The Dog Cancer Survival Guide (56 page)

There is no agreement on a standard protocol for artemisinin use; my recommendation is to give about 10 mg of artemisinin per pound of body weight, once daily, between meals or right before bed-time, and always at least four hours before or after food. To disguise the pill and mask its bitter taste, you can use a small amount of food, and preferably one that contains some fat (fish or krill oil, peanut butter, milk, coconut milk, or cream cheese). The fat in these foods helps boost blood levels of artemisinin. If your dog’s stomach is sensitive to fat or if he has a digestive problem, like pancreatitis, which could flare up with fat, instead choose a protein snack like lean meat.

As mentioned, artemisinin may stop being absorbed if used continuously, so use a five-days-on, five-days-off cycle for administration. To keep your dog’s body pumped full of apoptogens, I recommend using Apocaps on the days that you are not using artemisinin. Give in five-day cycles: five days on artemisinin (stop Apocaps), five days on Apocaps (stop artemisinin), and so on.

There some is evidence that artemisinin, like Apocaps, may be best given at 11am or 11pm or as close to that time as possible. Again, this is not a mandatory rule, only a suggestion.

Most dogs can tolerate the dose I recommend, although some may experience nausea. If this happens to your dog, you could try splitting the single dose into two half doses, given at the same times of day as Apocaps is given (but not on the same days as Apocaps, of course).

To get the best protocol for your own dog, consult with your veterinarian or oncologist, because there is no agreement at this time on a standard protocol. I’ve seen protocols for as low as 2 mg of artemisinin per pound of body weight given continuously with no breaks, and others as high as 16 mg per pound of body weight. Some vets prefer just artemisinin, while others like a combined approach. Some favor injections over oral methods, in certain cases. What works for your dog may not work for another, so be sure to consult with your veterinary professional and monitor your dog.

Artemisinin is a powerful apoptogen, and it’s important that you discuss its use with your vet. It’s worth repeating that there is no standard protocol at this time, and each researcher has her own opinion about its best use. My dosing recommendation is a starting point for discussion between you and your vet. In the meantime, there are a few complicating factors to keep in mind.

Occasionally, this agent can cause excessive stomach acid production and vomiting, loss of appetite or diarrhea. Stop giving artemisinin for at least a week to get the problem under control and contact your veterinarian or oncologist. When you start giving artemisinin again (under veterinary supervision), give it with full meals.

If your dog is receiving radiation treatments, do not use artemisinin, and wait until two months after finishing radiation treatments before your resume giving the herb. Radiation treatments may cause dying cancer cells to release iron into the surrounding tissues, including normal tissue. If there is a lot of free iron in the radiated area or in the body, artemisinin may react with some of this free iron to form damaging free radicals, and these may harm normal body cells.

A few humans have experienced elevated kidney markers and suppressed white blood cell counts while on artemisinin. As a precaution, it is wise to monitor these levels in your dog, while he’s on artemisinin.

There are also scattered reports of rare brainstem toxicity with this compound. For this reason, in dogs with seizure disorders or brain tumors, artemisinin is not recommended.

Artemisinin has been tested in vitro with many chemotherapy agents. As all interactions have not yet been assessed, consult closely with your vet and/or oncologist before using artemisinin with chemotherapy agents.

Most dogs do not experience any toxic side effects on artemisinin at the doses recommended above (2-16 mg per pound of body weight). However, some humans have experienced cramping, stomach upset and fevers on artemisinin.

Neoplasene is what I call a “salvage technique” – something to use when nothing else is working. I did not include it in the first edition, because it’s a tough protocol for the average dog-lover. Enough people have asked me about it, however, that I decided to include it in this edition.

You may have heard of “black salve,” a Native American remedy, used for centuries, which contains the herb, bloodroot. Neoplasene contains some of the components present in bloodroot, as well as other proprietary components. It comes in three forms: salve, pill and injection.

Neoplasene is a powerful apoptogen, and may be useful for tumors of the skin such as fibrosarcomas, mast cell tumors, and mammary tumors. It is not available for home use because it is such a potent substance with possible toxicity for some dogs. Buck Mountain Botanicals, the manufacturer, will only sell Neoplasene to veterinarians, never to consumers.

Here’s why they’re so resistant: Neoplasene applied to a tumor on the skin typically induces apoptosis relatively quickly (usually within ten days) and causes the tumor to die and slough off (fall out) of the body, leaving a hole where it was. In addition, any invisible cancer cells around the tumor may also die, leaving an even larger hole than the size of the visible tumor. This can be scary. It can also be medically dangerous, if a veterinarian does not supervise the process. Tumors which have spread deep into body tissues can leave a hole large enough that you can actually see the underlying bone. Clearly, large holes require quick and immediate medical attention, which is why vets should supervise this process.

Meanwhile, NSAIDs, prednisone and other anti-inflammatory agents may reduce the efficacy of Neoplasene. This is a problem, because Neoplasene can cause pain and swelling in both the tumor and the surrounding tissue. Depending upon the case, this may make Neoplasene a rather uncomfortable agent.

(Note that, even though Apocaps has an anti-inflammatory effect, I use it along with topical Neoplasene because the apoptogens in Apocaps offer so many other benefits that outweigh the possible decrease in efficacy for Neoplasene. I do not combine Apocaps with the liquid oral or injectable forms of Neoplasene.)

Using Neoplasene is not a decision to make lightly. The application of the salve is not straightforward, and is best done under veterinary supervision. The injections for tumors deeper in the body must be performed at the hospital, and the liquid oral version can cause such severe vomiting that I don’t recommend it at all.

Another consideration, when using Neoplasene, is that you cannot biopsy the treated site later. Some guardians may want to use Neoplasene without getting a biopsy, and then, if other health issues or tumors occur later on, wish they had more information about the treated tumor (type or grade, for example).

I use Neoplasene in special cases on inoperable tumors, especially nasal tumors that are ineligible for conventional approaches. I think of Neoplasene as a last-ditch effort or salvage procedure. In essence, it’s a plant-based form of surgery that, in most cases, does not require anesthesia, is cheap, and requires no cutting. In addition to killing the primary tumor, Neoplasene can also help destroy the microscopic cells that have invaded tissues around the tumor – the ones surgery typically misses. This may sound like a good thing; the problem is that you can’t predict ahead of time how much tissue will actually fall out during the treatment. Consider, for a moment, the case of a nasal tumor that looks like it is just on the bridge of the nose, but actually extends into the sinuses, through the skull, and into the brain. The removal of a tumor that large and complicated is not something most guardians can handle, at least not in the home environment. It requires medical attention and intense follow up.

I’m being particularly graphic in my descriptions, so you understand how graphic Neoplasene treatments can be. Especially for tumors that have a high degree of local invasion, otherwise invisible to the naked eye, the wound that results from the tumor’s dissolution may be more than anyone has bargained for. On top of this, good pain control may be difficult, without using drugs that interfere with Neoplasene. In my practice, we use medications like high dose Tramadol and gabapentin or amantadine for pain control in these patients.

In my experience, and from the anecdotal evidence that I’ve found, Neoplasene does make tumors go away, at least, temporarily. However, its use is not a permanent solution to cancer. Regardless of the form of Neoplasene used, cancer still may regrow locally or show up in distant sites. Also, there are no published studies on Neoplasene, other than case reports, and its safety and efficacy have not been established, as of this writing.

This is an aggressive but natural treatment that you may want to include in your treatment plan, if your dog has a tumor that cannot be removed surgically and is not responding to any other treatment. At the very least, you may be able to debulk it (reduce its size and impact on other body parts) and reduce the overall tumor burden in your dog. This can be a risky strategy, and those risks must be weighed carefully.

Your vet can get Neoplasene from Dr. Terrence S. Fox. Ph.D. at Buck Mountain Botanicals,
www.BuckMountainBotanicals.net
. There is a lot of information on his website about the use of Neoplasene, including many before and after pictures.

HOW TO GIVE NEOPLASENE TO YOUR DOG

Do not use Neoplasene on your own; get your vet to apply it. Your vet will apply Neoplasene according to the very detailed instructions Dr. Fox provides. If you are using topical Neoplasene, the wound must be kept from drying out by applying a salve over it. Use the products Dr. Fox recommends. If your dog is receiving the Neoplasene injection, your vet must follow Dr. Fox’s protocols closely.

Because of the potential for vomiting, nausea and loss of appetite, I do not use the liquid oral form of Neoplasene (not every vet or guardian agrees with me). If you choose to use the oral liquid, your vet can get protocols from Dr. Fox. To avoid stomach upset, you can try giving the liquid with food, and milk may enhance its absorption.

Make sure you follow up with your vet for proper and quick attention to any wounds left by the treatment. Some may need surgery to close. Pain medication may be needed during and after Neoplasene treatments.

As I mentioned above, I use Apocaps concurrently with the topical form of Neoplasene, not with the injectable or liquid forms.

Your vet must be consulted in order to use Neoplasene. I do not recommend contacting Buck Mountain Botanicals directly.

Your dog must be kept from licking the salve and the resulting wound, so an Elizabethan collar may be needed.

As mentioned above, the use of anti-inflammatories may interfere with Neoplasene efficacy, including Apocaps, prednisone and all other corticosteroids, and NSAIDS, such as aspirin and piroxicam. I use Apocaps with topical (not oral or injectable) Neoplasene because I feel its benefits outweigh the possible negative effects. The use of any other supplements is not well evaluated with Neoplasene and cannot be advised at this time.