The Dog Cancer Survival Guide (27 page)

There is a large (largely ignored) body of evidence that fluoride in drinking water likely increases the risk of bone cancer in growing boys and in rats. Since osteosarcoma is more common in dogs than it is in humans, fluoridated water could be a problem for dogs.

Many public water suppliers add fluoride as a health treatment, which may be one reason why some of this research has been deliberately suppressed. An expose in
The Washington Post
reported that a Harvard School of Dental Medicine epidemiologist told federal officials that he didn’t find any significant links between fluoridated water and osteosarcoma ... but later they learned that he had supervised a doctoral thesis just a few years earlier which concluded the exact opposite: boys exposed to fluoridated water at a young age
were
more likely to get osteosarcoma.

I am well aware that I am more concerned and cautious about water quality than most vets and oncologists are, including my co-author. However, if a more widely accepted and definitive link between osteosarcoma and fluoride is someday found in dogs, you will be happy that you received this information when you did. If not, there is little (or no) harm done by filtering drinking water! Some of my top filter picks are available at
www.DogCancerShop.com
.

I have not found direct evidence for fluoridated water’s causing bone cancer or other cancers in dogs. However, dogs and humans are very similar, physiologically. Since there is some evidence that fluoridated water may be a risk factor for bone cancer in other species, my recommendation is to at least consider avoiding it if your dog is a breed prone to osteosarcoma. You can filter your water (most filter systems remove fluoride) or use distilled water. This is one area in which Dr. Ettinger and I disagree – she feels I am overly cautious.

I advise avoiding bone meal (a common ingredient in commercial dog foods), and oyster shell calcium supplements, also, both of which often contain high levels of fluoride.

Check the with the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) to find out exactly what’s in your drinking water and what you can do to improve it. They have an excellent website to start your research:
www.epa.gov/safewater/faq/faq.html

The EPA also hosts a Safe Drinking Water hotline at 1-800-426-4791.

For more information, you can contact your state’s Department of Health, or call the Community Right to Know Hotline at 1-800-424-9346.

Asbestos is a common name for six naturally occurring minerals with heat and sound insulation properties. After using asbestos for centuries, to insulate homes and for a host of other applications, its use is now restricted in the United States, and totally banned in the European Union. A potent carcinogen, asbestos can cause lung cancer and mesothelioma.

A few decades ago, we worried about breathing in airborne asbestos only. Recently, it’s been found in a new place: our drinking water. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), seven million “long” fibers per liter of drinking water are considered safe – but 10% of the population uses water with more than ten million fibers per liter, and 18% uses water with more than one million fibers per liter.

The possible synergistic effects of asbestos are sobering, and one spokesperson from the Department of Health and Human Services argues that the repeated ingestion of even low levels of asbestos, will likely result in a substantial number of cancers.

If you knowingly work with asbestos, I recommend leaving your dog at home, and showering and changing your clothes before playing with your dog. Even if you do not work with asbestos, it is worth reading about it on the EPA’s website to ensure that you are aware of any problems in your home, work, or water.

There is a large sugar processing plant on my home island of Maui, Hawaii. The first step in processing sugar is burning the cane, so, when it’s time to harvest a particular field, workers go out in the very early morning and set the sugarcane on fire. Cane smoke blows over the island, leaving a brown streak in the sky that takes hours to disperse. As a result, some residents wake up with headaches, sinusitis, and difficulty breathing.

Like it or not, many of our modern manufacturing processes release carcinogens into the air – and not all of them are as visible as cane smoke. There are many documented airborne cancer-causing chemicals, including those from kerosene, coal residue from household heaters, chemical solvents, engine exhaust, paint fumes and industrial wastes.

Second-hand tobacco smoke is a very well-known airborne carcinogen. As it undoubtedly causes cancer in humans, there is mounting evidence linking it to malignancies in dogs (and other pets). It is strongly associated with nasal cancer, particularly in older dogs with long noses like Collies and Dachshunds, and it’s likely that future studies will reveal even more associations. If you smoke, and your dog has cancer, it’s wise to stop smoking, both for your own health, and for his.

Manufacturers always try to present their products in the best light possible, even when those products present a health risk. For example, in 1965 the federal government required cigarette manufacturers to label their product with these words: “Caution: Cigarette Smoking May Be Hazardous to Your Health.” This phrase indicates a risk to your health, but not a direct link to a specific illness.

However, decades later when scientists proved a direct link between cigarette smoking and cancer, emphysema, and heart disease, the government required the following label: “Smoking Causes Lung Cancer, Heart Disease, Emphysema, and May Complicate Pregnancy.”

The reason for the change was that the government wanted to clarify that cigarettes don’t pose a risk for illness; they cause it.