Wendy

Hello, I am new to this site and I am looking for information- or should I say hope. My boy Tanner is an 11 year old retriever/heeler mix. He was diagnosed with a hemangiosarcoma on his back hip and due to the size they can't operate. I was told he may have 4 to 8 weeks. I chose to try radiation and chemo but I don't know if it is working or what may come next.
Does anyone have any experience with this type of cancer? This dog has become my world since my husband was killed and I am not ready to give up.

jeffers

hi wendy so sorry to hear about tanner.... i have no experience of this cancer but my old girl had mouth cancer which the vet said was inoperable and gave her a couple of weeks. i researched on the net and changed her diet to raw food and gave her zeolite flax seeds and other natural remedies. i was given the prognosis in november and she finally succumbed in may the following year. i am convinced that had i known about alternative treatments before she might still be here, so do as much research as you can. my old girl found a new lease of life and was happy right up till the day before she died. i wish you the very best

TJandDante

I don't know anything about hemangiosarcoma but my Dante was diagnosed with Lymphosarcoma and given 4-8 weeks to live. With the help of a wonderful holistic vet and supplements and diet change, he had 4 good MONTHS, not feeling ill until the day we had to put him to sleep. The day before he had eaten well and gone for a long walk. Do the best supplementing and diet change you can and NEVER let them tell you how long your dog has. Don't give up hope until there is none. Your dog will take his cues from you, and if you act like things are awful, he will feel awful. They have no idea they have been given a date to die, unlike humans with cancer.

I hope you get the cure. I truly do.

TJ

Benpaws

Hi Wendy,

I am not familiar with the type of cancer that Tanner has but Jeff and TJ have already given you ideas on what can be done to build up Tanner's immune system and get much more time with him.

No, vets do not know how long your puppy has.

Our Benny got a a year and a half longer following the initial surgery. This was because of my research, Ted's amazing book, and finding someone knowledgeable to help us with supplements and diet. when I found this group, so many positive things happened for both my Benny and for me.

WELCOME!

Have hope and enjoy each moment you have with Tanner.

Blessings,
Joanne & Shadow

Wendy

Hello,
Thank you all for your messages of support. Today Tanner is having a good day and seems more of himslef. I think the Chemo treatment last week brought him down. However, he has had no other side effects other than lacking excitement. Tanner has always been a high anxiety and energetic dog.
I started Tanner on Immune System building supplements over a year ago when he had a Mast Cell Tumor grade 2 removed form his front leg. He had major skin graphs, drain tubes, and staples everywhere. But he made it through and we thought we had everything under control. Little did I know this other cancer was building in the muscle of his hip. Hamangiosarcoma is an malignant tumor derived from the cells lining blood vessels. Normally it is found when it is in the spleen or liver but in Tanners case it appeared in the muscle.
I give him Omega 3 fish oil, the immune system supplements, vitamin B, and someone suggested Barley Grass Juice. I have just recently purchased a water filter to make sure he receives good clean water. As far as his diet goes, I switched to a grain free food and he gained weight ( he is already 4 LBS overweight) so I backed off. What type of food should I consider. Have any of you used vitamin E for your dogs? I spoke with the Oncologist at VRCC and while she is extremely good at what she does, she does not hold much faith in holistic vet medicine. I will check online and see if I can locate a Holistic Vet here in Denver. I hope to purchase Ted's book soon but right now everything I own is going toward Tanners treatments.
I continue to remain hopeful.

Benpaws

You are certainly doing everything right as you begin this "journey" with Tanner.

We fed Benny Canine Life Muffins (cancer formula):Canine Cancer: Nutrition and Diet Can be Key

LOTS OF GOOD INFORMATION ON THE ABOVE SITE ON CANINE CANCER ETC.

Diet is extremely important to a dog fighting this disease.

Benny also had steamed broccoli and spinach, both high in antioxidants. We purchased only ORGANIC fruits, vegetables and "range free" meats.

He got Wild Salmon oil capsules, Co Q-10 , modified citrus pectin, Artemeisinin, Reishi (Chinese herb), Wheat grass juice ( very little because it can cause diarrhoea), ESSIAC capsules ( we also tried the Essiac Tea, but he didn't like it.)

He enjoyed cottage cheese with cold-pressed flaxseed oil (kept in the refrigerator) and boiled chicken livers, bison, venison etc.

We did not have an holistic vet but the help of a wonderful friend who knew much about canine cancers and she was an "angel" to us throughout our journey. Hopefully you will find an holistic vet for Tanner. Regular vets know very little about the "holisitic approach" and put little faith in these treatments and nutrition which is of greatest significance and builds up a weakened immune system.

Good luck and keep us all posted. Hugs to Tanner.

Blessings, Joanne & Shadow

Wendy

Thank you for the tip. I will definately check out the web site.
We have a new Natural Grocers that just opened here in Castle Rock and I am sure they will have some of these.
I forgot to mention that I also have been using magnetic thearpy on Tanner. I have worked for a Company that manufactures and distributes magnets and magnetic devices for 30 years. We receive alot of calls for magnets to be used in magnetic healing. I recently found an article about using magnets on canerous tumors on dogs. So I am giving it a try. I let you know if I note any progress as it is supppose to help in tumor growth control.
Thanks and God Bless.

5dogsmom

We are dealing with one right now.. My golden Daisy has one on her heart of all places. It actually ruptured 5 weeks ago and she went into cardiac failure. We gave her 2 emergency yunnan biayao pills in the ER thinking at that point we had nothing to loose. We managed to draw the ER vet that I CAN NOT STAND. (She's quick to push for euthanasia - even in perfectly outwardly healthy dogs who have a tumor "to avoid the pain the dog will experience down the road"... ) anyway - our situation did not look good - Daisy's bp was next to nothing and her heart rate went from 200 + down to nothing. We thought that was it. We went in at 4pm and at 4:30AM she bounced up out of bed and insisted on going outback to go to the bathroom . They checked her and her bp was normal. The yunnan worked!

It is more than 5 weeks later and she's still out there chasing the cats, playing etc and in good spirits. We were given hours to days when we left the hospital... 2 weeks at most.. (I hate it when vets (and doctors for that matter) put time frames on things.

We are combining the alternative with the conventional for Daisy and although it's still early I'm hopeful.

Here's what we're doing (working with our oncologist, cardiologist and holistic vet)

She is on the following:

- We started with gleevec for 5 weeks - not sure if it worked but we just switched to masitinib (400mg 1 x day) (chemo)

- She is on 3mg of melatonin in the am and in the pm (slows tumor growth)
- Heart Qi (to help strengthen her heart - a Jing Tang herb)
- CAS Formula (strengthen immunity)
- Oncoplex (strong antioxident discovered at Johns Hopkins University) ($71/bottle online)
- Xue Fu Zhu Yu powder / tonic - for her heart and hemangiosarcoma
- Ozone therapy every 5-6 days (gotta find a vet who can do this! will kill cancer and help good cells be stronger
- K9 Transfer formula ($12 online)
- Super milk thistle to support her liver

She also is on yunnan baiyao 2 capisules 3 x a day (I HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU DO THIS IF YOU AREN'T Already - it will keep the tumor from bleeding and help with circulation and clotting (good for heart attack patients, bad periods, and stroke too!)

We get it here (as does our vet & the hospital) ($4/ box)
Yunnan Baiyao (Yunnan Paiyao)

***in the center of the package is a small red pill. Covet these pills. These are emergency pills. If your dog ever collapses stick one under his / her tongue immediately and it will go into their system fast. This is what saved Daisy. In the beginning I was also giving her 1 of these each week as an added security blanket when I'd run out to run errands.

We are also looking into 2 other therapies at the moment

1) Dr. Marty Goldstein's Smith Ridge Veterinary Center - Intravenous (IV) Nutrient Therapy
(his promotional website ) Dr. Marty Goldstein - Home Page

2) My veterinary oncologist has spoken with Dr. Burzynski who has had a lot of luck with humans and helping to get rid of their cancer through customized programs based on certain proteins missing in their systems. We're going to be working with him as she tries to convert over what he's done on humans to the canine world

We're also doing reiki, praying, and crossing our feet, fingers, toes and eyes.

She's always been on a home cooked diet - we just did a little adjustment - and got rid of all fruit and grains (sugars and carbs are what feeds cancer)

She eats chicken, turkey, steak, fish, avacado, brussle sprouts, broccoli, beets (they were added to the diet but I keep thinking sugar???) we removed the sweet potatoes and were told to remove all startches. Tomatoes are in, oranges if she's in the mood, celery and organic no sugar or salt peanut butter is a treat. Non-fat greek yogurt (also frozen is a big treat)

All her food is organic now too..


She's a 13 year old golden retriever who has been exceptionally healthy until last year when she had a sarcoma on her liver. We removed that through surgery and she was all clean.. but we got a little surprise 5 weeks ago that we didn't want


PROGRESS REPORT:
yesterday Daisy went in for her 5 week check up. She had blood work, an ultrasound (she has another less pressing one in her abdomen) and EEG. Blood work looks great! All was within normal limits!!! White and Red blood cell counts were even higher than before. She doesn't have any bleeding, and no fluid anywhere.

The tumor on her heart has grown a little bit, but the good news is that it is no longer hollow and at immediate risk for bursting. Something we were doing, or some combination of it, has made the tumor solid!!! She got the A-ok to go swimming, go for walks again - just no major wrestling etc.

We changed her chemo yestrday because of the small growth in the tumor but I'm happy it's no longer in immediate danger of bursting. We think that's b/c of the yunnan baiyao. (this is a chinese medicine that was given to soldiers to stop bleeding when they were injured in the field so they could get back to the hospital. The US military uses it now too and it's becoming more and more commonplace in animal AND human hospitals - often given before surgeries.

I hope some of this helps.. This is not a fun process- that's for sure. I'm just happy we have a great holistic vet, and great conventional vets, oncologists, surgeons and cardiologist (and Pet insurance)!

Chris & Daisy

(This is Daisy from a week and a half ago)
http://www.facebook.com/v/1346840760566