A Path With Paws

Note:This article is about hemangiosarcoma of the spleen and abdomen. For information about hemangiosarcoma of the heart click here.

I have to say I always have considered hemangiosarcoma the hardest cancer to work with. It is highly aggressive, it can rapidly progress to the point where it causes sudden bleeding and death, and it is not very responsive to herbs or chemotherapy. After a few really hard to treat cases who died long before I wanted them to, I felt like giving up.

Recently I attended a lecture by Dr. Steve Marsden, one of my favorite herbalists, and my whole view on hemangiosarcoma changed. He has a new protocol that he is using for hemangiosarcoma and it is working in some animals. It is not a cure all but it makes it so some of these guys have really good quality of life, live longer and are far less likely to bleed out, even if you leave the primary tumor alone.

The first dog who I got to treat with this protocol just passed away when I first wrote this article, and while I will really miss his wonderful happy golden retriever love of life, I am so happy we were able to make his final months better.

Wilbur was rescued by a local massage therapist I work with when he had active end stage hemangiosarcoma. She was told we would be very lucky if we got a month, most likely we would only get a couple weeks. He made it over three months from that end stage point, without any surgery and he was happy and active up until the very end.

In the past I feel like I was lucky if I could get over three months with early diagnosed hemangiosarcoma even if we did surgery to remove the spleen. That is how aggressive this cancer is. And from my experience there is not a good western option for treating it.

Since writing this article, I have since seen mixed results. I still have dogs who only get three months and because of herbal supply issues I’ve had to change my protocol

Steve has taken dogs over a year with his protocol even without surgery and that is very impressive. I have not had a dog I’ve been able to take over a year in my practice yet. I hope I will someday! I do have a cat who is three years out from hemangiosarcoma diagnosis without tumor removal and happy and healthy (as of 7/2017). She is also 18 years old!

So how do we treat this?

I am going to stop here and say you need a holistic vet on board. I use Vit A/D at a dose that can cause kidney failure if not used correctly. This needs to be used under the management of a veterinarian. But first…

To remove the spleen or not to remove the spleen.
I always, always pushed spleen removal in the past because I found most dogs did not make it past a month if you didn’t. The tumors would rupture and they would bleed out and die. Many made it much less time. My thoughts are changing on that a bit because of Wilbur and having a protocol which actually seems to prevent bleed outs. I would still say that in a healthy dog where it appears the bulk of the cancer is in the spleen, that spleen removal is the way to go. However in the very old, the very debilitated, or in those that have cancer in multiple organs I am starting to lean against it. This is of course going to be something to discuss with your vet and any other caregivers involved in your dog’s life.

Here is the protocol I use. Thank you Steve Marsden!

1. Acupuncture – every two weeks or more often. This keeps everything moving, helps with discomfort, slows down the cancer and boosts the immune system.
2. A cancer diet – See Diets for cancer in cats and dogs
3. Yunnan Baiyao – not only does it control bleeding but also seems to slow this cancer down. I double the dose for dogs with hemangiosarcoma
4. Chai Hu Jia Long Mu Li Tang or the root formula Xiao Chai Hu Tang which I use quite often for cancer. I use Chai Hu Jia Long Mu Li Tang for animals who run very hot and Xiao Chai Hu Tang for the majority of dogs.
5. IP6 – this supplement is important in stimulating the immune system’s natural killer cells to destroy cancer tissue. It is an antioxidant and has effects in inhibiting cancer cell growth and division. Not much research has been done in humans with this supplement but a lot of cancer studies have been done in animals.
   I dose dogs at 800-1600mg twice a day when I use this supplement.
6. Turkey Tail or I’m Yunity mushroom supplements have been show to increase survival times in dogs with hemangiosarcoma. I use Turkey Tail but the studies were done on I’m Yunnity’s product. I find I’m Yunnity is about 3-4 times the price of the best Turkey Tail you can buy.

More then any other cancer I work with I think this is the most important one to make sure you have a good holistic vet on board. I know, I know I have said that a few times already. Please see my article How to find a good holistic vet.

So how do we prevent this cancer? I don’t know that we know for sure. There is definitely a breed/genetic componant especially in golden retrievers. I urge my clients with golden retrievers to follow cancer prevention tips in How to Prevent Cancer. I also have had my golden retriever dog parents adding in 1/4 teaspoon of an herb called Red Root once a day. This herb helps with splenic congestion and lymph node drainage. It makes sense to me that it might help prevent this cancer but only time will tell.

As with all articles on this blog please check with your animal’s veterinarian before making any changes in their care or adding any supplements or herbals.

Back to Integrative and Holistic Treatments for Cancer in Cats and Dogs.

This article is dedicated to beautiful Wilbur – may you be young and free of cancer where you are now.

So Ali has been laid up after getting a deep laceration over her wrist. The poor girl had been with bandage and e collar for over a week and boy was she getting tired of it. On Tuesday I finally took her sutures out and she was super excited, bouncing up and down and wanting to go for a walk. Well my husband Adam came home at that exact moment and out the door Ali went…and out the gate, which was not closed all the way.

My newly freed dog was running down the street and when I called her name she would turn and look back but then keep on going, tail and head held high. “Catch me if you can.”

We live a few houses from a fairly busy arterial and she was heading that way. “She wouldn’t cross that,” I thought, but no, I saw Ali look both ways and then bounce across the street.

That’s when I realized, “she’s heading for the Mud Bay.”

I should have been suspicious because earlier on a walk Ali spent some time figuring out that if you step on the walkway in front of the Safeway doors they open. She was doing some research on how you open doors.

And she loves Mud Bay. They have nice people who have very yummy food and Ali loves food. And she often gets to pick out her own treat when we go in. Often if we go for a walk and get to the corner where the Mud Bay is, she will try to drag me down there.

Ali did not actually make it to the Mud Bay that day, someone was able to stop her for me a few steps away. At least now I know if she bolts out the door again, I can just go and collect her at the Mud Bay counter. Of course we will do our best to avoid it all in the future by being more careful with the gate.

Yesterday I walked Ali up to the Mud Bay and she happily picked out a long chew stick and carried it all the way home in her mouth, head and tail held high and everyone we passed smiling at her.

And she is now completely free of bandage and e collar and so much happier.

Ok let’s start with dogs first since they are the easiest.

• Many dogs will happily eat herbs or pills in their food. This is especially true if they eat wet food. If your dog is on just dry food then consider adding enough wet to hide the pills or herbs in.
• If they will not eat pills in food, Greenies Pill Pockets are the way to go. They are little treats with a hole in the center to hide the pill in.
• Another way to give pills is with a little treat food such as peanut butter, cream cheese, a slice of luncheon meat or a piece of hot dog. Push the pill into the center and make sure it is wrapped with food.
• For powder herbs I often have people put them in capsules and then use one of the above techniques. You can buy flavored capsules from Capsuline.com, which many dogs will eat straight. See Capsuline flavored pet capsules
  For small/medium dogs (miniature poodle and larger) a size “0” capsule works best. For medium to large dogs (sheltie and larger) I like “00”. Very small dogs usually need a “2” size capsule and cats need a “3” or “4”.
• There are many capsule making machines out there and believe me they make a huge difference when you are stuffing many capsules. My favorite is the The Capsule Machine. It comes in a “0” and “00” size, works well and is about $25-30.
• Liquids and compounding can come in handy. These days compounding pharmacies can make just about anything in a liquid with a meat flavor. If you are using herbs see if there is a glycerin tincture variety, which is sweet, and many dogs take well. Tinctures work especially well in small dogs.
• In some dogs just pushing the pills down their mouth is the fastest and easiest way to give a medication.

Now on to the cats!

• • While I have meet cats that will eat pills and herbs in food, most will not. If your cat has a hearty appetite give it a try.
  • Cat who like treats will sometimes take Pill Pockets.

• • If your cat needs herbs and you can find a glycerin tincture that is usually the way to go. If not capsules with powdered herbs or tea pills are often the best choice.
  • For drugs, if there is a long lasting injection available I highly recommend it. I think cats often do better with injections because they are less likely to upset their stomach and then you do not have to give something once or twice a day.
  • Once again most drugs can be compounded into liquids, which have a meat flavor. Sometimes these are easier to give to cats, however some cats are easier to pill, once the pilling technique is learned.
  • Some medications can be compounded into a form that can be rubbed on the inside of a cat’s ear and absorbed through the skin. Talk to your vet about this option. The down side to this kind of medication is that sometimes it is hard to get a proper dose this way.
  • I find pilling cats by hand to be the easiest if you need to give pills however some people prefer a Pill Gun which pop the pills into the back of the mouth. Many people prefer to rub the pills in butter before giving them so they slide down easier and have a pleasant taste.

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