I have some personal exposure to chemotherapy due to my Labrador Retriever developing cancer late in life. I could afford it at the time, and he was my baby so to speak, so I had him treated for it. Nothing that would make him miserable or sick. The most beneficial thing we did for him was carboplatin and then radiation treatment of the tumor. Not sure why the two were regarded as somehow synergetic, but that’s what I recall. He was never sick, didn’t lose his coat (dogs typically don’t unless they’re a breed noted for not shedding) and the cancer was in retreat. He died of other causes, almost fifteen years old, happy as a clam until the day he died. Still miss him, always will I suspect.
Cisplatin is a harsh one, carboplatin not so much, at least for dogs, which are similar in many ways to humans as far as reaction to chemotherapy and responsiveness to it. There was another that we were going to introduce into the regimen before he died, can’t recall the name but it’s made from something natural. I want to say avocado pits, but that’s that controversial thing from the seventies, laetrile? Not it, but the origin is close.
Mayapple, that’s it. Etoposide is the name of the chemo agent made from it.
Sorry about your pup. Sounds like you gave him a great life right to the end.
The chemo and radiation definitely work together. The combo leaves the cancer cells without a chance to reproduce and spread, as long as it’s early.
Surviving the onslaught of system-wide and overall muscle, blood, and tissue cell destruction is the hard part, but it can and does work. But during treatment I was sure there was no way I would survive it.
If only they could target the cancer and not every inch of the whole body. I guess that is the focus of much cancer research today.
Regarding the cancer of the colon, perhaps the nephew could try high colonics of colloidal silver. I have used it for sore throat and upper respiratory infection. When I was a child 60 years ago, my doctor used to dip cotton swabs in a brown liquid called Argerol (undoubtedly a silver containing medication) then she would push them gently into my nose and have me lie down for 15 minutes before removing the swabs. this was treatment for cold or flu, “the grip”. It didn’t hurt me and might even have helped keep me from getting a pulmonary infection.
Regarding the cancer of the colon, perhaps the nephew could try high colonics of colloidal silver. I have used it for sore throat and upper respiratory infection. When I was a child 60 years ago, my doctor used to dip cotton swabs in a brown liquid called Argerol (undoubtedly a silver containing medication) then she would push them gently into my nose and have me lie down for 15 minutes before removing the swabs. this was treatment for cold or flu, “the grip”. It didn’t hurt me and might even have helped keep me from getting a pulmonary infection.
My evil orange cat has had three surgeries to remove tumors. I've pretty much decided at this point not to subject him to more surgeries or to chemo. I feel all guilty when he meows at me and wants to play--his behavior is completely normal, and all I can think about is that his time is limited and there is nothing to be done about it. He's not quite ten, which is middle age for a cat. A healthy cat can survive into its late teens or even early twenties.