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How I combined traditional and alternative medicine to create a protocol when my dog was diagnosed with canine lymphoma.

Scout was diagnosed with canine lymphoma in February 2021. I noticed a lump in his neck – it was movable and the size of a big marble. I could get my fingers around it, but it wasn't soft. After having recently lost one of our dogs to cancer, I took this seriously and had him checked out.

  • Scout has Stage 3 b-cell canine lymphoma
  • Scout wasn't showing any signs of illness
  • I chose chemotherapy for my dog

At the time of this post, April 2022, Scout is fourteen months post-diagnosis. I shared this protocol as my review of the Laverdia cancer drug. I'm republishing it to share my experience with more pet parents.

Scout's Treatment Protocol and Diet

In true crazy dog mom fashion, I'm throwing everything AND the kitchen sink at my dog, which includes chemotherapy, homeopathy, a raw food diet, CBD oil, THC, antioxidants, supplements that boost the immune system, and supplements that kill cancer cells.

Please note that this is a protocol that I developed specifically for my dog by adapting the protocol of a holistic veterinarian to meet Scout's needs. I am not a veterinarian nor am I a nutritionist. Nothing that I shared is a requirement.

Chemotherapy

When Scout was initially diagnosed with canine lymphoma, I chose prednisone and the CHOP protocol. After days of reading and research, this path was the best option for Scout. The protocol calls for daily steroids for a few weeks along with three months of weekly treatments that transitioned to bi-monthly treatments. The entire treatment took three months, Scout went into remission within the first few weeks and remained in remission for a total of ten months.

Rescue-Chemotherapy

Scout came out of remission for the first time in December 2021, ten months after the diagnosis.

We had gone through most of his insurance (we're with Embrace – they're amazing) and I chose to use the new Laverdia cancer drug as a bridge. Scout was on Laverdia for two months. He went into remission in about three weeks and came out of remission a couple of days before his pet insurance kicked back in.

He is now on a modified chemotherapy protocol that his oncologist recommended. This protocol requires bi-monthly appointments and, for the moment, weekly chemotherapy treatments. He goes to the clinic twice a month and they send him home with the chemotherapy drugs that I can give to him at home.

Scout is close to going back into remission; it's taking longer than the first time. His oncologist shared that some dogs never reach full remission again, only a partial remission (can still feel their lymph nodes).

We're focusing on how he's feeling and during this past year, he's remained active, happy, and has a great appetite. He's never had any side effects from the chemotherapy beyond loose stool from time to time. You wouldn't know that he has cancer.

Raw Food Diet for Dogs

I feed a homemade raw food diet to my dog that is self-formulated. I make my own dog food so that I can control the ingredients. I feed raw because it's more bioavailable (and nutrient-rich), better for the gut, better for the immune system, and more. Read more on my Raw Feeding Page.

If you're new to raw feeding, the following brands are a great start. If you'd like to try DIY, I recommend Raw Feeding 101 for meal formulation services. If commercial is easier, visit your local, independent pet store to ask the manager or owner for recommendations.

Food Energetics

I follow food energetics when feeding my dogs. Their diet is heavier in cooling and neutral proteins – both to decrease inflammation while also cooling the warming and hot proteins that I occasionally alternate with. If you'd like to learn more about food energetics, see Yin & Yang Nutrition for Dogs: Maximizing Health with Whole Foods, Not Drugs by Dr. Judy Morgan.

Fasting

For people new to raw feeding, I can understand why they might think fasting is harmful to dogs. I felt the same when a nutritionist was telling me about the benefits of fasting. So I tried it myself and felt the difference; only then did I try it with my dogs.

Our dogs aren't meant to constantly digest food (neither are humans). Fasting gives our gut a break, and because 70-80% of the immune system resides in the gut, this break allows the immune system to do a better job, too.

I used to feed Scout twice daily, and I'd fast him once or twice a week. After he came out of remission, I read a veterinarian's protocol and decided to follow her feeding routine for all of my dogs:

  • AM: my dogs consume 3/4 of their daily food in their morning meal.
  • MIDDAY: my dogs get a raw meaty bone, a protein chew, or sardines
  • PM: my dogs consume kefir or raw goat's milk or bone broth
  • PM-TREAT: I split a can of green beans between all the dogs

I fast my dogs once or twice a week; this is more difficult to do when Scout is on a higher dosage of prednisone; but once it levels out and he's not trying to eat everything, then fasting is easy:

  • Tuesdays (optional) – the dogs have three meals of kefir/raw goat's milk or bone broth (it's always one or the other, I don't mix the two).
  • Thursdays – the dogs don't eat until 2 pm for a 20-hour fast

I also feed my dogs between the hours of 9 am and 6 pm for a 15-hour daily fast.

I know it sounds mean, but my dogs don't have an issue with fasting. They're the same dogs, we go for walks, they play outside, they nap, and they excitedly eat their next meal.

Supplements

All of these supplements are optional. Please take the time to read up on each one to ensure it's a good fit for your dog. I shared a version of this list with our oncologist at the beginning of Scout's treatment. The list has changed over the months as I learned new things about Scout and lymphoma.

You can find more details on these supplements on the Cancer Page. There are many other options, I'm only listing the product I'm using with my dog, which came highly recommended by people I trust.

*I took a break from the homeopathy after two orders of the remedies. I switched to twice-monthly massages by a professional (I do massages on the other weeks).

Essential Oils

Every Monday, I use the Aroma Boost Collection by animalEO along with Liver Boost (between #3 and #4) for Scout. Followed up during the week with Boost in a Bottle and Strength. My goal is to keep his system moving and clear any stagnation. Yep, it's woo woo, but I swear it makes a difference. I use it on my senior dog, and he's keeping up with our three-year-old.

To learn about using essential oils for canine wellness, check out Dr. Melissa Shelton's book The Animal Desk Reference II: Essential Oils for Animals. Dr. Shelton is also the founder/owner of animalEO.

Massage Therapy / Acupuncture

Several people recommended acupuncture, but the veterinarian who did acupuncture for my dogs in the past moved out of state, and I haven't found a new clinic. The next best thing is massage therapy. I don't know what to do, so while I'm studying massage techniques, a massage therapist friend comes by twice a month to give Scout a massage. I practice massage therapy on him and my other dogs the other weeks of the month.

Update: I found a holistic veterinarian who practices Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Scout now gets regular acupuncture treatments.

Exercise

And finally, I think dogs live shorter lives because of over-vaccination, poor diets, lots of stress, and lack of exercise. If raw feeders take inspiration from wild dogs and wolves, then we should increase the amount of exercise our dogs get.

I've noticed that a common denominator for dogs that live long lives is the amount of exercise they get. Check out the stories of these dogs in The Forever Dog book. My dogs now get exercise daily; I walk them and play with them two to three times a day. And we have indoor games too.

I found many articles on Science Daily discussing how exercise lowers the risk and slows cancer…

What if Something Stops Working?

Because lymphoma is an intelligent cancer and adapts and adjusts, it's essential to adapt and adjust with it. So, if Scout comes entirely out of remission, I change up the protocol. Once we were able to see a holistic veterinarian, I was able to make changes to this protocol.

  • I removed all of the Chinese herbs because he was taking these when he initially came out of remission. But, no worries, there are thousands of other remedies that I can try, which we're currently discussing.

Is This a Cure for Canine Lymphoma?

No. This isn't a cure for cancer. Many of the things I'm doing have kept other dogs alive longer, have been shown to kill cancer cells, and have improved the quality of life in other dogs. I hope that we can get Scout into permanent remission; for now, I believe that the things I'm doing for my dog are extending his life and keeping cancer at bay.

  • Scout sleeps well and eats well.
  • Scout is very active and retains his personality.

We were told that we could get a year with Scout; we've been blessed with the resources that gave us more time with our dog, and we're still going strong.

When the Protocol Stops Working

I chose to use both traditional and holistic medicine to treat my dog because traditional gave me proven results that worked quickly, giving us time for the holistic treatments, which take longer, to support my dog. The above protocol worked for Scout for nearly a year. When he came out of remission the first time, I abandoned most of the natural treatments listed above. Our oncologist and holistic veterinarian (we eventually found someone who practiced Traditional Chinese Medicine) updated Scout's chemotherapy and herbal protocol.

Scout survived over 520 days after his lymphoma diagnosis, succumbing to cancer on August 13, 2022, when we helped him transition peacefully. We were told we'd have up to a year with chemo, but we got a lot more time because of the fresh food and other choices we made for our dog.

Read More About Canine Cancer

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