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.

What a joy to hear he’s still doing great!.

Greetings from Eisen

“Well, friends, a few weeks ago, I turned 13. As I understand it, that’s pretty old for my “breed” (whatever that word means!). Since Mama tells me several times a day how handsome I am, I’m guessing that “handsome” is my “breed”!

My dinner that night was pretty extra great, I got my favorite “cheat” snack: a full Quarter pounder with cheese (without the yucky human fixin’s on it: just meat, cheese, bun!)! Oh boy, just thinking about it now makes my mouth drool that good kinda drool that goes from my lips all the way down to the floor in one solid stream! YUM!

I might have to give Mama ‘the look’ to see if she will go get me one tonight. hmmmmm…

For those of you keeping count, I am now over 4 years post cancer. Mama credits it to the grace of God, the power of prayer, my own strength of spirit (after all, my name means “iron” in German!), and of course the natural remedies that I have taken since the beginning of my journey as a tripawd.

It’s getting a bit tough in the “being 13 department.” My body is feeling the age and my muscles have gotten kinda wimpy which makes it hard for me to get up and down and all around, if you know what I mean.

But, I’m a blessed guy. I have a Mama who helps me with all that, doesn’t complain (too much) when I have to expel some stuff in the house (again, if you know what I mean) and she has to clean it up, and she brings me water when I’m too tired to get up to get it. Yes, sometimes I do milk that one. It’s cool having a human hand-servant!

My girlfriend Daphne is as gorgeous and loving as ever and I have a new little buddy named Gracie. She’s a small tortoise shell colored cat who looks like she is still a kitten, and she is funny! For some reason, she likes chewing and rolling on my feet.

Mama tells me that we remind her of some Warner Bros cartoon characters (huh?) named Marc Anthony and Pussyfoot/Cleo. Let me tell you: Gracie is a great napping buddy.

Sometimes I forget how small she is and how big I am and I just flop my whole head across her warm soft belly like she is my personal pillow. Gracie doesn’t like that too much, but she doesn’t hold it against me.

Time for me to grab some shut eye. Gotta grab some beauty sleep to hold true to my ‘breed.’

Blessings my friends,

Eisen

Learn More About Eisen’s Amazing Life

Tripawd Talk Radio: Listen to Eisen’s Momma StacyDiscuss His Holistic Cancer Care

Birthday Boy Eisen Beats the Bone Cancer Odds

2 Years and More, Eisen Fights Bone Cancer with Homeopathy

Happy Ampuversary to Eisen and Calpurnia

Jerry and Eisen Have a Six-Legged Play Date

Eisen Update

Eisen Seeks Pre-Amputation Advice

Join the forum discussion on this topic.

Prednisone is the topic of many conversations here at Tripawds, since lots of our members with cancer, like Ajax, are including it in their cancer regimen.

Because, prednisone is a serious drug that can have mild to serious side effects, let’s take a minute to discuss how you can make the most of this therapy without putting your Tripawd at risk.

What is Prednisone?

This steroid drug, usually prescribed in pill form, is used to reduce inflammation, redness and swelling in the body caused by auto-immune disorders, cancers and other diseases affecting the immune system. Prednisone is not a chemotherapy drug, but is used in conjunction with chemotherapy protocols to treat dog cancers such as mast cell cancer, lymphosarcoma and lymphoma. The dosage will vary depending on the disease being treated.

Prednisone works fast by decreasing the immune system’s response to inflammation and pain. It affects nearly every system in the body and should be used with extreme care, only when necessary and rarely for long-term use.

When to Take Prednisone

Recently Dr. Demian Dressler, author of the Dog Cancer Survival Guide, stated in this blog post that veterinary overuse of prednisone has given this class of cortisone drugs a bad rap. Many diseases can be better managed with less serious drugs, but some vets are too quick to reach for this fast-fix. Consequently, a significant number of dogs experience prednisone’s serious side effects when they really don’t need to.

While prednisone can cause serious side effects such as poor wound healing, thinning fur and skin and even diabetes or Cushing’s Disease, prednisone does provide many benefits, such as managing cancer’s side effects in dogs. However, prednisone should always be used with caution and only under direct veterinary supervision.

To reduce your dog’s risk of experiencing the downside of prednisone, always get a firm diagnosis of the condition you are trying to treat and ask your vet to give you a definite time-frame for starting and stopping treatment. You’ll also want to use the least potent form possible to alleviate symptoms.

What to Expect

Many dogs will experience insatiable thirst and frequent urination while taking prednisone. Since your dog will want to drink more water than usual, and in turn, urinate more often, give your dog the prednisone in the morning. Allow as much water as your dog wants, but adjust your schedule so that your dog can eliminate outside. To avoid nighttime indoor accidents, don’t hesitate to remove water a few hours before bedtime.

Your dog may be hungrier than usual. Keep your dog’s weight in check by only feeding healthy, low-cal treats such as green beans and celery inbetween meal times. Baby-proof your house; your dog may eat weird things that he normally wouldn’t.

A rarer but more serious side effect can include stomach ulcers and personality changes. Do not give your dog predinisone if she is also on an anti-inflammatory medication such as Rimadyl or aspirin. Watch for black tarry stools or vomiting, which can be signs of stomach ulceration. If you notice a severe personality change in your dog, call your vet.

The sooner your dog can complete treatment with prednisone the better, but never, ever change or stop the prednisone dose without consulting your vet first. Doing so may put your dog’s immune system into shock. For dogs battling cancer, your vet may want to keep your dog on a long-term, low dose regimen which usually requires regular monitoring.

Jerry’s Prednisone Story: Share Yours Too

Back when I was being treated for later stages of my osteosarcoma lung metastasis, my oncologist prescribed prednisone and albuterol, a  bronchodilator, to help alleviate lung inflammation. I was coughing so much that my lungs hurt, and the predinsone was supposed to help make me feel better. Well, it did and it didn’t. It made me hungry again and I also stopped coughing so much, but at the same time my pawsonality changed so much that I just didn’t feel like the same dog. I didn’t continue on this therapy once my pawrents and I decided that we wanted to live out the last bit of my time on earth without experiencing side effects from drugs.

If you have experience using prednisone as part of your dog’s cancer regimen, please share it in the comments section below or in this Discussion Forums post. Thanks for sharing your story so that it may help others.

Recommended Reading

Dr. Demian Dressler: Prednisone for Dog Cancer
Veterinary Partner.com: Prednisone / Prednisolone
The Bichon Frise Club of America: Prednisone, the Good and the Bad
Tripawds News Blog: Stop the Presses, I’m Feeling Good Today!
Tripawds News Blog: Saying Goodbye: How We Knew (Part 1)

NOTE: Please remember to buy from a Vet-Vipps Accredited Pharmacy when buying online!

Radiographs will typically show if the cancer has metastasized to the lungs. If it has, amputation is discouraged due to the poor prognosis of this condition.

While x-rays are standard protocol, they are imperfect. As Dr. Hady says in this Tripawds blog post, radiographs can only pick up lesions larger than 3 mm.

Another problem with radiographs is that it may be hard to distinguish between a lung met and an alveoil. With X-rays, a tumor can only be seen from a few angles. If possible, always choose a vet who uses digital x-rays over film, which will show more detail.

Vets tell us that even if lung metastasis isn’t seen on x-rays, it’s there, but in microscopic size (known as micrometastasis). Still, if mets are invisible on x-rays, amputation and chemotherapy is usually encouraged because it’s assumed that even with micrometastasis, our dogs have a fighting chance at beating the odds.

What if CT Scans are an Option?

If you want a more accurate picture of what’s happening in your dog’s lungs, you may want to consider a CT scan before amputation. CT scans are more expensive than radiographs, but they’re best at detecting small abnormalities, such as metastatic cancer in the lungs. CT scans require general anesthesia and sometimes contrasting agents must be injected into the body to enhance the images.

We bring this to your attention because recently, Tripawds member Zeus posted in his blog about what happened when his pawrents opted for a CT scan instead of radiographs.

If you are in the early stages of diagnosing bone cancer and considering amputation for your dog, we advise you to read Zeus’ post about what happened when the CT scan results came back, and his pawrents had to decide whether or not to proceed with treatment anyways.

Here’s an excerpt from his blog post,  “Zeuspod: The Story Begins”

” . . . A few days later the vet called with the devastating news that the radiologist reported a lesion on a lung and a lesion on the liver.  Without further biopsies, the lesions could not be confirmed as cancer, but it is likely cancer.  Obviously, this led us down the road of thinking “the mets are visible so chemo will likely not help.”

We thought we were part of the unlucky bunch that would only have, according to the statistics, three or four months (or less) with our baby.  Additionally, we couldn’t leave the leg on due to the immense pain and the risk of it breaking just during walking and causing even more excruciating pain.

Was it fair to Zeus to remove the leg and go through the pain and recovery when he would only just recover before succumbing to the cancer?  I will admit that euthanasia was on our minds. Then something occurred to us. . . “

continue reading Zeus’ story here

We hope this will help you as you decide the best option option for your pup and your pack. Always keep in mind that there are no “right” decisions, just the one that works best for all of you. And whether or not you choose to amputate, we are here to help any way we can. Since we’re not vets, if there is any information here that you want to add to or clarify, please don’t hesitate to do so in the comments below. Thanks!

Recommended Reading:

ZeusPod: the Story Begins
Tripawds News Blog: Dr. Hady Demystifies MRIs and CT Scans
Dr. Dressler’s Dog Cancer Blog: Can a Dog Cancer Diagnosis Be Wrong?
Dr. Dressler’s Revised Dog Cancer Guide

Join the forum discussion on this topic.

When I was on my cancer journey, my doctor told us about “The Penny Jar” method, which can help pawrents measure quality of life as cancer progresses.

Spirit Bo’s folks also knew about this easy way to keep track of good and bad days. His mom Meghan generously provided the following description:

The Penny Jar Method: How to Measure a Dog’s Quality of Life
by Meghan Howell

“During the canine cancer journey, “bad” days are likely to arise. Sometimes the bad days are so overwhelming, we may overlook the many good days that our companions are having.

An effective way of assessing your canine pal’s quality of life is called the Penny Jar method.

To use this method, you will need two jars/cups and pennies. One jar is for good days and the other is for bad days.

It is important to establish a rubric, or standards, as to what constitutes a good or bad day. You can write out your rubric or keep a mental note of it, and it should be tailored to your dog’s specific issues.

For example, the most important issues that you may keep track of could be

• appetite
• mobility
• breathing

Of course, each dog is different and will have his/her own set of standards to track.

After establishing the issues that you want to monitor, you will need to decide to what degree or how many of the variables will need to be abnormal to count it as a bad day. For instance, if two of the issues are off that day, you may want to count it as a bad day.

It’s important to remember that it is your dog’s health and days that you are assessing, not your own. A bad day at work should not equate to a bad day for your Tripawd.

Be sure to make the Penny Jar part of your daily routine so you do not miss a day. Sometimes, the good days are smooth rides and we may not think about the Penny Jar until a bad day hits.

Always add pennies daily in order to get an accurate assessment of your dog’s quality of life.

Be Consistent; there are No Wrong Decisions

The Penny Jar method can be used as a tool to aid you in the decision to set your dog free. You will need to determine at what point your dog no longer has a good quality of life.

At first glance, you may think that when the bad day jar has more pennies than the good day, it will be time.

However, some may decide that after multiple, consecutive bad days the time will be right.

When using the Penny Jar method, it is important to be consistent. There are no wrong decisions as long as you are honest with yourself and your Tripawd!”

Many thanks to Meghan for sharing this important tip with our community. If you would like to share tips from your own Tripawd journey, contact us here.

Recommended Reading:

• Bo’s Story, a Tripawds Dog Blog
• So Easy to Love, So Hard to Heal, by Laurie Kaplan
• The Quality of Life Scale for Pet Pawrents
• The Legacy of Beezer and Boomer
• “Pet Loss Articles and Books Resource” by Christine Davis
• Land of Pure Gold Foundation’s Vet Hospice Care page (scroll down about halfway).

Join Team Captain Rio for a fun afternoon of celebrating our heroic Tripawds and quadpawds, honoring our angel dogs and banding together to help find a cure to end canine cancer. All proceeds go to the 2 Million Dogs organization which is committed to discovering the common links between canine and human cancers and the causes of these cancers through comparative oncology research.

We hope you can be there but if you can’t, please consider making a gift of any amount through the 2 Million Dogs Team Tripawds web page. Or, look for a walk near you and start your own Team Tripawds!

If you’re walking, be sure to show your Tripawd Pride by wearing your Team Tripawds shirt, available in our Tripawds Gift Shop!

The Van Andel Institute, a biomedical research facility based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is seeking small blood samples of Great Pyrenees dogs with osteosarcoma for their  Canine Hereditary Cancer Consortium.

It’s so easy to make a difference!

Dr. Roe Froman, DVM and Senior Veterinary Research Scientist at Van Andel explains:

“If owners prefer not to take their dog in to have a blood draw (at their vet’s office), we can also send them a salivary DNA collection kit.  The kits are very easy to use, owners can do them at home, and include prepaid return mailers.”

Your Tripawd Can Help Fight Canine Cancer

Known as the CHCC, this team  is utilizing Van Andel’s newest genetic resources and technologies to screen, test, diagnose and treat hereditary canine cancers, which will eventually help them gain insight into the ways that specific cancers affect both dogs and people. Researchers are currently studying five types of cancers that affect both dogs and people:

1. Osteosarcoma
2. Hemangiosarcoma
3. Lymphoma
4. Malignant histiocytosis
5. Melanoma (oral or digital)

Blood samples from other dogs affected by cancer are also wanted. Dr. Froman says “We are requesting samples from owners and veterinarians from affected dogs.  We can use both fresh (NOT formalinized) tumor samples, as well as blood samples.  The tumor cells are grown in the lab, and they are extremely useful for studying the biochemical pathways of the cancers, as well as the underlying DNA of the tumors.

In the case of the osteosarcoma dogs, a blood sample from a dog whose already undergone amputation (again, with a confirmed histo diagnosis), would be very useful.”

For more information about how your Tripawd can participate in this important project, please visit the Van Andel Institute’s Canine Hereditary Cancer Consortium website.

Can holistic treatments fight cancer in dogs?

Dr. Chretin is an advocate of holistic treatments and doesn’t discourage pawrents from pursuing this type of care, as long as pawrents are talking to a qualified practitioner and remain aware that holistic care cannot replace what western medicine does.

“Any good holistic practitioner is going to tell an owner what they can offer, not replace what western medicine does.”

Holistic care is not going to replace chemotherapy, or surgery, and if pawrents are talking to a practitioner who says their methods can replace these things, go somewhere else.

But for any pawrent who asks about combining holistic care with western medicine, Dr. Chretin says “I tell them ‘absolutely!’ Odds are you’re not going to hurt (the dog) and if they’re willing, I say more power to you!”

 At VCA Animal Hospital West L.A., Dr. Chretin works in conjunction with on-site holistic practitioners who treat his patients, which keeps the lines of communication open so both doctors know exactly how a patient is being treated. About 30 percent of Dr. Chretin’s patients are also being treated with holistic medicine.

 The jury is still out as to whether or not holistic care actually improves quality of life and fights cancer, but Dr. Chretin says “I think it’s a matter of time before we have a landslide of studies that say “yeah, that is the way to go. It’s not going to be across the board . . . I don’t know where it’s going to take off to, but there is something to it.”

Watch Dr. Chretin Discuss His View on Holistic Therapy

Click here to view the embedded video.

Dr. Chretin has treated enough cases (like Reno, in the following video) to know that sometimes holistic care can make a difference, although nobody knows for sure. Still, he cautions pawrents to keep in mind that in his experience, probably less than half the holistic treatments available can actually do something for dogs with cancer.

 Dr. Chretin’s Team Helps Reno Beat the Odds

One of Dr. Chretin’s many long-term success stories is Reno, a three-year survivor of osteosarcoma who’s lived with lung mets for the last two years.

Earlier this year, Reno told us about his experience with chemotherapy, metronomic protocol and mushroom therapy.

In the following video, his dad explains what the family went through when Reno was diagnosed, why he pursued amputation and chemotherapy at VCA Animal Hospital West Los Angeles Oncology Center and how Reno and the family are coping with life on three legs.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Thank You Dr. Chretin and VCA Animal Hospital

This is the last in our series of video interviews with Dr. Chretin at VCA Animal Hospital West Los Angeles. Check out more of Dr. Chretin’s informative advice about canine bone cancers, such as:

• Cisplatin and Doxorubicin Side Effects in Dogs
• Canine Chondrosarcoma and Chemotherapy
• Bone Cancer Tumors and Treatment Options for Dogs

Tripwds sends sincere thanks to Dr. Chretin and his helpful staff for allowing us to bring this impawtant information to you!

Recommended Reading

• Learn about holistic and alternative medicine at the National Center for Complimentary and Alternative Medicine..
• Find a holistic vet at the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association website directory.
•  Tripawds Nutrition Blog

Join the forum discussion on this topic.

During our video chats about canine bone cancer with Dr. Johnny Chretin, head of oncology at VCA Animal Hospital West Los Angeles Oncology Center, we asked him some questions that Tripawds members often ask, such as:

“Can Removal of the Primary Tumor Expedite Metastasis in Dogs with Osteosarcoma?”

Dr. Chretin states that in a small pilot study at a veterinary teaching hospital (likely Colorado State University), researchers studied a small group of 15 or 20 dogs who didn’t undergo amputation after being diagnosed with bone cancer because their owners didn’t want the surgery or couldn’t afford it.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The pilot study followed these dogs throughout the remainder of their lives and concluded that there was no difference in the rate of metastasis among dogs who had amputation surgery versus those dogs who did not. This has also been the case in Dr. Chretin’s practice at VCA Animal Hospital.

Will Radiation Help if Postponing Amputation?

Another study at Colorado State University showed that a large percentage of osteosarcoma dogs who were treated with stereotactic radiation therapy instead of amputation had good long-term survival rates. Instead of succumbing to sudden pathological fractures or untreatable bone cancer, the cancer eventually metastasized as it does for dogs who do undergo amputation.

Why Amputate Sooner Rather than Later?

Although stereotactic radiation therapy is showing great promise for bone cancer dogs, it’s only available at Colorado State University and the University of Florida. For the majority of dogs who cannot undergo this therapy, their pain must be addressed promptly to avoid additional suffering.

“There’s no way to completely get rid of the pain, except taking the leg off,” says Dr. Chretin. “We can do quite a few things that can make them feel pretty darn good, but there’s no way to take all that pain away from them if they have that leg intact. By delaying amputation, the dog is at great risk of a pathological fracture and “that’s as bad as pain gets in animals,” says Dr. Chretin.

Historically, cancer researchers believed that the longer the cancer tumors are left in the body the more time it has to spread. However Dr. Chretin states that this theory is being challenged. Nobody really knows for sure at this point.

“That’s why medicine is really interesting and challenging,” says Dr. Chretin. “Just when we think we understand cancer and say ‘OK this is how it works, this is how the cancer has behaved over the last 20 years,’ all of a sudden someone asks a different question (and everything changes).”

Does the Location of a Tumor Matter?

Finally, we wanted to know, does the location of a dog’s bone cancer tumor determine the severity of the cancer or a prognosis?

Click here to view the embedded video.

“I’m not aware of anything that says that radius versus humerus is any different,” says Dr. Chretin. Each individual dog’s cancer presents its own unique challenge. For example:

“If anything, having a tumor on a scapula might be better because (your dog) doesn’t necessarily have to lose the leg, you can just lose the scapula. So if you look at things from that perspective, then it’s better to have the tumor higher up.”

When a dog has a leg tumor it can be more challenging to treat, not because the cancer will behave more aggressively but because there is less tissue to work with when attempting to removing the tumor. This is why amputation is often the recommended treatment.

Moving down the leg, clinical studies show that if osteosarcoma is below the wrist, those patients tend to do better and live longer even without chemotherapy. The cancer will still spread but it seems to take longer. Unfortunately, it’s rare for osteosarcoma to present itself in that location.

What about limb sparing for lower extremity tumors?

Limb sparing is often presented as an option for dogs who aren’t amputation candidates or for pawrents who are hesitant about removing the limb. However, the reality is that a limb spare is a lot to put a dog through, plus there is a 30 percent risk of infection and a 30 percent risk of the cancer reoccurring in the same limb. Usually, the limb will have to be amputated anyways.

Stay Tuned for More Canine Cancer Oncology News

This is the latest in a series of video interviews with Dr. Chretin at VCA Animal Hospital West Los Angeles. Stay tuned for additional interview clips with Dr. Chretin that offer informative advice about canine bone cancers, such as:

• Cisplatin and Doxorubicin Side Effects in Dogs
• Canine Chondrosarcoma and Chemotherapy
• Thoughts about combining holistic and traditional oncology therapies

Tripwds sends sincere thanks to Dr. Chretin and his helpful staff for allowing us to bring this impawtant information to you!

Recommended Reading

North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine: Osteosarcoma in Dogs

PubMed: Palliative radiation therapy for canine osteosarcoma

PDF: Bone Cancer in Greyhounds, Dr. Guillermo Couto, DVM, dip. ACVIM

Dr. Charles Louis Davis, DVM Foundation: Outline of Veterinary Skeletal Pathology

Veterinary Practice News: How to Treat Osteosarcoma When Surgery is Refused

All content Copyright Tripawds.com, July 2011. If you like this article enough to mention it on your website, we simply ask that you attribute the source and contact us when you post it.  Thanks!

Date: This Sunday, June 26, 2011

Time: 6:30pm Eastern (3:30 Pacific)

Duration: 30 min.

Call In Number: (310) 388-9739

Tune In Here: Tale of Two Tripawds – Eisen and Hurley

Share Link: bit.ly/ttr062611

Learn about their treatments, nutrition plans, how they are coping, and what their pawrents hope for the future. Ask any questions you have before the show, by replying to this topic or join us in the Chat during the broadcast.

About Our Guests:

Hansome Hurley is a large, older  Rottie-Mix pup from Washington who lost his leg to osteosarcoma in April. Cancer took is right front leg leg but Hurley is proving that it won’t take his spirit. He is undergoing chemotherapy at Washington State University and meanwhile, doing great and loving life.

Eisen the Incredible is a bone cancer veteran from Colorado and one of the first Tripawds featured here back in 2007.

As a 12.5-year old German Shepherd Eisen has beaten the osteosarcoma odds for over three years!

Instead of chemotherapy, Eisen’s Mom chose a holistic medicine route and since 2007 she has had Eisen under the care of the famous holistic vet, Dr. Charles Loops.

Related Blog Posts

Hurley’s Journey

Birthday Boy Eisen Beats Bone Cancer Odds