I waited a while before trying Neoplasene on my dog Sam. This powerful medicine made of alkaloids from the bloodroot plant is touted as an exciting new hope in the fight against cancer, but it’s also somewhat controversial: some veterinarians flat-out refuse to even consider it.
"Julia, if I had a nickel for every time I’ve heard that there’s a ’cure’ for cancer…" one vet friend scoffed. A friend in Los Angeles told me she’d asked her vet to administer the medicine to one of her rescue dogs with cancer. "I’d sooner euthanize him than give him that," the vet told her.
Well, I don’t think that way. I say give everything a shot. So the very next time lumps appeared on Sam, I made an appointment with Dr. Jill Elliot, a holistic vet who believes in Neoplasene because she’s seen it work wonders on canine patients other doctors gave up for dead.
So here’s the rub: Sam managed to grow three lumps this time, one under his chin, one on his right cheek, and one in a place so uncomfortable I’m wincing as I write this. (Male readers, you may want to close your eyes and cover your ears.) Sam’s third lump appeared on his prepuce, at the very tip of the penile sheath. The tumor was big enough to make his urine come out at a funny angle.
To surgically remove that particular tumor would have involved a terribly painful recovery period. I could relate: Years ago, I had to have emergency surgery in a similarly tricky place, to drain a peri-rectal abscess. The recovery process was awful. I wouldn’t be able to explain or justify that kind of pain to my dog.
So I was convinced I was doing the right thing when I helped hold Sam down while Dr. Elliot swiftly, expertly injected all three tumors with Neoplasene, leaving the worst for last. When we arrived home, Sam began pacing and panting, pacing and panting, looking up at me helplessly. It was tough seeing him like that, still I believed I’d done the right thing. But ultimate validation wouldn’t come until later that week.
About five days after the injections were administered, all three tumors had melted away, leaving healthy pink and red tissue in their wake. Sam was able to pee with precision aim again. And about a week later, all three wounds healed perfectly.
The best part: Sam didn’t have to have any extra flesh removed, as he used to with conventional, wide-margin surgery. After four years of such surgical procedures, there’s not that much tissue left on this dog to spare!
So to anyone still unwilling to try this extraordinary therapy, I say, what are you waiting for?
