Dogs with nasal tumors treated with IMRT radiation therapy

While the long-term prognosis for canine sinonasal tumors is poor, radiation therapy has been shown to improve survival times. On the other hand, with no treatment, or if surgery, chemotherapy, immunotherapy or cryosurgery is performed as a sole treatment, the median survival time is 3 to 6 mo, as progressive local invasion of the tumor leads to increasingly severe clinical signs, and owners generally opt for euthanasia. With full-course megavoltage radiation therapy, median survival times ranging from approximately 12 to 16 mo have been reported. Patients that have undergone full course radiation therapy may still continue to show clinical signs related to the tumor (such as nasal discharge or sneezing), although these signs are usually less severe than before treatment. One study found that only 39% of dogs were completely free of clinical signs after radiation .

Radiation generally involves 18–20 fractions (doses), which are given under general anaesthesia Monday to Friday for 3½ to 4 weeks as an out-patient procedure. (ed: sounds stressfull!...)

As with all full-course radiation treatments, acute effects will occur to varying degrees. Potential acute effects include oral mucositis, skin erythema and desquamation, conjunctivitis, and keratoconjunctivitis sicca. Pain is controlled through oral medications such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories and opioids, as well as daily local anaesthetic blocks and oral rinses. Acute side effects of radiation usually begin to develop during the 2nd to 3rd week of treatment, are at their worst at 2 wk after finishing treatment, and are generally completely healed by 4 wk post-treatment.

Late effects that may be seen months after radiation if the eyes are within the treatment field include keratoconjunctivitis sicca, keratitis, corneal vascularization, and cataract formation.

Clinical outcome in dogs with nasal tumors treated with intensity-modulated radiation therapy. (THIS IS A NEW WAY)
Hunley DW, Mauldin GN, Shiomitsu K, Mauldin GE.
Source
Ocean State Veterinary Specialists, East Greenwich, Rhode Island 02818, USA.
Abstract on new therapy
Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) is a valuable tool in human radiation oncology, but information on its use in veterinary medicine is lacking. In this study, 12 dogs with nasal tumors were treated with IMRT at a median radiation dose of 54 Gy. Patient survival times and frequency and severity of side effects on ocular structures, oral mucosa, and skin were recorded. Eight dogs (67%) had resolution of clinical signs during radiation therapy. Median overall survival time was 446 d with a 50% 1-year (meaning half the dogs lived less than a appx year and half the dogs more) and a 25% 2-year survival rate. Minimal grade 2 or 3 acute skin toxicity, no grade 2 or 3 late skin toxicity, and no grade 2 or 3 toxicity to oral mucosa or the eye opposite the tumor were identified in the dogs treated with IMRT in this study. The ipsilateral eye could not be routinely spared due to its proximity to the tumor.


Long-term outcome of 56 dogs with nasal tumours treated with four doses of radiation at intervals of seven days.
Mellanby RJ, Stevenson RK, Herrtage ME, White RA, Dobson JM.
Source
Queen Veterinary School Hospital, University of Cambridge.
Abstract
A retrospective study was undertaken on 56 dogs treated for nasal tumours by megavoltage radiotherapy with a hypofractionated schedule consisting of four doses of 9 Gy given at intervals of seven days. The dogs were followed until they died or were euthanased. The clinical signs had improved in 53 of the 56 dogs by the end of the treatment schedule. Mild acute radiation side effects were observed in the majority of the dogs but late radiation side effects were rare. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis revealed a median survival time after the final dose of radiation of 212 days. The one- and two-year survival rates were 45 per cent and 15 per cent. Fifty of the dogs were euthanased because the initial clinical signs recurred.
Palliation of clinical signs in 48 dogs with nasal carcinomas treated with coarse-fraction radiation therapy.


Gieger T, Rassnick K, Siegel S, Proulx D, Bergman P, Anderson C, LaDue T, Smith A, Northrup N, Roberts R.
Source
Department of Clinical Sciences, Cornell University Hospital for Animals, CPC Box 31, Tower Road, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA.
Abstract
Data from 48 dogs with nasal carcinomas treated with palliative radiation therapy (PRT) were retrospectively reviewed. Factors potentially influencing resolution of clinical signs and survival after PRT were evaluated. Clinical signs completely resolved in 66% of dogs for a median of 120 days. The overall median survival time was 146 days. Duration of response to PRT was shorter in dogs that had clinical signs for <90 days before PRT. Survival times were shorter in dogs that had partial or no resolution of clinical signs after PRT than in dogs that had complete resolution of clinical signs.
PMID: 18451069  [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
J Vet Intern Med. 2001 May-Jun;15(3):183-9.
Retrospective study of orthovoltage radiation therapy for nasal tumors in 42 dogs.
Northrup NC, Etue SM, Ruslander DM, Rassnick KM, Hutto DL, Bengtson A, Rand W, Moore AS.
Source
Harrington Oncology Program, Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine, North Grafton, MA, USA. Abstract
Megavoltage radiation therapy currently is the standard of care for dogs with nasal tumors. Some studies report that surgery and adjunctive orthovoltage radiation therapy result in longer control of these tumors than does megavoltage radiation therapy alone. This study reports less effective control of nasal tumors in dogs treated with surgery and orthovoltage radiation than previously observed, supporting the superiority of megavoltage radiation therapy for these tumors. In addition, this study suggests 2 new prognostic indicators for dogs with nasal tumors and describes toxicity associated with surgery and orthovoltage therapy. Forty-two dogs with nasal tumors were treated with surgical cytoreduction and 48 Gy orthovoltage radiation therapy administered in twelve 4-Gy fractions. Median survival was 7.4 months. One- and 2-year survival rates were 37% and 17%, respectively. Dogs with facial deformity had shorter survival than those without deformity (P = .005). Dogs with resolution of clinical signs after treatment had longer survival than those with chronic nasal signs (P = .0001). Acute radiation toxicity was moderate to severe for skin and eye and negligible for oral mucosa. Toxicity healed within 1 month after radiation therapy. Late toxicity was mild, but 70% of evaluable dogs experienced persistent ocular signs. Only 39% of dogs achieved a disease-free period.
PMID: 11380025  [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Anti-angiogenic Drugs in the Treatment of Canine Cancer

Anti-angiogenic Drugs
    For cancer cells to divide and become solid tumors they are dependent upon the formation of blood vessels, a process known as angiogenesis, that will provide blood flow with oxygen and nutrients to the developing tumor. Many cancer cells excrete molecules into the surrounding tissues that stimulate the formation of new blood vessels. Based on these observations, the novel idea of inhibiting tumor growth by cutting off blood supply to the tumor was developed. Natural and synthetic inhibitors of vascular formation, known as anti-angiogenic drugs, have been purified, formulated and assessed for their abilities as anti-tumor agents. Such drugs include angiostatin, thrombospondin, and endostatin. In preclinical animal studies, anti-angiogenic drugs have been found to significantly inhibit tumor growth and in some instances produce tumor regression.

Anti-angiogenic Drugs in the Treatment of Canine Cancer
Many of these anti-angiogenic drugs are in the early stages of clinical development for treatment of human cancers.     Dog-related News Article:  "Anti-angiogenesis: Perhaps a new way to address cancer"

Applications of Anti-angiogenic Drugs in the Treatment of Cancer

Antiangiogenic strategies and agents in clinical trials.
Rosen L.

Angiogenesis: new targets for the development of anticancer chemotherapies.
Gourley M, Williamson JS.

Angiogenesis and Cancer Control: From Concept to Therapeutic Trial.
Brem S.

Novel cancer therapies: more efficacy, less toxicity and improved organ preservation.
Joensuu H. ***For a more complete listing, enter the following format of search terms in the PubMed search window:  antiangiogenic-therapy AND cancer

Many health food store supplements have Anti-angiogenic properties. Take a look at Lucys pill list I give her.
Plus a few antibiotics like Doxycycline and NSAIDS like Metacam/Meloxicam/Peroxicam show these properties. This is called the NAVY protocol. Or Metronomic Protocol when each given on alternating days.

Dogs with Nosebleeds Why does my dog's nose bleed?

Dogs with Nosebleeds Vet Text:
"Bleeding from the nose (epistaxis) is not normal in dogs of any age and can signal serious illness. Epistaxis can occur from one or both nostrils and varies from mild and self-limiting to severe and life-threatening. Some cases start with sneezing and traces of blood in nasal discharges, while others have profuse bleeding as the first sign.
Any process that disrupts the nasal lining or blood vessels can result in epistaxis. Some causes are obvious, while others are more subtle. Nasal foreign bodies such as plant debris (blades of grass, foxtails, burrs) can cause violent sneezing and irritation to the delicate nasal lining. Any cause of violent sneezing can result in nosebleed. Severe nasal infections with bacterial and/or fungal organisms and chronic inflammatory conditions such as allergies can also cause bleeding. Advanced dental disease can sometimes involve the nasal sinuses and cavity, leading to nosebleeds. Trauma to the head and nose frequently results in nasal hemorrhage. Cancers of the nasal cavity can be very invasive and erosive and often result in epistaxis.
Blood-clotting disorders, which can be caused by many diseases, commonly lead to nosebleeds stridor. The inability to clot could make a dog bleed easily. In many cases, nosebleeds can be the first or only sign of such a problem. Common causes of clotting abnormalities include von Willebrand's disease, hemophilia and ingestion of certain rat poisons. Anticoagulant rat poisons cause bleeding lasting days to weeks after ingestion, but acute signs of toxicity are not usually seen when the poisons are ingested. Blood or bone marrow infections with certain organisms (Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Ehrlichia) can also cause bleeding. Ticks usually transmit these organisms."

Go to your vet asap and get a diagnosis! Try to find a Holistic vet in your area that has Yun Nan Bai Yao herb capsules IN STOCK and use them to help slow the bleeding while figuring out the problem. You can read about the herb here. I used it when Lucy was bleeding and it worked very well.

Ancestral Diet versus Dry Kibble

Dogs Ancestral Diet versus Dry Kibble


No one can argue the dry baked pellets we call dog food aren’t convenient. But the nutrient profile of a dry kibble is nowhere near the nutrient content of a dog’s ancestral diet.

Notice the higher carbohydrate content of the kibble compared to the dog’s natural ancestral diet. Or how about the dramatically lower protein and fat levels in the dry? Way too much carbs in the dry. Or even canned. You must add real meat and eggs to the dry food.

AntiAngiogenesis Meloxicam Peroxicam Navy Protocol

All cancerous tumors, for example, release angiogenic growth factor proteins that stimulate blood vessels to grow into the tumor, providing it with oxygen and nutrients. Antiangiogenic therapies literally starve the tumor of its blood supply by interfering with this process. A new class of cancer treatments that block angiogenesis are now approved and available to treat cancers of the colon, kidney, lung, breast, liver, brain, and thyroid, as well as multiple myeloma, bone gastrointestinal stromal tumors, and SEGA tumors. Some older drugs have been rediscovered to block angiogenesis, as well. These are being used to treatment angiogenesis-dependent conditions, such as hemangiomas, colon polyps, and precancerous skin lesions.

“This is a major leap forward for veterinary medicine,” said Dr. William Li, President and Medical Director of the Angiogenesis Foundation. “Eighty percent of dog cancers are identical to their human counterparts, so it makes complete sense that the antiangiogenic treatment approach that works in human cancers would also help dogs.” 

The Angiogenesis Foundation pioneered the first use of antiangiogenic therapies in canine cancers in 2000. Foundation researchers, working with veterinarians, developed a cocktail of human drugs suitable for dogs. Named the ‘Navy Protocol’ after a Golden Retriever that first received the treatment, the cocktail has been used to treat more than 600 dogs representing 32 breeds with 26 advanced tumor types.  Since 1995, the Foundation has been educating veterinarians and pet owners about the principles of angiogenesis and its promise for conquering cancer in dogs and other animals.

"We have tested the tumor size with sonography.  It does appear tumors get a little smaller with piroxicam," indicates Dr. Barton.  "There may be some chemotherapeutic benefit, but we're not particularly impressed with tumor shrinkage."  She explains that improvement may be due to reduced edema and reduced inflammation rather that true tumor reduction.

"We feel like piroxicam gives comparable results to those we get with cisplatin chemotherapy or radiation," say Barton.  The advantage, Dr. Barton repeats, is:  "the dogs feel good, and they get to stay at home. "  Disadvantages Barton ascribes to the common cisplatin chemotherapy include severe nausea, vomiting and kidney toxicity.  And with radiation treatment, dogs must be hospitalized four to five weeks for the 12 to 15 treatments, according to Barton.

Purdue also compared its piroxicam results to similar cases treated with cisplatin, the currently used chemotherapy in canine transitional cell carcinoma.  The tumor response and survival date of the two drugs were similar, but the toxicity of piroxicam treatment was much less that that of cisplatin treatment, according to Purdue.

Piroxicam (Feldene) therapy is being used with good results in treatment of some canine malignancies.  Recent suggested regimen:  0.3 mg/kg piroxicam every 48 hours.  And give with Pepcid keep GI problems down *according to some vet texts.  Talk to your vet about this. Meloxicam is newer and has less GI problems. These are human drugs too, so have your vet write the script for you to take to your pharmacy. It will be much cheaper. Vets make a HUGE markup on Rx.

Prednisone and Cancer Uses

Vet Clinic Text

"Steroids, such as prednisone or prednisolone, can also be used to decrease
inflammation in the nose. For these medications, we start with high doses of the
medication for a short period to try to knock down the inflammation. It tends to work very well. If your dog
shows signs of improvement with the medication, we then slowly decrease the
dose of this medication as much as your dog tolerates. The exact taper is
dependent on how your dog is doing, but as long as your dog’s symptoms remain
improved, we usually decrease the dose by 25% every 2-3 weeks. Some dogs are
able to be completely weaned off of the steroids. Some dogs with cancer may require long-term
low levels of steroids. If this is the case, we try to keep the dose of the
medication as low as possible to hold back your dog’s symptoms. Steroids can
have several side effects. At higher doses, they will cause your dogs to urinate
and drink excessively. It is very important to keep plenty of water available at all
times. High dose will likely make your dog feel hungry but you do not need to
feed him or her more food than normal. Large breed dogs can sometimes
develop hind end weakness while on steroids. If you notice hind end weakness,
it is important to tell your veterinarian so that we can try to taper the medication
faster. Rarely, steroids can cause ulceration in the gastrointestinal tract, which
may lead to vomiting, diarrhea, decreased appetite, blood in the stool, or black
tar-like stool. If you notice any of these symptoms it is important to notify your
veterinarian. Steroids cannot be stopped abruptly as a life-threatening reaction
(addisonian crisis) may result. Therefore, the dose of these medications should
not be changed except under the supervision of a veterinarian."

Sometimes you can just use the bursts of prednisone just when things are bad. Long term every single day use depresses the immune system. Something you don't want. Plus they need to pee alot. And while you will be glad they are eating again, they will bug you about eating.

Low Dose Naltrexone and Cancer and MS

Very Low Dose Naltrexone. -

Information on the use of Low Dose Naltrexone in the treatment of dogs, cats, horses and other pets. Known by the acronym LDN, this is a "low dose" form of therapy utilizing the FDA approved drug Naltrexone for the "off label" treatment of immune related disorders. The mechanism of action appears to involve an immune modulating or balancing effect of various components of the immune system mediated through an effect on Endorphin levels.

Naltrexone was approved by the FDA in 1984. It is legally available to be prescribed by physicians and veterinarians for any purpose. When given to humans in low doses, Naltrexone increases the body's production of endorphins. Endorphins are hormones, produced by the body, which help maintain and regulate the immune system. There is a growing body of information reporting the effectiveness of LDN in the treatment of a wide range of immune related and auto-immune disorders. It has been in use in this manner for over 20 years.

In developing Naltrexone for full dose use toxicity testing in rats, rabbits, dogs and monkeys determined that at therapeutic levels Naltrexone was non-toxic and had very few side effects. However obtaining FDA approval for the Low Dose regimen will require funding that due to the present out of patent or generic status of the drug will be difficult to obtain from any pharmaceutical company. Some privately funded pilot studies have been conducted and show much promise. More extensive studies are needed and funding continues to be sought by advocates of LDN.

http://www.lowdosenaltrexone.com/ and check on PubMed, there are many studies using LDN for endorphin increase that then increased immunity.  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=Low%20Dose%20Naltrexone%20cancer

I give Lucy 3mg at bedtime. I will give more info on Low Dose Naltrexone for dog cancer shortly. Ask me any questions in the meantime.

Occasionally, during the first week's use of LDN, patients may have some difficulty sleeping. This rarely persists after the first week. Should it do so, dosage can be temporarily reduced

You will have to print these articles on Low Dose Naltrexone treatments and do Google research yourself to be able to convince your vet to write a prescription for this. They will not have heard of it and if they look it up just by drug name, they will be confused why you are wanting to give a old med used for treatment of drug addicts to a dog with cancer. The focus needs to be on "Low Dose Naltrexone for the treatment of Cancer" and such. This will be a tuff sell but if you can show them the research and talk smartly about this with conviction, you should be able to get them to write a prescription for 50mg pills that you that you can pick up at your drugstore. Just crush the 50mg pill using a pill crusher and put in 50ml of distilled water and shake before every use. Just give 2 or 3 ml at bed daily using a baby medicine dropper in a small snack. Did you know that vets by law (and dentists actually) can write a prescription for anything that may help a patient!  Geez, the dog has cancer, what can it hurt to give a very LOW dose of something to try.

Here is a quote that just came in:

"Hi Gary,
Just wanted to report to you that I am starting to think the low dose naltrexone might be a "miracle drug"! The first week Lily was on it, things didn't go too well. In fact, her symptoms seemed worse and she was "wired" at night, VERY wired. But I had read that in the beginning, things might get worse before they get better, so I was keeping my fingers crossed. And sure enough, after that first week, things started to settle down and in the past few days, it seems like things are improving markedly. Lily seems much less congested, her breathing is much better, when she has a nosebleed, it is brief and the secretions are much thinner, not the thick, sticky stuff. She isn't choking in the night, which she had been doing nightly since February!

It may be premature, Gary but...I am starting to get my hopes up that Lily may be around for quite a while! :-)

Best regards,
Cathy."

THE ONLY PRESCRIPTION MED SHE TAKES IS A LOW DOSE OF NALTREXONE TO BOOST THE IMMUNE SYSTEM WHILE ASLEEP. CANCER GROWS MOST AT NIGHT.
 READ ALL ARTICLES.  

ARTICLE 1 LOW DOSE NALTREXONE FOR  CANCER  

ARTICLE 2 - MORE ON LDN AND CANCER RESEARCH STUDIES
ARTICLE 3 - HOW TO GET YOUR VET TO PRESCRIBE LOW DOSE NALTREXONE

  YOU WILL NEED TO TALK YOUR VET INTO THIS ONE....  READ LINK AND PRINT OUT ALL 3 ARTICLES FOR VET.  They will not understand why this med is used in this manner at all unless you educate them. Gently...
 Lucy gets 2ml to 3ml (this is the most common dose no matter weight unless very small dog - human normal dosages start at 50mg/ml so this is, well, low dosing. This is all that is needed to boost immune system) of LDN Low Dose Naltrexone prescription from measured baby medicine dropper (shake bottle first) into the above nightly PM snack that I self compounded from 50mg standard Naltrexone tablets ground into 50ml of distilled water (hey cool - it turns 50mg into 50ml for easy dosing) with a few drops of colloidal silver as preservative and refrigerate. Pharmacy area will have bottles and droppers and pill grinder.                          
            

*Occasionally, during the first week's use of LDN, patients may have some difficulty sleeping. This rarely persists after the first week. Should it do so, dosage can be temporarily reduced.

More on Low Dose Naltrexone LDN and Cancer

Some leading experts believe that low-dose naltrexone (LDN) holds great promise for the treatment of millions of people suffering with autoimmune diseases, central nervous system disorders, and even cancer and HIV/AIDS.

It’s extremely low-cost, and appears to be virtually free of detrimental side effects.

So why haven’t you heard about this before?

What is Naltrexone?

Naltrexone (generic name) is a pharmacologically active opioid antagonist, conventionally used to treat drug- and alcohol addiction – normally at doses of 50mg to 300mg. As such, it’s been an FDA approved drug for over two decades.

However, researchers have found that at very low dosages (3 to 4.5 mg), naltrexone has immunomodulating properties that may be able to successfully treat cancer malignancies and a wide range of autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson’s,fibromyalgia, and Crohn’s disease, just to name a few.

At least one physician, Dr. Jacquelyn McCandless, has even found LDN to have a positive effect on children with autism.

Unfortunately, very few physicians are aware of LDN, and none of the pharmaceutical giants back it, meaning there are no friendly sales reps visiting your doctor talking about the potential benefits of this drug in very low doses.

And why would they?

At an average price of $15 to $40 for a month’s supply from your drugstore pharmacy (do not pay the vet outrageous markup fees. Just have him write you a script) , the income potential from LDN doesn’t even come off in the rounding. It’s completely insignificant.

How Does Low-Dose Naltrexone (LDN) Work for Autoimmune Diseases and Cancer?

A growing body of research over the past 20 years indicates that your body’s secretion of endorphins (your internal, natural opioids) play an important, if not central, role in the workings of your immune system.

A review article entitled Opioid Therapy for Chronic Pain, published in a 2003 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, states:

"Opioid-Induced Immune Modulation: .... Preclinical evidence indicates overwhelmingly that opioids alter the development, differentiation, and function of immune cells, and that both innate and adaptive systems are affected.

Bone marrow progenitor cells, macrophages, natural killer cells, immature thymocytes and T cells, and B cells are all involved.

The relatively recent identification of opioid-related receptors on immune cells makes it even more likely that opioids have direct effects on the immune system."

As explained on the informative website http://www.lowdosenaltrexone.org/, when you take LDN at bedtime -- which blocks your opioid receptors for a few hours in the middle of the night -- it is believed to up-regulate vital elements of your immune system by increasing your body’s production of metenkephalin and endorphins (your natural opioids), hence improving immune function.

In addition to increased endorphin production, Dr. Bernard Bihari (who first discovered LDN as a therapeutic agent for AIDS, in 1985), believes LDNs anti-cancer mechanism is likely due to an increase in:

• the number and density of opiate receptors on the tumor cell membranes, making them more responsive to the growth-inhibiting effects of the already present levels of endorphins, which in turn induces apoptosis (cell death) in the cancer cells
• the absolute numbers of circulating cytotoxic T cells and natural killer cells, as well as killer cell activity

Dr. Bihari has reportedly treated more than 450 cancer patients with LDN with promising results, including cancers of the bladder, breast, liver, lung, lymph nodes, colon, and rectum.

According to Dr. Bihari, nearly a quarter of his patients had at least a 75 percent reduction in tumor size, and nearly 60 percent of his patients demonstrated disease stability.

You will have to print these articles on Low Dose Naltrexone treatments and do Google research yourself to be able to convince your vet to write a prescription for this. They will not have heard of it and if they look it up just by drug name, they will be confused why you are wanting to give a old med used for treatment of drug addicts to a dog with cancer. The focus needs to be on "Low Dose Naltrexone for the treatment of Cancer" and such. This will be a tuff sell but if you can show them the research and talk smartly about this with conviction, you should be able to get them to write a prescription for 50mg pills that you that you can pick up at your drugstore. Just crush the 50mg pill using a pill crusher and put in 50ml of distilled water and shake before every use. Just give 2 or 3 ml at bed daily using a baby medicine dropper in a small snack. Did you know that vets by law (and dentists actually) can write a prescription for anything that may help a patient!  Geez, the dog has cancer, what can it hurt to give a very LOW dose of something to try.

THE ONLY PRESCRIPTION MED SHE TAKES IS A LOW DOSE OF NALTREXONE TO BOOST THE IMMUNE SYSTEM WHILE ASLEEP. CANCER GROWS MOST AT NIGHT.
 READ ALL ARTICLES.  

ARTICLE 1 LOW DOSE NALTREXONE FOR  CANCER  

ARTICLE 2 - MORE ON LDN AND CANCER RESEARCH STUDIES
ARTICLE 3 - HOW TO GET YOUR VET TO PRESCRIBE LOW DOSE NALTREXONE

  YOU WILL NEED TO TALK YOUR VET INTO THIS ONE....  READ LINK AND PRINT OUT ALL 3 ARTICLES FOR VET.  They will not understand why this med is used in this manner at all unless you educate them. Gently...
 Lucy gets 2ml to 3ml (this is the most common dose no matter weight unless very small dog - human normal dosages start at 50mg/ml so this is, well, low dosing. This is all that is needed to boost immune system) of LDN Low Dose Naltrexone prescription from measured baby medicine dropper (shake bottle first) into the above nightly PM snack that I self compounded from 50mg standard Naltrexone tablets ground into 50ml of distilled water (hey cool - it turns 50mg into 50ml for easy dosing) with a few drops of colloidal silver as preservative and refrigerate. Pharmacy area will have bottles and droppers and pill grinder.                          
            

*Occasionally, during the first week's use of LDN, patients may have some difficulty sleeping. This rarely persists after the first week. Should it do so, dosage can be temporarily reduced.

Artemisinin - Wormwood for Cancer

Artemisinin - Wormwood
The next effective treatment I researched and am using on Lucy is Artemisinin (Arte) which is an extract from the wormwood plant.  Artemisinin is used successfully to treat malaria throughout the world.  

Cancer cells have the highest concentration of iron in their cells because they need that iron to stimulate growth, get a good blood supply going and eventually kill the host!  Arte attacks cells with the highest concentration of iron much like the malaria parasite which also contains a lot of iron.

An article appearing in Life Sciences in 2001 by Drs. Singh and Lai at the University of Washington detailed the rapid and complete destruction of a radiation-resistant breast cancer cell line in vitro.  The destruction occurred within 8 hours and had little effect on normal cells. 

Artemisinin has two semi-synthetic derivatives: Artesunate and Artemether.  A paper published in Oncology in 2001 described the cytotoxic effects of Artesunate against a wide variety of cancers including melanomas, breast, ovarian, leukemia and colon cancers. The growth of all of these cancers was inhibited by 50%. 


DOSAGE: I give Lucy my 90 pound Lab with nasal cancer 200mg of Artemisinin Standardized Extract of Wormwood (the whole herb version makes her not want to eat it) 2-3 hours after dinner with her Budwig Diet Cottage Cheese and Flax Oil snack. It MUST be only given away from iron containing foods which would be your normal dog food and and at least 6-8 hours from anti-oxidents. So I put as much anti-oxidents in her morning meal as I can and most immune booster supplements in her PM meal. I buy from Swanson Vitamin the Artemisinin Standardized Extract of Wormwood (the whole herb version makes her not want to eat it) . She is still doing well many months post dx of canine adenocarcinoma nasal cancer.

Here is the 2nd part of the Artemisinin article


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Budwig Diet Plan for Dog Nasal Cancer or any cancer really

The Budwig Diet Plan and Cancer  

This protocol was created by Dr. Johanna Budwig, a bio-chemist, Nobel prize nominee and health practitioner who worked with patients in Germany between 1952 and 2002. During that time, people from all over the world who were suffering from various kinds of cancer, many of them terminal, met with this brilliant woman. She started them on her diet and general protocol and within three or four months, most regained their health.


Doctors who told cancer patients they had to have chemo, radiation or surgery, or told them nothing more could be done for them, giving them only weeks to live, retested them and declared them cancer-free, wrote Dr. Budwig. She claimed her success rate with cancer patients was over 90%.


Cancer epidemiologist John D. Potter of Seattle's Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center said, "We're discovering a plethora of bioactive substances in plant foods."..."These compounds seem to interact with every step in the cancer process, mostly slowing, stopping, or reversing them..." Yes, he said that the substances in plant foods can stop or reverse cancer.
One of the keys in the Budwig diet is consuming foods that offer nutrients that help cells absorb oxygen. Dr. Otto Warburg received the Nobel Prize in 1931 for discovering that when cells can no longer absorb oxygen, cancer can develop. Dr. Budwig built on that knowledge and was the first to develop a diet and protocol that restores cells to normal functioning.
At the heart of the Budwig diet is organic, cold pressed, liquid flax seed oil blended with cottage cheese or “quark.” Dr. Budwig discovered that when these two foods are blended together, the sulfurated protein components in the cheese, such as cysteine, bond with the oil, making it more water soluble and easier to digest and metabolize. Consequently, more of the essential fatty acids and electrons in the highly unsaturated flax seed oil reach the cells and have a healing effect on the cell membrane where carcinogens attach themselves. The membrane of each cell is made up of lipids. Flax seed oil can improve this important outer cell lining that is crucial to cell function and division.


Her plan eliminates damaging fats and foods from the diet and replaces them with healing foods and life-saving essential fatty acids. Along with diet, she emphasized the benefits of sunlight and stress reduction. Dr. Budwig had over a 90% success rate with this protocol with all kinds of cancer patients over a 50 year period.  She worked with humans but she herself recommended using the flax oil and cottage cheese for dogs with cancer.  Obviously, her overall diet plan of fresh fruits and veggies is intended for her human patients—our pets can stick with carb free, grain free diets, foods as close to organic as possible and the FLAX OIL/cottage cheese mix once a day.


A main component of the Budwig Protocol is flaxseed oil Dr. Budwig discovered that FLAX OIL supplies the omega-3 and omega-6 oils that are deficient in cancer patients so the cell membrane can aid normal cell replication and attract oxygen to the cell. EFAs are also converted by the body into prostaglandins which regulate kidney function, inflammation response, immune function, keep blood vessels elastic, regulate blood pressure, influence platelet stickiness and properly metabolize cholesterol. A dog’s body can only absorb a limited amount of oil so the instructions below are important for binding the oil to a sulfur protein to allow the resulting water-soluble oil to be absorbed in greater quantities.


Omega 3 fatty acids, soften the cell membranes allowing penetration of supplements and oxygen, making the inner cell less hospitable to cancer. The Budwig protocol should be used in conjunction with Artemisinin, Artemix, Avemar, Oleander, low dose naltrexone, or anything else you are using.  It enhances what you are doing by softening the outer cell membranes to allow penetration of the herbal chemotherapy. 


Purchase organic flax oil—Barleans is a good brand. Get this fresh from the natural foods section of your grocer or health food store. 


There's one really important thing to do with the FLAX OIL to make sure it's maximally absorbable by the body. You need to blend it really well with a high protein dairy product like low fat cottage cheese with pineapple so the oil becomes water soluble. I use a hand held, immersible blender and blend until it looks like cheese cake or cheese with no signs of oil rising to the top, sort of like a smoothie.  But I sometimes just use a fork to mix for a good long time, due to my laziness. And it seems to be working.


The ratio of FLAX OIL to cottage cheese is 1:2 (1 tablespoon of flax oil to 2 tablespoons of cottage cheese). For a large dog (100 pounds) with cancer, your goal is 6 tablespoons of FLAX OIL per day but you should work up to it to avoid causing diarrhea. Start with 3 tablespoons of FLAX OIL per day for a couple weeks then go to 4T for a week, then 5T for a week, then 6T.  For a 50 pound dog, cut the dose in half and for little dogs, cut that in half again.  For prevention, 1 tablespoon of FLAX OIL per 100 pounds should be helpful.

 Tell your vet you are doing this amount of fat, to keep a watch on too much weight gain plus be sure to add this amount of fat over time like it says above so your dogs pancreas doesn't get mad trying to digest these increased fats.  Lucy never got fat.


Cancer loves an acidic environment because it cannot survive in an alkaline environment. Sugar causes acidity, plus it feeds cancer so avoid all sugars.  A grain free diet is best.  Use a high protein diet of cooked foods like eggs and ground turkey and good dog food kibble. Throw some veggies and blueberries so help fill them up and give them more nutrition. Because the protein and fats are going up with anti cancer diets you need to feed kibble in a lower amount and raise the veggies to they don't beg for more for their tummy. Dogs are made for pure protein and medium fat. So people stop with the myths of too high protein. Just make sure they have plenty of fresh water. A discussion of these myths will be blogged later. 
*Unless your dog has diagnosed kidney issues by your vet, feed them what they were built for.  


You can give the Budwig mix as a treat—Lucy is getting this once a day for a snack. She loves it! All I know is I have been doing this for many months now past her biopsy and x-ray proven diagnosis and her symptoms are gone. I am doing other natural stuff like I talk about in this blog, so obviously this is not a perfect study example, but she gets no radiation or chemo and has now lived many months past normally given AND now without symptoms even.


A few vets claim it is not possible for dogs to convert flax seed oil into omega 3 while others make no such claim. They all state, however, that the jury is still out on the dog’s ability to utilize flax seed oil. But Budwig proved it can be absorbed and that it can help. YOU CAN SEE EVERYWHERE THAT THIS STUFF IS GOOD FOR DOGS BECAUSE DOG FOOD MAKERS ARE NOW PUTTING IT IN ALL THE BETTER DOG FOODS AND SUPPLEMENTS FOR DOGS.

Vitamin D and Dog Cancer

Vitamin D shrinks fibroid tumors in rats


NIH-funded study suggests possible treatment for common condition


Treatment with vitamin D reduced the size of uterine fibroids in laboratory rats predisposed to developing the benign tumors, reported researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health.


Uterine fibroids are the most common noncancerous tumors in women of childbearing age. Fibroids grow within and around the wall of the uterus. Thirty percent of women 25 to 44 years of age report fibroid-related symptoms, such as lower back pain, heavy vaginal bleeding or painful menstrual periods. Uterine fibroids also are associated with infertility and such pregnancy complications as miscarriage or preterm labor. Other than surgical removal of the uterus, there are few treatment options for women experiencing severe fibroid-related symptoms and about 200,000 U.S. women undergo the procedure each year. A recent analysis by NIH scientists estimated that the economic cost of fibroids to the United States, in terms of health care expenses and lost productivity, may exceed $34 billion a year.


Fibroids are three to four times more common in African-American women than in white women. Moreover, African-American women are roughly 10 times more likely to be deficient in vitamin D than are white women. In previous research, the study authors found that vitamin D inhibited the growth of human fibroid cells in laboratory cultures.


"The study results provide a promising new lead in the search for a non-surgical treatment for fibroids that doesn't affect fertility," said Louis De Paolo, Ph.D., chief of the Reproductive Sciences Branch of the NIH’s Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, which funded the study.


First author Sunil K. Halder, Ph.D., of Meharry Medical College in Nashville conducted the research with Meharry colleagues Chakradhari Sharan, Ph.D., and Ayman Al-Hendy, M.D., Ph.D., and with Kevin G. Osteen, Ph.D., of Vanderbilt University Medical Center, also in Nashville. The findings appeared online in the journal Biology of Reproduction.


For the current study, the researchers tested the vitamin D treatment on a strain of rats genetically predisposed to developing fibroid tumors. After examining the animals and confirming the presence of fibroids in 12 of them, the researchers divided the rats into two groups of six each: those that would receive vitamin D and those that would not.


In the first group, small pumps implanted under the skin delivered a continuous dose of vitamin D for three weeks. The researchers then examined the animals in both groups. Fibroids increased in size in the untreated rats, but, in the rats receiving vitamin D, the tumors had shrunk dramatically. On average, uterine fibroids in the group receiving vitamin D were 75 percent smaller than those in the untreated group.


The amount of vitamin D the rats received each day was equivalent to a human dose of roughly 1,400 international units. The recommended amount of vitamin D for teens and adults age 70 and under is 600 units daily, although up to 4,000 units is considered safe for children over age 9, adults, and for pregnant and breastfeeding females.


"Additional research is needed to confirm vitamin D as a potential treatment for women with uterine fibroids," said Dr. Al-Hendy. "But it is also an essential nutrient for the health of muscle, bone and the immune system, and it is important for everyone to receive an adequate amount of the vitamin."


Fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel and tuna are the best natural sources of the vitamin. Very few foods naturally contain vitamin D. Fortified milk and other fortified foods provide an additional source of the vitamin. Vitamin D is also produced when ultraviolet rays from sunlight strike the skin.


Vitamin D deficiency has been associated with increased risk of colon cancer in epidemiologic and prospective clinical studies. In vitro and in vivo studies demonstrated that 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol [1,25(OH)2D3] and its analogs inhibit colon cancer cell proliferation. Few studies have evaluated the effect of vitamin D deficiency on the development and growth of colon cancer. To assess the antiproliferative effects of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] and 1,25(OH)2D3 in vitro, we cultured MC-26 (a colon cancer cell line) in the presence of 25(OH)D3 and 1,25(OH)2D3 and performed [3H]thymidine incorporation. The proliferation of MC-26 was significantly inhibited by both 25(OH)D3 and 1,25(OH)2D3. To determine the effect of vitamin D deficiency on colon cancer proliferation, Balb/c mice were rendered vitamin D deficient by feeding them a vitamin D–deficient diet for 3 mo. A group of vitamin D–sufficient mice was given the same diet with supplemental vitamin D. The mice were injected with MC-26 colon cancer cells and the tumors were measured daily for 20 d. Vitamin D–sufficient mice had 40% smaller tumors than vitamin D–deficient mice. The tumors were evaluated for mRNA expression of the vitamin D receptor (VDR) and 25-hydroxvitamin D-1α-hydroxylase (1α-OHase) by quantitative RT-PCR. The expression of the mRNA for the VDR and the 1α-OHase was 37- and 6-fold higher, respectively, in the vitamin D–sufficient mice compared with the vitamin D–deficient mice. We conclude that vitamin D deficiency enhances the growth of colon cancer in mice. The tumor expression of VDR and 1α-OHase indicates possible autocrine/paracrine cell growth regulation by vitamin D.


As in herbivores and omnivores, the biosynthesis of vitamin D3 in the skin exposed to ultraviolet (uv) light is generally expected to also occur in the dog and the cat. The purpose of this in vitro study was to measure the concentrations of vitamin D3 and its precursor 7 dehydrocholesterol (7DHC) in dog and cat skin before and after a quantitatively and qualitatively standardized exposure to uv light. The results are compared to those obtained by the same method in the skin of the rat. The efficiency of extracting 7DHC and vitamin D3 from skin was 72 ± 8% and 67 ± 3%, respectively. In dog and cat skin the concentrations of nonesterified 7DHC were below the detection limit of the HPLC system. Therefore, skin extracts were saponified and total 7DHC and vitamin D3 concentrations were measured by normal-phase HPLC. Before irradiation with uv-B light the total concentrations of 7DHC were 1858 ± 183, 1958 ± 204, and 17,620 ± 2345 ng/cm2 skin (mean ± SEM; n = 5) for the dog, the cat, and the rat, respectively. The corresponding concentrations of vitamin D3 were 211 ± 44, 193 ± 18, and 161 ± 32 ng/cm2 skin for the dog, the cat, and the rat, respectively. Irradiation of standard solutions of 7DHC with 0.15 J uv-B light/min resulted in a time-dependent decrease in 7DHC and a concomitant increase in previtamin D3. After exposure of skin to a total of 2.25 J uv-B light no significant changes in concentrations in vitamin D3 were found in extracts of the skin of the dog and the cat, whereas a 40-fold increase in the vitamin D3 concentration occurred in the skin of the rat. It is concluded that in the skin of the dog and the cat only low concentrations of esterified 7DHC are present and that this 7DHC is also inadequately converted to vitamin D3. As shown previously there is no detectable increase in vitamin D3 in the dog exposed to uv irradiation in vivo. Therefore, these low 7DHC concentrations are not caused by high turnover of 7DHC but are due to restricted availability of this vitamin D3 precursor in the skin of the dog. Thus, the dog and the cat are, unlike herbivores and omnivores, not able to synthesize vitamin D3 adequately in the skin and are mainly dependent on its dietary intake, i.e., vitamin D3 is an essential vitamin for the dog and cat.


Vitamin D may help prevent certain cancers, and high doses may enhance chemotherapy, says Rodney Page, director of the Sprecher Institute for Comparative Cancer Research and the Program on Breast Cancer and Environmental Risk Factors, both in the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell.

That is why he and colleagues at the Sprecher Institute are collaborating with the Roswell Park Cancer Institute to study the role of vitamin D in cancer in several animal models.

"Vitamin D can affect regulation of many cellular processes associated with cancer development and therapy, including differentiation, proliferation and cell death," said Page.

Page and colleagues also are studying how vitamin D affects chemotherapy in dogs and cats. So far, they have determined that high doses can be safely given to dogs getting chemotherapy and that blood concentrations of vitamin D can be achieved to potentially improve cancer response. They are now planning a follow-up study to determine whether vitamin D improves the outcome in dogs with cancer.


From what I've read, here are foods containing vit D: Shitake mushrooms, herring, sardines, catfish, tuna, Sockeye salmon, eggs. Sunlight.


An acupuncture vet (a holistic one) said many holistic vets have been using Vitamin D injections for years on cancer dogs.


Vitamin D is a member of the fat-soluble class of vitamins, meaning that it is stored in the liver and fatty tissues of the body. The recommended minimum daily dose is 227 IU per pound of consumed dry dog food. This can be obtained through exposure to sunshine (converted into Vitamin D in the upper layers of the skin) and consumption of dairy products and fish liver oil and, of course, a good commercial dog food.
Vitamin D regulates the calcium:phosphorous balance in the body. It stimulates kidney retention of calcium and is vitally important to bone formation and nerve and muscle control.


"As a steroid hormone that regulates mineral homeostasis and bone metabolism, 1α, 25-dihydroxycholecalciferol also has broad spectrum anti-tumor activities as supported by numerous epidemiological and experimental studies. It potentiates the anti-tumor activities of multiple chemotherapeutics agents including DNA-damaging agents cisplatin, carboplatin and doxorubicin; antimetabolites 5-fluorouracil, cytarabine, hydroxyurea, cytarabine and gemcitabine; and microtubule-disturbing agents paclitaxel and docetaxel. Calcitriol elicits anti-tumor effects mainly through the induction of cancer cell apoptosis, cell cycle arrest, differentiation, angiogenesis and the inhibition of cell invasiveness by a number of mechanisms. It enhances the cytotoxic effects of gamma irradiation and certain antioxidants and naturally derived compounds. IT has been used in a number of clinical trials and it is important to note that sufficient dose and exposure to is critical to achieve anti-tumor effect. Several trials have demonstrated that safe and feasible to administer high doses through intermittent regimen."



"Efficacy of Vitamin D (Calcitriol) for Treatment of Canine Mast Cell Tumors." Dr. Kenneth Rassnick

Mast cell tumors are common skin tumors in dogs. There is a tremendous need to develop effective therapies for this cancer in dogs. Calcitriol is the active form of vitamin D, and the potential for calcitriol as an anti-cancer agent has been demonstrated in laboratory studies. Clinical trials of calcitriol in people with cancer are underway.

Dr. Rassnick and his colleagues have established a safe oral dosing regimen for calcitriol in dogs and have already observed regression of an advanced mast cell tumor in a dog treated with calcitriol. The objectives of this proposal are to investigate the anti-tumor activity of calcitriol against a canine mast cell tumor cell line. Additionally, they will conduct a clinical trial using oral calcitriol to treat dogs with naturally occurring mast cell tumors. They expect that the results of this research will show that calcitriol is an effective treatment for mast cell tumors in dogs. These results will significantly impact the management of dogs with mast cell tumors as they will lead to future use of calcitriol as a palliative and/or standard therapy in dogs with this disease.


VITAMIN D is also considered to be a hormone. It is not only found in food, but also sunlight. It helps with the metabolism of calcium and phosphorus in the body by increasing absorption of these in the intestines. A deficiency of this vitamin in puppies can result in rickets, stunted growth, delayed tooth development and bone deformities. The daily intake for a dog would be 100 IU or less for a small dog, 200 IU for a medium sized dog and 400 IU for a large dog. Food sources for this vitamin include fatty saltwater fish, fish liver oils and fortified dairy products. Sunlight also provides some vitamin D.




I give Lucy my 90# Lab with cancer about 2000IU in one of her meals on random days of the week. 

Dog Cancer Omega 3 Fish Oil

I give Lucy much more fat than anyone would think to give. She gets at least 8-10gram per day. 8 fish pills (4 at each meal) plus 1 tablespoon of Flax on Cottage Cheese which might be about 2grams.


Here some quotes around the web:

"Fish oil at 1000 mg per 20 lbs of dog each day is a recommended minimum dosage supplement for dogs with cancer"
"This is in addition to the Flax oil in the cottage cheese."


"Fats:
Not only do dogs have metabolism differences with carbohydrates, but they also
show abnormalities in lipid metabolism. These abnormalities contribute to
immune suppression. Malignant cells cannot use lipids for energy, so Dr. Ogilvie
suggests adding much more fat to a dogs diet, and in particular, the essential
fatty acid, Omega-3. He not only states that Omega-3 fatty acids will help a dog
with energy, but can actually help stop tumor growth.
Foods rich in Omega-3 include Flaxseed Oil, salmon and other cold water fishes.
He does suggest to limit the amount of Omega-6 fatty acids, as it has proven in
his tests that these oils can cause cancer to grow faster. Those oils would
include GLA's, or primrose oils, borage oil and black current oil."

"Many vets will recommend Hill’s n/d for cancer patients because it is clinically proven to improve outcomes, although the clinical results are only confirmed for lymphoma, nasal and oral tumors. Hill’s n/d is a prescription diet available through any veterinarian. It has what is thought to be an optimal ratio of proteins (37%), carbs (21%) and fats (32%) as well as additional Omega 3 Fatty Acids in the form of fish oil (min 7%) and an amino acid called Arginine (3%).( I GIVE 900mg of that)

There are some drawbacks to Hill’s n/d though, that lead many pet guardians to choose other options. First, it is a relatively expensive diet, especially for larger breeds. Secondly, it only comes in canned formula because of its high fat content. As a result, some picky eaters may not like the taste of it if they have been raised on kibble all their lives. Third, and most importantly to those who wish to feed their dog as naturally as possible, the quality of the ingredients in n/d are not ideal, as animal by-products are used to produce this food. "


A Vet blog:
"If your loved dog has a cancer at this time, you want to get as much omega 3 in him or her as possible. Start slowly and work your way up to large amounts over about 2 weeks to avoid an upset stomach. Give with food. For a dog about 60 lbs, you want about 18 grams of good quality fish oil containing omega 3′s. This usually means about 15-20 of the typical capsules daily, which is a large amount! For double strength caps, halve the dose. Adjust up or down for the size of your dog. The capsules can be popped and the oil mixed in food if your dog resists eating the capsules by themselves. Watch for digestive upset (vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite), and if so, stop and then later start with lower doses increased more slowly.
If your loved dog is not diagnosed with cancer and is on typical commercial food, I would have you begin an omega 3 fatty acid supplement at lower doses than those dogs with cancer. For a 60 lb dog, my opinion is a standard supplemental dose of roughly 4-6 grams of omega 3-containing capsules daily. Remember to start with low doses than work up over 2 weeks. "

Lucy Nasal Cancer Status Update

Well, it's 28 days and counting to the 1 year anniversary of Lucy's nasal cancer biopsy lab double tested and vet and scan diagnosed Canine Adenocarcinoma nasal cancer positive result. 



She was given 4-6 months. She had all the symptoms too. Man, the blood, the snot, the teary eye, the infections. This cancer was a horror show.


Guess what? At this point, still no sign of cancer anymore, no symptoms at all. Since the end of July of 2011 she has went into and stayed in remission doing all stuff I post on here and am still doing.


Ok, keep fingers crossed. 


Keep researching, keep making that poor dog take endless pills and herbs. But she doesn't seem to mind them that much. She's not fussy. Man that helps.


THANKS TO ALL THE HIGHER POWERS AND TO ALL THE POSTED RESEARCH OF EVERYONE ON THE WEB! THANKS TO ALL WHO MAKE DISCUSSION GROUPS AND WEBSITES DEDICATED TO DOG CANCER!
THANKS TO RESEARCH AT UNIVERSITIES, THANKS TO HOLISTIC VETS, THANKS TO 4000 YEARS OF CHINESE AND INDIAN AYURVEDIC HERBAL USE.  THANKS TO SUPPLEMENT RESEARCH. THANKS TO MEDICAL RESEARCH. 


EVERYONE - USE E: ALL OF THE ABOVE!