# Hemangiosarcoma. Some alternative therapies



## Jud (Aug 10, 2015)

My Cara passed from this dreaded disease after just seven weeks although she 
had the surgery, chemo, the metro-nome chemo, Yunnan chinese pills and the mushroom capsules that have proved to extend the life of People...and Goldens. I am writing this with a 'wee bit' of expertise as my other-half is one of the top ID physicians in his field and was constantly grilling the Vets at 'Cornell Animal Hospital, Stamford, CT' and he was getting more research and papers sent to him by colleagues and ...you know....the old 'who you know' game. First....no matter what you do for this disease....it is how virulent the cancer gene is that makes the difference. From what we had done for her aggressively , having Cara's spleen removed within 1/2 hour of the first bleed and getting the news that she was all 'clear; with no other findings, should have meant that with doing all the options above, Cara should have made 6-9 months which is the median for Goldens who are treated with all these options... a few of the Goldens make a year or a little more! Still, I would recommend what my partner who consulted with the Vets and his Doctor colleagues decided on for a regimen. If Cara's Hemango had been more prone to the treatment, she could have lived possible up to a year or more. In the end...it is all luck as this disease does not discriminate. That being said, if you want to do everything as we did, go for it! You might have the positive benefits that many Goldens have after receiving this mixture of Western and Herbal ( FDA approved for cancer) medicines. It is sad that less research is done on this disease because it is a cancer of animals.

The combined treatment-cocktail :

Yunnan - I forget the second word..it begin with a B....This drug is the most important as it has been used in chinese medicine for centuries for stopping bleeds. Indeed, during the wars of the 20thC, Chinese and Vietnamese soldiers were seen swallowing a pill and putting powder on an area where they were wounded. Why? Yunnan stops a heavy bleed for a certain amount of time and thus, if you need a day or two to get help or you are not aware that someone is bleeding internally yet, it will stop the bleed from causing death. And...in each 
packet there is the emergency 'red pill'. Just one to each packet. This is used when there is a massive bleed and you need to buy time. I know this works as I was so attuned to Cara that i gave it to her when she was getting lethargic about two days before she died..but she was still acting normal. By doing so, I staved off the bleed that took her life two days later and it gave her time to feel great. I actually thought I had overreacted as she recovered and was running and playing and we did all her favorite things on her last day ...until she collapsed that night from the bleed. At Cornell...they told me that by giving her the red pill...I had extended her life by two days as this was a massive bleed from the Hemangio spreading. That, alone...made it all worth it. Get the 'Yunnan' and put those little red pills around your neck in something safe.
For a dog doing well with Hermangi therapy....the yunnan and its emergency pill is ESSENTIAL

Chemos - The two chemos (standard and metronome) should be done but again..as our Vet said...this is a vicious cancer. Some dogs do great for 6 months with this treatment alone as a median...although,some still pass after a few weeks...the lucky few live longer than 6-9 months.

Chinese Mushrooms Supplements -' I'M-YUNITY ' is the vet guaranteed brand. (you must get the ones recommended by Vets...there are many cheap,fake versions out there) - The Chinese mushrooms (forgot name but anyone who knows about them...will know the name) They work and they are expensive. If your dog is prone to fighting the Hemangio for a good period of time...studies have shown that the mushrooms have longer survival rates in combination or just alone...than the chemo. They are used for human cancers and research is being done to show the level of benefits. 

Diet and certain supplements - One should get the 'Cancer survival guide for dogs' (Not sure if that is the 'specific title'. I am sorry..I tossed the book as soon as Cara died..never wanting to see it again) but.....the cancer-fighting food diet with certain supplements was agreed on as helpful by my partner and our Vet friend who is a bit more Eastern medicine based. I will say that when Cara had the brief periods when she wasn't hungry...If I cooked up a new batch of one of the main ingredients (chicken with brown rice and broccoli)...she'd gobble it down. 

I hope this helps and if one Golden has a longer remission .....I will be so happy.
Jud


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## Coby Love (Apr 9, 2015)

Hi. In your research did you find any preventative measures that could be taken to ward off cancer? My Coby died in April. I'm hoping to get another puppy and do not want to have the same thing happen. I'm looking into alternative preventative therapy.


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## Jud (Aug 10, 2015)

Well.....this is a nasty cancer. If I had known what I knew now concerning Cara, instead of wasting money on all those expensive 'senior total health longevity exams' ....I would have done the one thing that could at least let you know if all is clear....and if something is starting to grow (especially if it isn't Hemangio.), as then, you could get aggressive. I would have done an ultra sound once a year starting at 8....and 2 times a year after 10. Even if there if there is the beg of Hemangio...if you get it out when it is small and it hasn't ruptured.....you are giving your dog a much better chance of surviving for a longer time instead of 3 weeks to 3 months once it bursts and you do surgery.


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## Jud (Aug 10, 2015)

Oh....they are looking into 'I'm Yunity' mushrooms as a preventive as well as being used for dogs (and people) with certain cancers (Hemagio being the main one for dogs) Read up on this product but...only from Im'yunity....there are a lot of bogus sellers out there


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## Christen113 (Dec 3, 2014)

Jud said:


> Well.....this is a nasty cancer. If I had known what I knew now concerning Cara, instead of wasting money on all those expensive 'senior total health longevity exams' ....I would have done the one thing that could at least let you know if all is clear....and if something is starting to grow (especially if it isn't Hemangio.), as then, you could get aggressive. I would have done an ultra sound once a year starting at 8....and 2 times a year after 10. Even if there if there is the beg of Hemangio...if you get it out when it is small and it hasn't ruptured.....you are giving your dog a much better chance of surviving for a longer time instead of 3 weeks to 3 months once it bursts and you do surgery.


I plan to start doing the ultrasounds each year as mine get older. It's an awful disease but if I could catch it early, that would be something.


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## goldy1 (Aug 5, 2012)

Jud - I read with interest your thoughtful post. Thank you for the information.
I have heard of'I'm Yunity' mushrooms as a preventive and am looking into that also.
Your advice on the whole body ultrasound - solid advice. On a side note, we spent most of last week at the specialists office after our regular vet aspirated a new lump I found on Chance (he unfortunately is prone to cysts and lipomas).
This new lump has to be removed and it was recommended to do chest x-rays and whole body ultrasound first. I can't tell you the relief when they said he is all clear. Chance is 10 and I think your advice is valuable.


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## goldy1 (Aug 5, 2012)

Jud said:


> Well.....this is a nasty cancer. If I had known what I knew now concerning Cara, instead of wasting money on all those expensive 'senior total health longevity exams' ....I would have done the one thing that could at least let you know if all is clear....and if something is starting to grow (especially if it isn't Hemangio.), as then, you could get aggressive. I would have done an ultra sound once a year starting at 8....and 2 times a year after 10. Even if there if there is the beg of Hemangio...if you get it out when it is small and it hasn't ruptured.....you are giving your dog a much better chance of surviving for a longer time instead of 3 weeks to 3 months once it bursts and you do surgery.


Jud,
I just read a PetMD article where the vet author recommends what you suggested:

" ... Routine lab work and imaging tests such as radiographs (X-rays) and ultrasound scan can also be helpful in assessing a pet’s overall health. Even when we are unsure about how to truly prevent cancer, such diagnostics can mean earlier detection of disease, and can often lead to a more favorable prognosis. ..."

The link to the full article is below:

http://www.petmd.com/blogs/thedailyvet/drjintile/2015/september/taking-steps-prevent-cancer-pets-33210?roi=echo3-29344067989-30585144-eb538a16b36fbfdb60d5d9274b6473bd&utm_source=BlogSubscribers&utm_medium=Email&utm_content=092515blog&utm_campaign=Blog#


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