Guardian Versus Dog Lover in Dog Cancer
Dr. Demian Dressler is internationally recognized as “the dog cancer vet” because of his innovations in the field of dog cancer management, and the popularity of his blog here at Dog Cancer Blog. The owner of South Shore Veterinary Care, a full-service veterinary hospital in Maui, Hawaii, Dr. Dressler studied Animal Physiology and received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of California at Davis before earning his Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from Cornell University. After practicing at Killewald Animal Hospital in Amherst, New York, he returned to his home state, Hawaii, to practice at the East Honolulu Pet Hospital before heading home to Maui to open his own hospital. Dr. Dressler consults both dog lovers and veterinary professionals, and is sought after as a speaker on topics ranging from the links between lifestyle choices and disease, nutrition and cancer, and animal ethics. His television appearances include “Ask the Vet” segments on local news programs. He is the author of The Dog Cancer Survival Guide: Full Spectrum Treatments to Optimize Your Dog’s Life Quality and Longevity. He is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, the Hawaii Veterinary Medical Association, the American Association of Avian Veterinarians, the National Animal Supplement Council and CORE (Comparative Orthopedic Research Evaluation). He is also an advisory board member for Pacific Primate Sanctuary.
Updated: May 15th, 2024
There is a big difference between loving a dog and being a dog guardian.
Guardianship implies being a protector. There is vigilance, resourcefulness, and problem solving mixed with love. Being a dog lover is just enjoying your relationship with your dog.
Guardianship is required for dealing with canine cancer. Being a dog lover is not enough, not by itself.
Coping with a canine cancer diagnosis requires a certain grit and mental toughness. The disease demands it, and if a dog has cancer, her pet parent needs to assume a new role.
The diagnosis needs to be reached, and the dreaded news dealt with. This requires fortitude and resilience on the part of the guardian.
Love is not enough.
Information must be gathered next to best decide on what to do, and why, and what to expect in the future. The mind must be clear enough to handle this information and make the best choices. Referral to an oncologist is best if available. Emotions must be handled deliberately to allow this process (one of the first sections of the Guide is written just for this).
Love is not enough.
Some of the realities of the situation are that surgery may have to be performed to remove the cancer cells if possible. In preparing for this, there will be testing. There is follow up medication and nursing care that needs to happen. One has to be strong enough to witness these unpleasant events.
Love is not enough.
Next is chemotherapy and possibly radiation. These are each processes that are not complete in a single treatment. They extend through time. They require transportation, education, follow up, and vigilance on the part of the pet parent.
Love is not enough.
The guardian must work with the veterinarian to consider which nutraceuticals to use. Many times the guardian must become more savvy than the vet in this regard, and decide how to use apoptogens, whether immune support is possible, and supplements designed to slow cancer spread. This takes time and resourcefulness.
Love is not enough.
Then diet should be tended to. Again there there is research, energy expenditure, and discipline involved. Life quality should be deliberately improved for the loved dog by taking steps in a schedule to do things he likes. His brain chemistry should be intentionally shifted to a cancer-fighting state (all of this is discussed in the Guide).
Love is not enough.
The faster and more effectively a lover turns into a guardian, the better things will turn out for a loved dog
Best,
Dr D
Dr. Demian Dressler is internationally recognized as “the dog cancer vet” because of his innovations in the field of dog cancer management, and the popularity of his blog here at Dog Cancer Blog. The owner of South Shore Veterinary Care, a full-service veterinary hospital in Maui, Hawaii, Dr. Dressler studied Animal Physiology and received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of California at Davis before earning his Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from Cornell University. After practicing at Killewald Animal Hospital in Amherst, New York, he returned to his home state, Hawaii, to practice at the East Honolulu Pet Hospital before heading home to Maui to open his own hospital. Dr. Dressler consults both dog lovers and veterinary professionals, and is sought after as a speaker on topics ranging from the links between lifestyle choices and disease, nutrition and cancer, and animal ethics. His television appearances include “Ask the Vet” segments on local news programs. He is the author of The Dog Cancer Survival Guide: Full Spectrum Treatments to Optimize Your Dog’s Life Quality and Longevity. He is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, the Hawaii Veterinary Medical Association, the American Association of Avian Veterinarians, the National Animal Supplement Council and CORE (Comparative Orthopedic Research Evaluation). He is also an advisory board member for Pacific Primate Sanctuary.
Our 11 year old American Eskimo dog ” Keneau” was diagnosed with prostate cancer in february. He has been receiving oral neoplasene along with thuja and Cass options daily since this time. His ionized calcium was extremely elevated as was his creatinine. Today his lab work is all within normal limits. We also started on prednisone 15 mg daily, now we are at 5 mg and looking to eliminate this soon. Diet and antioxidants have been the cornerstone of his success story. We have also chosen the Chinese nutrition plan of a no yang diet by eliminating all “hot foods” in his diet. He loves his diet of boiled chicken and fish, steamed veges, and fruit. He eats 3 small meals a day-he weighs 30 lbs. He also eats Royal Canin dry dog food white fish and potatoe formula mixed with the above mentioned foods. His quality of life is amazing!! His bloodline has longevity of 18-20 years. I believe we have won this battle.
Thank you for you educational book, it has helped me cope with MCT with my pug mix “Callie.” She is Stage III Grade III. Vinblastine injections ended the end of June and since her diagnosis I have given her a steamed vegetable diet, cooked liver to 140 degrees, Fish oil, Cottage cheese, brown rice only, and her medicinal drugs which include Benedryal, pregnisone, pepcid, and she needs her enapril daily for her Bp to stay within range. Unfortunately she takes no supplements, but I hope with a consistent healthy diet I will have her with me for an extended period of time. Laymans terms “Hopefully a long life!” I know stage III is aggressive, but she is a fighter and I do thank you for your input!
I think that anyone who has a dog with cancer automatically does all the things in your list of guardian versus lover. I had a golden retriever with nasal cancer that was treated with radiation. That gave him almost a year before the cancer returned. At that point we tried chemo, but it made him too sick, so we stopped. I had also given him artemisinin, which has shown effectiveness against some cancers.
Do you have any published data on your apocaps? They sound like a nice theory, but I would like to see some data, in tissue culture as a bare minimum, and preferably in animals with untreated controls for comparison.
Dear Ellie,
Human doses of curcumin go up to several thousand milligrams daily. I am not sure what your dog’s body weight is (there is a dose chart in the Guide). I would guess 500 to 1000 mg daily for most dogs up to three times daily as a rough rule of thumb (under veterinary supervision of course).
Here is some literature for your review.
Scientific References Used in the
Formulation of Apocaps®
Apoptosis
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Role of alterations in the apoptotic machinery in sensitivity of cancer cells to treatment.
Rodriguez-Nieto S, Zhivotovsky B.
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Luteolin
Luteolin sensitizes the anticancer effect of cisplatin via c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase-mediated p53 phosphorylation and stabilization.
Shi R, et al.
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Anti-proliferative and chemosensitizing effects of luteolin on human gastric cancer AGS cell line.
Wu B, et al.
Mol Cell Biochem (2008) 0: .
Luteolin as a glycolysis inhibitor offers superior efficacy and lesser toxicity of doxorubicin in breast cancer cells.
Du GJ, et al.
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Radiosensitization effect of luteolin on human gastric cancer SGC-7901 cells.
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Absorption and excretion of luteolin and apigenin in rats after oral administration of Chrysanthemum morifolium extract.
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Intestinal absorption of luteolin from peanut hull extract is more efficient than that from individual pure luteolin.
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Luteolin as an anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic constituent of Perilla frutescens.
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Luteolin, a flavonoid with potentials for cancer prevention and therapy
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Luteolin, a flavonoid with potentials for cancer prevention and therapy
Lin Y, et al.
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Luteolin, an emerging anti-cancer flavonoid, poisons eukaryotic DNA topoisomerase I.
Chowdhury AR, et al.
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Arimondo PB and Hélène C.
Curr Med Chem Anticancer Agents. 2001 Nov;1(3):219-35. Review.
Luteolin induces apoptosis via death receptor 5 upregulation in human malignant tumor cells.
Horinaka M, et al.
Oncogene. 2005 Nov 3;24(48):7180-9.
Luteolin induces apoptosis in oral squamous cancer cells.
Yang SF, et al.
J Dent Res. 2008 Apr;87(4):401-6.
Sensitizing HER2-overexpressing cancer cells to luteolin-induced apoptosis through suppressing p21(WAF1/CIP1) expression with rapamycin.
Chiang CT, Way TD, Lin JK.
Mol Cancer Ther. 2007 Jul;6(7):2127-38.
Luteolin and luteolin-7-O-glucoside from dandelion flower suppress iNOS and COX-2 in RAW264.7 cells.
Hu C and Kitts DD.
Mol Cell Biochem. 2004 Oct;265(1-2):107-13.
Luteolin inhibits insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor signaling in prostate cancer cells. Fang J, et al.
Carcinogenesis. 2007 Mar;28(3):713-23. Epub 2006 Oct 25.
Luteolin suppresses inflammation-associated gene expression by blocking NF-kappaB and AP-1 activation pathway in mouse alveolar macrophages.
Chen CY, et al.
Life Sci. 2007 Nov 30;81(23-24):1602-14.
Luteolin inhibits invasion of prostate cancer PC3 cells through E-cadherin.
Zhou Q, et al.
Mol Cancer Ther. 2009 Jun;8(6):1684-91.
Pro-apoptotic effects of the flavonoid luteolin in rat H4IIE cells.
Michels G, et al.
Toxicology. 2005 Jan 31;206(3):337-48.
Apigenin
Antigenotoxic effect of apigenin against anti-cancerous drugs.
Siddique YH, Beg T, Afzal M.
Toxicol In Vitro. 2008 Apr;22(3):625-31.
5-Fluorouracil combined with apigenin enhances anticancer activity through induction of apoptosis in human breast cancer MDA-MB-453 cells.
Choi EJ and Kim GH.
Oncol Rep. 2009 Dec;22(6):1533-7.
The flavonoid apigenin potentiates the growth inhibitory effects of gemcitabine and abrogates gemcitabine resistance in human pancreatic cancer cells.
Strouch MJ, et al.
Pancreas. 2009 May;38(4):409-15.
Enhanced anti-tumor effect of combination therapy with gemcitabine and apigenin in pancreatic cancer.
Lee SH, et al.
Cancer Lett. 2008 Jan 18;259(1):39-49.
Flavonoids apigenin and quercetin inhibit melanoma growth and metastatic potential.
Caltagirone S, et al.
Int J Cancer. 2000 Aug 15;87(4):595-600.
Flavonoids Are Inhibitors of Breast Cancer Resistance Protein (ABCG2)-Mediated Transport
Zhang S, Yang X, Morris ME
Molecular Pharmacology May 2004 vol. 65 no. 5 1208-1216
The chemopreventive flavonoid apigenin confers radiosensitizing effect in human tumor cells grown as monolayers and spheroids.
Watanabe N, Hirayama R, Kubota N.
J Radiat Res (Tokyo). 2007 Jan;48(1):45-50.
Molecular targets for apigenin-induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in prostate cancer cell xenograft.
Shukla S and Gupta S.
Mol Cancer Ther. 2006 Apr;5(4):843-52.
Pharmacokinetics and metabolism of apigenin in female and male rats after a single oral administration.
Gradolatto A, et al.
Drug Metab Dispos. 2005 Jan;33(1):49-54.
Up-regulation of insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 by apigenin leads to growth inhibition and apoptosis of 22Rv1 xenograft in athymic nude mice. Shukla S, et al.
FASEB J. 2005 Dec;19(14):2042-4.
Dietary apigenin suppresses IgE and inflammatory cytokines production in C57BL/6N mice. Yano S, et al.
J Agric Food Chem. 2006 Jul 12;54(14):5203-7.
Apigenin and luteolin modulate microglial activation via inhibition of STAT1-induced CD40 expression
Rezai-Zadeh K, et al.
J Neuroinflammation. 2008; 5: 41.
Bioavailability of apigenin from apiin-rich parsley in humans.
Meyer H, et al.
Ann Nutr Metab. 2006;50(3):167-72.
Inhibition of proteasome activity by the dietary flavonoid apigenin is associated with growth inhibition in cultured breast cancer cells and xenografts
Chen D, et al.
Breast Cancer Res. 2007; 9(6): R80.
Dietary flavonoids as proteasome inhibitors and apoptosis inducers in human leukemia cells.
Chen D, et al.
Biochem Pharmacol. 2005 May 15;69(10):1421-32.
Apigenin drives the production of reactive oxygen species and initiates a mitochondrial mediated cell death pathway in prostate epithelial cells.
Morrissey C, et al.
Prostate. 2005 May 1;63(2):131-42.
Apigenin-induced prostate cancer cell death is initiated by reactive oxygen species and p53 activation.
Shukla S and Gupta S.
Free Radic Biol Med. 2008 May 15;44(10):1833-45.
Induction of caspase-dependent, p53-mediated apoptosis by apigenin in human neuroblastoma.
Torkin R, et al.
Mol Cancer Ther. 2005 Jan;4(1):1-11.
Individual and interactive effects of apigenin analogs on G2/M cell-cycle arrest in human colon carcinoma cell lines.
Wang W, et al.
Nutr Cancer. 2004;48(1):106-14.
Induction of caspase-dependent, p53-mediated apoptosis by apigenin in human neuroblastoma.
Torkin R, et al.
Mol Cancer Ther. 2005 Jan;4(1):1-11.
Apigenin induced apoptosis through p53-dependent pathway in human cervical carcinoma cells.
Zheng PW, Chiang LC, Lin CC.
Life Sci. 2005 Feb 4;76(12):1367-79.
Suppression of constitutive and tumor necrosis factor alpha-induced nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB activation and induction of apoptosis by apigenin in human prostate carcinoma PC-3 cells: correlation with down-regulation of NF-kappaB-responsive genes.
Shukla S and Gupta S.
Clin Cancer Res. 2004 May 1;10(9):3169-78.
Cell-cycle arrest at G2/M and growth inhibition by apigenin in human colon carcinoma cell lines.
Wang W, et al.
Mol Carcinog. 2000 Jun;28(2):102-10.
Suppression of constitutive and tumor necrosis factor alpha-induced nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB activation and induction of apoptosis by apigenin in human prostate carcinoma PC-3 cells: correlation with down-regulation of NF-kappaB-responsive genes.
Shukla S and Gupta S.
Clin Cancer Res. 2004 May 1;10(9):3169-78.
Unbalanced activation of ERK1/2 and MEK1/2 in apigenin-induced HeLa cell death.
Llorens F, et al.
Exp Cell Res. 2004 Sep 10;299(1):15-26.
Flavonoids as DNA topoisomerase antagonists and poisons: structure-activity relationships.
Constantinou A, et al.
J Nat Prod. 1995 Feb;58(2):217-25.
Involvement of nuclear factor-kappa B, Bax and Bcl-2 in induction of cell cycle arrest and apoptosis by apigenin in human prostate carcinoma cells.
Gupta S, Afaq F, Mukhtar H.
Oncogene. 2002 May 23;21(23):3727-38.
Induction of cancer cell apoptosis by flavonoids is associated with their ability to inhibit fatty acid synthase activity.
Brusselmans K, et al.
J Biol Chem. 2005 Feb 18;280(7):5636-45.
Induction of apoptosis by apigenin and related flavonoids through cytochrome c release and activation of caspase-9 and caspase-3 in leukaemia HL-60 cells.
Wang IK, Lin-Shiau SY, Lin JK.
Eur J Cancer. 1999 Oct;35(10):1517-25.
Suppression of inducible cyclooxygenase and inducible nitric oxide synthase by apigenin and related flavonoids in mouse macrophages.
Liang YC, et al.
Carcinogenesis. 1999 Oct;20(10):1945-52.
Curcumin
Targeting cancer stem cells with phytochemicals.
Kawasaki BT, Hurt EM, Mistree T, Farrar WL.
Mol Interv. 2008 Aug;8(4):174-84.
Chemosensitization to cisplatin by inhibitors of the Fanconi anemia/BRCA pathway.
Chirnomas D, et al.
Mol Cancer Ther. 2006 Apr;5(4):952-61.
Curcumin potentiates the apoptotic effects of chemotherapeutic agents and cytokines through down-regulation of nuclear factor-kappaB and nuclear factor-kappaB-regulated gene products in IFN-alpha-sensitive and IFN-alpha-resistant human bladder cancer cells.
Kamat AM, Sethi G, Aggarwal BB.
Mol Cancer Ther. 2007 Mar;6(3):1022-30.
Curcumin potentiates antitumor activity of gemcitabine in an orthotopic model of pancreatic cancer through suppression of proliferation, angiogenesis, and inhibition of nuclear factor-kappaB-regulated gene products.
Kunnumakkara AB, et al.
Cancer Res. 2007 Apr 15;67(8):3853-61.
Possible benefits of curcumin regimen in combination with taxane chemotherapy for hormone-refractory prostate cancer treatment.
Cabrespine-Faugeras A, et al.
Nutr Cancer. 2010;62(2):148-53.
Curcumin sensitizes human colorectal cancer to capecitabine by modulation of cyclin D1, COX-2, MMP-9, VEGF and CXCR4 expression in an orthotopic mouse model.
Kunnumakkara AB, et al.
Int J Cancer. 2009 Nov 1;125(9):2187-97.
Curcumin potentiates the apoptotic effects of chemotherapeutic agents and cytokines through down-regulation of nuclear factor-kappaB and nuclear factor-kappaB-regulated gene products in IFN-alpha-sensitive and IFN-alpha-resistant human bladder cancer cells.
Kamat AM, Sethi G, Aggarwal BB.
Mol Cancer Ther. 2007 Mar;6(3):1022-30.
Curcumin prevents adriamycin nephrotoxicity in rats
Venkatesan N,Punithavathi D, Arumugam V
Br J Pharmacol. 2000 January; 129(2): 231–234.
Modulation of human multidrug-resistance MDR-1 gene by natural curcuminoids.
Limtrakul P, Anuchapreeda S, Buddhasukh D.
BMC Cancer. 2004 Apr 17;4:13.
Thioredoxin reductase-1 mediates curcumin-induced radiosensitization of squamous carcinoma cells.
Javvadi P, et al.
Cancer Res. 2010 Mar 1;70(5):1941-50.
Curcumin confers radiosensitizing effect in prostate cancer cell line PC-3.
Chendil D, et al.
Oncogene. 2004 Feb 26;23(8):1599-607.
The chemopreventive agent curcumin is a potent radiosensitizer of human cervical tumor cells via increased reactive oxygen species production and overactivation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway.
Javvadi P, et al.
Mol Pharmacol. 2008 May;73(5):1491-501.
Curcumin sensitizes human colorectal cancer xenografts in nude mice to gamma-radiation by targeting nuclear factor-kappaB-regulated gene products.
Kunnumakkara AB, et al.
Clin Cancer Res. 2008 Apr 1;14(7):2128-36.
Curcumin protects against radiation-induced acute and chronic cutaneous toxicity in mice and decreases mRNA expression of inflammatory and fibrogenic cytokines.
Okunieff P, et al.
Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2006 Jul 1;65(3):890-8.
Phase I clinical trial of oral curcumin: biomarkers of systemic activity and compliance.
Sharma RA, et al.
Clin Cancer Res. 2004 Oct 15;10(20):6847-54.
Phase II trial of curcumin in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer.
Dhillon N, et al.
Clin Cancer Res. 2008 Jul 15;14(14):4491-9.
Curcumin acts as anti-tumorigenic and hormone-suppressive agent in murine and human pituitary tumour cells in vitro and in vivo.
Schaaf C, et al.
Endocr Relat Cancer. 2009 Dec;16(4):1339-50.
Curcumin inhibits tumor growth and angiogenesis in ovarian carcinoma by targeting the nuclear factor-kappaB pathway.
Lin YG, et al.
Clin Cancer Res. 2007 Jun 1;13(11):3423-30.
Therapeutic potential of curcumin in human prostate cancer. III. Curcumin inhibits proliferation, induces apoptosis, and inhibits angiogenesis of LNCaP prostate cancer cells in vivo.
Dorai T, et al.
Prostate. 2001 Jun 1;47(4):293-303.
Spleen tyrosine kinase (Syk), a novel target of curcumin, is required for B lymphoma growth.
Gururajan M, et al.
J Immunol. 2007 Jan 1;178(1):111-21.
Curcumin sensitizes TRAIL-resistant xenografts: molecular mechanisms of apoptosis, metastasis and angiogenesis.
Shankar S, et al.
Mol Cancer. 2008 Jan 29;7:16.
Curcumin: the story so far.
Sharma RA, Gescher AJ, Steward WP.
Eur J Cancer. 2005 Sep;41(13):1955-68.
Bioavailability of curcumin: problems and promises.
Anand P, et al.
Mol Pharm. 2007 Nov-Dec;4(6):807-18.
Induction of apoptosis by curcumin and its implications for cancer therapy.
Karunagaran D, Rashmi R, Kumar TR.
Curr Cancer Drug Targets. 2005 Mar;5(2):117-29.
Modulation of anti-apoptotic and survival pathways by curcumin as a strategy to induce apoptosis in cancer cells.
Reuter S, et al.
Biochem Pharmacol. 2008 Dec 1;76(11):1340-51.
Curcumin-induced antiproliferative and proapoptotic effects in melanoma cells are associated with suppression of IkappaB kinase and nuclear factor kappaB activity and are independent of the B-Raf/mitogen-activated/extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase pathway and the Akt pathway.
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Cancer. 2005 Aug 15;104(4):879-90.
Curcumin synergistically potentiates the growth-inhibitory and pro-apoptotic effects of celecoxib in osteoarthritis synovial adherent cells. Lev-Ari S, et al.
Rheumatology (Oxford). 2006 Feb;45(2):171-7.
Celecoxib and curcumin synergistically inhibit the growth of colorectal cancer cells. Lev-Ari S, et al.
Clin Cancer Res. 2005 Sep 15;11(18):6738-44.
Silymarin/Silybinin
Effects of the flavonoids biochanin A, morin, phloretin, and silymarin on P-glycoprotein-mediated transport.
Zhang S and Morris ME.
J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 2003 Mar;304(3):1258-67.
Antiproliferative effect of silybin on gynaecological malignancies: synergism with cisplatin and doxorubicin.
Scambia G, et al.
Eur J Cancer. 1996 May;32A(5):877-82.
Silibinin synergizes with mitoxantrone to inhibit cell growth and induce apoptosis in human prostate cancer cells. Flaig TW, et al.
Int J Cancer. 2007 May 1;120(9):2028-33.
The emerging pharmacotherapeutic significance of the breast cancer resistance protein (ABCG2)Hardwick LJA,Velamakanni S, van Veen HW,
Br J Pharmacol. 2007 May; 151(2): 163–174.
Dietary feeding of silibinin inhibits prostate tumor growth and progression in transgenic adenocarcinoma of the mouse prostate model.
Raina K, et al.
Cancer Res. 2007 Nov 15;67(22):11083-91.
Oral silibinin inhibits in vivo human bladder tumor xenograft growth involving down-regulation of survivin.
Singh RP, et al.
Clin Cancer Res. 2008 Jan 1;14(1):300-8.
Stage-specific inhibitory effects and associated mechanisms of silibinin on tumor progression and metastasis in transgenic adenocarcinoma of the mouse prostate model.
Raina K, et al.
Cancer Res. 2008 Aug 15;68(16):6822-30.
Silibinin inhibits constitutive and TNFalpha-induced activation of NF-kappaB and sensitizes human prostate carcinoma DU145 cells to TNFalpha-induced apoptosis.
Dhanalakshmi S, et al.
Oncogene. 2002 Mar 7;21(11):1759-67.
Silymarin induces apoptosis primarily through a p53-dependent pathway involving Bcl-2/Bax, cytochrome c release, and caspase activation.
Katiyar SK, Roy AM, Baliga MS.
Mol Cancer Ther. 2005 Feb;4(2):207-16.
Multitargeted therapy of cancer by silymarin.
Ramasamy K and Agarwal R.
Cancer Lett. 2008 Oct 8;269(2):352-62. Epub 2008 May 9.
Comparative bioavailability of silibinin in healthy male volunteers.
Kim YC, et al.
Int J Clin Pharmacol Ther. 2003 Dec;41(12):593-6.
Silibinin activates p53-caspase 2 pathway and causes caspase-mediated cleavage of Cip1/p21 in apoptosis induction in bladder transitional-cell papilloma RT4 cells: evidence for a regulatory loop between p53 and caspase 2.
Tyagi A, et al.
Carcinogenesis. 2006 Nov;27(11):2269-80.
Silymarin causes caspases activation and apoptosis in K562 leukemia cells through inactivation of Akt pathway.
Zhong X, et al.
Toxicology. 2006 Oct 29;227(3):211-6.
Inhibition of P-glycoprotein by natural products in human breast cancer cells.
Chung SY, et al.
Arch Pharm Res. 2005 Jul;28(7):823-8.
Influence of silymarin and its flavonolignans on doxorubicin-iron induced lipid peroxidation in rat heart microsomes and mitochondria in comparison with quercetin.
Psotová J, et al.
Phytother Res. 2002 Mar;16 Suppl 1:S63-7.
Toward the definition of the mechanism of action of silymarin: activities related to cellular protection from toxic damage induced by chemotherapy.
Comelli MC, et al.
Integr Cancer Ther. 2007 Jun;6(2):120-9.
Effect of silibinin on the growth and progression of primary lung tumors in mice.
Singh RP, et al..
J Natl Cancer Inst. 2006 Jun 21;98(12):846-55.
Silibinin inhibits established prostate tumor growth, progression, invasion, and metastasis and suppresses tumor angiogenesis and epithelial-mesenchymal transition in transgenic adenocarcinoma of the mouse prostate model mice.
Singh RP, et al
Clin Cancer Res. 2008 Dec 1;14(23):7773-80.
My 10 y/old Beagle/Brittany mix just recently relapse during his 3rd CHOP protocol and is current on his 1st dose of CCNU. What holistic supplements do you recommend now and then when he is off treatment? Max has Lymphoma.
Thank you.
Dear Jodi,
There are a number of things that can be done. I would certainly suggest (under veterinary supervision) a dog cancer diet (you can download the pdf for free on the top of this site), or the use of ND prescription diet. I would also suggest apoptogens, fatty acid supplements (fish or krill oil), and immune support (modified citrus pectin, beta glucans (K-9 Immunity with Transfer Factor), and also that you check out the Guide for more information. You may also search this blog using the search bar on the upper right side of the page.
Best,
Dr D
Hi,
I have an active fourteen-year old English cocker, who had two mast cell tumors removed three months ago. He recovered well from the operation. We then tried lomustine one time, but his white blood cell count went so low that we have elected not to do it again. Another mast cell tumor has appeared. We don’t think he should undergo surgery again. The vet put him on prednisone, and the tumor went down some, but did not go away completely. Now it seems a bit inflammed and my dog keeps trying to lick at it. Any thoughts on how to keep him comfortable?
Dear Gloria,
If surgery is not an option, I might suggest Kinavet as opposed to Lomustine. Also I would look into Neoplasene, use apoptogens (at half the bottle dose when on prednisone), dog cancer diet, and the other steps outlined in the Guide. If pain control is an issue, you can try Tramadol with Gabapentin or with Amantadine or by itself.
Please have veterinary supervision for all steps.
I hope this helps
D
Dr. Dressler,
Thank you so much for addressing this issue. I have been working to implement In Defense of Animals Guardian Campaign in my state.There has been great success with it where it has been implemented,
Here is a bit more about it.
The Guardian Campaign was created in 1999 by In Defense of Animals (IDA) to reflect and nurture the growing sentiment that “owner” does not reflect the bond that develops between people and animals. IDA believes “guardian” denotes a higher level of responsibility, caring and respect toward the animals with whom families share their lives. They feel as more people use the term “animal guardian” more animals will be adopted instead of purchased, and fewer dogs and cats will be killed in shelters.
The difference is between dog lover and dog OWNER, not guardian. “Guardian” is a term coined by the animal rights movement to redefine our relationships to animals. An owner makes whatever he feels are the best decisions for his pets, and the government does not have the right to intervene (I’m not talking about abuse and cruelty – there are laws against things like that). A guardian implies that you do not own your pets, and if you do not do what some outside entity wants you to, they can be taken away from you. The goal of the extremist animal rights movement is to end our relationship with animals – agriculture, zoos, circuses, police and therapy, fur, leather, and yes, pets. Redefining words in order to help their efforts is classic AR behavior. Animal rights is NOT the same as animal welfare. Animal rights means no animals left.
Dear Carole,
I appreciate this is a sensitive and emotionally charged issue for many. However, “guardian” is not a term coined by animal rights activists, and the use of the word in this context is related to its most common definition:
guard·i·an/ˈgärdēən/Noun
1. A defender, protector, or keeper.
“Owner” is a word also used for owning objects like appliances or shoes, and is not particularly descriptive for the purpose of defining a relationship in how one best copes with dog cancer. The purpose of this blog is to discuss issues that helps dogs and people dealing with this disease, as opposed to animal rights or welfare.
Best,
D
By the way, Apocaps is available in the EU through Amazon-
D
A question from our readers:
“Sorry to bother you, I am a doctor, human doctor, gynecologist, and I have a golden retriever, nine years and ten months old, and he has cancer of the nose, squamous cell carcinoma. We live in Bucharest, Romania. He had an operation 4 or 5 weeks ago, and five days ago he had a chemotherapy first course, with cis-platinum. Since that day we give him daily Tien Hsien, you’ve probably heard about it. It’s a traditional Chinese medicine, that helps, I hope, at least some cure, by promoting apoptosis of the malignant cells. But it seems that it works in weeks. I want to ask you if you think that you can help me with some advice, and perhaps, if you consider it, with Neoplasene. Of course, if you agree, my veterinary doctor will write to you. You know, my dog has some bleeding some time when he sneezes, and I think that we must hurry. Please excuse me, once again, for bothering you, but I hope you understand us. Thank you very, very much.”
Dear Doctor,
If time is of the essence, we should treat perhaps more aggressively. I would consider yunnan baiyao for bleeding. I would add Apocaps to the regimen. I would also add Neoplasene oral, and consider nebulization of injectable Neoplasene using an inhaler as a possibility, although the oral would likely be a better single route. I assume radiation is not an option? Also, you have added immune support and started the Dog Cancer Diet?
These would be my first thoughts. Please collaborate with your vet on all these decisions.
Best,
Dr D