Dog cancer treatment

[Twig]

I'm interested in finding out if any of y'all have ever treated your dog for cancer and what you used. Riley has just been diagnosed with intestinal lymphoma, and is currently on some ghastly Science Diet product. Even though his prognosis is not good, I am choosing not to listen to the doom and gloom and am instead hoping to get a few more quality months with him by using diet & herbs.

The problem with this scenario is that his intestine actually had to be sewn back together. The tumor tore open his intestinal wall. He survived the sepsis (even though I was told he might not), and I am proceeding with chemo. I need a diet which is bland and easily digestible; I can't put something into that intestine that will tear it open again. There are a few herbs I might try, but I am totally inexperienced with all of this. Mostly, I've just been on the floor sobbing and screaming. I never saw it coming.

[Crystal Dragon]

Hello Twig,

I was so very sorry to read this post as I know Riley is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel just like my Ben. How old is Riley now, Ben will be 7 next May.
Not too sure what to suggest but will give it some thought over the next few days, one web site that is UK based and that I have found most helpful in recent years is the C.K.C.S forum http://www.ckcsforums.com
It is a forum dedicated to all things CKCS and there is a wealth of helpful knowledge there and they have always been most helpful and friendly when I have posted asking for information and advice, etc. in recent years. Also loads of very interesting threads to read on a wide range of CKCS related topics including nutrition from puppies to elderly dogs and when they are not so well.....

Here's sending you and Riley a huge and loads of healing energy for Riley.

Love & Blessings,

CD

PS You writeTwig that 'you never saw it coming' - please do not blame yourself over this, this often happens and signs that something is not as it should be often do not become noticeable until a tumour is quite advanced. I have experienced this with cats - I think it goes along the lines of they don't show signs of illness as to other animals it indicates a weakness which can make them vulnerable.

[Twig]

Hi, Crystal Dragon! It's been a while. Thank you for posting a reply. My apologies for the high drama; it's been quite a journey.

Riley is 9 years, 9 months old. He's had lots of exercise in his life, and I thought I was feeding him well... My friend who gave him to me has raised these dogs for almost 20 years, and there is not one case of cancer in all of those dogs. (She keeps up with the families who have her "kids." She also lives out in the country on a ranch where there is precious little pollution.) So, it's really easy for me to think I have done something or exposed him to something that caused this. Sitting in the waiting room with so many people whose dogs have cancer is quite an eye-opener. You do have to wonder what is going on. At least Riley's oncologist said that when there was no clear genetic cause, they are beginning to look at flea medicines and other chemical/environment causes. One woman in the waiting room was blaming all of the vaccinations. She has already lost one dog, and the second is in treatment.

But, in the end, all I can do is to deal with what is, not how it came to be. When Riley went for chemo yesterday, none of the staff could believe how good he looked. He is, of course, very thin, but he's his old gregarious self, working the room for any chance of attention. My secret weapon so far is that I have a friend who is doing jin shin jyutsu on him. It's amazing how he responds. I am not kidding myself about his condition, but I am looking for him to have a great time while he's still here. So, if the energy work helps him, I am going for it. The oncologist also cleared him to eat some carrots, eggs, green beans, cottage cheese & yogurt. He is lactose-intolerant, so I'm not too sure about the latter two. No brown rice yet, but I can give him egg noodles. Apparently, there is a great need for lots of protein. I cooked him some ground turkey, which he inhaled. He is ravenous!

I have been on the Internet almost 24/7 looking for a good diet, and I think I've come across one that will work. However, I am very thankful for link you posted, and I plan to explore it when I get back home. (I am leaving in the morning to go see my folks as we have not done any holiday stuff yet. I haven't even known what day it's been since he collapsed on the 10th of December.) The only US Cavalier message board I found has not allowed me to post, even though I've jumped through all the required hoops, so the site you sent me will be a great comfort.

The chemo procedure being used for him is the University of Wisconsin of Wisconsin Protocol. It is apparently very cutting edge. There are people at this hospital from all over the country -- staff & patients alike. Who knew South Texas would even have such a facility?! Anyway, I feel like the "science" end is being thoroughly covered, but as with people-docs, they are not too knowledgeable about nutrition. That's what I hope to find on the UK site. I appreciate your taking the time to reply. I know you know how this all feels. Thank you!

[Selene]

Twig, I'm so sorry to hear of Riley's illness.

I don't know if they can help you, but there is an Integrative Medicine program at the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine that uses alternative treatment approaches (herbal, holistic, accupuncture, etc.) to augment and complement the usual canine cancer treatment regimens. While these treatments generally do not offer any more likelihood of a cure than chemotherapy or radiation, some have been found to be helpful in maintaining a better quality of life for longer periods. (See "East Meets West: Generous Gift Brings Integrative Medicine to LSU" on p. 18 of the Spring 2011 LSU SVM newsmagazine at http://www1.vetmed.lsu.edu/PDFs/La%20Ve ... m27799.pdf.) If you want more information, you can call the Small Animal Clinic at 225-578-9600 for a consultation; your veterinarian can arrange a referral if you decide to give it a try.

Blessings to you and Riley,
Selene

[Crystal Dragon]

Hi Twig,

Many thanks for the update on Riley and it is amazing what veterinary treatments for animals are available these days. I do hope the chemo goes well and I will continue to send healing energy to Riley I am sure that your friend is also helping Riley greatly with the healing she/he is giving him - animals are very receptive to energy/spiritual healing. Traditional medicine and complimentary therapies often work very well together.

I hope you have a nice few days visiting family and welcoming 2012, do let me know how Riley gets on.

With Love & Blessings,

CD

[Susanne]

Hi Twig
I'm so sorry about what Riley & you are going through.It's so hard when one of our animal buddies are in pain
I lost one of my cats to cancer many years ago & my Irish Wolfhound several years ago to heart failure and can sympathize with what you are gong through.
I don't have any thoughts on diet but it looks like you are doing a great job researching it. Keep up with the alternative methods. Being a Healing Touch practitioner I have used it many times for my kitties and even a sparrow that hit my window one day. It's always been a great help.
If you'd like I'd be happy to send some distance healing Riley's way. Let me know & hang in there!
Sue

[Lily]

Hello there,

nothing to offer in the way of advice on treatment or diet... only some words of comfort:
don't torture yourself with thoughts of what you might have done wrong or fed him or exposed him to.

Cancer is an illness that most often comes with age, and even though 9 years might not be very old for your dog's breed, that's probably just what is happening.

You make sure you give his days quality and love him.

[fulbert-avebury]

I hope that Riley is doing better here in the New Year. Having had 2 pugs who had mass cell tumors (with the older one having 2 occurrences / surgeries), I can relate to some extent with what you are going through. When that first happened we were not even as Internet savvy as now (and I was not here to share with all of you AND to get some support with this along the way), so at least you have some people who care deeply about animals and recognize how valuable pets are in our lives.

With this said, I hope you are not blaming yourself any more. While there are some human cancers that have (somewhat) preventable causes, like lung cancer (in the case of smoking) or skin cancer (in the case of sunworship), even people who play by all the known health rules succumb to it at times, and that seems only the case with little ones as well. Whatever the cause, focus more on helping him feel better now.

We have always used a Science Diet food due to the pugs' weight issues and the younger one's allergies. One of our cats several years ago who had all sorts of intestinal issues and was heavily medicated for his last 4 years (resulting in 3 years or so of rather "normal" living) started with those prescribed foods, and so we got used to them. If you trust the doctor, then run whatever foods you are considering by him / her to let them know what you are planning.

To the doctor, we found that made a lot of difference. Seems like you are at a quality medical facility, and in this way those people who do procedures often enough to have a track record -- I think that is important. The surgeon we had for the 3 procedures was so gentle and kind and compassionate, helping us when we burst into tears before and even after the procedures, and I found his confidence among the most helpful things to manage the experiences. In this way, I hope the comments that have been through this thread are also helpful.

Let us know how you are both handling this.

Jeffrey

[Twig]

You guys are the best! Thank all of you for your helpful advice & well wishes.

I drug my butt home this afternoon, but I couldn't collapse right away. However, Riley sure did. He did well on the trip, but tired out very quickly each day. He always loves my parents' big back yard. He and the Atomic Chihuahua who owns my folks tolerate each other.

He goes for his 3rd chemo treatment tomorrow & is currently on prednisone which makes him an insatiable, ravenous beast! He usually has very good manners, but he tried to grab cheese off of the coffee table and yams off of the kitchen counter. Oh, so close...

Jeffery: I am wondering if your pugs had really soft stools on the Science Diet. (Gross question, but poop is very important stuff!) You are so right about the doctor. The oncologist is really kind & patient. She spends as much time with me as I need, and explains everything as we proceed. I haven't yet confronted her with the Tear Test because I try to be strong, and then spend half an hour bawling in the bathroom before I can make the drive home. I know that she will exceed my expectations when such a time arises. I feel very fortunate to have her treating Riley. The other oncologist at the hospital isn't nearly so gentle.

Lily: You are wise to remind me of Riley's age. Cavaliers are "supposed" to live to around 10 years or so, but my friend has several who are 13 or 14. So, I thought if I fed Riley well and kept him well-exercised, I could share my life with him longer. You just never know.

Susanne: Yes, yes, yes! Send whatever energy you feel like sending. I have been amazed at how well Riley responds to Donna's energy work. Animals don't let their brains get in the way like humans can, and so I believe that type of work is very beneficial to them. Wow, a sparrow??

Selene: I have saved the PDF file that you posted. Thank you so much. I will study the information that's on page 18, hopefully before Riley's appointment tomorrow. I, myself, use medical & alternative traditions to deal with my own malady and have found value in both.

I can't tell you how much I appreciate the time each of you spent on responding. It's so hard to look at my little guy and get my head around "cancer." It just brings me to my knees. Our pets get to places we never even knew we had.

[Crystal Dragon]

Thanks for the update Twig and I hope all goes well for Riley at his next chemo appointment tomorrow - will be thinking of you both.
I think all cavaliers tend to have a delicate disgestive system even at the best of times
Love & Blessings to you both,
CD

[fulbert-avebury]

Twig-
Yes, stool is never a favorite topic of discussion, but that is part of caring for pets, ehh?
They have both used Canine WD dry http://www.hillspet.com/products/pd-canine-wd-canine-low-fat-diabetic-gastrointestinal-dry.html for years, and it has the result of making the stool somewhat firm though rather dry as pieces. This means they never have wet stool or unformed stool. It is incredibly regular and formed, so much to the point that it makes it easy to immediately see if anything is out of wack. Overall, they love the food and it helps them with weight and allergies.
Hang in there, and all the best with the next round of treatment.
Jeffrey

[Twig]

Does anyone know what weakness in the hind legs might mean for a dog with cancer? Riley is exhibiting this symptom now -- along with diarrhea which was not a side-effect of the last chemo treatment.

[Lily]

sent you pm

[fulbert-avebury]

Well, Riley is getting a little up there in years, and this may be a condition of the age simply happening at the same time. This is happening with Spencer as well (who had mass cells removed in two surgeries), and now we give him vitamins, though his back legs are definately slipping a bit on the floor. He does not seem to have this problem right now if on a rug or pavement, so hoping this issue is only weakness with smooth surfaces. Is Riley having this everywhere?
Jeffrey

[Twig]

He can't jump up onto the couch or bed and is slipping/sliding on the wood floors. I try to keep him on the area rugs, & I've been lifting him up onto his nesting spots. This happened before when he was really sick, but right now his energy and spirit are high so it's not that he's feeling bad (other than, of course, having cancer). Mercifully, he's on his last day of twice/day prednisone; he's eating enough for three horses! However, I have had to quit giving him the tasty things he likes because of the diarrhea, so I have to act like a clump of Science Diet is a piece of prime rib when I give it to him as a treat.

[Crystal Dragon]

Hi Twig,
Perhaps the prednisone may be upsetting Riley's stomach just now or possibly the amount he is eating might be a little too much for him, bit of a 'Catch22' situation. Also, have you tried trimming the fur on Rileys paws so that his pads have better contact with the floor as when the fur on Ben's paws gets a bit long prior to his regular visits to the dog groomers, he has a similar problem. Seem to remember that when he was a puppy and we took him to puppy training classes, not that they did much good the floor at the hall was highly polished and Ben hated it and his legs kept going all over the place. On the advice of the trainer we purchased a special wax to put on his pads which did help a bit and I gather these days you can get little non slip socks for them - might be worth exploring.
Love to you & Riley,
CD

[D'Arzhur]

Dear Twig I am so very sorry to read this whole thread... I missed it up to now (I had a health issue over the holydays and did not catch up yet with everything)...
I really feel for you and Riley and with your permission I will send loving thoughts and Reiki energy to both of you... I live with 2 big dogs and 2 cats and they are such incredible friends... Be strong my friend and enjoy every moment with your compagnon...

[Twig]

Hi, D'Arzhur -- Thanks for the post. I sure hope you're feeling better. Health issues can really turn your life upside down.
Most certainly, you have my permission to send Riley some Reiki energy. And you also have my gratitude. He seems to respond well to energy work, so I welcome it. I tried to post a photo to make him a little easier to visualize, but I have no clue about how to do this. I finally gave up.

You are right. Our companion animals are such amazing friends, and even beyond friends, I think. I have noticed that since this journey began, I have been so totally "tuned in" to Riley's every need. I was before the cancer diagnosis, but afterward, I seem to have really zeroed in on his every mood, move etc. I feel that "Big Love."

The emotional ride is something I've never experienced before. After Tuesday of last week, his symptoms were such that the oncologist emailed me that she thought the cancer had re-formed in his intestines. An ultra-sound was scheduled for that upcoming Friday, so all those days between Tuesday and Friday I was once again overwhelmed with grief and dread. And after the ultra-sound, the doctor told me that there was no sign on cancer -- two strains of bacteria in his guts instead were causing the symptoms. It's quite a ride; I've been thrown into the dichotomies of fear/love, grief/relief, future/present, etc. One would think I would have experienced all of this by my age, but I'm a virgin!

Now his diet is very restricted, and he is on meds for the bacteria (which were the result of all of the $#@!ing anti-biotics). Mercifully, he's down to one prednisone per day (but is still trying to eat laundry or whatever he finds). The major whammo treatment is this next week, so I need to have him in good shape to tolerate it.

I hadn't thought about trimming his paw hair, Crystal Dragon. I had to go check his feet after I read your post, but I do keep him trimmed pretty short and his paw-hair was likewise real short. I'd be interested in knowing what that stuff you bought for Ben's feet is, though. That sounds like a great idea.

Thank you guys for hanging in there with me.

[Crystal Dragon]

Hi Twig,

The wax is called 'Paw Wax' comes up via 'google' not sure though whether you can get in America or not, or it might be called something else. That said, if you do think of trying this I would check first before doing so with the vet that it is OK for use on Riley - thinking along the lines that he mey lick it or it may cause a reaction given his condition and medication.

I do hope all goes well for him this coming week and will be thinking of you both.

Love & Blessings,

CD

[Blyth]

Hello Twig.
I've just seen your post and wanted to say that I hope all goes well for you both.
With love and blessings...