Canine bladder cancer is a serious illness with poor prognosis. Half of dogs are not diagnosed until after the cancer has already spread to other parts of the body, according to Natural Dog Health Remedies; in addition, tumors cannot always be surgically removed. As a result, your pet is not likely to live more than a year after diagnosis. Herbs such as echinacea cannot destroy tumors, but they can strengthen your dog's immune system and help its overall health.
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Purpose of Echinacea
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Echinacea does not directly attack tumors or cancer cells. In addition to generally strengthening the dog's immune system, it helps kill yeast and bacteria in the urinary tract, according to Natural Dog Health Remedies. This helps dogs that have bladder cancer become healthier, as urinary tract infections are more common in dogs with this disease than in the general dog population.
How to Administer
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Echinacea comes in capsule form. Break open the capsule and mix the echinacea into your dog's wet food. Alternatively, get liquid echinacea and add it to your dog's water. Your dog normally does not notice the addition to its diet, but if it refuses to ingest one type of echinacea, try the other type.
Warnings
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Be careful not to give your dog too high a dose of echinacea, as high doses can be toxic to animals. The normal dose for a human is 300 to 800 mg twice a day; give your dog no more than a tenth of what you would take. In addition, do not rely solely on echinacea as a treatment for bladder cancer. It cannot cure cancer or shrink tumors. You should use it in conjunction with your veterinarian's recommendations. Tell your vet you plan to use this alternative treatment and make sure it will not interact negatively with medication or chemotherapy.
Symptoms Warranting Use
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If your dog has frequent bouts of incontinence, urination appears painful, or the urine is darkly colored, he may have a urinary tract infection in addition to bladder cancer. Echinacea is especially effective against these secondary infections. Begin using it as soon as you see these symptoms.
Other Herbal Treatments
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Echinacea can be used in conjunction with other herbs to boost your dog's immune system and provide her with as much comfort as possible. Natural Dog Health Remedies says that red clover may help inhibit tumor growth, while burdock root and dandelion help stimulate the liver to remove waste. Milk thistle is effective in helping your dog's body, particularly the liver, recover from harmful side effects of chemotherapy, according to the website.
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