The Dog Cancer Survival Guide: Full Spectrum Treatments to Optimize Your Dog's Life Quality and Longevity

My overwhelming grief when I got the news was clouding my decision making ability when I needed it the most: Chemo or no chemo? It didn't take much reading at all to learn that CHOP Protacol is a good thing; the right choice, most of the time. Chemo isn't always cruel and ugly. My dog had 1-2 months; now she may have a year. And she is happy, not sad, that my decision, much more informed thanks to this wonderful book, gives her more time. More time to be with me, and I with her. My grief is never too far from the surface, yet deeply embedded within my heart. This book, which I refer to when I am sad, not when I want to be sad, lifts my spirits like no one can. The best medicine for Indio, besides the chemo, is my strength. The strength to smile when we look into each others eyes, when it's easier for me to cry. My mask musn't be transparent; she lives to make me happy, and I can't let her down. It takes a very good book to pull this off. To fool her; to trick her. To not let her know that anything is making me sad, in pain. For what could be worse than our best friend having cancer must be our best friend with cancer being sad because we are sad. What a shameful way to spend our only counted days together; the last days we will ever share together. This book just does it all. The professional knowledge about cancer and chemo; and the vast array of insights, and some words of encouragement we need for the emotional roller-coaster that we must endure until, and long after, that day is here. That day that has been on our mind no matter what: rain or shine, happy or sad, sick or well. The day that has cast an ugly gloom on the sunniest summers day. Like a filth that you can't shower away, or a pungent odor that is stuck in your nose, that you must breath in always, no matter what. The day you always wondered how you would handle, and what life would be like afterwards. The grief will be suffocating, nauseating, overwhelming. But that day must come, for it is written in stone. And we must handle it. For our life will go on, when theirs is done. But then we can cry, and we won't need to hide it, anymore. We can cry as the dagger pierces our heart, and the pain, that we have known for so long, can freely, finally, flow away. And the scar that is left, the memory that is fresh, will ever so slowly become but a tender thought; a passing whisper of something too familiar, a part of our past that we must allow to be, because we can't say goodbye, that one more time. This is what I'm going through, and I'm having a real tough time. These thoughts and feelings, will be a part of, controlling, me for a year or so. And I wouldn't be handling it without this book. It takes the bite, the razor sharp edge, the pain and fear, from my foremost mental function, and puts it on a pillow in my back bedroom. I can avoid it for awhile, but from time to time, I must use that room. And rest my head right on that pillow: confront it, talk to it. The thing I don't like. The thing that wants to control my life. But I can come and go to and from that room when I must, when I can. When I have the time.

When our darling 5-year old dog was diagnosed with bone cancer and given 2 months to live, I frantically started searching for information and help on line, in addition to getting an appointment with a veterinarian oncologist, of course. When I found The Dog Cancer Survival Guide, I purchased it immediately, hoping that I find helpful information and guidance in these hard times for our family and our beloved girl. I then purchased another copy for our daughter who is 3,000 miles away, to help with our decision-making process. All my hopes materialized and then some. We were all confused, overwhelmed with grief,stopped sleeping at night...all the symptoms dog guardians exhibit as Dr. Dressler described in the book, we have experienced. First and foremost, the book helped us tremendously to get a hold of our emotions and focus on helping the dog! It assisted us with putting structure and guidance into our new paradigm of making significant decisions quickly while realizing that our decisions will affect her life and longevity. We also downloaded the Dog Cancer Diet and started cooking food for her and our other dog. We have proceeded with amputating her hind leg with the tumor and she is doing very well as a tripawd. She is starting chemotherapy as well. While we all make choices that fit our personal situation and there is no one-fit-all prescription, the Dog Cancer Survival Guide helped us make our decisions for our dog and assisted tremendously with improving her quality of life. We also purchased the supplements recommended in the book and saw improvements in her mood, mobility, and playfulness within a short period of time. Only time will tell how long our girl will live but thanks to Dr. Dressler's book, she is alive and well at the moment. Also, thanks to the book, we have a piece of mind knowing that we are doing the best we can for her. This book not only taught us to deal with our dog's cancer situation, it is a book for all dog guardians to keep on their shelves to help make simple changes and take precautions to prevent cancer in their other dogs, now and in the future. The book is well organized, easy to navigate, and responsibly written to remind us that it's not a substitute for a vet advice, even though it is written by a vet. Highly recommend!

When my dog, Dolores, received a serious grade III mammary carcinoma diagnoses several years ago, I was panicked, lost, sad, anxious and scattered. This book came to me in my early days of obsessive research. While it didn't provide the nuanced details of her case, obviously, it provided me with a pathway to approach her treatment feeling like I knew more about what was coming, and I made more intelligent, thoughtful choices for it. Dolores received chemo, which hit her hard, but then was in remission for a long time. We used alternate therapies and remedies throughout and after, and while she had two more surgeries for mass removals over the next several years, she was sassy, nudge and herself throughout. I didn't pursue chemo another time knowing how it hit her, but continued with home remedies and alternate assistance. Three years after her first very serious diagnosis, my vets misdiagnosed a gall mucocele as cancer spread, which eventually took her despite emergency surgery and a scrappy fight from my girl. During this period, I re-opened the book, and the emotional management chapter was immeasurably helpful to pierce through my sadness and get me to be the best advocate for her, and to bond with her fully and completely with the exercises before she went. I'm still a wreck but I guess the point is a. a cancer diagnosis isn't the immediate end, and b. this book truly helps you manage yourself, because you are your girl/boy's greatest tool for giving them the best, longest, happiest and most peaceful existence moving forward. It ain't easy but these little creatures are beyond worth it and this book really understands in a deep way.

This book has been a huge blessing for us! With my dog diagnosed with cancer and absolutely nowhere to turn. Conventional treatment was $7000+ for her. Unfortunately that was not an option for us. The one thing the oncology dr would say to me was that i could try the diet in this book and that some folks have had some luck with it. My pup had lumps develop in August 2020. Had them looked at and was told they were lipomas. Even though the one was crunchy and hard. Lumps continued to grow. Fast forward to May 2021. My girl was diagnosed with grade 2 soft tissue sarcoma. In june 2021 she had one of the lumps removed. Beginning of july 2021 we started the diet recommended by Dr. Dressler in this book. I put all 3 of my dogs on the diet (slightly modified for the 2 without the cancer). It provided some direction when i have not been able to get any direction from any of my local vets. Our local oncologist said they dont do diet and supplement recommendations. My vet said they didn't know anything other than the standard treatment and couldn't help me. The book is thick, thorough and well written. It provides lots of avenues for thought and also for possible things you could do. I dont know what the future holds for my girl, but the tumor she had removed so far is staying away. And the other 2 have shrunk a little bit. It provides a little glimmer of hope. Thank you for writing this book and also thank you for the support group on facebook and also the weekly emails. All of it has provided some support that i have not been able to find elsewhere.

I bought this book after my 10-year old blue nose pitbull terrier was diagnosed with osteosarcoma on her right scapula. As the book states, most dogs don’t show signs of osteosarcoma until there is an incidence of lameness. That’s exactly what happened with us. Piggy started to limp and we couldn’t tell where the lameness was radiating from, only that it was her right forelimb. It didn’t heal after 2 weeks of rest and then she suddenly atrophied in that entire limb up to her shoulder. We took her to a specialist and X-rays revealed the starburst cancer on the scapula and metastatic nodules in her lungs. It was honestly too late to implement everything this book suggests, and for Pig, she’s always been sensitive to diet and supplement changes and with the rapidity of her decline, we kept it basic with omega-3, Denamarin, milk thistle, Tramadol and Gabapentin to keep her comfortable. The book states that you know your dog the best as their guardian, so don’t freak out and immediately bombard your dog with all of these changes that may overload their system. I think Dr. Dressler is a little overbearing when it comes to his own product, Apocaps, because there is not enough scientific evidence for me to give my dog 5 of those pills a day with a wacky offset schedule and having to give it with a small amount of food. It just seemed like snake oil for our dog. Nothing we gave Pig at that point, with stage IV cancer is going to miraculously shrink or eradicate the spread. We also had a vet tell us to amputate her entire front leg while in the same breath tell us she had moderate arthritis in her remaining joints. Pitties’ lifespans are from 10-12 years on average, so it didn’t make sense to put that trauma on her in old age. I know my dog and she would never survive an amputation. She hated going for walks with four limbs! My advice is to read this book, don’t freak out and buy everything he lists and start making these crazy home cooked meals with all these added supplements/powders, especially if your dog is a picky eater. Pig was not amused at my attempt to feed her chicken liver, or brown rice, or red pepper mixed with ginger/parsley/digestive enzymes and calcium powder. And many vets would question Dressler’s suggestion to feed garlic to your dog, it being one of the foods considered poisonous to them. You need to worry about getting calories in so the muscles don’t atrophy further. If that means feeding your dog rotisserie chicken meat to entice them like we did, then go for it. Pig ate Blue Buffalo kibble, omega-3s, turmeric glucosamine chews and filtered water her entire life. Her weight was always normal and she was a strong, healthy dog until April 5, 2020. Goes to show you that cancer can strike even after you’ve done everything in your power to prevent it. Pig passed away on June 15, 2020, three days after her 11th birthday. We feel no regret at our pain management plan. Pig was wagging her tail until the day she died. This book surely helped in making us positive and grateful for every day through the trauma of watching her deteriorate. Stay strong and surround yourself with positive energy and practical solutions. Confide in friends/family and strangers alike, as there are plenty of people who have lost their beloved pets to cancer.

The book is filled with honesty and hope. We’ve already heard the bad news, and cried out buckets-full, there are ways to fight for our dog’s health or if a worst case scenario, for her comfort. I found both Drs Dressler & Ettinger to be remarkably smart AND compassionate about do’s and do not’s, & ways to give my dog the best case scenario of living fully in spite of cancer. Compassion & honesty are two hallmarks of good care I need most in loving and being involved in the treatment of my pets. The book is is a gold mine of good information, well laid out with food guidance, what to expect with different medications and symptoms, and pain management, should that be a part. And I followed their advice in consulting an oncologist at a regional veterinary school’s oncology department. It was such a hopeful & helpful trip, just as the authors point out in the book, a must for a dog with cancer. Cannot recommend highly enough. It gave me the information to start reading all I could get my hands on about my dog’s type of cancer, how to better understand pathology reports, and where to now. Get the book and a good highlighter and learn all you can. Knowledge on our part is the best act of love we can give our beloved pets...And then following that advice. A 5-star encyclopedia of cancer care!

This book has been a God-send as me and my beloved 7 year old wire-haired fox terrier, Tiggy, cope with his cancer. I realized I knew very, very little about canine cancer, and this book told me how to face it, fight it, and have hope. I learned all the technical terms that helped me understand what Tiggy, is going through. It answered every question I had. It is well-written and easy to understand. Tiggy is going to Auburn University Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Alabama, where he is treated by doctors trained in oncology. He receives chemo, medicines, and they prescribed special food that he loves. I take this book with me on his chemo days, which can sometimes last 8-9 hours, and I share it with others waiting for their dogs being treated. They are amazed at what they can learn and how better to understand what their beloved pets are going through. If you know of someone who is experiencing cancer in their dog, please tell them about this book. Better yet, buy a copy and give it to them. I am so grateful I found it, for it is making this journey easier to cope with and given me hope for long, quality time with Tiggy. He is doing well, by the way, after surgery and weeks of chemo, and I give thanks for every day with him which are made a little easier thanks to THE DOG CANCER SURVIVAL GUIDE..

I can't recommend this book enough for anyone facing any kind of cancer with their pet. There is so much information out there it is overwhelming especially after being hit with a diagnosis of cancer. This book will take you from the beginning steps to some of the most helpful and caring information you can hope for to do the best you can for your pet. The diet and supplement information alone is worth it and it has made a huge difference in my love Calie's response to treatment and her overall health. Dr. Dressler and Dr. Ettinger's approach to providing pertinent information is easy and straight forward. I love how honest the book is about what things are proven and what things are suspected to be helpful. I am not sure where we would be without this book and I know I would not have been educated enough on my own to make some of the medical decisions I have had to make on Calie's behalf. Aside from the book and the diet there are other additional resources through a closed Facebook page for those following the protocol made up of awesome people going through the same journey as well as the dogcancerblog.com that is full of insightful articles from various individuals in the field. For you pet's sake get the book and get them off basic kibble ASAP.

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My dog has just been diagnosed as having cancer and this book is so helpful in approaching the subject and what to do for and with your dog. Apart from the information in the book the main message I got was to be bright and loving to your pet to help her or him through its most awful time. Dogs are very sensitive to moods in their fur parents and react in similar ways. I notice when I am purposedly chirpy and petting her she responds at the moment with a wildly wagging tail and appears to be happy. It does help to prepare for the inevitable end for a beloved pet even though it will be terribly distressing when the time comes. I don't know when that time is but right now I try to relieve her life and make it the best I can.

My bichon frise was diagnosed with lymphoma in November 2022 and told the prognosis was 1-3 months. I was in pieces. I took it into my own hands and stumbled upon this book. What a life saver it is. Its now been 10 months, and he is still going strong. We started him on everpup and apocaps right away after researching all the advice in the book. It is full of helpful tips and guidance, as well as support during this tough time. To conclude, this book has given my dog extra time with me, which is priceless.

My weimaraner was diagnosed with an aggressive form of T-cell Lymphoma (lymphosarcoma) on Dec 11 2014 by the University of Guelph Veterinary Cancer Clinic, and his prognosis was made worse because he also has hypercalcemia (due to the cancer). I knew that I didn't want to put him through chemo for a number of reasons. (Minimum of $5000 for the possibility of giving him 6-9 months, and having to drive him weekly to another city on and off for 23 weeks, and half the dogs don't make it to 6 months despite what you've just put them through.) They said "If you do nothing, he won't survive two weeks. If you can't afford chemo, you can put him on prednisone and that might give him 1 or 2 months". It's very off putting to word it that way. I chose not to put him on chemo for a variety of reasons - none of them monetary. Why would I put a dog I love through that when it won't cure him? They say that chemo doesn't affect dogs like it does humans, but how on earth can they know that? The side effects of nausea, vomiting, hair loss are all the same, and many dogs will need extra hospital treatment because of the chemo. Leaving him there scared and alone regularly at the hospital was not an option. As much as I hate the thought of not having him around as long as possible, I knew that I'd be doing it for me - not him. My decision was to keep him as healthy as I can for as long as I can. I have to say that I'm disappointed in the mindset of the U of Guelph vet hospital. (A seemingly cutting edge institution in the middle of huge renovations while I was there.) I asked if they offer any other complementary or alternative therapies the blankly stared at me and said no. How can they not know about and suggest any other alternatives? Like this one I stumbled on last week by another university, http://www.upenn.edu/pennnews/news/compound-derived-mushroom-lengthens-survival-time-dogs-cancer-penn-vet-study-finds Anyway, back to the book. After doing some research I found this book online and order it on Jan 30th and received it January 31st. (I was amazed by how fast I got it. It arrived in one day - New Year's Eve!) And it's been a godsend. I had already found Dr. Dressler's cancer diet as a pdf online a few weeks earlier so had already been implementing that, but decided I wanted the rest of the book as well. It's full of great information about food, and supplements, what to spend your money on and what not to, and why. And although it refers to traditional cancer treatments (chemo) it doesn't expect or assume that you're doing chemo. He seems pretty unbiased in that regard. It has given me a lot of useful information, which I'll use when getting my next dog and how to help it live as long as I possibly can. I highly recommend this book if you want to extend your dog's life. But be forewarned that following the diet and supplement regime is still a financial undertaking and a LOT of work. No longer can you just throw some kibble in the dog dish and walk away. Lol! Supplements aren't cheap, and neither is all the meat you'll have to buy for the high protein low carb diet. I was also able to find a holistic vet nearby which we went to last week. It's been great to have that support as well. (I have no problem with my regular vet, but his solution to a discovery of cancer was to send us away. I knew that he wouldn't be of much use and have not been back since.) Anyway, it's been nice to have the support of this holistic vet (previously a conventional vet) and she has him on some additional Chinese herbs. Anyway, my weimaraner turned 7 yesterday and actually seemed more energetic and happy than he has in months. He still loves his walks in the woods. I know the cancer is still there, but I'm sure the info in this book has helped me keep it at bay. The prednisone and/or cancer is taking a toll on his body though. He's not nearly as muscular as he used to be, but honestly if you saw him today you'd never know he has terminal cancer or believe the oncology vet's determination that he should be pretty much dead by now.

Este libro me abrió los ojos a muchas cosas, sin las cuales estoy segura que mi perro no hubiera tenido la calidad de vida que tuvo. El Dr Dressler escribió una verdadera guía de acompañamiento; desde el día 1 de diagnóstico hasta el día final. Hermoso enfoque humano, con tips para manejar tus emociones después del diagnóstico y cómo establecer un protocolo integral para ayudar a tu perro en la lucha contra el cáncer. Explica detalladamente cada tipo de cáncer, suplementos, dieta, aspectos emocionales, etc. Este libro fue mi mano derecha en el camino y no puedo agradecer lo suficiente. Mi pequeño se fue hace 5 días y aunque mi corazón está roto sé que tuvo muy buena calidad de vida y resisistió 8 quimioterapias exitosamente gracias a todo lo que aprendí de está guía. Deseo que mi comentario le sirva a cualquiera que esté pasando por esto.