Canine Bladder Cancer (tcc)

I just learned today that our wonderful dog, Mike, has a tumor in his bladder. About 10 days ago I noticed blood in his urine.He's been on Clavamox for 10 days and no more blood. But now what to do? I found this website, thank God, and was heartened by the wonderful emails from all of you. I need to ask you, those of you whose dogs have been living with this for a while, what would you tell someone who just found out about this? We adopted Mike from a county shelter in 8/92. The vet guessed at that time that he was about a year old. So Mike is about 14 years old now. We want to keep him safe and happy for as long as is possible, just do right for him. I have an appt. with a holistic vet on Thursday. My vet seems to think that Piroxicam is the way to go, but warned me about stomach ulcers. Mike has always had a sensitive GI system, so we're not sure about this. From your emails I learned about Graviola. I will ask the holistic vet about this herb. Any other suggestions? Mike did not have his usual Nutro Senior kibble tonight. Instead I gave him boiled beef, raw carrots, parsley and distilled water, it's what I had in the house. Any suggestions as to foods or treatments would be so appreciated. Mike is love itself. I took him to the local nursing home for years. Everyone loved him and he loved going there. I would tell him we're going to work and he would get so excited. He is so special and has given us so much that I have to do everything I can to keep him safe and comfortable for as long as possible. I know if the roles were reversed, he would do that for me.
jomar

Hi Jo Ann,
I am so sorry to hear about Mike. It sounds like
you are taking the right steps toward helping
him. In July our dog had an ultrasound and a
biopsy which came back positive for TCC. We
started him on Piroxicam every other day and
about two weeks ago, put him on a daily dose.
This has proved to be too much for him, so we
are now off Piroxicam for about 2 weeks to get
his system healed. We will start back again, but
just every other day. I think the Graviola has
helped his energy level. Your vet should be able
to tell you what to do with his diet and other
suppliments. We give our dog raw food and his
treats are venison, beef and duck jerky. No
carbs, as this feeds the cancer. Best wished to
you both and keep us informed on your progress.
We are all learning as we go.
Shele and Ryle B.

Hi. I'm fairly new to this also. My little girl was only diagnosed with a UTI. But from other symptoms she's had and research, I firmly believe she has a tumor. She has not been diagnosed tho. (Mainly because I'm busy paying for the $600 it took to diagnose this!) I don't know alot about this cancer, but from what I've read, there really isn't alot of options. In some cases surgery can be an option, but the chances are not great and the pain is severe in the dog. The only other option I've been able to find is changing the diet. The carbs will let the cancer grow whereas doing what you're already doing will keep it from growing. That's the same thing I am doing now! She hasn't been diagnosed, but if she was this would be the only thing to do. I have changed her food to about the same diet you've said. I'm just focused on her food and loving her. I've been giving her lots of special attention. She's living quite comfortably now, getting away with things that she's not normally allowed to do! (She sheds so bad, so we usually keep her off the couch!) We just want to keep her happy and comfortable. She has given us a lots of happy times and right now I just want to spoil her! She deserves the best and I'm gonna give it to her! Sorry I couldn't be more of a help in medical options. The way I'm looking at it tho is, change the diet and make sure she is always happy and comfortable. My Georgia will be 9 the end of December and I NEED many more birthdays out of her! It's kinda crazy, I have a husband and 2 small kids, and she has been my loyal companion through everything. Love him and enjoy him for as long as you can! Good Luck!

Thank you for your reassuring words. I am sorry to hear about Georgia. But if she wasn't officially diagnosed with a bladder tumor, for your own sanity, try to think positive. Taking her off carbs is a good idea, "spoiling" her is even better. Yes, I too am spoiling Mike in the same way. I've spent the afternoon preparing meals for him for the next few days. I felt like I was making a holiday dinner, chopping this and that, weighing to make sure he gets enough, but not too much! Tomorrow we go to a holistic vet for a consultation and to see what supplements, etc. he should be getting. Part of me wants him to get biopsied because I can't believe he has cancer. Outside of his age, he looks and acts like he's in good health, is enthusiastic and curious and as loving as he's ever been. Maybe I'm in denial.... I just want to do right by him. If drugs are the way, then in addition to a change in diet, that's what we'll do. Good luck with Georgia and may you have many more years of sharing life with her. P.S. In just two days, I've learned so much about nutrition and drugs for this awful thing, thank you everyone.

Thank you for your kindness. I hope Ryle continues to be strong. Since many of you have been down this terrible road for a while, I was hoping someone might have some advice. Mike is about 14 years old (he was a stray from an shelter). He was diagnosed by ultrasound as having a 3 cm. mass in his bladder. They also saw a small mass on top of one of his adrenal glands which they say may or may not be malignant. Mike has arthritis in both back knees and had surgery on them years ago. Last December when being tested for Cushing syndrome (came up negative) a shadow was seen on one of Mike's lungs. At that time the vet told us it could have been the way he was positioned for the test, I think it was an X ray, but don't remember for sure. Both the vet at the hospital where the test was done and the holistic vet (not at all connected to the first)we saw today said Mike was a "good candidate" for surgery. I find it hard to believe. They both said he was in very good condition. Both said of course that he would have to have a presurgery workup, like chest x ray and blood work to determine if everything else is OK. When we found out about the tumor but before we saw the holistic vet, both my husband and I agreed no surgery because we are concerned that the trauma of the anesthesia might do more harm than good. The vet took all the time in the world with us explaining treatments and her reasons for them. But some of her suggestions are strange to me and I am hoping someone out there know about them. 1. She suggested injections of (believe it or not) Venus Fly Trap. She said it's been given in Germany for years and has been successful for treating cancers in dogs. The snag is only money,(hah!) $10 a pop, everyday for forever. She said I could give Mike the injection, but once we begin it, we should not stop it because it could then cause a rapid deterioration. She said she has seen dogs come in with cancer in very poor condition. They get this VFT and it's like a new lease on life. Sound too good to be true? Anyone heard of it? 2. She also recommends Maitake DMG. Is anyone giving their pet this brand of mushroom? I know some of you give maitake and reishi and it helps. The vet says this one has an amino acid that oxygenates cells, something that cancer cells don't like. 3. The vet hasn't heard of Graviola. I want to get it for Mike. I tried to get info from the allvita website but could not. Any other places to get it?

She also put Mike on a lot of gastric support and something called ARRU and IP6. This vet feels we should not begin Piroxicam for a few weeks until Mike's gastric system and immune system are built up so they can withstand the "trauma" from the medication. Mike has always has a sensitive stomach and colon, prone to diarrhea and gas when his diet was changed even a little. Cutting out the dry and canned food is a very big change right now. Of course no one can tell us how much time we would be giving Mike no matter which way we went. It goes without saying that none of us want to do more harm than good when it comes to a determining the best care possible for those we love. All those years of giving him "quality" dog food turned out to be the absolute wrong thing, even though my intentions were good. I don't want to do the same thing again. We are willing to try anything to help Mike and at the same time, give him the quality of life he deserves. Please whoever reads this would you take the time to give us your thoughts. In terms of factors here are the pros and cons. Cons are: Mike's age (14), the spot on his lung, the small mass on his adrenal gland and the arthritis. The pros are: You would never know Mike has a dreadful disease. His appetite is excellent (he does sleep more, but that has been for the past few years), his absolute love of life and people, his absolute determination to catch a chipmunk (he actually caught one once, but I made him drop it before he crushed its skull), his cheerfulness and loving spirit, his stoicism and the joy he brings to our lives from just being himself. Everyone in our neighborhood knows Mike. I call him the Pope John Paul of dogdom. He draws people out by his love, acceptance and gentleness. (He was a therapy dog and we visited nursing homes). I would love to have your thoughts - what would you do for your beloved creature given these all things? jomar and Mike

Sorry to hear about our newest members Mike and Georgia...it is never easy. I only joined a few weeks ago as we incidentally learned of Baxter's TCC. We found the tumor and removed it (during a surgery for something else - long story) so we have been technically symptom free. Since we are in the extremely early stages, we may even have a fighting chance of zapping the cancer completely so I am trying to be positive. In the meantime I thought I would share with you all that I have learned after consults with holistic as well as a traditional vet and a veterinary internist/oncologist. Here are the treatments options that I have learned and am using: 1. carbohydrate free (all protein diet - we are cooking chicken and ground beef and lamb, and giving cottage cheese and hardboiled eggs). 2. multi-vitamin for dietary balance. 3. we started on the piroxicam and added ranitidine to protect his stomach (zantac type med). 4. fish oil 2000 mg/day. 5. Maitake mushroom petfraction (look this up - can inhibit cancer cells). 6. Transfer Factor Plus (from 4life.com) re-teaches the newer cells of the immune system to ID and fight cancer. 7. Protocel 23 which apparently "disrupts" the cancer cell. For everyone's protection, please ask your vet about these things before trying them on your dog! I am only using these things with the advice of our veterinary team and everything has been dosed according to Baxter's needs. Our vet did say that graviola is a good thing esp. when symptomatic (i.e. blood in the urine), but I just want to share that if you really start digging, there are more options than just graviola and piroxicam. These options can help to strengthen the immune system to fight this terrible disease. Of course love and hugs are the best medicine that we can all add to our dogs' regimen. Final note, we plan to have an ultrasound done every 2-3 months to check for growth of more tumors (the tumor we found was removed but w/o margins so we have to assume there are more in there). Frequent ultrasounds can help determine if what we are doing is working or not, then we can adjust the plan accordingly. I wish everyone the very best, and will continue to post as I learn more. Our holistic vet is in Davis, CA and will do phone and email consults so please let me know if interested and I can pass on his name and contact info. I write this united with all of you in the fight against TCC. Baxter by the way, is in good spirits today, he just got bathed and clipped and is very proud of himself. Let's never forget those sweet images. Thanks to everyone for all the support and advice!

One more note...I highly recommend the book called Outsmart Your Cancer: Alternative Non-Toxic Treatments That Work. The ISBN number is: 0972886737. Best to everyone again! Cathleen and Baxter

Hi Jo Ann,
Hope I can help. Please keep in mind this is
just my thought . . . I am not a veternarian. I
only know how our dog tolerates medications. You
have to know your own dog and his reactions to
medications, etc. This is what our Holistic vet
has Ryle is on: Marshmallow (480mg x2 day) and
Slippery Elm (x2 day) -- these are herbs to help
with any gastric problems from Piroxicam. You
can get these at any vitamin store. We have him
on Tansfer Factor Advanced Formula (you can buy
this online –– from the vet, it is VERY
expensive), Stasis in the Lower Palace (Chinese
Herbs), Curcumin 97 (regulates cellular
inflammation), CAS Options (immune antioxidant).
We also have him on CO-Q10 (60mg twice a day),
Nordic Naturals Omega 3 Fish Oil (twice a day),
and Tramaleen for pain (we take this too!) The
Maitake mushrooms are good for building the
immune system (per our vet). Try again online at
http://www.allvita.net/graviola.htm for
Graviola. I have seen a difference in Ryle's
energy level. Our vet was amazed. We started
Ryle on Piroxicam every other day and increased
his dose to every day about two weeks ago. He
had a bad reaction, so we are going back to
every other day. With Piroxicam, you need to be
diligent and watch for bloody stools. Ryle just
turned 12 and he has three masses. We decided
not to do surgery. Our vet told us this cancer,
once disturbed, has the potential to spread to
other organs. Also, given Mike's age, that would
be a huge risk for him. I haven't heard of Venus
Fly Trap shots. Maybe someone else on the board
has. I would research that before I tried it.
Funny you should mention Cushing Syndrom,
because they thought Ryle had that about a year
ago. I've convinced it was the beginning sign of
his cancer. We give Ryle raw food that we buy
from a company called Darwin in Seattle. Some
people make their own with raw meat. With Ryle,
we are just trying to make his quality of life
good and comfortable. Please contact me anytime
if I can help . . . maybe just a kind ear to
listen.
Best wishes.
Shele and Ryle B.

Hi Susan, I just read your message regarding Graviola. I hope your RR is doing well. I wondered about how you arrived at the dosage of 50 drops of graviola. Our 65 lb. lab mix was just diagnosed with this awful disease and we are hoping we have the same success as you with this herb (among other supplements and diet). Any information about dosage would be appreciated. Thank you. jomar and Mike

JoAnn,
I'm in agreement with Shele (Ryle's Mom). Every dog is different and only you know your dog. My Kacee is 13 1/2 - she had surgery back in March for a cancer on her foot. It was very hard on her and at that point I vowed no surgeries again. She has been on peroxicam (a liquid compound), pepcid and graviola for a few months. Although she as well has had a sensitive stomach she is doing great on the peroxicam (at least for now - you never know). And the graviola does indeed appear to give her more energy. We have not taken the Holistic route but that may change. Shele seems quite up on that. Right now Kacee seems pretty healthy. If I didn't know she had TCC I would just assume she was slowing down due to old age. Her urine has finally cleared up and the urgency has gotten back to normal (again - for now). Don't blame yourself for giving him "quality" dog food. If it was the food millions of dogs would be afflicted with this. It's like people that smoke all their lives and don't get lung cancer and then there are people who never smoke and they get lung cancer. The food (like the herbicides) may contribute but there are so many variables - genetics being one - you just never know. Kacee was also tested for Cushing Disease last year - so maybe there is a link. All I can say is do what you feel comfortable doing, and what would be tolerable to Mike. He is your baby.

Karen