The Dog Cancer Survival Guide (44 page)

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.

Some natural foods and supplements can help manage side effects. Keep in mind that “natural” does not mean “totally safe for all dogs to use in large amounts.” Follow the dosing guidelines carefully and consult with your vet before using these supplements – they can be quite potent and may need to be lowered in dose or avoided altogether, depending upon your dog’s other health conditions.

Ginger is a simple food that has few to no side effects, is a very good general tonic, and can help with nausea and vomiting.

Mothers across the world give their children ginger to help tummies feel better, and there is a good reason for this. The active ingredients in ginger, called gingerols, have long been known to relieve queasiness, and Germany’s version of the FDA (called Commission E) has officially approved fresh ginger root as a nausea treatment. Ginger is an excellent natural nausea remedy and I also recommend it for its other benefits.

Research has shown that gingerols have some antimicrobial effects, which can be helpful for a suppressed immune system. Gingerols also help block a chemical signal called substance P, which is often released when there is inflammation; there is some evidence that ginger may reduce pain resulting from inflammation (cancer thrives on inflammation and promotes it in tumors and surrounding tissues). Ginger may also reduce anxiety, because some of its constituents mimic the neurotransmitter, serotonin. Serotonin also soothes nausea and stimulates the appetite. Boosting serotonin activity in your dog’s body is an important part of Full Spectrum cancer care.

As you can see, ginger is much more than an old-fashioned home remedy. If the conventional anti-nausea and anti-vomiting medications don’t appeal to you, you can try adding ginger to your dog’s diet.

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.

Even if nausea is not a problem, I recommend ginger for its overall health benefits. Use the fresh root, which is likely to have more active gingerols
than the powdered version. You can find ginger root in the produce section of most grocery stores and at your local health food store. Buy ginger with smooth skin and a heavy, firm feel in the hand. It will smell fresh and spicy. If it doesn’t, or if the skin is wrinkled or cracked, or if the root feels light or is soft to the touch, it is too old to use.

HOW TO GIVE GINGER TO YOUR DOG

Remove the brown skin with a knife or vegetable peeler (fresh skin will be tender enough to gently scrape off with a spoon). The inside will be yellow and smell sharp. Use a heavy, sharp knife to finely mince the yellow portion of the root, or grate it with a fine-toothed grater or micro plane.

Freshly chopped ginger can be stored for up to four days in a sealed container in the refrigerator. The aroma (and possibly the effects) will decrease as it ages.

Ginger has a pungent bite, so it is best to give it with food. Mixing it with soft food or chopped, lean meat, such as chicken or turkey breast, may work, or you can add ginger to a full meal.

Dogs 10 pounds and under:
give ¼ teaspoon, ideally three times per day

Dogs 10.1-35 pounds:
give ½ teaspoon, ideally three times per day

Dogs 35.1 pounds and over:
give ¾ teaspoon, ideally three times per day

PRECAUTIONS

Ginger could act as a mild blood thinner because it can affect the platelets, which are partly responsible for clotting the blood. The evidence for this is contradictory and debated; to be safe, I stop ginger intake one full week before any surgery. It can be resumed after the sutures are removed.

If your dog is on anticoagulant therapy (drugs designed to stop blood clotting), ginger should probably not be used because of its possible blood-thinning effects – check with your vet to be on the safe side.

Cimetidine is an older antacid medication and the active ingredient in the common, over-the-counter drug Tagamet. Although it is not a supplement, I still recommend it for nausea and vomiting. In addition to its ability to decrease stomach acid, there is evidence that it has decreased cancer cell spread in humans and can alleviate some forms of immune suppression caused by histamine release. This little-known effect can be very helpful for dogs with cancer.

Histamines are often released when inflammation is present – and because cancer promotes and thrives in inflammatory environments, tumors may release histamines themselves (this is particularly true with mast cell tumors). To make things worse, histamines reduce the effectiveness of cancer-fighting
immune system cells. According to several published studies in humans and horses, blocking histamines can help the already-suppressed immune system stay as active as possible, which may help to prevent or slow down metastasis.

This antihistamine effect is the basis of my recommendation to use cimetidine as supplemental over-the-counter anti-nausea and anti-vomiting medication. You can use it in addition to ginger to take a “double-barreled” approach to nausea and vomiting, or as an alternative to the newer anti-nausea and anti-vomiting medications listed above. You can find it in any pharmacy or drugstore.

HOW TO GIVE CIMETIDINE TO YOUR DOG