Toward the end of 2023, I was
fostering a small senior poodle named Ethel.
She weighed around five pounds.
She came into the rescue with large tumors on the right chain of her
mammary glands. This could have happened
because she had not been spayed, as there is a high risk (over 25%) chance in
an un-spayed dog. However, not knowing
any of her background, it could have happened due to other factors, such as
genetics, age, medications or environmental exposures. I had been interested in taking a canine
cancer course, and having her in my care gave me a really good reason to do
just that, because I wanted to help her.
Unfortunately, it was too little, too late for her as she passed away
after about three months, a short while after I began my studies.
Now, fast forward to July
2026. I have another poodle, Riley,
about ten pounds, and almost 13 years old. (see picture on blog sidebar) He and his bonded sister, Mya (a Shih Tzu)
have been with me in “forever foster care” since November 2024. He came to me with a small “bump” on his rear
left leg. It eventually began to grow,
and then it bothered him, so he started licking it, which caused further
issues, and he had surgery in February to have it removed. The area looked really good and healed
nicely, but soon after the lump grew back, this time multi-lobed, and it wasted
no time growing bigger than the one before! The previous bump was just one
lump. The vet asked me if he had this
removed before, as when they went in to do the surgery, there was a scar there
from a previous surgery. I didn’t know
whether he had a prior removal, because if he did it was before he came into
the rescue.
When I began my canine cancer
studies, one statistic really concerned me.
One in four dogs will develop some kind of cancer in their lifetime (25%
chance). If that’s not bad enough, for a
dog over ten years of age, that becomes 50%.
It is the leading cause of death in about 47% of senior dogs. Six million new canine cancer diagnosis are
made each year in the United States alone.
What really made me heart-sick was how aggressive so many of the cancers
are. Dogs are very good at hiding pain,
an old survival instinct from their wild ancestors. Since so many cancers grow internally, by the
time physical symptoms appear, it is well into the process. Because of this, a
quick plan of action is needed.
In Riley’s case, there was a
fine needle aspiration done back in January. This involves using a very thin
needle and syringe to take a small sample of cells or fluid from a lump or mass
on/in the body. The results concluded it
to be non-cancerous at that time. That
was a relief to me, but upon return to the vet this past week because the lump
started bleeding since Riley had licked it some, I was informed it was a “sarcoma”,
thus, cancerous. That was the
conclusion. So the “reason” now is that
sometimes not enough cells are released with the aspiration, and this can yield
a false-negative result. From what I have read, using the fine needle
aspiration has a 70-91% accuracy depending on the tumor type, and the diagnostic
accuracy is 80-95%. Those are high
percentages. Perhaps I just don’t understand,
and of course, most general veterinarians are not specialists in oncology.
Since the size of his mass is
one inch deep and two by two inches wide, obtaining “clean” margins upon
removal would be nearly impossible. Even amputation of the leg would not
guarantee all of the cancerous tissue would be removed. Clean margins, which involves removing all the
cancerous tissue and a small rim of normal tissue, helps ensure all cancer is
removed so that it doesn’t return. Surgery always carries high risk, and then
the healing process afterwards can be rough.
I like to search for options, and I tend toward the “outside the box”
type.
My studies centered around a
book written by Dr. Demian Dressler, DVM and Dr. Susan Ettinger, DVM, Dip.
ACVIM (Oncology) titled “The Dog Cancer Survival Guide”. It is 400+ pages of intense reading. Dr.
Dressler formulated a product he calls “Apocaps”. It contains a proprietary
blend of natural plant-based “apoptogens” and botanical extracts. A trial was
conducted that lasted 66 days with 31 dogs who did not receive conventional
treatments, i.e., surgery, chemotherapy or radiation. This was a historically controlled trial
which resulted in some positive changes in the tumors. Some shrank, some didn’t reduce in size but
didn’t grow, and some disappeared completely! That’s very encouraging!
I felt awful that I wasn’t
able to help Ethel, but I feel with Riley I have a good chance. The Apocaps aren’t cheap (around $65 on
Amazon, 90 capsules, which would last 45 days for Riley), but it’s also not
overly expensive, considering the cost of surgery, which again isn’t an option
for him. I believe it to be a viable alternative for him. When I write these blogs, I do a lot of
reading, researching and seeking answers to questions I have, and then present it
to you, my readers in an understandable way.
There is a lot of information out there, and it can be confusing to map
your way through it all. I don’t know it
all, nobody does, but I have been at this long enough (since 2012) to have
developed trusted resources and the ability to sift through the “noise” and
provide reliable information. I always
say to talk to your veterinarian before the use of any product or treatment for
your dog. Also, do some research yourself to conclude if this would be of
benefit in your particular situation.
All this being said, I do like
to educate the readers of my blog. In
regards to this product, it contains some substances that are considered “apoptogens”…luteolin,
curcumin and apigenin. Apoptosis is
probably not a word you are familiar with.
I wasn’t until I read Dr. Dressler’s book, and it is paramount when it
comes to cancer. The definition of this
word is: “an orderly, programmed process of cell death managed by the body to
remove old, unneeded, or damaged cells safely without causing inflammation”. So, how does this relate to cancer? Did you
know that dog’s have close to 20,000 genes in their DNA? Cancer begins when
mutations form in a cell’s genes, it multiplies and forms a tumor. There is a set of genes that controls cell
death or apoptosis. This is a natural and essential biological process, so it’s
a good thing, even though it doesn’t sound like it. If the cell becomes too damaged, apoptosis
can become damaged.
So what does all this have to
do with this Apocaps supplement? The above mentioned “apoptogens” can help to
turn this process back on and support the body’s natural process of programmed
cell death. That’s bad news for the
cancer cells. Considering the results of
the trail that was conducted just using the Apocaps, I personally consider this
to be a valuable tool in the fight against Riley’s cancer. Will it heal him? That would be great, but I
won’t know unless I try. He deserves a
chance, and I believe this product will give him that chance. I love dogs, and my desire to help them live
a quality life is important to me. I
want those in my care to be around for as long as possible and be healthy.
There was an interesting Hawaiian word I came across awhile back…Kahu. It means guardian, protector, or spiritual
leader. It describes an honored
attendant entrusted with the safekeeping of something precious. That is an absolutely accurate definition of
me…or of you. These precious creatures
need great care. Mine, whether foster or
my own are family. I do everything possible
to care for them properly and look after them.
They are my responsibility and I take that role seriously. We should all be Kahu’s when it comes to our
dog(s).
