Canine Bladder Cancer (tcc)

My dog was just recently diagnosed with bladder cancer.  Given that he's 16 (a mini dachshund) and has had tummy problems for awhile now, we are giving him Meloxicam (Metacam) instead of Piroxicam, which is harder on the tummy.  And...this is so weird but true, we were giving him Pepcid A/C thinking that it would help his tummy even more, but he vomitted.  So we stopped the Pepcid and are just doing the Metacam and no more vomitting!!   Luv from Madison, WI

On 1/22/2008 roblyngold wrote:

 

On 1/22/2008 Gentleannie wrote:

Hi Robin!

What a scary time that must have been for you. Oddly enough, I had just this last week been researching digestive problems and saw  that problem & I had never heard anything like it before!!! 
Whenever Annie has anything wrong with her, I assume it's the cancer, but it isn't --actually the TCC for Annie only shows in her peeing.  Anyway, the website said exactly what your vet said--a  blockage is what causes it.

It is definitely a serious problem and the fact that the blockage went away on its own is fantastic!!! What does your vet say now?  Is it possible (and I'm just throwing this out here) that Kobi needs more fat in his diet?  I have to think it wasn't a foreign object that he ate, or the vet would have been able to see it on the xray.

I hope this is all in the past for you, I know you have enough to worry about as it is.

Good luck, Marty 

Hi Marty,

 No, there was no foreign object but unfortunately they have no idea what caused the vomiting.  It is usually caused by a blockage that can come out of no where and also can go away on it's own.  Many times it requires surgery so I was very lucky so far.

My vet really has no idea.  It's frustrating.  I am waiting to hear back from him again today and I also left a message with my holistic vet that I have been working with.  I am concerned it could be the Piroxicam, which would be terrible because I know how much it has helped other dogs.    I only think this because I always hear that this medication can cause gastrointestinal problems.  I am very careful with giving Kobi Pepsid AC one hour before giving the Piroxicam along with an herbal supplement (slippery elm, marshmallow, and licorce) to protect his stomach.

Thank you again for your care and concern.

Warmly,

Robin 

 

We have the most beautiful West Highland White Terrier called Betty. She is 11 years old. This week we have been advised that she has a massive tumour in her bladder. To say the least we are totally devastated. The consulatant has said that he has not seen a tumour of this size in the bladder before.

Aside from the problems urinating and the regularity of urinating you would not know that there is a problem. She is as playful as ever. We have been advised that it might be as little as a week or up to a couple of months if treatment is successful. I cannot believe this seeing the energy that she has at the moment!

Today I have started a treatment of metacam. The consultant believes that this will not as severe on her stomach as piroxicam but thinks it is unproven.

We have just cancelled our holiday to Florida on Saturday to have some quality time with our little angel.

If anyone can offer any advice or help it would be greatly appreciated.

Best of luck to all - Betty's Dad

I am so sorry to hear about Betty.  I just want to give you a ray of hope.  My almost 16 year old scotty Kacee was diagnosed in August 2005.  At that time the vet gave her 6 months - she has slowed down quite a bit in the past year but given her age I can not blame the cancer.  She has been on peroxicam and pepcid since the get go.  At first it did bother her stomach, but I backed off the dosage then gradually raised it and have had only the occasional problem.  I believe there are a few dogs on this message board that are given Metacam but most are on Peroxicam and that is the one that seems to have a proven tract record.  I give Kacee pepcid and about 30 minutes later the peroxicam - on a full stomach as well.   Every dog is different so trial and error are the norm.   The only "advice" I can give is to just love her which I know you already do.  They don't know that they are sick, so it is important to not show your feelings.  They do pick up on it.  I takes awhile but by reading all the messages on this board you will pick up alot of information and tips.  Please know that you are not alone. 

Karen

My miniature pinscher was diagnosed with TCC on January 14th.  The news from my vet was much like the news you rec'd for Betty.  I thank God that I found this site.  My advice to you is to read every single entry..and then reread them.  I have learned so much and while I understand that TCC is  not curable, it does not mean that you give up and just wait for your pet to die.  I see that each dog is different.  Some have a few extra months, some many months and some even years.

I have come up with a new diet for my Casey and have her on Piroxicam, an antibiotic, pepcid, and suggested herbs.  She is doing great!!

 This is my first posting.  I just had to answer yours because I feel so bad when vet's don't offer more than what yours did.

JudiG 

Almost ALL cancers are curable, just not by mainstream medicine.  For your pooch, try insositol/IP6, it works like magic to eliminate cancers and tumors of many kinds in animals (and humans).  I would also suggest adding a few tablespoons of quality colloidal silver to the drinking water every day.  Older animals often regain years of youth and frolic like when they were young when they take colloidal silver.

One caution about inositiol/IP6 - while it gets rid of cancer (something that is really not usually so difficult once you get outside the failed mainsream methods of surgery, chemo and radiation), something enabled the cancer to defeat your dog's immune sytem and gain a foothold in the first place.  Could have been improper diet, exposure to herbicides, pesticides or other contaminants, or some combination of factors, again the same as in humans who get cancer.

Once the cancer is eliminated, it is important to maintain a very healthy diet and lifestyle.  Once again, the same as is true for humans.

Anyone with qualms about colloidal silver, try this and understand that dogs kind of instijncgtively know what is good for them (and when they need natural help such as eating grass).  Put out two bowls each day - one with plain water and one with plain water plus a couple tablespoons or so of colloidal silve.  See which one the dog drinks.

Live long, live healthy, live happy!

To Betty's Dad,

I am so sorry to hear about your sweet little girl; I am sure she is a beauty.

As some of the other (more mainstream) members of the board have suggested, you will get a lot of information from reading the other posts. There is also a section devoted just to pet cancers and most of those posting are about TCC as well.  It's funny, there ARE other cancers that are more prevalent in dogs--mast cell for one (my dog had that first) but it seems all the writers here are about TCC.

At any rate, to give you some positive thoughts, My Annie was (I just saw it marked on my calendar) diagnosed in February of 2005.  She is still here, will turn 13 in April and right now is doing nothing short of great.  I have had her on piroxicam 5 mg a day (she weighs between 37 & 40 pounds) for all this time.  She was sick a week or so ago and I had to take her off for 5 days and I was distraught.   I give her the capsule in a glob of melted cheese. I don't know if that helps but she's never had an upset stomach from it.

As to your Betty having the largest tumor, I remember someone (I think in this thread) having a dog whose ENTIRE bladder was almost tumor and yet the dog muddled on for a good while.  Never give up and MOST importantly, don't waste a precious minute you have left with your dog being sad and upset.  Under the best of circumstances, we have them for too short a time.  Don't waste a moment to hug her or play with her--there will be plenty of time to cry later on.

Good luck, read those posts and be inspired. (And for the very few postings that promise you a miracle, I have to tell you, I don't think there is one--yet)

Marty & Gentle Annie 

Karen--

I was happy to see your words of encouragement on the board.  I've been thinking about you and Kaycee and hope things are going well.

We have added you to our nightly prayers.

Marty  

I am pet owner, but not one who is dealing with cancer in my pet.  What I am is a natural health advocate, researcher and author who has written a number of articles and a book about cancer - as well as the host of two forums dealing with cancer, natural health, longevity and natural remedies.

As it turns out, I am now living in a remote location in the hill country of Texas near a small community where a fairly well known supplement company is located.  A couple of years ago, a new resident to the area asked the company if they could carry Inositol/IP6 since she (the new resident) was using it for her leukemia.  And so they began to stock it.  The local postman's wife had cancer and he happened to find out about the lady using the IP6 (not 1P6) and decided to try it.  In very short order his wife's cancer was gone and he began to spread the word. Now, so many people have gotten rid of tumors using it that it has developed a kind of cult status here locally (and I have been interviewing the users in preparation for an upcoming article).

Since this is very much a rural area with farming, horses, cattle and other animals, it was not long before some people began to try it on their animals.  One farmer had a mule with a softball sized tumor on it's neck.  Within weeks of using the IP6, the tumor was gone. And there are other similar reports.  Amazing!

Now, I cannot tell you that it absolutely WILL work, as there is no silver bullet for cancer in man nor beast.  But it would appear to offer great hope and I will say that it is one of the two main reasons that I am confident that I will never develop cancer, because I use it for a month about three times a year.

However, the main reason I am confident I will never develop cancer is the same reason my uncle and hundreds of others have beaten cancer - I regularly take a an extract of the oleander plant (a highly toxic plant in raw form, but something quite magical when properly boiled, condensed and strained according to precise instructions).  As far as I can tell, no one who has taken this extract has ever contracted cancer, and virtually no one who has used it to beat cancer has ever had cancer of any kind return so long as they continue to take a lesser maintenance dose.

I would caution that this is something you do NOT want to try at home without very exact instructions, because raw oleander can be deadly and must be handled with care.  On the other hand, the same thing can be said about the source of some of our most potent medicines.

An interesting point is that the person who discovered the ancient oleander remedy and ultimately developed a method to make a medicine he later patented, Dr. H, Z, Ozel in Turkey, began his search for a cancer cure because his dog had cancer.  And the rest is history - just not very well known in the United States.

On final note - I have used the colloidal silver (and it is another thing I use personally on a regular basis) with my own dog and know a handful of others who have done so with their dogs and cats.  It is remarkable how energetic they all become.  It too is a cancer fighter as well as supreme pathogen destroyer.

Live long, live healthy, live happy!

Hi Marty and Annie,

I've been reading through these 600 or more messages and I've laughed and cried and learned a ton. Our 14 year old Sheltie- Brannigan was diagnosed with Tcc in July 2007. She has a mass in the trigone area that is 3.1 cm by 1.0 cm thick. We have her on Piroxicam and twice daily Amoil. She gets a chronic infection without the antibiotic. She weighs 30 lbs and has not lost any weight. We were in denial about her illness because she is acting too 'normal'  Does anyone recommend laser surgery? What is the cost for this procedure? Brannnigan is our first child and has been with us since before we married, we love he so much and want to extend her life as long as possible like everyone else. She doesn't look or act like a senior dog :)Does Graviola have any side effects? We are willing to try anything.

Allana & Darren