The Dog Cancer Survival Guide (57 page)

The intravenous injections of Neoplasene trigger high rates of allergic reactions in dogs, so be sure that your vet is monitoring your dog for symptoms and using preventative medications, if he can.

It takes about ten days for Neoplasene to act on cancer cells, during which time dead tissue may slough off the site. Changing the bandages and keeping the wound from drying out are very important to keep the area safe from infections, so follow Dr. Fox’s maintenance protocols carefully.

This question used to be a lot harder to answer before I developed Apocaps, and is what led me to develop the apoptogen formula in the first place. Apocaps safely combines the most effective nutraceuticals I have found and can be used in most dogs with cancer of any type (see
page 169
for precautions). It is my overall number one supplement recommendation. Depending upon the specifics of an individual case, I sometimes also add the apoptogens, artemisinin and topical Neoplasene, to a treatment plan. As always, I urge you to consult with your vet or oncologist about the specifics of your dog’s case.

Also, consult the Supplement Hierarchy in
Appendix A
, which lists all of my supplement recommendations, in order of importance.

–Albert Einstein

W
hen I take Einstein’s advice and look deep into nature, I am often in awe of what I find. A rainstorm darkens the sky and floods the ground, but once it is gone plants are greener and everything looks brighter. If I cut my finger, my body immediately takes steps to clean and heal the wound, and a few days later the skin is whole and clean.

The ointment and bandage I put on the wound did not actually cause this healing. They gave extra shelter and protection to the wound, while the body healed itself.

In these moments of introspection, it is clear that nature is capable of solving many problems, when given enough time, shelter and support.

I am a veterinarian, not a medical doctor, and this book is about dog cancer, not human cancer. Regardless, research shows that the ideas in this chapter may have application for humans. It’s my hope that this book inspires all of us to take excellent care of ourselves, as well as our dogs. We all deserve it.

Cancer is a big problem, one the body is (theoretically) equipped to handle. A normal immune system has tools it can put to use to identify cancerous cells and eliminate them from the body.

As we’ve seen, the consequences of our daily life can overwhelm the immune system.
On top of that, cancer can actively suppress the immune system, and even use it to nurture developing cancers. When this happens, there are ways to offer the immune system shelter and support. The strategies and supplements in this chapter are like ointments and bandages for your dog’s immune system. They offer support, shelter and, hopefully, time, as they attempt to correct some of the common effects of our modern lifestyles.

Some of the advice in this and the next two chapters may remind you of your mother’s. Most mothers I’ve met advise their children to eat well, get enough sleep, relax and exercise regularly. Most of the children of mothers I know end up ignoring this advice at least once in a while. Ignoring it may be leading us to epidemics of “diseases of civilization,” including cancer.

Taking good care of your dog’s basic bodily needs is not just helpful; many of these supplements and lifestyle choices have published evidence supporting their benefits for cancer patients. I recommend using at least some of these in your Full Spectrum cancer care plan.

When I first came across the scientific literature about how effective mushrooms are at stimulating the immune system, I was very skeptical. But as I read, my skepticism softened. I remembered that penicillin – perhaps the greatest advance in medicinal history – was created from fungus. Maybe the use of mushrooms isn’t such a weird idea, after all.

Mushrooms contain natural compounds, called polysaccharides (simple sugars which are strung together), and the most important polysaccharides for cancer patients are called beta-glucans. Betaglucans have a wide variety of effects in the body, a couple of which are of particular interest to us. Beta-glucans can bind to the outside of natural killer (NK) cells and other immune system cells, responsible for destroying cancers, and help “turn them on” and increase their activity. Beta-glucans may also be able to increase overall white blood cell activity in the body. Beta-glucans and other mushroom-derived polysaccharides can harm cancer cells in several other ways, too. They can increase cell cycle arrest (which slows down replication), help induce apoptosis, and interfere with angiogenesis.

“I have made sure the room is totally dark now for sleeping. He actually puts himself to bed at 10:00 every night, even if we’re still downstairs watching TV!”

– Vicki Hagopian, Hudson, Massachusetts