Dog Cancers - Osteosarcoma, Mast Cell Tumours and Lymphoma in Dogs and the use of K9 Health Supplements

We have developed this site to try and provide information to help owners who have a pet diagnosed with a serious disease. Having had three dogs ourselves with cancer, we appreciate what a worrying time this can be. While your vet will be helping you with expert information on the health issue and treatment, feel free to use our site for information, which in most cases is independent from any products we offer.

Bone cancer is unfortunately very common in dogs. Osteosarcoma is the type most often encountered. This type of cancer starts on the surface of the bone and progresses into the centre. The effectiveness of treatment depends on several factors, one of which is the degree to which the cancer has infiltrated the marrow space - the centre of the bone. The treatment of choice is usually surgery to remove the tumor, often including amputation.

Sometimes this is followed by chemotherapy, and radiation can be a good option at times, especially in reducing the pain.Immune support can be an important assist for the dog at this time, as Dr Messonier DVM. says,

"The only way to win the war against cancer is to make the pet as healthy as possible, while we're (the Vet) treating the cancer. This may mean using supplements to support the liver, the gastrointestinal system, ... Nutritional support is important".

We stock Dr. Messonier's book "The Natural Vets guide to Preventing and Treating Cancer in Dogs" - see our Product List.

Prof. Clemmons agrees, stating that "To me, the answer lies in the Immune system."

See the full paper by Professor Clemmons "The Integrative Treatment of Cancer in Dogs" here on our website.

K9 Immunity, with K9 Transfer Factor are dietary Supplements for supporting and helping to boost the Immune system. K9 Immunity combines the extracts of 6 medicinal mushrooms which research indicates may help boost the Immune system.

An article published by Cancer Research UK (and others) "Medicinal mushrooms: their therapeutic properties and current medical usage with special emphasis on cancer treatments" can be viewed on this website here.

There are many factors involved in the successful outcome of osteosarcoma or any other medical challenge.The dogs age, diet, general state of health and genetic disposition all may play a part.By supporting the Immune system, our experience indicates from owners observations, that their dogs have shown improvement with appetite, energy and general well being. Assisting the Immune system may help in the fight against cancer and other serious health challenges, while always aiming at the best quality of life for the dog.

As Prof. Clemmons says ...

"To me the answer to cancer lies in the Immune system. This is the major reason why I have trouble with western chemotherapy. Spontaneous remission from cancer only occurs when the patients immune system acts to clear the cancer. Therefore , stimulation of the immune system to selectively attack the cancer seems to be the key to achieving a successful outcome. New methods in immunotherapy and immunotargeted chemotherapy are likely to be western methods which lead to the greatest advances in cancer treatment over the next two decades."
R.M. Clemmons, DVM, PhD.
Associate Professor of Neurology & Neurosurgery
Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences
University of Florida

Canine Mast Cell Tumors

These tumors do respond very well to modern therapy, by using a combination of surgery or chemotherapy (sometimes radiation) along with immune support, such as K9 Immunity or some equivalent immune system enhancers. In fact, this type of cancer has one of the best outcomes of any canine cancer. Lets look at what Mast Cell Tumors are, how they form and the different treatment options available today.

What Are Mast Cells?

Mast Cells are a special type of cell, which are involved in immune function and found primarily in the skin (although they are also found throughout the body). They make up about 20% of the skin cells in a dog, and are responsible for allergy response, among other things. When the body is exposed to particular types of harmful substances, the mast cells release chemical called histamine, which causes the typical allergy-like response. They also produce other vital chemicals which the body needs to survive, called cytokines. Even though mast cells are primarily a type of immune cell, they can become cancerous. Tumors form when the body fails to recognize as invaders the cells that have multiplied improperly. In the last few years specialized compounds have become available for use in cancer patients to try and correct this error. These are called immune modulators. These immune modulator compounds often trigger the patient's "immune recognition response" allowing the body to recognize and destroy the aberrant cells.

Mast Cell Tumors Respond Very Well to Combination Therapy

There are many sites detailing the reasons mast cell tumors form, and different technical information about mast cell tumors.for those who wish to go into greater detail on the technical aspects. But for our purpose on this page, let's look at what can be done to treat your dog and overcome this terrible disease.

Historically, surgery has been the first line treatment for mast cell tumors. This is usually a very good option, depending on where the tumor is located, how extensively it has spread and whether any major organs or underlying structures are involved. After surgery, some type of chemotherapy drug is usually recommended to clean up any remaining cancer cells not removed by the surgery. Chemotherapy and surgery are both effective in removing the bulk of the tumours, and with a diet recommended for dogs with cancer, as explored by Prof. Ogilvies research on nutrition and canine cancer, and supplements to support the immune system,your dog has the best opportunity to fight the disease.

How well any dog will respond to therapy is difficult to generalize. Treatment success depends on many factors, such as the dog's age, his or her diet, their medical history, where the tumor is located and how extensive it is and what major systems are involved. Generally speaking, the earlier a mast cell tumor is diagnosed, the better the outcome will be. Since most mast cell tumors occur on or just below the skin, when they are found early, they are best surgically removed.

Diet is of Vital Importance!

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in dogs. It is thought by many experts that diet could be one of the contributing reasons for this. We feed our dogs a diet based mostly on grain, even though none of the dog family feeds on grain in the wild. Dogs have not evolved the necessary enzymes to digest or utilize grain in their diet. They are primarily carnivores. When you feed a carnivore a diet based on grain, they may develop various immune dysfunctions, including cancer. To give the dog the best possible chance of overcoming this challenge, the proper nutrients should be fed. There are some good recommendations for dog cancer diets found in articles written by Prof. Greg Ogilvie found here on our website.

Being aware of a diet suitable for dogs with cancer, and supporting the Immune system with products such as K9 Transfer Factor, and K9 Immunity, which consists of 6 medicinal mushroom extracts, which research such as that by Cancer Research UK (and others) on Medicinal Mushrooms (one such article available here on our website) indicates may help the dog to fight serious illness.As Pref. Clemmons DVM. PhD. says ...

"To me, the answer to cancer lies in the Immune system." - click here to read the article.

Canine Lymphoma (Lymphosarcoma) - What Can be Done About Canine Lymphoma?

This is a common cancer in dogs, and fortunately, it is very treatable. About 50% of dogs with lymphoma can be put into remission. Most lymphomas respond very well to modern therapy, by using a combination of chemotherapy ,and supporting the immune system.

Supporting the Immune system is beneficial,

"and a diet supplemented with fish oil and the amino acid arginine appears to increase survival time in dogs with lymphoma, a cancer that affects white blood cells.

Dogs with this kind of cancer, similar to non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in humans, are easily treated, but as with humans, their cancer tends to return. A team of researchers led by Dr. Gregory Ogilvie of Colorado State University in Fort Kent, studied the effects of adding fish oil and arginine to the diets of 32 dogs being treated for lymphoma.

Half of the dogs received a special chow with the two supplements in it, and the other half ate chow with soybean oil added. The two chows were identical in nutritional value, and formulated to be equally tasty to the dogs. All the dogs were being treated with the anti-cancer drug doxorubicin every three weeks, and were living at home with their owners.

Previous research has shown that some polyunsaturated fatty acids, like those found in fish oil, may help prevent the growth and spread of cancer tumors, and may help prevent cachexia -- the devastating weight loss and muscle wasting seen in some cancer patients despite adequate nutrition. Likewise, arginine supplements have been reported to improve immune responses, and might help the body fight cancer.

The dogs were fed one of the chows twice a day during and after their cancer treatment. The researchers report that compared to the control dogs, those who ate the supplemented chow showed higher blood levels of two fatty acids called C20:5 and C22:6 that seem particularly effective in fighting cancer. Dogs with more of these fatty acids in their blood also tended to have more normal levels of lactic acid, which tends to accumulate in the blood when metabolism is disrupted in cancer patients.

In addition, report Ogilvie and colleagues, the dogs with higher levels of these two fatty acids survived longer than those with lower levels, and had longer remissions, periods of time before their disease came back.

Writing in the journal Cancer, the researchers suggest that the fatty acids may help both dogs and humans by slowing down the spread of cancer cells and by increasing the cells' susceptibility to anti-cancer drugs like the doxorubicin used in this study.

Ogilvie and colleagues also note their findings fit in with previous research showing that the fatty acids they studied appear to help fight cancer and its effects in both humans and animals."
SOURCES:
Reuters Health, April 28, 2000
The journal Cancer, May 2000; 88:1916-1928

What is Lymphoma?

The lymph system is the body's "other" circulatory system, circulating white blood cells and most importantly, lymphocytes. These are specialized cells involved in immune function found throughout the body. In normal healthy dogs, these cells are manufactured in the bone marrow, go through a life span of around 30 days, and then die off and are re-absorbed into the body or eliminated through the waste channels. In Lymphoma, the regulation of production is lost and these cells proliferate in large number, or they lose their programmed life cycle and continue to live on, overwhelming the other blood cells. High white blood cell count and swollen lymph glands are the characteristic signs of this disease, followed by lethargy, loss of appetite and leading eventually to death unless treated.

Canine Lymphoma is usually treated with a special chemotherapy called the Madison Wisconsin Protocol.

Lymphoma is a very serious and all-to-common disease in dogs. Some breeds are more prone to this type of cancer than others. Golden Retreivers seem to be especially susceptible to this type of canine cancer. Cancer is first and foremost an immune dysfunction disease. Lymphoma form when the body fails to recognize the altered lymph cells as invaders. These are the cells that have multiplied improperly. In the last few years specialized compounds have become available for use in cancer patients to try and correct this error. These are called immune modulators.

Canine Lymphoma

Chemotherapy is the first line treatment for dog lymphoma. This is a type of cancer that can affect effect young to middle aged dogs that are usually healthy in other respects. This means they are often good candidates for aggressive chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is usually a good option, depending on how extensive the cancer, whether it has spread and whether any major organs are involved. Sometimes the effected lymph glands are surgically removed, but this is of questionable value. After surgery, some type of chemotherapy drug is usually recommended to clean up any remaining cancer cell not removed by the surgery. Chemotherapy alone is usually effective in removing the bulk of the tumours, followed by a diet recommended for dogs with cancer and supporting the Immune system.

The use of products such as K9 Transfer Factor and K9 Immunity, a compound consisting of 6 medicinal mushrooms {see research by Cancer Research UK (and others) on Medicinal Mushrooms - available here on our website.

Support of the dogs immune system to assist it in its fight against cancer can be useful. As Prof. Clemmons DVM. PhD. says ...

"To me, the answer to cancer lies in the Immune system. This is the major reason why I have trouble with western chemotherapy. Spontaneous remission from cancer only occurs when the patients immune system acts to clear the cancer. Therefore, stimulation of the immune system to selectively attack the cancer seems to be the key to achieving a successful outcome. New methods in immunotherapy and immunotargeted chemotherapy are likely to be western methods which lead to the greatest advances in cancer treatment over the next two decades." - click here to read the article.
(Quoted from R.M. Clemmons, DVM, PhD.
Associate Professor of Neurology & Neurosurgery
Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences
University of Florida)