Full Spectrum Cancer Care

If you're facing dog cancer and you feel overwhelmed, there's a good reason for that: it's overwhelming. There is a lot of information to sort through and understand, and it's not always easy to get it from veterinarians. Full Spectrum Cancer Care is an approach pioneered by Dr. Demian Dressler, author of The Dog Cancer Survival Guide, that includes conventional approaches like surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, but also many other strategies from other medical traditions that have been shown to have value for dogs with cancer.

The following articles were written by The Dog Cancer Vet Team to introduce you to some of the most important aspects of his method of understanding and treating dog cancer. We hope you find them helpful.

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The Cost of My Dog’s Life, part 1

If you are a dog lover coping with the diagnosis of dog cancer, at some point you will be forced to deal with costs. In this economic climate, many are faced with heart-wrenching decisions. “I need to choose between my dog’s care and my own.” “I have to pick either paying for my home or…

Important Issues in Chemotherapy

The problem with chemotherapy, at least traditional drugs, is that it does not always target just the cancer cells. What I mean by that is the chemo drug may not care if it shuts down a dividing body cell or a dividing cancer cell. Chemotherapy drugs tend, with some exceptions, to go after cells that…

Chemo side effects: What should I do?

Chemotherapy does have side effects that need to be considered. About 5% of these will require your pet to be hospitalized, on the average, and there is a 1% chance of fatal reactions overall with chemotherapy. Although I have not seen any published data, unpublished estimates on overall risks of any side effect are roughly…

Why is Canine Cancer Still Winning? Part 2

After all this work, dog cancer is still often incurable. Why? In this second post on the topic, I would like to look at the flow of information. We need to look at where data is generated. And, as usual, recall the flow of the dollar. Generally, cancer research is the source of the information…

Why is Canine Cancer Still Winning? Part 1

Those who have experienced the frustration and sadness in caring for a dog with cancer may have wondered, “Why is cancer still winning after all this time?” In the last forty years, successes in cancer treatment relative to effort have been pretty meager. Even if one were to spend the average total price tag of…

The Number One Way to Cure Canine Cancer

These days, there is so much information out there about cancer in dogs. Some is good, and some is not that hot. If you dig, you will find enough to make your head spin. You will get the basics from your vet or oncologist. These are what I call The Big Three, and consist of…

What Is Over-Treatment of Dog Cancer?

Decision-making when faced with a dog cancer diagnosis can be tough. Treatment outcome, age, cost, and side effects all can weigh heavily on the mind of a dog lover. During the first decision-making period, so much has to be weighed. The difficult part in this process is that nothing seems to be for sure. Objective…

Why Would Anyone Choose Chemotherapy?

Very few people overall will opt for chemotherapy for their dogs with cancer. This is interesting, because in human medicine it is widespread. It would seem that fear of life quality loss, expense, side effects, and lack of cure in true malignancy are the main deterrents. However, there are some reasons why some do opt…

Manageable Challenges and Life Quality

Manageable challenges and life quality: your dog with cancer NEEDS to feel good about himself. Continue to challenge her, to boost her sense of self-esteem!

Osteosarcoma and Dog Food Link

Some new information for dogs at risk or afflicted with osteosarcoma is out that I would like to share. Osteosarcoma occurs in both dogs and humans, but is much more common in dogs. It is the number one bone cancer in the canine. A recent study found that eight widespread brands of dog food contained…

End of Life Care in Dog Cancer

The end of life stage can be very hard on everyone. It often is gut-wrenching to see your dear companion start to say goodbye. Like any weighty decision, sometimes the emotions involved can paralyze our ability to choose. During these times it is so important to gain some clarity by seeking support in counselors, support…

Where Do I Begin?

“I am overwhelmed with all the information I am reading to help my dog with cancer.” Does this sound familiar to anyone out there? Most of the readers of this blog are searching for information. Once a true malignancy has developed, the realities can feel utterly unacceptable. This leads to information gathering. Whenever we are…

A New Look Chemotherapy

The usual way we have used chemotherapy, in both human patients and dogs, brings about toxicity risks that can be frightening for many. This fear is a rational one. The reason that the bad effects of chemotherapy are seen is a bit complex, but stems from what I believe are two main areas. First, the…

Help For Diarrhea In Canine Cancer Patients

I was recently asked by a client about what over the counter product could be used for diarrhea in veterinary patients. There are a number of different items that can be used. Some have interactions with other meds, or possibly side effects that would not be desirable. I told her about one that you might…

Is The Hammer The Tool For The Job?

How a flexible and vulnerable mindset can help us identify the problem correctly, and choose the right tool to solve it.

Anti-oxidants versus Pro-Oxidants

A reader asked an interesting question recently that I thought would make a good post. The question involved the use of antioxidants, either for dogs with cancer or to help prevent cancer. Lets get an overview to clarify this frequently-muddied picture. A free radical is a reactive molecule that tends to damage cell parts. When…

Palladia, First Dog Cancer Drug FDA Approved But Not Great

Palladia, the first drug officially approved for use in treating dog cancer has arrived. This was described in the Dog Cancer Survival Guide by it’s pre-market name, SU11654. Now it’s finally ready for release. Palladia, made by Pfizer, has been approved by the FDA. It is expected to be available next year. This drug is…

Astragalus: Immune Booster and More

I’d like to share some information taken from Traditional Chinese Medicine. One of the important aspects of full spectrum care to improve cancer outcomes is investigating … even when investigations lead outside the borders of our country. China has a long, well-developed, complex system of medicine. It is very different from what we are used…

Do Numbers Matter?

A lover of a dog with cancer needs to come up with an plan that makes sense. The first step in any plan is arming oneself with answers, or data that relates to the situation. There are two basic areas that we need to focus on. The first is what can we do to maintain…

Why We Need To Think Outside the Box

The world’s tallest dog is a now a cancer patient. I recently came across this story, from a local news website in California. Gibson is a Great Dane, weighing in at a whopping 170 lbs. Gibson is presently 7 years old, which is definitely a senior citizen for a dog of this breed. Recall that…