Q.
We have an 11-year-old English cocker who has been in good health up to now. She has been diagnosed with anal cancer. A tumor is residing near the anus and is growing slowly. We have a holistic vet who is currently on maternity leave. We have been giving Maggie a diet of Chinese herbs and a gentle detox for about four months. The herbs were supposed to shrink the tumor and hopefully kill it but they don’t seem to be working. She has all of a sudden started chewing her rear end and scratching her skin (I suppose the skin is trying to detox itself). What can you recommend? We are very adverse to surgery or chemotherapy.

A.
Treating a condition as severe as rectal cancer is not something to do by magazine column. My practice has been quite successful with a number of cases such as this, but we work-up and treat each as an individual. One method that we have been specializing in for over 30 years, especially with certain but not all rectal and oral cancers, is a freezing surgery called cryosurgery. It is typically much less invasive than conventional surgery and is the only form of surgery I know of that is documented to be immune stimulating. Added to this, we use many anti-cancer and immune supporting supplements, the choices of which are almost endless.

Q.
Awhile ago, I came home to find my cat lying in her basket, alert but injured. It appears her hind leg was cut by a wire and to some degree she was skinned. My vet gave her anesthesia to suture the wound and she had a really tough time waking up. It took her a total of four days to completely come out of the anesthesia!

I finally brought her home on a Friday afternoon. Saturday she was fine...walking, eating, and cleaning herself. Sunday morning she couldn’t walk and seemed to be in a lot of pain. She also began having seizures. As the day wore on, she was getting worse. I rushed her back to the hospital and they gave her opium to try to take her out of pain and help cut the seizures. Her wounds have been cleaned and seem to be healing, though some of the skin in a different area of the cut did not take and will need to be removed. Also, the seizures are still continuing and the vet doesn’t know what is causing them. Do you have any suggestions as to what I can do to help her heal?

A.
I would highly recommend you search for and find a qualified veterinarian who is well experienced in alternative therapies. Having said that, three products we routinely use in our practice for seizure disorders are Neurotrophin by Standard Process Labs, a combination homeopathic remedy that contains ingredients such as asterias, belladonna, hyoscyanamus, calcarea carb and plumbum, and an herbal formula containing skullcap, valerian, chamomile and passion flower. There are many others that could also work but getting first-hand professional advice would be the correct way to proceed.

Q.
I have an eight-year-old rescued cocker spaniel who has food allergies and hypothyroidism. He is on medication for his thyroid and on Natural Balance Potato and Duck food. I am wondering what herbal methods I can use to help with a recurring skin problem he has, which I believe is primary seborrhea. He gets this under his chin in the folds of his neck and it is very smelly and his hair falls out. He also gets dry scaly spots on the inside of his legs and belly. I give him two capsules of salmon oil for the spots and he gets an ointment for the seborrhea but I would like to know if there is a homeopathic method for treating these problems.

A.
Very many remedies can address skin problems. Some we use in a case like this include Heel’s BHI Skin, Sulfaheel and one called Hair and Skin. We would use these either individually or, at times, combine two of them together. If this problem is allergy-based, adding BHI’s Allergy could also help. Herbally, I like formulas containing nettles and Echinacea, or the Chinese formula from Seven Forests called Zaocys. Adding the supplement Betathyme by Doctors Mutual Service Corp, or one called Moducare, could also help.

Other questions in this issue:

Q.
I have a male cat who will be 11 in a few months. He has had rodent ulcers on his upper lip for approximately a year and a half. First thing we did was change his food to a raw diet and eliminate poultry and fish, which seemed to really cause it to flare up. He was given two shots of cortisone approximately three weeks apart. As soon as each shot wore off, the ulcer worsened. Since then, we have tried a variety of homeopathic treatments. He is currently on a very low dose of natural hydrocortisone once a day, moducare, OPC synergy, and an immune boosting Chinese tincture...I’m not sure what the exact ingredients are. The ulcer is not better, not worse. The tissue damage seems to be pretty severe. Three months ago, I had a complete senior blood panel done on him, and everything came back great. Do you think cryosurgery would be a viable option? Any suggestions you might have would be greatly appreciated.

Q.
My dog was just diagnosed with Horner’s syndrome. No cause was determined. Any advice on what I can do?

Q.
I am interested in holistic treatment for my cat Chuckie who was just diagnosed with diabetes. He is currently on BID insulin shots and Purina DM wet and dry food. I appreciate any assistance you can give.

Q.
My four-year-old Jack Russell terrier, Buster, developed a small corneal dystrophy in his left eye. His right eye is clear. I feed him Hund-n-flocken gold, and had been giving him flax seed oil because he chews his paws so much (I was told flax seed oil helps with this). The ophthalmologist said Buster’s eyes are in excellent condition, but there’s nothing to be done. As someone who has several holistic doctors and acupuncturists, I know this may not be true. Do you have any dietary recommendations? Is this condition reversible, or can it be halted? Also, the doctor wants Buster to have a complete blood panel done to see if there is anything going on with triglycerides, cholesterol, lipids. Please advise.

Q.
My ten-year-old cat, Manila Vanilla, recently underwent surgery to remove a purplish tumor, which had been bleeding and nearly nodule. My vet said that the area was brownish and looked invasive. The biopsy results revealed breast cancer.
Since I do not want to put my cat through a radical mastectomy and corresponding chemo, I have put her on supplements. (My vet said that antioxidants and omegas would be good for her.) Presently, I am giving her Dancing Paws multivitamin and mineral supplement (two capsules a.m. and one p.m. mixed with her canned cat food) and one Norwegian salmon oil capsule once a day, mixed in with her food. Do you think this is sufficient to allow her body to heal? She is eating and exercising. Any advice would be appreciated.

Q.
I am looking for information on myelogenous leukemia in dogs. I have a four-year-old neutered male Italian greyhound who is suspected of having it. His white cell count is 92K with neutrophils at 89K. He has been symptomatic for more than six months but the diagnosis has been immune mediated disease until the most recent lab profile.

Q.
I have an eight-year-old cockapoo who has been licking his penis so badly since he was a puppy that it bleeds. He has had an operation to make the skin cover the penis a little more but it has not helped. He has to wear an Elizabethan collar. I think it has now become a habit. Is there anything I can give him holistically to stop this? I have exhausted all avenues. My vet wants to give him tranquilizers but I am hesitant.