Hammer's Journey with Lymphoma

[Dennis Thomas, DVM]

Hi. Sorry to hear about your pup. I have treated so many dogs with lymphoma including two of my own Labs. You did not mention whether you are going chemo or not, so I suspect that you opted not to do it as it is usually about 16 weeks of weekly chemo therapy. If chemo is not an option, most vets put the dog on prednisone and send them home in hopes of making them comfortable for as long as possible. But, this is not all that can be done. I have been a vet for 37 years and treated many dogs with chemo. For the past17 years, I have been doing alternative modalities and I treat 3-4 cancer patients every day. There are great supplements and modalities that will help your dog and most vets have not been trained to use these. I personally use acupuncture and Chinese medicine but there are some things that you can do that will definitely help. First, cancer needs sugar to live, so we cannot feed a diet that is high in sugar. Dogs are carnivores and they convert starch to sugar. So, no starch. This means no kibble as all kibble is high in starch. I feed a fresh, wholesome home diet high in protein, moderate fat and no starch. I also put all my lymphoma cases on CBD oil, turmeric (Golden paste formula- you can Google the recipe), IP6 (same as a human adult dosage) and medicinal mushrooms (for lymphomas I like Turkey Tail). I do keep them on 10-20 mg prednisone once each morning as it keeps up the appetite and has some tertiary effects for the cancer. My favorite herbal formula for lymphoma is Hoxsey formula as it addresses the underlying imbalances that created the problem. I have had many dogs with lymphoma live for 2 years in remission with no chemo. I hope this helps. If you can find a holistic vet in your area, give her/him a call. Check the AHVMA.org website and use their index. Note: I just this week had a cat with lymphoma that I have been treating for about 10months. Her oncologist said that she cannot find anymore cancer in the cat. It does not have to be a death sentence. Good luck.

[HammerLover]

I will definitely look into that! Thank you so much! We can't do chemo due to the closest facility that offers it is Cornell and it's a 4 hour drive one way. I would have to send him there and they'd have to board him so I decided that I would rather spend as much time as I can with him now rather than shipping him off.

One of my biggest concerns right now is his stomach. He is on a multi vitamin and probiotics along with the prednisone but he does occasionally vomit.

[SunDance]

Hannah ~ I've found that a tablespoon of plain non-fat yogurt with the meal containing the meds will soothe the stomach even if you're already giving probiotics

[Black Labbies]

Sorry to read about Hammer's cancer . Wishing you and he all the best with this fight against cancer.

Years ago we used slippery elm to soothe Zoe's chronic tummy problems and it worked great. Back then it didn't come in capsule form, but now it does and can be bought at your local health supply store. Plus, slippery elm also boosts the immune system, among other good things, which in turn helps Hammer to fight his cancer. We've also used slip elm with a cat who had lymphoma and it gave her a few months of comfort, rather than pain and feeling sick.
The Soothing Qualities of Slippery Elm - Dogs Naturally Magazine
Slippery Elm Bark for Dog Diarrhea and Upset Stomach | PetHelpful

[lovemylabby]

I'm so sorry...he's much too young for this...

Sending you all good thoughts and prayers...

[Dennis Thomas, DVM]

Prednisone can be tough on the stomach. Most vets will give Pepcid along with the prednisone, but I like to use marshmallow extract as it increases mucosal production that reduces acid irritation to the stomach wall. Good luck.

[Moosenme]

I am so sorry to read this, how devastating to watch your pup go thru this. Anyone, dogs, cats, people! doing the Prednisone thing gets my sympathy; I know it's a great antiinflamitory, which is the ONLY reason I will take it, and I still argue with my Dr. about it alot. I know it's prescribed a lot for cancer patients, especially when they go thru the weight loss. And Dr. Thomas, we need a vet here. Ever thought about moving to Kansas? (You can't blame me for trying. The only vet in town passed, and now we have hit or miss visiting vets. It's a struggle.).