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While this eBook will likely always be an evolving work, its current form is available here — Integrative and Holistic Cancer Therapies for dogs and cats — for whatever you consider a fair price. If you buy it, you will receive updated versions whenever I edit it (I’m primarily working on grammar and structure).
I am so happy to be able to share this with you!
• Introduction
• How to use the book
• How to determine when to use western/holistic medicine
• Questions to ask your vet when your animal companion has cancer
• A little about western medicine’s treatment of cancer
• How to integrate all modalities
• How to find a good holistic vet to work with
• Above all quality of life
• Diets for cancer in cats and dogs- You are what you eat, a fighting cancer machine
• Working with picky appetite in dogs with cancer
• How to medicate your cat or dog
• Treating weight loss in cats and dogs with cancer
• Chinese medicine and cancer- phlegm nodules and blood stagnation
• How to pick the right herbals without chinese theory – Whoa! Can you explain that in english?
• Acupuncture for animals with cancer – stoking the healing power within
• Acupressure for animals with cancer – healing touch
• How to Safely Surf the Internet When Searching For Cancer Information and Products
• Supplements and Single Herbals for Cancer
• Herbal treatments – plants holding cancer at bay:
• Where to Find Herbs
• Supporting chemotherapy with antioxidants and herbs
• Integrating therapy with radiation
• Healing from surgery
• Cats – some thoughts before you treat
• Types of cancer and their treatments
• A mini protocol for any cancer:
• Other cancer resources
• Saying goodbye to our animal friends – how to decide when it is time to help them die
• How to prevent cancer in dogs and cats
Below is a list of common symptoms, diseases, or illnesses, followed by the name of the herbal formula(s) we recommend. Each of these formulas can be purchased on our etsy shop, Kingdom of Basil. Formulas with blue links have additional information available in a separate blog post.If you already know a formula by its name, visit our alphabetical List of Herbal Formulas instead.
If you wish to buy any of these formulas, you can find them on our Kingdom of Basil Etsy site.
Soon we will celebrate July 4th. Unfortunately for many of our animal friends this can also be a stressful time because of the loud fireworks that many people set off. For many animals, fireworks can seem like the world is ending and every year animals injury themselves by trying to escape out of houses or by running away and getting lost or hit by cars.
If you have an animal who is afraid of fireworks or a new animal in your household this is a good time to be home with them if at all possible. Here are some things you can do to avoid stress and injury to your furry companion. Not everything works for every animal and many of these suggestions can be used in combination. Some animals get such severe anxiety that they need to be sedated with medication, so if your animal falls under that category this is the time to call your veterinarian. Most of the suggested products below can be purchased at natural pet supply stores or online by clicking on the links.
for cats and D.A.P. aka Dog Appeasing Pheromone
for dogs to calm them down. The comfort zone products are the same as the vet products that are called just Feliway and DAP but are cheaper and can be bought at pet supply stores.
can be very helpful for stressed animals. These are homeopathic in nature and very safe for even the oldest of animals. Put a few drops in their mouth or on the ear and a few drops in all the drinking bowls in the house.
works well for anxiety in both cats and dogs. However check with your veterinarian if your animal is on any medications or has any major health issues before using these. 
, or Anxiety Wrap can help your dog if they have problems with anxiety from fireworks. It sounds weird I know, but it actually does work.
It is based around the ideas from Tellington TTouch of using an ace bandage. Wearing the shirt enhances your dog’s sense of their own body and makes them feel more confident in their movements and behavior. You can use a snug fitting human T-shirt, a Thundershirt
Have a wonderful new year and thank you for visiting!
I told myself I couldn’t write an article on the more aggressive mast cell tumors (grade 3) and internal mast cell cancers. Yes, but sometimes you realize that you need to try to get the information out there even if it is difficult. For lower grade 1 and 2 tumors and prevention see Mast Cell Tumors of the Skin – holistic approaches.
Why are more aggressive mast cell cancers difficult to write about? The main reason is that they present very differently dog to dog, they spread differently and the herbals I use to treat them can vary quite a bit dog to dog.
Before I start one quick comment. Grading of disease is subjective. There are certain signs that pathologist look at to grade tumors but it doesn’t always carry with it how aggressive a tumor will be. I have seen grade three mast cells where removal was cure and grade 1 mast cells that went on to spread through the body. So all is not lost if your dog is diagnosed with a more aggressive grade of this cancer. Each dog’s cancer is individual, like the herbals used.
So the must dos for these cancers
From here it gets tricky but please continue along – the following I mix and match depending on how they fit the dog and how the cancer presents.
I highly recommend finding an herbalist to work with. I see dogs that don’t match exactly what I have written above, acupuncture is awesome and there is nothing to replace having a guide in all this.
As with all supplements and herbals, please check with your animal’s regular vet before using this herbal.
Return to Integrative and Holistic Methods for Treating Cancer in Cats and Dogs
There you’ll find all of the herbal formulas described on this website—the very same herbs Dr. McCullough uses to treat all of the animal patients in her Seattle clinic—personally sourced, blended and ground by her.
View a list of symptoms, diseases or illnesses to find the formulas we recommend >
In Chinese medicine we often use a moxa stick for when we need to drive cold out of an area or to improve blood flow. Moxa is a mixture of mugwort and other herbs that are made into a charcoal stick which can be heated and lets off infrared light. Moxa is then used over acupuncture needles or points. Many of my clients have seen me use moxa in the clinic. With our animal friends you need to use caution because you are holding a charcoal hot stick and it is important to not burn our animal friends or set hair on fire.
Many times I want to use moxa treatments more often than I am treating an animal and a good way to have people get a similar action is with an infrared light. These lights can be purchased in the reptile section of pet stores and are usually 50 or 75 watts or from Amazon.com. Never get a bulb over 75 watts as you can easily burn your dog or cat. I have people buy the bulbs and then put the bulb in a clamp lamp. Many people already have a clamp lamp around the house or you can buy one from home depot or the hardware store or more expensive ones at the pet store.
What conditions can infrared light help with?
So how do I use infrared heat therapy?
. Clamp lamps can also be purchased through Amazon.com.
One of my patients, Lucy, enjoying her infrared light at home
A few precautions
I especially like this therapy in the fall and winter when the sessions are changing and that cold wind creeps into the joints of our old cats and dogs.
It is very common for cats and dogs who have cancer to loss weight even when they are eating well. This is because the cancer is stealing their nutrients and not allowing the body to have what it needs. Weight loss in the face of a healthy appetite and proper nutrition is called cachexia.
There is a simple protocol I use to address this issue if it isn’t just an issue of appetite.
. Cancer can not use fat and Omega 3 oils help to reverse cachexia.If appetite is an issue then I recommend working with a holistic vet with acupuncture and herbs or consulting with your animal’s regular veterinarian about appetite stimulants and anti-nausea medications.
Prostate cancer wasn’t originally on my list when I began this book, as it is rare and I hadn’t treated a dog with it before. However I recently started treating a very energetic lab named Joey who has prostate cancer. He is one of the most rambunctious, friendly dogs I have met and oh so strong. His coat shines, his eyes sparkle, and he has the most powerful tail I have encountered. I swear he could fuel my whole house with it.
There is no way you would know he has cancer if you met him and he was diagnosed almost three months ago.
In dogs, prostate cancer is highly aggressive with the prognosis after detection often times being less than a month. Prostate cancer is fast to spread and also in a delicate area of the body. As the cancer grows it can block the urethra making peeing impossible. This is a disease of neutered male dogs, the one cancer that is more common in fixed dogs.
There are no good western treatments for prostate cancer in dogs. Surgery is usually impossible because of the location and the early spread of this cancer and radiation and chemotherapy add little time to a dog’s life. Because of this and the effectiveness of herbal therapies with this disease, holistic treatments are a good option.
A while back there was a product on the market to treat prostate cancer in people called PC-SPES. This herbal combination actually helped quite a few people but was taken off the market because of problems with contamination. I am not suggesting that you should use this product or some of the others that have replaced it but I do think it is worth considering the ingredients. It contains some of the same ingredients as in one of the main herbals I use for cancer, Xiao Chai Hu Tang and reishi mushrooms which are known to be quite effective again cancer.
This is my protocol against this deadly cancer (follow links for more information about herbals and links to buy on amazon.com or other places)
– cousin to Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang for the lower abdomen, this is a very effective formula for prostate and urinary bladder cancer, especially when they manifest with bloody urine. I add San Leng
and E Zhu
to mine for extra cancer fighting ingredients.
.
Joey has already exceeded my main expectation which was to keep him happy and pain free. I don’t know what the future holds for him but I know he enjoys every day he is here and the more days we can give him the better.
As with all advice on this website please check with your dog’s primary veterinarian before starting any treatments or herbals.
Return to Integrative and Holistic Methods for Treating Cancer in Cats and Dogs.
Believe it or not liver tumors are some of the easier cancers that I work with. They are often slower to grow then other malignancies, and herbs and acupuncture seem to work very well to control them.
I have had a number of dogs who were diagnosed and given three months or less to live, who ended up living over a year. Most importantly they were happy and healthy while they were here. I think this is one of the most important considerations in treating cancer holistically. While I find in almost all animals I can extend life, their quality of life also stays very good. I have had many clients comment that their dogs actually seem healthier than before they had cancer, when they are on an protocol with acupuncture, herbs, and a good quality diet. I think this is because we are treating underlying deficiencies that were present before the cancer occurred.
I just lost a beautiful lab, named Hunter, who made it 22 months after diagnosis of a liver tumor. Up until the very end he was happy and he always got comments on his coat and how good he looked when he went out. Lou, see Lou’s story, is still doing well 20 months after diagnosis. I have seen these tumors shrink with just holistic medicine. These dogs really do quite well.
Liver tumors in dogs are most commonly hepatocellular carcinomas. There are also benign tumors that can start in the liver and although they are not technically cancer can end up rupturing or bleeding and sometimes can lead to death. This article is about treating liver tumors that start in the liver. Because of the liver’s placement and function in the body many cancers can spread to the liver, including lymphoma and hemangiosarcoma. There are other treatment strategies for these cancers.
I have found many of these dogs present with an episode of bleeding or collapse. Sometimes elevated liver enzymes are what leads to a diagnosis.
Occasionally surgery is helpful if there is a good prognosis and most or all of the tumor can be removed. I think this is worth consideration in some cases.
My protocol can vary from animal to animal but here is a list of some of the most common treatments I use.If the cancer has already spread to the lungs at the time of diagnosis then see Breathing through cancer – holistic herbal therapies to control lung metastasis. Follow links for more information about herbals and links to buy from Amazon.com.
from Fungi Perfecti. They are a excellent company. Mushrooms help to strengthen the immune system and have strong cancer fighting properties. These can be added to food.
If you can, find a holistic vet to help you determine a protocol for your dog companion. If you can find one who does acupuncture even better! Please check with your animal’s regular vet before starting any herbals or supplements.
Return to Integrative and Holistic Methods for Treating Cancer in Cats and Dogs
