See you tomorrow!

Date: Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Time: 3:00pm PST (4:00 MT, 6:00 Eastern)
Duration: 30 min.
Call In Number: (310) 388-9739*

Tune In Here: Metronomic Chemotherapy for Canine Cancer
Share Link: bit.ly/ttr020812

*You do not need to call to hear the show. Listen live here and join us in the chat room or call (310) 388-9739 with your questions. If you can’t listen live, a podcast will be available after the broadcast.

Learn How to Fight Dog Cancer with Metronomic Chemotherapy

Dr. Biller’s research primarily focuses on the interactions between the anti-tumor immune response and metronomic chemotherapy. One of her most recent studies was for the  Morris Animal Foundation (MAF) during which she evaluated metronomic chemotherapy treatment on dogs with soft-tissue sarcomas.

For this study, Dr. Biller wanted to learn more specifics on how to treat dogs using metronomic chemotherapy protocols. She says:

“Even though veterinarians have been using metronomic chemotherapy on patients, we have been guessing on important factors like what drugs we should use, what dose is needed and at what intervals we should treat the patient. We hope to determine some of those factors.”

Join us in the Tripawds Live Chat during the show! We will be taking your calls and questions for Dr. Biller.

Recommended Reading:

Tripawds News Blog: A Look at Colorado State University’s Animal Cancer Center

Tripawds News Blog: Morris Animal Foundation Studies Metronomic Chemotherapy

Tripawds Discussion Forums: Tips and Resources: Jerry’s Metronomic Chemotherapy Experience

DISCLAIMER: Information provided at Tripawd Talk Radio and Tripawds.com is not a substitute for medical care by a qualified veterinary professional. Always seek the advice of a licensed veterinarian prior to making any medical decisions about your dog’s health. Tripawds.com is not responsible or liable, for any damages resulting from the use (or misuse) of information contained in or implied herein.

Metronomics has been around for years, but is finally gaining acceptance by veterinarians as groups like Morris Animal Foundation release studies showing how metronomics can help dogs with soft tissue scarcomas. In their 2010 study, Morris researchers:

” . . . studied whether metronomic dosing of the drug cyclophosphamide is safe and effective in treating dogs with soft-tissue sarcomas. Thirteen dogs were enrolled in the study and all but two (which experienced tumor growth and were removed to pursue other treatment options) successfully completed the treatment protocol. They identified the dosage of cyclophosphamide that resulted in a significant decrease in the number of small blood vessels within tumors, which suggests that this approach slows tumor growth by decreasing blood supply to tumors.

Because metronomic chemotherapy is associated with a far smaller incidence of side effects compared with conventional chemotherapy, is easier to administer and is less expensive, it is a very attractive treatment option for owners of dogs with cancer.”      (see Morris Animal Foundation’s report)

Metronnomics Explained

Tripawds favorite veterinarian, Dr. Pam Wiltzius, shared her knowledge about metronomics in this Discussion Forum post:

It is only recently that oncologists have started using it as part of metronomic chemotherapy.  The main side effects are on the GI tract although some dogs can have low white cell counts but this should be unlikely at low doses.

I just finished researching metronomics for Sammy and here is what I found.  Most oncologists prefer meloxicam (Metacam) as the NSAID due to it’s wide safety range but a few still prefer piroxicam. There are 5 different chemo drugs that are being tried but the only one with research behind it (so far) for this use is Cytoxan (cyclophosphamide).

The main side effect is on the bladder with some dogs getting infections and some getting sterile hemorrhagic cystitis (bleeding and pain without infection).  This is rare and usually reversible by stopping the drug. Some oncologists give a low daily dose of a diuretic (Lasix) to try and prevent this but most don’t since diuretics can affect the kidneys. My holistic vet recommends cranberry capsules as a way to prevent a UTI. . .

The other drugs used are Palladia (main limitation is cost), CCNU (possible side effects on liver so not good for your dog), Leukeran (chlorambucil), and Alkeran (melphalan).  The latter two are safe but not much info yet on efficacy but there are oncologists trying these.

Metronomics are so new that no one is sure yet what is the best protocol.  Some dogs might do well on 1 drug and others may not. It is hard to evaluate results since some dogs live a long time with amputation alone and no chemo so are these drugs really doing anything? I think it is worth a try!

When I was on metronomics in 2008, it was still a new practice that many veterinarians hadn’t heard about. We’re glad to see it catching on, thanks to funding from groups like Morris and practitioners like Dr. Wiltzius who are enthusiastically exploring this protocol for their canine bone cancer patients.

Are you on metronomic chemotherapy? Or were you? If so, what was your experience?

Recommended Reading:

Tripawds Discussion Forums: Tips and Resources: Metronomic Therapy for Canine Osteosarcoma Metastasis: Jerry’s Experience

Tripawds News Blog: Dr. Rosenberg’s Thoughts on Metronomics and Supplements

Tripawds Downloads Blog: Metronomic Protocol: A Primer for Pawrents

Dr. Dressler’s Dog Cancer Blog: Low Dose Chemotherapy and Cancer

Two members on opposite sides of the U.S. also share our fondness for Morris, and will show their love by walking in Morris’ Cure Canine Cancer Campaign’s upcoming K9 Cancer Walks in Knoxville, Tennessee and Los Gatos in Northern California.

As the oldest animal health research and advocacy group in the world, Morris’ Cure Canine Cancer Campaign is making amazing progress to prevent, treat and, ultimately, cure canine cancer.

Hop with ET Gayle in Knoxville, Tennessee

Tripawd member and bone cancer survivor extraordinaire ET Gayle and sister Charon are walking on Sunday, September 18 at Concord Park in Knoxville. Wooo hoo!

This dynamic duo is just $330 shy of meeting their fundraising goal of $1,000! Help them get there today.

Walk with this pawesome team in pawson or give any amount to help Morris continue making their remarkable strides in finding the causes and cures for canine cancers.

Join Tripawd Chloe in Los Gatos, California on October 9

One year bone cancer survivor (and counting!)  Tripawd girldog Chloe will hop with her momma Nicole on Sunday, October 9 in Los Gatos.

They are currently looking for teammates, especially so they can get a new Team Tripawds t-shirt made, so join the discussion forum topic about the Los Gatos walk and let ‘em know you’ll be there!

Let’s give a big SHOUT OUT to these pawsome members who are going the extra mile to raise money for Morris Animal Foundation’s Cure Canine Cancer Campaign!

Won’t you join them?

You helped us raise a whopping $650 for the Morris Animal Foundation’s Cure Canine Cancer Walk in Elk Grove, CA.

Collectively the walk raised nearly $60,000 to help Morris continue their impawtant work to help end this terrible disease.

Your belief in Morris’ Cure Canine Cancer Campaign propelled our amazing team onto a list of the Top 10 fundraisers!

We’re hoppy to report that this is the second time we’ve made it into their top 10 list for a Cure Canine Cancer Walk.

If you were there, we’d love to see more pictures. Please post them in this Discussion Forum topic.

Many thanks to everyone on our team, together we are making a difference!

Shout outs to the 2011 Team Tripawds crew: Neil & Margaret Riley, Diane & John Hollenbeck, Andrew Rockriver, James Starr, Lelise Pierce, Brad Burkholder, Tina Wong, Mary James, Gina Van Klompenberg, Christian Powers, Julie Horenstein, Anna Holmes, Seanne Moulton, Catherine Murray, Karen Riley and Erin Schultz.

Walk with us!

Whether you walk in pawson or in spirit from the comfort of your home, you can rest assured knowing that the hard-earned money you gave to the  Cure Canine Cancer Walk will go toward funding the work of oldest and most respected animal health research organizations in the world, the Morris Animal Foundation.

Our goal is to raise $500 and we’re almost there. We just need $155 to reach it!

Learn why we support Morris Animal Foundation. We’re sure you’ll agree that they’re pawesome.

Show Your Team Pride

And remember, there’s a whole new line of Team Tripawds gear to wear on the big day!

Join Team Tripawds today!

Join us on Saturday, May 7, 2011

Funds raised at the Cure Canine Cancer Walks go toward funding the work of oldest and most respected animal health research organizations in the world, the Morris Animal Foundation.

We’ve got three team members now and we would love to have more members walk with us. Our goal is to raise $500 and we’re not there yet, so sign up today.

Why We Support Morris

We wholeheartedly support Morris Animal Foundation because of the huge impact their Cure Canine Cancer Campaign has had on the lives of our beloved dogs.

Since 1948, Morris has funded over 148 succesful canine cancer studies, such as;

• Research that showed how bone cancer spreads
• Ways to custom tailor chemotherapy
• How chemo resistant cancer cells behave

The Morris Canine Cancer Walks help raise money so Morris can continue these breakthrough discoveries.

Join us in Elk Grove, or at Home in Your PJs!

This walk will take place in Elk Grove, near Sacramento. Anybody is welcome to join our team on-site, but remember you can also walk virtually from the comfort of your own home.

The walks are always so much fun! For our last team effort, Nicole, Chloe’s Mom, designed this fantastic shirt for everyone.

Team Tripawds has participated in every walk since they began a couple of years ago, and we would sincerely appreciate any kind of support you can give toward this effort.

Let’s make this year’s Northern California walk bigger and better than ever so we can reach our goal of curing canine cancer for good!

Join Team Tripawds today!

Join the forum discussion on this topic.

One of the reasons we wholeheartedly support Morris Animal Foundation and encourage people to participate in their Canine Cancer Campaign Walks is to enable Morris studies like the MADGiC Project (Making Advanced Discoveries in Golden Cancers).

This three-year, $1 million dollar study is is part of Morris’ Canine Cancer Campaign, a worldwide effort to prevent, treat and cure this disease in dogs.

Morris has selected Goldens for this study because as one of the most popular breeds in America, Goldens also have a 60 percent chance of being diagnosed with cancer. Hemangiosarcoma and lymphoma account for more than 30 percent of deaths in Goldens. The relationship between Goldens’ genetic traits and their susceptibility to cancer is still unknown.

Eventually, Morris says that “the results of this study will be of interest to all dog owners because these cancers affect every breed and cause the deaths of tens of thousands of dogs each year.”

The study is being led by world-renowned cancer researchers Dr. Jaime Modiano, from the University of Minnesota, Dr. Matthew Breen at North Carolina State University and Dr. Kerstin Lindblad-Toh at the Broad Institute of MIT and Uppsala University, Sweden. Together they will “investigate mutations that are involved in risk and progression of hemangiosarcoma and lymphoma.”

Morris encourages owners of Goldens diagnosed with lymphoma or hemangiosarcoma to participate in this research by working with their veterinarian to donate a small tumor and/or blood sample. Additionally, blood samples from healthy Goldens over 12 years of age are also needed.

For more information, visit www.breenlab.org, www.modianolab.org and www.dogdna.org, or contact Rhonda Hovan at rhondahovan@aol.com or 330.668.0044.

It was a beautiful, sunny afternoon in Northern California, and Team Tripawds members in attendance report that a good time was had by all.

Even Angel Max’s family walked with us in spirit in their neighborhood in Washington, sporting their Tripawd Chloe t-shirts imprinted with our cancer heroes’ names on back. What an honor.

Chloe’s Mom Nicole was busy taking movies and photos of the big day, you can see her full report here at Chloe’s blog.

Morris Animal Foundation reports that their original walk goal of $40,000 was not only exceeded, but doubled! As of today, the total raised was $80,000 and counting! Wow!

We are honored that everyone took time out of their weekend to walk in support of our Tripawd heroes, and all those who have been affected by canine cancer.  Morris is a brilliant organization who’s doing an incredible job in helping us get closer to a cure for canine cancer.

Some day, this disease will be eradicated, thanks to your help.

We’ve had a bunch of teammates sign up this week, some who aren’t even in California. Thank you to everypawdy who’s walking with us in pawson and virtually at home, this is one of the biggest Team Tripawds ever!

Because of you, Team Triapwds has raised $870 so far!

Thank you so very much, the generosity of this community is incredible. If you haven’t signed up yet and you’re able to help out the Morris Canine Cancer Campaign, it’s not too late. Sign up with Team Tripawds here, and join us this weekend:

The Morris Animal Foundation’s Cure Canine Cancer Walk

Los Gatos, California

9:00 a.m.—Registration/Check-in/Vendors open
10:00 a.m.—K9 Cancer Walk
Long Walk: 2 miles
Short Walk: .25 miles
11:00 a.m.—Speakers’ Presentation

Speakers
Dr. Liz Devitt, Ark Animal Hospital
Dr. Michael Kiselow, Veterinary Medical Specialists
Dr. Michael Kent, University of California–Davis School of Veterinary Medicine

Location
Vasona Lake Park
333 Blossom Hill Road
Los Gatos, CA 95032
The K9 Cancer Walk is dog and family friendly

There is a $6.00 park entrance fee.

See you there!

Since 1948, Morris has funded more than 148 succesful canine cancer studies, such as;

• Research that showed how bone cancer spreads
• Ways to custom tailor chemotherapy
• How chemo resistant cancer cells behave

The Canine Cancer walks help raise money so Morris can continue these breakthrough discoveries.

Chloe’s Mom made a custom Tripawd Chloe T-shirt to wear during the walk, and offered to include the names of Tripawd heroes past and present on the back. She is now up to 60 names and has room for more, so be sure to contact her if you want your cancer hero’s name on it.

And whether or not you’re walking in Los Gatos, you can walk with Team Tripawds in spirit, by ordering your own Team Tripawds shirt. Chloe’s very special “Inspawration Comes Standard” Tripawds Tribute T-shirt is now available in the Tripawds Gift Shop.

We hope you’ll join us on Sunday, October 10. Walk with us in pawson, or in spirit, by supporting Team Tripawds Cancer Walk Goal and our ongoing efforts to assist the Morris Animal Foundation, today!