The Dog Cancer Survival Guide – Full Spectrum Treatments to Optimize Your Dog’s Life Quality & Longevity
By Dr. Demian Dressler, DVM
With Dr. Susan Ettinger, DVM, Dip. ACVIM Diplomate American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Oncology)
Copyright 2011 by Maui Media, LLC (2nd edition)
496 pages paperback
The title of this book might lead you to believe that it’s all about helping your dog to survive cancer. But the sad truth is that a lot of dogs won’t, and often the most we can hope for is more time and quality of life for that time. This book is written not only to help your dog, but to help you survive your dog’s cancer, by helping you to “calm down, think clearly, and choose wisely from among the tools that have been credibly shown to help canine cancer.”
When Sheba’s spindle cell sarcoma came back for the second time, and we got the news that this cancer was a grade III (the most aggressive grade) and going to return again; we weren’t left with a lot of options. We would have to travel hours to visit an oncologist, and there are not a lot of treatment options other than radiation for this type of cancer. That was not something that we chose to do, but I needed to do something.
When this book was recommended to me by more than one friend, I knew reading it was something positive to do to try to help. It turned out to be just what I needed to confirm that we were making the best decisions for Sheba; but to also know that there were many other things we could do to help her not just possibly slow down the cancer’s return, but to give her a good quality of life for whatever time she has left. That is our goal.
There is so much to this book, I couldn’t even begin to cover it all here. It is divided into five parts, plus five appendices and an index.
- Part 1: My Dog Has Cancer, Now What? This section gives you tools to cope with this devastating diagnosis.
- Part 2: What You Should Know About Dog Cancer. This gives you important information about cancer, so you can make good decisions for your dog.
- Part 3: Full Spectrum Cancer Care: This section covers the five most important facets of cancer care: conventional medicine, apoptogens, boosting of the immune system, diet, and modifying your dog’s brain chemistry.
- Part 4: Making Confident Choices. This is a step-by-step guide to help you make decisions, work with your veterinarian, and be organized. There is also a section on end-of-life care.
- Part 5: From the oncologist. Dr. Dressler is not an oncologist, so Dr. Ettinger wrote this section describing the 12 common canine cancers in detail. She gives conventional treatment recommendations and discusses common chemotherapy drugs and their side effects.
Once you have made it through all the parts, the author recaps it as well and sends you back to the original chapters for more details if you need to revisit them.
There are three things I greatly appreciate about this book:
- Dr. Dressler writes in easy to understand terms, never over my head, which struggles with science.
- He and Dr. Ettinger disagree sometimes, and they tell you that. There are sidebars that explain their differences. Medicine is not always black and white, and they are honest about that.
- Dr. Dressler has developed a nutraceutical (a “purified substance from a natural, usually dietary, source that can yield health benefits”) called Apocaps, for cancer care. He promotes this product in the book; but he is never pushy about it and he encourages the reader to make their own evaluation and to discuss use of it with their oncologist.
This book has been a great aid to me, I am so glad I read it, and my hubby and I discussed things from it before making decisions on what we might try for Sheba. I am going to use this book review as a kick off for a series I am going to write on the things we are doing for her. It’s too much for one post. I’ll refer back to the book and to other sources of information I used; while telling you about the things we have decided to do to try to help her and why.
One other note: this book also includes information on the kinds of things that are believed to possibly cause cancer in dogs. That makes this book useful to any pet family, not just those actively dealing with cancer. Since we have had many pets with cancer, this information was also very, very important to us. Honestly, I feel like it was hard to do this book justice in a short book review. I highly recommend it. You don’t have to do everything this book tells you to, you can pick and choose what works for you. That is exactly what the author encourages you to do.
You can order The Dog Cancer Survival Guide
My dog Shadow had a terrible prognosis when she developed bone cancer in her jaw. Even with surgery and radiation, the oncologists expected her to live less than six months. We opted against the surgery and radiation (my reactive girl would have been terribly stressed by the regular vet visits) and gave her a homemade diet.
She lived two happy years.
So I’m a big believer in a wholistic approach to cancer that includes stress management and nutrition. And it appears that your approach is working well for Sheba too.
We’ve recently found a hard lump on Honey’s back and I’m very worried. I’m anxious to get her to Charleston so we can have a vet look at it. But the weather isn’t cooperating. We’re pinned down in the Cape Fear region waiting for the wind to die down so we can leave.
Maybe reading this book will give me something productive to do instead of just worrying. I’ll order an online version today. Thanks.
Thank you for sharing that about Shadow, that gives me so much hope! Right now we’re just doing a partial homemade diet, with a higher quality kibble. But when things settle down I might go to completely homemade…it sounds like it might be worthwhile.
I hope you find out more about Honey’s lump soon, and that the book is just an interesting and educational read for you and you don’t need it.
I’m glad you found the book helpful! I know I sure did. (I do think it’s mis-named though. It really should be “The Dog-Parents Guide to Dealing with Cancer” or some such…) I also like that he’s not pushy with the Apocaps thing. Abby’s oncologist was pretty down on the Apocaps, but he was on board with us doing whatever else we wanted to try that the book suggested.
Sheba looks great in the photos. Please give her a big hug from Rita and me!
Sheba appreciates that big hug! She is really doing great right now, and it’s easy to forget that she is fighting cancer.
I agree on the book title! Our vet didn’t want to get involved with any alternative meds, but just advised caution with trying new things (do one at a time to watch for reactions). I thought the Apocaps sounded promising, but we decided not to try them. We are sticking to the more conservative things with little chance of any side effects at all.
Oh wow, that does sound interesting!
ღ husky hugz ღ frum our pack at Love is being owned by a husky!
Sounds like a great book, but written in 2011 I know there has been a lot of research since and some very exciting as to causes and treatments. Do you think it is at all out dated?
It didn’t seem outdated to me. This is the second edition, but I don’t know when the 1st edition was. Most of what I read seemed to line up with info I found on the internet (reputable websites!), but that could have been outdated too. Also, what my vet told me also seemed to line up with what the book said, as far as radiation treatments, etc.
Good then I will keep it in mind if anyone asks me for a recommendation.
Sounds like a very “purposeful” book. I’m happy you’ve found useful information. She looks great in those photos too! I am a huge fan of your “series” you know that – so I shall continue to read and take this journey with you my friend. I send GOLDEN hugs & DOODLE kisses
Thank you for those hugs and kisses, and knowing you are along for the journey makes it so much easier for us. ♥
I like that the book includes a section that discusses things that can cause cancer. Ever since my girl Missy kicked cancer’s butt in early 2015, I incorporated a ton of lifestyle changes in order to keep cancer from coming back our way – nutritional changes being the most prevalent ones.
I believe the nutritional changes might be the most important, that is one of the biggest areas where we’ve changed things for Sheba, and the other dogs as well.
If you don’t mind me asking…What type of cancer did Missy have? Do you have concerns about it ever coming back?
Missy had thyroid cancer – a huge lump appeared on her neck one morning, and we swore it hadn’t been there the previous day. That was scary. The median survival time after cancer removal is apparently 3 years. We’re at 1 year now, and I certainly hope that all our lifestyle changes will trump the 3 year survival prognosis by many years, especially given that she was only 3.5 years young at the time of her diagnosis.
That is SO young for cancer! I thought 6 was bad enough with our first dog who had lymphoma. But her prognosis was not nearly as good (she only lived another 3 months with a moderate treatment).
I also hope that your lifestyle changes will beat the odds and that Missy will be with you for many years to come!
Thank you, I certainly hope that she will. 6 is still really young, too. It’s such a shame to hear about dog cancer diagnosis everywhere. What a horrible disease.
Yep, that is one of those books everyone wishes they never need. It sounds quite thorough and easy to understand. Hugs to sweet Sheba from all of us.
Great book review Jan! While I am sorry for the circumstances that lead you to it, I am glad you have shared it with us. I have been thinking/reading a lot about cancer causes so I appreciate that while I am not going through the horroe of a dog with cancer right now, this book can also be of use to me. Plus, I learned the hard way what the shock of a vet telling me a dog has cancer can do, so being prepared with the knowledge from this book can be very helpful. I am off to check it out- thanks!
When Sheba was first diagnosed and had her first surgery, I spent so much time on the internet trying to find out more. Someone recommended the book back then but I didn’t get it! I wish I had, because I could have been doing more for the few months before it came back again. We got to the point where we became complacent, because we believed it wasn’t coming back. At least if I had read the book, I would have been more prepared when it did. At least now I feel like I know so much more, and I hope that can help keep Cricket and Luke healthier too.
We have lost two pets to cancer. I wish I had heard about this book earlier because it may have made the situation easier to cope with. We coped just fine, but I do believe that anyone, no matter how well they think they handled the situation, could have done better. Myself included.
I agree. Sheba is our third dog with cancer. I wish I had known more especially with the first one. Shelby had lymphoma and we did do some treatment with her, but now I know there is so much more we could have done than that (that was many years ago though and I’m sure a lot has changed with treatments, etc., since then). I just remember what a stressful time that was and having more knowledge could have lessened that too.
Active and sassy and smiling!! She is beautiful and has loving parents and that is a wonderful thing!! Good to have a book like this to help you know you are doing the right things. It is so hard to know sometimes. Like you said though, keeping her smiling and she looks very happy and very loved!!
No matter how long she is with us, I just want to see that smile and happiness for as much of that time as possible!
We’re glad you found this book to help you deal with Sheba’s condition. Purrs….
This sounds like a wonderful book to help you deal with Sheba’s diagnosis. Hopefully, one day soon, cancer books will no longer be needed as there will be a cure. ♥
Amen to that!!!
Sounds like a really good book and I like that a Dr. wrote it. Thanks for sharing.
I might need to read that since we went through it with our Benny boy
Lily & Edward
I think if you read the book, you will feel more prepared if you ever have to (heaven forbid) deal with it again. Sheba is our third dog with cancer and I wish I had known more with the first two.
This sounds like an excellent book. I am glad you have read and discussed it and are finding things you can do to help Sheba. I look forward to reading your post series as well.
I love this new series Jan. THANK YOU for sharing the book.
I’m glad you’ve found something to help you cope with Sheba’s cancer and I’m glad reading the book reinforced to YOU that you made the right decision. I think (for me anyway) being sure the decision is the right one is important. We are dealing with that a bit now and I plan on going into that on my blog.
It’s important for people to remember that we are all individuals and what’s right for some, may not be right for others.
Typically I wouldn’t read a book such as this because most of the time (like you) the science bit of it is way over my head, so I’m glad you told us it’s written in easy to understand language.
I am very interested in the apoptogen and think I’ll consult Dr. Google on that. 😉
I hope Sheba is doing well.
Sheba is doing very well right now, thank you, Jodi.
These decisions are so tough to make, and even once they’re made, it’s so hard not to second guess ourselves. You are right about each decision being individual. I know other people would have done the radiation for their dog, and I have to remind myself that we are doing what we feel is right for Sheba and for us.
We are not using the apoptogen with Sheba, but I do believe that it could help. I’ll explain more at some point about that in one of my posts.
I’m so glad you read the book! And, especially that it’s helping you deal with Sheba’s cancer. I wish…well, Callie’s lymphoma spread so quickly that she didn’t stand a chance. I’m looking forward to your series though.
Unfortunately, sometimes there is just absolutely nothing to be done. Our golden Moses was like that. By the time we knew he had cancer it had spread too far to do anything about it. 🙁