A Path With Paws

Cats, yes let me talk about the cats. I have four of them myself who share my home and they are wonderful lovely beings. This is not an article about how to treat specific cancers in cats – for that see my book Integrative and Alternative Methods for treating cancer in cats and dogs. This is an article about things we need to consider in cats and how they really are not just small dogs.

When it comes to cancer in cats they are a lot harder to treat than the dogs. There are a couple reasons for this. One is that I think cats hide their cancer more than dogs do. They really don’t let you know they are sick until it is pretty involved. And cancer is harder to treat when it is advanced.

However I think the largest reason they are hard to work with is that most cats hate medications. They spit them out, they run away from you and they know if you put something in their food! Ok so yes I have worked with some cats that you can put things in their food and they will still eat but most will not, especially if they feel sick. I have had people in tears in my office because their cats have decided that they hate them because they are trying to put all these things down their throats.

Because of this sometimes we make the decision to not treat them with anything or just with acupuncture. It really comes down to quality of life. It is important that we don’t make the end of their life miserable.

• I have found that in most cats I get, at most, three things I can give orally. More than that and I find you start getting reactions and cats spitting things out and hating their people. There are some cats that can do more than three but not that many.

  Because of this I really hate to see folks surfing the internet and buying up every herbal in sight and trying to give them. Yes, yes I know that is how you got here and I appreciate you being here but if I can give you one piece of advice it would be to find a holistic vet to work with who can help direct you to the one or two or three things that will work the best for your cat, not someone else’s cat.

  The other thing I have found is that if I can either use glycerine tinctures and combine herbals so that there is only one thing to give or figure out what is going to work the very best that can really help. Sometimes this ends up being a western drug, sometimes an herbal. Sometimes we can do both.

  Above all else I don’t want cats to be in pain so sometimes this is a pain drug. Sometimes it is possible to give them injections, even better. Many people think they can’t give injections to their cats but really most cats do fine for injections and it is so much easier than getting something down their throat.

  Some medications can also be made into a form that can be applied to the ear and is absorbed through the skin. This can also be an excellent option for cats.

• Fluids can go a long way in making cats feel better, if they are not drinking or eating well. These are given under the skin with a rather large needle but once again most cats don’t mind. They can help to increase energy, help them to eat better and help them feel better overall if there is a dehydration issue.
• Acupuncture can be a wonderful therapy for cats. Most casts like it and most importantly it does not have to go down their throat. Acupuncture can help slow cancer down and help with pain, appetite and energy.
• Eating is also very important. Many cats that are sick are quite picky with food. I love to see these guys on a homemade or high protein canned but really I want them to eat. So if they aren’t eating, a little tuna, a little salmon, baby food, whatever it takes. Get them eating. They will not feel well if they don’t. Sometimes we use appetite stimulants if they will not eat.
• Last let me say a few words about surgery and chemo and radiation.

  First surgery. Cats don’t always do as well as dogs with it, if you are doing surgery internally. They usually do quite well with surgeries to remove cancer on the surface and also do very well with amputations. Bone cancer and fibrosarcomas need to be removed if possible. With abdominal and especially with thoracic surgeries, really weigh the pros and cons and ask a lot of questions about recovery.

  Chemotherapy and radiation. Once again I feel like these are harder on cats. Chemo can be very effective for some lymphoma cases and often 1-3 treatments can put them in remission. Radiation can be very effective for certain surface tumors. Other than that. I really do believe that if the prognosis is not glowing or if they will need many, many treatments they do not do well.

Cats often have a sense of their own mortality. They may decide they don’t want extensive medical intervention. I really think that is ok. It saddens me to see the animals I work with die but I do believe that cats often times know when their time is close and are at peace with that.

I think more than anything, when it comes to the kitties, the most important thing is to look deep into your heart and do what is right for them. Not what the doctors say, not what is right for you, not what anyone says on their website or in their book. Sometimes they are ready to fight and live and sometimes it is time to keep them as comfortable as possible for what time they have here with us and then help them peacefully pass on.

1. That night my mother tucked me into bed and whispered to me, “remember tomorrow we’re going to find a puppy.” I was so excited I couldn’t sleep. I lay there thinking about who my dog would be.

2. Maybe he would be a small white fluffy puppy, so soft and snuggly –
Or a big husky with a wooly thick coat to keep me warm –
Or a pug with a funny face who snorted all the time and made me laugh –
Or a bouncy golden retriever with floppy ears who I could play ball with.

3. Slowly my eyes became heavy and with my head full of dogs I fell into a deep sleep and dreamed.

4. In my dream I stepped onto an empty beach along a desert. I could see cactuses off in the distance raising their prickly arms in the air and waving at me. I stopped to pick up a handful of white sand. It felt warm. I watched the small bright pebbles run through my fingertips.

5. A little dog trotted towards me. He was thin and wet with a brindle coat of browns and blacks, colors woven together like an Indian blanket. Sand matted against his wet fur sparkling slightly in the sun. One of his ears was torn and bleeding and he looked at me with big sad eyes.

6. I bent down to talk to him. “Do you know which way your home is little dog?” I asked him. He shook his head, spraying me with water and sand.

I reached out and let him sniff my hand. “Do you have someone who loves you?”

7. He looked at me, cocking his head to the side.
“Is your home with me, are you my dream dog come from the stars? Did you travel through galaxies to be with me?”

We stood inches away from each other, the two of us from different worlds. “Did you come into my dream or am I in yours?” I asked him.

7. I walked down the beach and he continued to follow me. “You are my person.” He told me, “I am Triskele”

“How can I be your person little dream dog Triskele?” I asked him.

“You are my person,” he repeated looking up at me.

8. We danced through the waves together, splashing each other and laughing. We built sandcastles in the damp sand and finally when we were both tired…

9. We sat together and I put my hand on his bony side as we watched the sun go down into the sea and the sky become an explosion of reds, pinks and purples. He curled up next to me and lay his head on my lap as I stroked him gently.

10. As it became dark I started to miss my bed and home. I looked up and saw a light behind me. It was a door opening along the sand dunes and looking through it I saw my bedroom. I turned to Triskele and said to him, “let’s go home.” I climbed up through the door but when Triskele tried to follow he could not make it through. I put out my hand to help him but the door and Triskele faded away as I reached out for him.

“I’m sorry little dream dog Triskele, I thought you could come with me but maybe you’re just part of my dream. Rest little dream dog. I hope that I see you again,” I said sadly.

11. I woke to the sound of rain with my dream dog in my heart. I lay in bed feeling sad and missing him.

The light came on and my mother came in. “Wake up Irene, today’s the day we go to the animal shelter to get a puppy. You don’t want to be late,” she said.

12. I quickly dressed, ate breakfast, and brushed my teeth. We were going to the animal shelter!

13. The rain poured down as we drove, and drove some more. Finally we turned into the driveway of the shelter. The sound of barking dogs met my ears.

14. My mother talked to the woman behind the counter. “No we would really like a puppy so we can train him to be kind and gentle although we might consider an older dog if she had been with a good family before.”

15. We walked down the aisle through the kennels of dogs. There were small ones and large ones, plump ones and thin ones, one with long hair and long legs, funny looking ones with crooked teeth. But none of them were my dream dog Triskele.

16. We stopped in front of a kennel of small puppies. They bounced around like little fuzzy rubber balls, playing with each other. The woman put a small black and white one in my hands and I held him close, smelling his puppy scent. But then I was sad. “You are not my Triskele,” I said to the puppy handing him back to the woman. “Although I’m sure you’ll find a good home.”

17. My mother looked at me. “What about one of these puppies?” she asked pointing to the others.

I shook my head no. “I don’t want a puppy,” I said “ my dog is all alone somewhere. I want to find him.” I could feel tears coming into my eyes.

18. “Triskele did you travel back to the stars?” I thought, “are you visiting the moon. Will you ever come back to me?”

19. We went to leave and were walking out of the kennels when I noticed in the last kennel a little curled up brown and black body in the corner. I bent down and whispered softly, “Triskele?” He raised him head and looked up at me with his gentle eyes, wagging his tail he slowly approached. I reached out my hand to touch him through the gate and he licked me cautiously.

20. The woman opened the gate on the kennel and he leaned into me. I gently scratched his ears, noticing a jagged scar along one of them.

“I don’t know, “ my mother said, “he seems a little scared, I’m not sure about the breed, and he’s not a puppy Irene.”

21. “He’s my dog,” I told her, “This is Triskele. He’s coming home with us,” and I held him close to me, burying my face into his short fur.

“I guess if you’re sure, “ she said. The woman who worked at the animal shelter smiled at us. “He’s had a hard life but he’s very sweet and gentle,” she said.

22. “Triskele, this time you really are coming with me.” I told him. Triskele looked up at me as if to say “thank you for helping me find my way home.”

23. That night I feel asleep with my dog Triskele, not only in my heart but also asleep at my side.

This story is dedicated and written in memory of a stray semi-feral dog who I met on a beach in Mexico. It is also dedicated to all the amazing people across the world who work with homeless dogs – the world is a better place because of you.

I hope that some day I can self-publish this and use it to raise awareness of the lives of homeless dogs and that there are many amazing strays and homeless animals of all shapes, types and sizes that need homes. At this point I am learning to be an artist so I can bring it to life with pictures. For now thank you to everyone who licensed their photos through creative commons and allowed me to use them.

This afternoon I once again was making crazy awesome homemade cat food! I recently came up with a new recipe that they really like. To see the original check out Making Crazy Awesome Homemade Cat Food. I found my oldest cat had a hard time with the eggs, so this one is egg free and higher in meat.

Crazy awesome cat food, take two

• 8 lbs raw chicken ground in a food processor (can substitute beef, buffalo, lamb or turkey)
• 1/4-1/2 lb chicken liver ground or chopped
• 2 cans sardines in water
• half a 15 ounce can of pureed sweet potato
• 6 teaspoons Animal Essentials Natural Seaweed Calcium
• 2 teaspoons Healthforce Vitamineral Green Powder
• Taurine Powder (only if meat is cooked)

Yes, it is that easy and they love it!

One recipe makes enough cat food for four cats for a week or one cat for 4 weeks. I keep three days at a time out and freeze the rest.

The Healthforce powder is a great supplement for us humans also, I take it myself.

Most of the time diarrhea is not a serious issue and will pass in a day or two. Often times with dogs it is due to eating something they shouldn’t. Cats are more prone to have transient diarrhea from stress. For information on chronic diarrhea see Chronic Diarrhea in Dogs – Herbs and Diet to the Rescue.

There are some simple days to treat acute diarrhea in cats and dogs but before we talk about those, some symptoms that you should take seriously.

Reasons to see a vet immediately

1. Very young puppy or kitten – these little guys can quickly become dehydrated and are more prone to parvovirus and panleukopenia that can be deadly.
2. Extreme lethargy – this may be a sign of more serious disease.
3. Vomiting with the diarrhea – an animal can quickly become dehydrated if they are losing fluids from both ends. If they vomit once or twice, are not lethargic and are eating then you may be able to wait but if vomiting is extensive or continues for more than a day see your vet.
4. Blood in the feces or black stool – can be a sign of bleeding ulcers in the stomach or of a disease called Hemorrhagic Gastroenteritis or HGE. Both can be deadly. It is common to have a small amount of red blood with diarrhea but it should not be excessive. With HGE you often have more blood than feces.
5. Diarrhea with neurologic symptoms such as shaking, problems walking or seizures. This could be a sign of toxin exposure or more serious disease.

So what do you do if your dog or cat has diarrhea (this is assuming they are eating well)

1. Pumpkin – One of the most simple and easiest ways to treat diarrhea. Not only does it treat diarrhea but also helps with constipation. I use 1 teaspoon with meals for cats and small dog and 1 tablespoon or more for medium to large dogs. Most animals really like the taste of it.
2. Stop Diarrhea formula (Zhi Xie San) – This is my favorite herbal formula for diarrhea,see What I made today – Stop Diarrhea Formula If you have a holistic vet you work with they may be able to make it. Ask them! If not Zhi Xie San is also available for purchase in my etsy shop Kingdom of Basil
3. Slippery elm – can be a great coating agent to both the stomach and intestine. Animals’ Apawthecary Phytomucil is a great product that includes slippery elm and other herbs that coat and sooth the gi tract. Sweet and easy to give it is easiest for cats and many dogs. Slippery elm alone can be bought in powder and cooked with a little water to make a syrup or given in capsules to larger dogs.



4. Bland diet for dogs. Many times this guys need something easy on their digestive tract. Rice, chicken broth and chicken breast cooked together in a pot makes a nice bland diet. I usually feed for two to three days and then slowly work them back to normal food. Cats usually are picky when it comes to food and will often not eat a bland diet.
5. Rule out parasites by taking a fecal sample to your veterinarian. This is especially important with dogs and young kittens. Older cats are less likely to have parasites especially if they are mostly indoors.
6. Fasting is an option but should only be done if your animal is an adult, not geriatric, and does not have other health issues. I always provide water. If you fast do it for 24 hours and then move into a bland diet. You can also do a broth fast where chicken broth is offered but no other solid food
7. Probiotics – can help to rebalance the bacterial flora of the intestinal tract. There are many animal products out there but human probiotics are also fine to give. I often recommend opening the capsules and sprinkling on your animal’s food. The best probiotics are found refrigerated at your local health food or supplement store. One of my favorite refrigerated ones is Udo’s – most health stores have it. If you order it online make sure it comes cold packed. Two of my favorite non-refrigerated ones that you can order online are Vetri-Mega Probiotic and Thorne Bacillus CoagulansVET
8. Bach Rescue Remedy or other ways to manage stress – some animals get diarrhea from stress. In this case stress is the root cause and needs to be addressed. A little rescue remedy in the water can help. There are other stress management techniques including Feliway for cats and DAP for Dogs which are pheromone sprays that reduce anxiety, Thundershirts for dogs and behavior management.

If your animal’s diarrhea is not getting better within 24-48 hours or if they get worse during that time see your animal’s veterinarian. Most diarrhea is transient and quickly passes but it could be part of a larger health problem. Some animals have chronic diseases that cause diarrhea such as pancreatitis, liver dysfunction, and inflammatory bowel disease. Many of these suggestions can help with such illnesses but there are other ways that often work better and have longer lasting results.

This article does not take the place of veterinary care. If you are animal is sick see your veterinarian.

People are often amazed that I do acupuncture on the little guys – the cats, the rabbits, and the chihuahuas. I even have one little yorkie who is smaller than the chihuahuas I treat.

One thing I miss about doing house calls is that I don’t often get to meet everyone’s complete animal family working at the clinic. There is something fun about getting to know everyone and becoming part of that family.

However I do have some animals who come in together for acupuncture or bring along friends. One of my favorite animal families includes three chihuahuas, a cat and a large dog named Boomer. And sometimes they all come in together! If you have been to my clinic you know my treatment room is quite small so this is something. Usually we end up with the chihuahuas, Pickles, Bambi and Oliver and the cat Harley on the couch with me and their human mom Mary and Boomer on the rug. We all fit!

I often find that little dogs are a bit nervous about acupuncture but they quickly warm up to it. Pickles used to shiver but now she proudly jumps on my lap and enjoys herself. I enjoy getting to snuggle with her during treatments. Harley the cat happily curls up with his chihuahua friends and the only thing we have to worry about is one of the little dogs accidentally sitting on one of his needles. He is one cool cat in a household of dogs.

Bambi is the newest addition to the family and is an elderly little girl with a host of problems, eye, skin, heart and mobility. Her human mom Mary fell in love with her and brought her home and is busy nursing her back to health. She also is now enjoying getting her treatments.

Oliver and Boomer just come along for the ride but seem to enjoy being part of the crowd and I enjoy getting to see them every month. They don’t seem to understand why they don’t get quite as much attention as the girl dogs.

I love that my practice includes animals of all types, personalities and sizes. I love helping them feel better and spoiling them with treats!

The main focus of Chinese medicine is on treating the animal, the cancer is secondary.

Why did the cancer get there is in first place? Because of a longstanding imbalance in the body. In western medicine we would say that the immune system malfunctioned.

Why? Usually because of diet, genetics or environmental factors.

The job of the practitioner is to look at an animal as a whole being. I usually take about 30-60 minutes just to get a full history on my animals I treat for cancer. With the whole history I am treating the whole animal and not just the cancer. This is why the animals I treat often times feel better than before their cancer diagnosis after we start treatment

So why do I write articles that look like cook book recipes?
Many times the same cancers come from the same deficiencies. For example squamous cell carcinoma is almost always going to come from an animal who is having dampness/inflammation issues. Mast cell tumors almost always are in animals who have blood deficiencies. So you can cook book some of these cancers and get it right most of the time.

However the best is to find a veterinarian with training in Chinese medicine who can look at your animal and guild you to what is the best protocol for them. Them and not their cancer. I realized that some of you live in places that it is not a possibility in which case I am hoping you can use my guilds with your animal’s primary vet to come up with a treatment protocol.

So on to the Chinese Medicine!

Traditional Chinese medicine also known as TCM uses a system of metaphors to describe disease and come up with treatment methods. As odd as it can seem to a newcomer to this art, the system works.

This system was developed long before anatomy was known as well as it is today. In fact when TCM was first developed there was a ban on dissection and most of what was known about anatomy was learned on the battlefield by those who treated the wounded. Because of this many of the Chinese organ systems are different then the western ones. For example in TCM the spleen is considered the main organ of digestion even though we know today that the spleen really has very little to do with digestion. Even so the points in acupuncture, which correspond to the spleen, often treat digestive disorders and the herbs for digestion are often considered spleen tonics.

It would be really easy for me to give you 1000 pages or more on Traditional Chinese Medicine but really I want to talk about cancer and how it related to Chinese medicine and how you use Chinese diagnosis to figure out what herbs and supplements to give an animal.

The two most common Chinese diagnosises for cancer are.

Phlegm nodules/dampness and blood stagnation.

In addition you can have cancers that get into the realm of triple burner obstruction and blood heat but those both end up connected to one of the first categories. Blood heat is when the blood congeals and produces toxic heat and triple burner obstruction often is related to both phlegm obstruction and/or blood stagnation. More about those later.

In addition there are many minor imbalances which make the body predisposed to cancer.

Spleen deficiency leads to phlegm build up that leads to phlegm nodules.

Blood deficiency leads to problems with blood movement which leads to blood stagnation.

Many of these lesser patterns are also from poor diet, genetics or environmental factors.

So what do you need to know?

• Phlegm nodule cancers tend to be inflammatory. They are hot and painful and grow fast. They are usually very locally invasive but can also spread.

  These cancers are lymphoma, osteosarcoma, anal gland tumors and squamous cell carcinoma. There are many other phlegm cancers.

  Most of these animals have had some kind of inflammatory disease in their history. They are more prone to being gassy. They may have been or are overweight. They have more of an excess personality – they are outgoing and have a lot of energy but not always stamina. They may be prone to digestive upset usually with phlemy diarrhea or vomit. If they have infections they are usually hot and severe. They may have multiple lipomas. Often times as these animals get older they become more deficient in both personality and physically but when you look back at their history it tells a different story.

  These cancers do best with herbals like Hoxsey like formula and Si Miao San. They may also do well with Xiao Chai Hu Tang and its sister formulas because long time dampness can lead to triple burner obstruction. See below for more info on TBO.

• Blood stagnation cancers are the cancers that are caused by abnormal blood flow. They may also have an inflammatory component to them although usually it is milder than with the straight phlegm/dampness cancers.

  Cancers like mast cell tumors, hemangiosarcoma, many of the liver tumors, thyroid tumors, and salivary gland tumors tend to be blood stagnation cancers.

  These animals have a history of blood flow issues and blood deficiency. They may be a little timid. They are prone to dry skin and maybe dry eyes. They may have had infections in the past but they are usually mild. They may have back pain or weaknesses or shifting lameness. If they have skin tumors they are usually small and benign and hang off the skin. They may also have digestive upset but usually it is more liquid diarrhea or stomach pain. They may be sensitive to stress.

  These cancers are best treated with Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang and its sister formulas, Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang, and single blood moving herbs like curcumin.

  In addition chemotherapy and radiation can cause blood deficiency and stagnation so I often use these formulas in animals receiving these treatments even if the cancer being treating is a phlegm nodule cancer.



• To make things harder many cancers are mixed with some components of blood stagnation and some of phlegm/dampness. Leukemia is a good example, usually I use blood movers like Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang with dampness herbs like Hoxsey. After all this cancer is in the blood stagnating it but also has a damp component to it. Sanshedan ChuanBeiye and Artemisinin can also help with these mixed cancers.
• Some cancers lead to or are caused by triple burner obstruction. Hemangiosarcoma is the best example of this or many other abdominal tumors fall into this category including many of the lymphomas I see. For these cancers I always use Xiao chai Hu Tang or one of its related formulas and then also treat the original pattern that lead to the TBO either with acupuncture or additional herbals.

  A little more on Triple burner obstruction

  The triple burner in Traditional Chinese Medicine runs down the center line of the body.

  There is the upper burner which includes the lungs and heart, middle burner with the spleen and liver, and lower burner with the kidneys and urinary bladder. If the triple Burner is obstructed, yin and yang cannot meet and there is a separation of yin and yang in the body. The yin or water of the kidneys needs to come up and cool and mist the lungs and heart, and the yang or fire of the heart needs to descend down and spark the fire of life of the kidneys.

  When yin and yang come together you get life. Both these functions happen by passage through the triple burner along the centerline of your body. If these functions cannot happen, the upper body gets hotter and the lower body gets weaker. If yin and yang cannot meet then the body stops working.

  Here is another way to look at it. If you look at yang as the chemical reactions in the body which fuel life, and yin as the antioxidant response that makes sure no harmful products are left behind, you can understand how these two relate. You need both for life and you need them to work together. Without the yin antioxidant response we become toxic, without the yang fueling the body we become weak and deficient. If either of these functions stop we are in trouble.

  Triple burner obstruction will lead to death – sometimes very quickly, if the obstruction is complete and sudden and sometimes over a longer time, if it happens slowly.
  Triple burner obstruction commonly manifests with excess conditions in the front of the body such as coughing, vomiting, anxiety, headache, and/or panting and deficiency or weak conditions in the back of the body such as hind leg weakness and incontinence. There is usually some kind of obstruction in the middle of the body such as a tumor in the liver or spleen, bloated abdomen or back pain.

• Bleeding cancers can be very deadly. Most bleeding cancers are from blood stagnation. In hemangiosarcoma one of the largest issues is that the blood stagnation leads to bleeding so I always work with herbs that address this, the main one being San Qi (pseudoginseng) usually in both the form of Yunnan Baiyao and in added San Qi to the formulas I work with. For bleeding cancers Yunnan Baiyao is very important.

Usually I work with 4-6 supplements/herbals in dogs with cancer and 1-3 in cats with cancer.

Complicated? You bet! Impossible? No

This is why I strongly recommend trying to find a veterinary herbalist in your community to work with. Each animal is different; each animal needs a slightly different formula combination. I often have animals I am treating with the same cancers who are on different protocols. The best results come from using the right formulas in combination with acupuncture.

In some animals we will change formulas as the symptoms and cancer changes as well. Sometimes what worked at first will stop working or we will need to add something else. If you have a practitioner you are working with they can hopefully catch these shifts early and make changes before it is too late.

See How to find a good holistic vet

Return to Integrative and Holistic Methods for Treating Cancer in Cats and Dogs

It’s not every day you celebrate your 19th birthday and that is especially true if you are a dog. Tomorrow Casey Thomas will be turning 19 years old, making him the oldest little guy I have worked with so far.

Casey is a sweet little old man, with greying whiskers and fuzzy black feet. He can still be quite feisty, after all he is a terrier. He likes his short walks down the block although sometimes they are more about sniffing than walking and sometimes he asks to be carried back home. He doesn’t hear and see like he used to anymore but he is well loved and cared for. He loves to snuggle with his mom and aunt and likes to eat with his family, preferring to eat what they are eating these days and that is perfectly fine.

He pulled through a major bout of pneumonia this past year and we thought we might lose him but he is back to going strong. He loves his acupuncture, although hates the needles going in, that is when his feistiness comes up, did I mention he is a terrier. However acupuncture makes him immediately perk up and feel better. You can see the spring come back into his step.

Casey is well over 100 years old in human years. I hope I’m as healthy and loved as he is when I reach that age.

Happy Birthday!