The Dog Cancer Survival Guide (45 page)

Give 5 mg per pound of your dog’s body weight three times daily (for example, if your dog weighs 50 pounds, give 250 mg of cimetidine, three times per day). Give cimetidine half an hour before meals, to reduce stomach acid production.

PRECAUTIONS

For most dogs, cimetidine is a very safe drug. However, it should not be used late in pregnancy. Cimetidine may also affect the metabolism of certain drugs, including two chemotherapy drugs (5-FU and melphalan). It may increase the blood concentrations of the following drugs: diazepam, verapamil, propranolol, chloramphenicol, lidocaine, metronidazole, phenytoin, procainamide, theophylline, triamterene, warfarin, and tricyclic antidepressants. Very rarely, cimetidine may cause bone marrow suppression (2.3 per 100,000 patients). Please check with your vet or oncologist before using cimetidine with your dog.

If you’ve ever vomited or had diarrhea, you probably remember how irritated the tender tissues lining the gastrointestinal tract can feel. The feeling of soreness and raw skin can be painful and add to the inherent misery of your dog’s condition.

Luckily, these tissues, called mucous membranes, regenerate themselves within three days, under normal circumstances. If your dog has cancer, she may be low on the nutrients needed to rebuild those tissues. To correct possible deficiencies and ensure she heals as quickly as possible, I recommend giving her glutamine, during and after chemotherapy and radiation treatments.

Glutamine is an amino acid, found in meat and other protein-rich foods. It fuels many body cells, especially the lining of the mouth, stomach and intestines. Supplementing with glutamine ensures that your dog has adequate fuel to rebuild those tissues, damaged by vomiting or diarrhea.

As a bonus, glutamine also feeds the cells of the immune system – which is good for immune-suppressed dogs.

Another bonus: Muscle tissue loves glutamine, preferring it to other sources for high-quality fuel. Cancer and some conventional treatments can cause cachexia, or cancer-related weight loss; glutamine feeds starving muscles, so they can rebuild and put weight back on.

Ironically, cancer cells also love gobbling up glutamine. Still, studies confirm that supplementing at the levels outlined below feeds normal body tissues before cancer tumors, so, the overall effect is good for your dog. The only exception to this is brain cancers (astroglioma, glioma and others). If your dog has brain cancer, do not use glutamine, because it can feed brain cancer cell growth before it ever gets to your dog’s normal tissues.

Managing side effects is an important issue. While the advice in this section is general, please keep in mind that we feel you should always contact your vet directly if your dog is having a medical issue. Most vets will give you instructions for managing side effects, including just-in-case medications and instructions on how and when to contact them; you should also make a point of asking for them.

You may see glutamine listed as its slightly different form, l-glutamine. Glutamine is not glutamate,
the salty chemical used as food seasoning and commonly found in mono-sodium glutamate (MSG).

HOW TO GIVE GLUTAMINE TO YOUR DOG

Although glutamine is best absorbed on a completely empty stomach, this can cause vomiting or diarrhea in dogs with cancer. To avoid stomach upset, while maintaining optimal absorption, give glutamine with a small amount of food (not a full meal).

Give glutamine once a day at these doses:

Dogs 10 pounds and under:
250-500mg mixed into a small amount of food

Dogs 10.1-35 pounds:
800-1,000mg mixed into a small amount of food

Dogs 35.1-60 pounds:
1,500-2,000mg mixed into a small amount of food

Dogs 60 pounds and over:
2,500-3,000mg mixed into a small amount of food

Give glutamine during chemotherapy and radiation treatments and for the week following, especially if your dog is underweight due to cancer.

Glutamine is marketed to weightlifters and serious athletes, which makes it easy to find in health and fitness stores, and even at bulk discount stores. It comes in a powder form and is easily mixed into food.

PRECAUTIONS

Check with your vet before starting your dog on glutamine, because it is a potent supplement and not safe for all dogs. It’s been shown to elevate blood sugar levels in humans, and it could do the same in diabetic dogs, which would mean that insulin needs would rise. Do not use glutamine or l-glutamine if your dog has a seizure disorder, or is on anti-seizure medications such as potassium bromide, phenobarbital or gabapentin. Do not use it if your dog has brain cancer, because it can feed its growth. Do not use it if your dog is on lactulose for severe liver disease. Your vet will be able to look at your dog’s entire health profile and help you decide whether glutamine will have any unwanted side effects. He can also adjust doses of other medications, if necessary.

Cordyceps is a tiny mushroom that has been in medicinal use for a very long time (some say two thousand years), in China and Tibet. It is fairly particular about its growing environment, and used to be found only in very high elevations. This made it relatively hard to find and expensive, until modern growing techniques made it more plentiful and much less expensive.

Chapter 13
explains how medicinal mushrooms like cordyceps can help many dogs with cancer, due to their anti-cancer and immune-boosting properties. Cordyceps, specifically, is important if your dog is at risk for kidney damage from certain chemotherapy drugs.

Cordyceps has anti-microbial properties and can also help restore white blood cells, which makes it good for overall immune system support during bone-marrow-suppressing chemotherapy treatments. Cordyceps has also been shown to help fatigue and support the kidneys during drug
toxicity, such as that commonly experienced with cisplatin and other platinum-based compounds. It has shown similar effects in the liver and can, therefore, help support these organs when lomustine (CCNU) is used.

Cordyceps has some antioxidant effects, and some warn against using it at the same time as prooxidant therapies such as: busulfan, carmustine, lomustine, chlorambucil, cyclophosphamide, cisplatin, carboplatin, ifosfamide, mechlorethamine, melphalan, thiotepa, dacarbazine, procarbazine, bleomycin, dactinomycin, daunorubicin, doxorubicin, idarubicin, mitomycin, mitoxantrone, plicamycin, etopo-side, teniposide and radiation therapy. While I understand this theoretical concern, the positive benefits of immune and organ support that cordyceps and other mushroom-derived polysaccharides (see
page 181
) offer dogs with cancer, far outweigh it.

Cordyceps is usually dried and comes in capsules. You can buy it at health food stores or at online retailers.

HOW TO GIVE CORDYCEPS TO YOUR DOG

Give 150-300 mg per pound of body weight, two or three times daily (for example, if your dog weighs 50 pounds, give 7,500 to 15,000 mg or 7.5-15 grams).

It is easiest to open the capsules and mix the dried powder into food.

Give cordyceps during chemotherapy and radiation treatments and for the week following the last dose. If desired, continue as needed, as a general cancer supplement.