Dear Dr. Carol,

Thank you so much for your offer of advice (which I will use in the future as I have 3 dogs), but unfortunately, our dog was diagnosed with cancer. A tumor weakened the shoulder which made the breaks easier to happen. We put him to sleep this morning as his quality of life was not going to be good. He was in pain. He lived 15 great years. He passed peacefully. I think that is the best gift we could give him. He was fed home-made foods and given great immune supplements all his life, but sometimes we have to let them go.

How nice to know that a total stranger (and, now, new friend) can be so intimate and caring.
Thank you for this. I will stay in contact as we continue to be blessed with our four legged friends.

Blessed to be a caretaker
Best wishes,
Sherri L.

Cancer is now the leading cause of death in dogs in the United States!

Certainly cures are needed and now some of these cancer ridden dogs have been enrolled in a new clinical trials program, in which they receive experimental chemotherapeutic drugs before they become available for people. Twelve trials are currently under way on groups of 15 to 60 dogs, and at this point some reports say that many of these canines have responded “favorably” to the drugs.

The trials are being run by The Comparative Oncology Trials Consortium which is located in Bethesda, Maryland, and was recently formed by the US National Cancer Institute.

The rationale for using dogs instead of mice and rats, is because cancer affects dogs very similar to the way it affects people. In addition, the different types of cancers, plaguing pets is also similar to the variety’s affecting humans. Therefore their rationale on using dogs, instead of rats and mice as “guinea pigs” for people gives researchers a better idea of how the drugs would eventually affect people.
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The Nobel prize for medicine was awarded to three American scientists for their discovery of how chromosomes are protected by telomeres and the enzyme telomerase, that play a key role in the aging process as well as cancer, in people and pets.
The three American Laureates were awarded the Nobel Prize of $1.42 million dollars.

These discoveries will further the understanding of the aging process, shed light on disease mechanisms, and in time help to stimulate the development of potential new human and pet therapies.

Elizabeth Blackburn from the University of California at San Francisco was one member of the Nobel Laureate team.

The telomerase enzyme also plays a key role in allowing tumor cells to multiply uncontrolled and develop into cancer. As such this represents a major new area of focus for new drug research. For example, vaccines that target telomerase are currently in clinical trials for the treatment of lung and prostate cancer.

This discovery is of major significance and will become the new foundation for future research on cancer, stem cells and the aging process itself. This research is as applicable to pets as it is for people.

Jack Szostak of the Harvard Medical School in Massachusetts was the second recipient.

Medicine is traditionally the first of the Nobel prizes awarded each year. The prizes for achievement in science, literature and peace were initially awarded in 1901 accordance with the will of dynamite inventor and businessman, Alfred Nobel.

The final recipient, Carol Greider (left) is with John Hopkins University, School of Medicine, in Baltimore, Maryland.
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Ever since scientists unraveled the dogs DNA or genetic code and found it to be quite similar to human DNA, research into medical conditions and treatments for people and pets has been on the rise.
Recent results from a 2008 survey revealed that the leading medical conditions affecting people, mimic the top conditions plaguing pets.

Allergies, for example rank number one for people and pets. In the past, many mistakenly considered allergies to be exclusive to humans. The signs of an allergy differ between the two species.

Allergic people primarily sneeze and may also get runny eyes whereas itching is usually the primary sign of allergies in pets and some may also be affected with runny eyes. The end result for both is the same and requires treatment for relief.

1. Allergies topped the list. In 2008, there were 63,761 claims made for pet skin allergies. Allergic reactions in pets can result from various agents that are called allergens, including flea saliva, pollen, grasses and/or various foods.

Treatment options for pets are similar in principle to those for people. It involves controlling the pet’s exposure to allergens,in the environment and/or to certain foods, stopping the itching, sneezing and/or runny eyes and boosting internal immunity.

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Hi Dr. Carol,
Happi Dog is still doing great! I’m so pleased.
It’s time to order some more am/pm Paaws vitamins, I have less than a week left.

Happi Dog is so full of life and energy that I can’t believe he is really sick and no one else can believe it either. He hasn’t had any more collapsing episodes and loves his anti-cancer diet
I know his spleen cancer is terminal but he is surely enjoying life to the fullest for now.

Thanks!! Mindi V.

Hormones naturally decline as people age… but what about hormones in our pets? In general, and as televised by Oprah herself, hormones are needed by the body and brain to grow, sustain life and function normally. Specifically, the female hormones of importance are estrogen and progesterone and in males testosterone dominates.

Have you ever wondered why so many pets are dying of cancer, suffering from obesity related issues, including arthritis and/or diagnosed with diabetes?

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Over the weekend, Mindi, who owns an 11 year old, 78 pound Labrador retriever called me crying. She was out of town and her dog whose name is Happi, suddenly collapsed. She rushed him to the nearest veterinary facility. They diagnosed a condition called Hemangiosarcoma, which is a terminal cancer of the spleen and recommended euthanasia.

Dear Dr. Carol,

This is a picture of Happi and me at the beach.

Thank you so much for helping my best friend, Happi dog. He is doing great! Happi loves the “anti-cancer” meal as well as the Paaws am/pm vitamins. I took him for more blood work and a urinalysis, and will be picking up copies this afternoon, which I will e-mail to you.

He is still full of life, despite his diagnosis of the hemangiosarcoma cancer of his spleen.

I am very pleased and appreciate all the time, help and wonderful advice you gave me.

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Dear Dr. Carol,

We would like to take a moment, and thank you, for being a compassionate veterinarian, during Harleys’ battle with end stage cancer. Harley lost his battle on June 26th, 2009.

Harley lived almost 6 weeks past his unexpected terminal diagnosis. As compassionate pet owners, and nurses we opted to not treat Harley with chemotherapy. With that decision, his prognosis was reduced to days for survival.

Devastated by the news; we looked to you, Dr. Carol for a holistic approach. We wanted Harley’s final days on earth to be filled with the highest quality of life. We wanted Harley to have the chance to just be a dog, and we just wanted to love him.

Dr. Carol, you gave him that and so much more. We are eternally grateful for the quality time you gave us. Harley’s time far surpassed our expectations. The quality of his final weeks was truly unbelievable. He remained pain free, he ate, he played, and he got to do everything he wanted to with dignity.

The PAAWS Vitamins, along with the multiple all natural supplements (probiotics, gum mastica, kidney essentials, digestive enzymes), anti-cancer diet, and necessary fluids you provided us with proved to be the perfect combination.

Losing a pet is never an easy thing to endure; especially losing a young pet, Harley was only 3 ½ years old, but you assisted us through it all.

Our goal from the start was to do right by Harley – we did not want him to be in pain or to suffer so that we did not have to say goodbye. You gave us that – it was the perfect canine hospice.

During the weeks – Harley thrived – he went to the nursing home, and put a smile on the resident’s faces just like he did as a puppy. They would give him a scratch and a kiss, and he was so happy.

We followed your number one piece of advice “love your dog“, and we did more than ever. We all agreed that he would tell us when his journey on earth was over – and he did. The day Harley told us all “no” (each of us in his own little way), we honored our promise to him. We took him and had him laid to rest. I will never forget the way he looked at me as he walked into the clinic with the tech to have his line put in. He just looked me in the eye and said “it’s okay Mommy I’m ready”. We all held him and kissed him goodbye as he was put to rest.

That was probably the most unselfish act – I have ever done in life. Although we were overwhelmed with loss -we had no regrets. We know that we did right by Harley with your treatment regime and guidance.

Harley is now at peace alongside St. Francis watching over and protecting all creatures great and small.

Dr. Carol, we thank you once again for allowing Harley to die with quality, love, and dignity.

Sincerely, Sandy, Donna and Jessica

Dr. Carol,

Rene has only a week supply of your PAAWS vitamins left. Would you please send us two AM and two PM SENIOR vitamins for him.

My husband has definitely become a believer with these vitamins. They definitely perk Rene up and despite his testicular cancer, he is eating, playing and acts like he is fine. On a similar subject, Rene is doing well after a round of antibiotics. Your diagnosis was correct-that he was also suffering with allergies and had an ear infection as a result.

Thank you for your wonderful advise and support.

Mariam R.
Houston, Texas

I just got this heart warming note from one of my clients and wanted to share it with everyone who may have lost hope for one of their beloved canine companions diagnosed with a terminal illness like cancer.

Harley’s Story,

Hi! My name is Harley (short for Harley Dawson Tug Hampton the first). I am a Dogue de Bordeaux (French mastiff). I was born AUGUST 3rd, 2005 and my journey starts there. I’m not sure where I was born or who my real parents are. All I know is that one day 2 ladies came and took me home from the pet store. I was 8 weeks old and 18 pounds. I had this giant head that was so heavy for my body to hold up for long periods of time. Despite my looks my new mommies loved me. In addition my feline and canine companions learned to tolerate my endless drool and ungraceful mobility. Over time I grew into an incredibly handsome dog. However, I never did outgrow the drooling or clumsiness.

I attended puppy school so that I could learn to listen to my mommies. I did quite well for the most part. My best friend was a Yorkshire terrier – wasn’t that bizarre to watch. I actually am 1 class away from being a “therapy dog”. Both of my mommies are nurses, and as a puppy I would go visit the residents in the nursing home they worked at. I used to love the smiles I would bring to their faces just by being there. I also loved the scratches I would get and the occasional biscuit. Face it, it was an easy job and mastiffs are rather lazy so I loved it! Give a paw here or there, sit, down, speak – what dog in his right mind wouldn’t.

I moved to a new home when I was around 1 ½ years old. The place must have been made for a big lug like me. I had so much room to get around that for a second I forgot how clumsy I really was. My mommies got really busy working so I started staying home a lot more. On the rare occasion I would get to go visit at my moms job I always found myself looking in one room for one little lady. I would go to her bed and put my head on it – she would get a bright smile on her face and give me a big kiss and scratch. The last time I was there I couldn’t find her. Guess she had to go away and very soon I will go away too.

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