Question:
My 10-year-old female pug has a mast cell tumor behind her right front leg. She has mobility problems and is incontinent at times. I don't want to have surgery performed. What are my options? Alternative medicine? Vitamins? Please help me. I love my dog dearly.
A.S., Bridgeport, CT Mar 05, 2006
Answer:
If she is otherwise healthy and it is, indeed, a mast cell tumor, I would opt for surgery. Mast cell sarcomas are common in pugs and can produce histamine that can cause various problems, notably gastroduodenal ulcers. But if she is a high surgical risk (because of a weak heart, poor kidney function, etc.), I would not have her operated on.Have your veterinarian prescribe antihistamines, which might help minimize some of the tumor's side effects, and follow a holistic approach to boosting her immune system (outlined in my report "Endocrine-Immune Disruption Syndrome" on my Web site at http://twobitdog.com/DrFox/Endocrine-Immune-Disruption-Syndrome).Surgical removal entails cutting away a lot of skin (an area much larger than the tumor itself) because cancerous cells may have spread into the area surrounding the growth. Treating the skin around where the tumor was removed with thrice-daily applications of five drops of frankincense diluted in 15 drops of almond oil might help. Melanomas in horses have been treated effectively with this anc
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