 5 grams/day. Since I'm using so much Vit C now I found it cheaper to buy the sodium ascorbate in powder form. I use Ester-C for all other applications but it is cost prohibitive for this treatment. One pound bottles of powdered sodium ascorbate can be purchased for about $18 US.

7. Garlic - a chopped half fresh clove daily. We buy the peeled cloves in bottles at the grocery store.

8. Astragalus 10+ - This is a powerful immune enhancer made by Seven Forests (Belgium). For the first month Baron got two tablets twice daily after which he gets two tablets twice daily for one week every month. These 700 mg tablets contain Astragalus, Eleuthero, Ganoderma, Ophiopogon, Ligustrum, Ho-shou-wu, Cistanche, Atractylodes, Licorice, Ginsing, Schizandra, and Morus fruit. The Seven Forests Brand is important for quality.

9. Milk Thistle Plus - This is designed to clean and revitalize the liver. Baron got two tablets twice daily for a month, thereafter two twice daily for one week of every month. It's important to use the Rainbow Light brand. These tablets contain Milk Thistle seed, Milk Thistle concentrate (active Silymaria), Ginger, Eclipta, Artemisia, Bupleurum, Scullcap, Schisandra, Artichoke, Vitamin A, and carotene complex.

10. Flax seed oil (Flora brand) - one tablespoon on meal daily.

11. Shark cartilage (Benefin brand) - 8 grams per day. Powder form

12. L-Arginine - 3 capsules per day. 500 mg capsules.

13. CoQ-Zyme - 4 tablets daily. 30mg tablets.

14. Lymph complex - this is a glandular tablet given twice daily.

15. Flor-Essence (Flora) - brewed as a tea and given twice daily an hour before meals. 4 tablespoons with 3 teaspoons raw honey. Every other week Baron is given an infusium of rosemary mixed with honey (to the same proportions for the Flor-Essence). Weeks alternate between Flor-Essence and the Rosemary.

16. FloraZyme EFA - one half teaspoon over evening meal. Contains fungal protease, fungal amylase, fungal lipase, fungal cellulase, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium longum, and safflower petals. This is an enzyme support treatment.

17. Immuplex - a glandular to support immune activity.

18. Livaplex - another glandular to support the liver.

19. Gynostemma tablets - 4 daily. 700 mg each. This product also contains selenium and must be balanced with the Astragalus 10+. The 4 tablets daily are an approximation balanced against the Astragalus 10+. At times I will halt this supplement to keep from too much selenium in the diet.

20. Thuja 200C - A one time treatment to detox any potential effects from the past vaccination program. Given 3.5 months after diagnosis.

21. Silicea 200C - Given at 4.5 months for the lesion on nose.

22. A positive attitude around the dog. Learn to take a lesson about life from your dog. Live each day as peerless as they approach life. Attitude is important in beating this. Don't be gloomy or depressed around the dog. Let him know you love him and want him around for a long time.

One day of every week, Baron was fasted to allow his liver to rest and cleanse itself.
Periodic blood tests sent to Marina helped her work to bring parameters back into normal ranges. We ran a full blood panel on Baron every three months. Once we began Baron on the above diet, all parameters on his blood panels almost completely normalized and stayed there. Over the course of time the accumulation of blood panels helps establish a base line from which to see and interpret fluctuations, even minor ones.
It seems a lot but isn't that bad once a routine is established. With the bouts of pancreatitis this dog suffered through his life we thought for sure this would be rough on him. Instead just the opposite, he loved the meals and never had a loose stool.
At the 3 month mark, after beginning the natural treatments, we noted a small bump develop on the bridge of the nose. Small at first and seemingly causing no discomfort, it repeatedly ruptured, bled, and scabbed over. Hair loss occurred around it and eventually the bump grew to a quarter inch in size. Skin discoloration and hair loss in proximity to the bump eventually spread to an area about two inches in size down onto the flews. Small pimples developed on the periphery of this area, which too, would rupture, bleed, and scab. Hair loss and slight swelling began occurring around the left eye. When opened, the interior texture of the tissue in the central bump resembled pithy desiccated watermelon fruit. Dr. Harshman explained this phenomenon as "discharging", or indications that toxins were being discharged and manifested by skin lesions (which can become quite large and extensive at times). Thuja and Silicea were prescribed with instructions NOT to put any topical on the lesion to suppress it. Alcohol was used to keep the area clean of any contaminants. By five months beyond diagnosis, the lesion started to abate and hair growth in the area resumed. Skin discoloration in the affected area reversed. All bumps disappeared and remained gone.

In spite of the poor prognosis this dog was given, the quality of life while on this regimen was superior. Baron participated, without handicap, in virtually every activity he loved. From x-country skiing after work with me to pulling his loaded wagon at events as a working companion, he enjoyed himself to the fullest. This was NOT a stalling tactic that allowed the dog to linger. Baron's life was filled with activities that he was able to do and enjoy like any healthy dog. He remained happy, vibrant, playful and strong. There was no weight loss or wasting. His new coat came in thick and lustrous. To see this dog you'd never suspect he was sick.

Ultimately though, the cancer eventually re-asserted itself. At the 9 month mark things took a turn for the worse. Baron's attitude became increasingly lethargic to the point he eventually quit eating. He began dropping weight rapidly. Dr. Mallu explained that this is fairly typical of advanced cases like Baron's. The animal generally experiences 8-10 months of vastly improved health before inevitably succumbing to the cancer. Animals in this condition that are treated with Chemo usually have what's left of their immune system destroyed and fail rapidly in 3-4 months. Another set of x-rays and a full blood panel was run. The red and white blood cell parameters came back normal, in fact the red blood cell count was elevated. The blood chemistry parameters showed a slight increase in the BUN and creat. ratios. Not enough to be alarming but a definite trend viewed over the past 4 blood tests run. The Calcium levels were also slightly elevated. Glucose level was depressed and the T4 levels were also depressed slightly. All other parameters were normal. The x-rays revealed the original tumors seen in August which had grown only slightly and a new tumor immediately behind the heart. A Barium test was run to check for a ruptured diaphragm, it was negative. We decided to try an anti-biotic in case there was a low grade chronic infection, a B-complex vitamin, Thyroxine since the T4 levels were depressed and Pred.. The Pred would be utilized as a last resort to get the appetite started.
None of these measures helped and Baron continued to loose weight. Dr. McCall recommended we start the Pred and begin hand feeding Baron mushed up Flint River. The Pred.(40 mg daily) picked up Baron's attitude but still he wouldn't eat on his own. He would accept the hand feeding without resistance, over the next 3 weeks we continued to hand feed Baron twice daily.
He also began drinking a lot of water, probably attributable to the Red.. Marina suspected a slight possibility of kidney toxicosis might exist from the trend delineated in the blood tests. The following supplements were used to address this possibility plus more aggressive cancer treatment:

Renatrophin PMG - 4 tablets daily (2 morn and 2 even.). Ingredients: Bovine kidney PMG extract, calcium lactate, cellulose, magnesium citrate, and calcium stearate. By Standard Process labs.

Mycelin3 - 4 caps daily. Ingredients: Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum), Shiitake (Lentinus edodes), Cordyceps (Cordyceps sinensis), and Vitamin C. By Allergy Research Group

Gallus-Malt - 4 tablets daily. Ingredients: gallus malt, agastache, and mume. By Seven Forests.

Pro Mg - 2 tablets daily. Ingredient: Magnesium (Amino Acid Chelate). By Professional Health Products.
Organic Germanium - 1 tablet daily. Ingredient: Bis-carboxyethyl germanium sesquioxide. By Allergy Research Group.

Pituitary Complex - 2 tablets daily. Ingredients: Folic Acid Niacin, Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin) Pantothenic Acid, Magnesium (Asparate) Zinc (Asparate), Manganese (Asparate), Pituitary tissue. By Professional Health products.

Bromelain 2400 MCU - 4 caps daily on empty stomach (2 morn 2 even.) By Tyler Canine Repletion Module (8 scoops per day mixed in with food) Ingredients: Casein, Dried whole egg, Yeast culture, Brewers dried yeast, Lecithin, Liver meal, Chlorine chloride, Menhaden fish meal, Calcium carbonate, Potassium chloride, dl-Methionine, Zinc proteinate, Iron proteinate, Ascorbic acid, mixed tocopherols, dried aspergillus oryzac, d-calcium pantothenate, copper proteinate, riboflavin, niacin,d-biotin, manganese proteinate, Vitamin B-12, Vitamin A acetate in gelatin, l-Arginine, Folic acid, Thiamine mononitrate, Pyridoxine hydrochloride, d-activated animal sterol, beta carotene, sodium selenite, lactobacillus, acidophilus, bifidobacterium, and streptococcus faecium.
Ruth Reynolds supplied some Herbal Green by Dynamite - Contains Alfalfa, Barley, Yucca, Baccata, Rumex, & Hymenosepalus in a powder form.

These were given in conjunction with meals including the Flint River Ranch, fresh veggies, raw meats, Ester-C, natural Vitamin E, Livaplex, l-Argenine, Co-enzyme Q10, fresh garlic, Ginseng, licorice root, and Pred.

These supplements stabilized the deterioration for a brief period, but still the appetite never returned. This brief period of stabilization allowed us to attend the national specialty with Baron. However, upon the return home the deterioration began again which culminated in the end a few weeks later. Toward the end we quit giving most of the supplements listed above for the kidney toxicosis as they were upsetting Baron's stomach.

Brief Cost analysis and break down (for 9 months of treatment):
Orthodox vet fees (x-rays, lab tests etc.).................$660.00
Flint River Ranch Food.....................................$300.00
Supplements...............................................$2280.00
In spite of the fact we did not beat the cancer, I'm immensely grateful for 8 months of time I wasn't supposed to have. It was time to spend with him on a quality basis and time for me to prepare myself for the inevitable. A darn sight better than the original 2 weeks given. I'm not saying or guaranteeing this will help every dog. I merely want to point out what an alternative form of treatment accomplished for us and to document the situation. The decisions to treat one way or another are NOT easy. Nor are they cheap. If I had it to do over again, I would choose the holistic approach in a heartbeat. I only hope you never have to use this information for a terminal case but if you do and it helps but a single dog somewhere out there then I'll feel justified in sharing this experience. If I can ever be of assistance to anyone, please feel free to contact me.

Steve Dudley

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