I need to find information on how to non-invasively treat a dog for lymphatic cancer. Can anyone recommend a book or website? Information on vitamin therapy or pain suppression in dogs would probably also be useful.
The story:
My mother’s dog was diagnosed with lymphatic cancer last Tuesday. Mom (having watched a close friend die ugly of breast cancer last year in spite of chemotherapy ) does not want to place the dog on chemotherapy. Mom loves the dog like a child and is in great distress. She is unsure she is making the right decision. The current veterinarian says the dog has about three months to live. If the dog got chemotherapy the prognosis extends to a year, maybe.
Personally, I agree with the mighty Cecil in that homeopathic medicine is bunk, but Mom needs to feel like she is doing what she can to make the dog comfortable. Any advice would be appreciated.
Any “vet” that practices homeopathy is not really any better for the dog than you are when it comes right down to it.
Your mother needs to be convinced that if she decides to allow homeopathy treatment for the dog, it’s life will be greatly reduced and it’s suffering could be significantly increased.
It would be better to have the dog put to sleep than to allow it to suffer under “alternative medicines” in my opinion…
However, if she insists on it, I recommend that you search the internet for things that you can buy on your own, rather than let some quack homeopathic veterenarian bilk her out of her hard-earned money, and overcharge her for “animal grade” type potions that are no more effective than anything else you can get.
If she cares about the dog, there are plenty of things she can do… Snuggle with it, pet it, scratch it behind the ears, brush it. Like homopathy, these things will have no effect on the dog’s lifespan, but unlike homeopathy, it will make the dog feel more comfortable and loved.
Thanks, David B, for the sites, but I don’t think they are going to do my mom any good. Hopefully she will be able to put the dog down soon, but it’s going to be horrible for her. (Yes, I know it’s unfair of me to me more worried about my mom, but she’s dealing with her own cancer battle and she’s very worried about her dog.)
Please, please, please, does anybody have information on alternative medicine for dogs? Does anybody have information on cancer treatments that cost less than $3,000 for a possible 6 months of doggy life?
xtal:
I’m an agnostic when it comes to homeopathy. It seems far-fetched to me, yet I have used a homeopathic remedy and have seen consistent results. For something as severe as lymphatic cancer though, I doubt it.
“First question: is chemotherapy or radiation appropriate? Most people balk at the idea of either, drawing upon mental pictures of wasted, bald, human cancer patients in constant pain. Fortunately, we do not need to subject our pets to heroic measures, and you are free to make the decision one way or another (not as easy to do for a human patient). It is important to note, however, that dogs and cats seem to tolerate these treatments much better than people do. In addition, there are certain cancer types that are very responsive to these conventional, if drastic treatments. Surgical removal of certain types of tumors may well be the only way to stop these cancers in their tracks, for instance.”
I was surprised by this. My reaction was that animals would suffer more because they don’t know that for all the ill-effects, the treatment is for their ultimate good. Live and learn.
I hope that the link allows your mother more information in order to have an in-depth discussion with the vet, including her fears of seeing her pet suffer. If she hasn’t talked about this specifically, perhaps they can give her a better idea of what to expect, and then she can make a more informed decision. Maybe chemotherapy will actually have the best benefit. Nutritional support during that time seems like a sound approach. And, as Chronos says, lots of attention and love is definitely needed.
Best wishes to your mom with this difficult decision. With our loved people, we can at least talk and know what they want. With our loved pets, we carry the burden of making the right decisions.
xtal:
I was composing that before your last post, in which you hint that your mother is dealing with her own cancer battle.
That raises a red flag that she is trying to explore alternative therapies for cancer with her pet’s illness in order to explore her own. In both cases, I think the answer is to speak up to all doctors involved about the fears of the condition and get them allayed by detailed answers. If the professionals don’t help, have a long heart-to-heart with your mom about what she’s going through. Attention and love goes a long way for any of us critters.
There’s a vet in Conifer, Colorado named Dr Gurney (yup, his real name.) He practices acupuncture, herbal remedies & something called “molecular therapy” for cancer treatment in dogs. Published, & regarded as quite a pioneer & maverick in such treatments. People come from outlying states to him with their pets, and alot of folks revere him.
For several months I took my aging Rottie to him for acupuncture for the dog’s arthritis. It was somewhat effective, though expensive, & in retrospect drugs like Rymadil would have been just as good. Then my dog was diagnosed with bone cancer; Dr Gurney did a biopsy to confirm the d/x. This is where it got weird. When, after weeks of treatment, my beloved old dog started dying (I was at this point sleeping on the floor with Bosco to comfort him), Dr Gurney told me I was being hysterical & the dog just needed more “molecular therapy.” Now, we are talking a 10 year old rottweiler - this is geriatric for this breed. At this point Bosco was largely incontinent (he was a proud dog & HATED this), had to be fed & watered out of a baking tin in a prone position, and was in constant pain.My regular vet told me the dog was dying, knew it, & I should do the humane thing & end his life. This I did. we had a party for Bosco (ever the ham) & the vet came to the house & euthanized him on the living room rug, with all his favourite people around & a last meal of cheese danish.
Bottom line? I think the homeopathic vet was a megalomaniac who regularly sacrifices animals’ comfort for his own research. I am glad I gave Bosco the wonderful life he had, and glad I came to my senses & let him go without further pain. I think it is cruel & egotistical to keep an animal-or person- alive when they are terminal & constantly hurting. I gave another (fostered) dog a fabulous home after Bosco’s death.
You may show this post to your mother. Repeat: It’s cruel to keep a terminally ill animal alive just so we feel better. I know its a terribly difficult decision, and she is dealing with many issues, so I’m not unsympathetic. It is her decision: I hope it is the right one.
xtal, I think the answer here may be that any alternative treatment is what you’re looking for. You don’t want to spend a huge amount of money for what might end up a waste. Then don’t. Any of the “alternatives” are likely to do precisely nothing. I think Chronos gave the best suggestion, and, depending upon your views of putting pets to sleep, Carina also gave a good one.
Personally, I’m not a pet person. It would never occur to me to even consider spending that kind of money on a dog.
But I cannot endorse a quack method just because it’s cheaper and will make somebody feel like they’re doing something. Quackery is quackery.
I’m a veterinary nurse. The hospital I work for is a large referral practice specializing in cancer treatments. If your vet says the dog will only live three months without treatment, and MAYBE a year with, then my personal opinion is, don’t do anything. If the pet already has no quality of life, and is suffering, put it to sleep. If the pet is still doing OK, love it, feed it steak every day, and when it starts to go downhill, end its suffering. If you want to do homeopathic medicine as well, you can try it, I don’t think it will hurt the pet, but I doubt it will help much either. Sorry, wish my advice could have been a little more optimistic.
Instead of homeopathic, try herbal therapy. Some of it has been shown to work, at time, in certain cases, and etc. But still get some good painkillers for the Dog. Homeo cannot, and will not work, but with Herbalism, ther is a slight chance- and since the dog will dies, with or without it, there is little to lose. But as soon as the Dog is suffering, even with the painkillers, it is time to let go.
Some legit MDs will sometimes give tho “go-ahead” to try Herbal therapies- but only along with more proven treatments, or when it is hopeless.
Note, despite my suggestion of herbal cancer treatments, I will say that at the very best the are a long shot, and if there is anything else that will likely work, use that instead.
Check out Sota Instruments on the net. They sell something called a magnetic pulsar (among other things) I have eliminated a very sore lump in my armpit (obviously lymph) by using it and a friend has eliminated a breast lump. Please all, don’t climb all over me for not going to a doctor. I take responsibilty for my own health and do not trust the medical profession.
Before this gets moved over to GD (which it’s going to, I see it coming), I just want to say:
Carina, your post made me cry. I’m glad Bosco got to be with his friends at the end.
And now, to contribute to the trip to GD:
Kim: The average life expectancy of a human being in a natural setting, taking care of their own medical conditions, is 35 years, give or take. The average life expectancy of a human being under standard medical supervision is 75 years, give or take. Good luck.
If only the people who used homeopathics, magnets and herbals removed themselves from the gene pool as well as shortening their life expectancies, we’d be doing better. <sigh>
If people want to practice their own medicine at home, fine. The only problem I have with Kim’s advice is that it is geared towards human medicine and the OP was requesting veterinary advice. Pets and humans aren’t the same. We take Tylenol for headaches, great. Give it to your dog or cat and you are killing them. Herbs and such are no different, what may be great for us may be not so great for our pets.
My opinion, unsolicited, is to find one who uses traditional methods but is open to complementary therapies. Try to avoid the “true believers” on both sides of the spectrum.
At my hospital, we don’t advise homeopathic remedies but will administer them to the pet along with the prescribed course of traditional treatments, if that is what the owner wants. We recently had a cat going through radiation, and the owner was really into the homeopathic stuff. She left a bag full of herb pills and oily supplements to add to the food, and we gave them, just to make her happy. We wouldn’t have if we felt it would interfere with the radiation.
I thought placebos could only work if the person taking them thought that they were taking medicine. Last time I checked, dogs don’t have much insight in the medical field.
I’ll forward the sites to my Mom. I am certain that Mom (who’s a reasonable, if emotional person) will have the dog put down once it is in untreatable pain. Right now, the dog seems well. This will be the second dog Mom’s lost to cancer, she’s having a harder time with it this time as the dog is quite young (5 yrs next month) and they’ve been constant companions for the past 4.5 years.
Carina42, Please accept my deepest sympathies for your loss of Bosco. You did the right thing.
Elelle, Mom’s cancer treatments are covered (mostly) by her insurance. The dog does not have insurance. I do not think she is going to attempt to self-medicate her own cancer, although she is a big believer in vitamins and “positive thinking”.
David B, I share your skepticism. However, please be assured that Mom is also a reasonable person and after a little research will decide to have the dog put down. When the shock of the diagnosis wears off she will start thinking again.