We have a dog diagnosed with a large soft tissue sarcoma. He is only 7 years old and the lump that developed, seemingly overnight, grew to the size of half a basketball (you could see his side bulged out.) At first we did nothing, thinking that it must have been an injury but as the lump grew we took him to a vet. X-rays, blood and urine tests showed absolutely nothing! He seemed to be getting sicker so we scheduled an exploratory surgery and found a large cancerous mass (the lab results confirmed it). The vets removed what they could and sent him home and said it was a matter of weeks.

That was March 3, 1999 and we started him on essiac, raw foods, shark and bovine cartilage and anti-oxidants. Today he has a look and vitality like when he was 2 years old. The vets can't find any lumps and are surprised at his recovery. It has been a short time so we don't yet consider him cured but we will follow up with more tests if he makes it a few more months. I don't know what the secret is but I am glad we didn't go with the chemo and radiation because even if he goes next week, he's had a great time instead of being sick from chemo for the rest of his life.

We're lucky that he loves the tea. We give him about 4 ounces twice a day (cold) and just laps it up! I will send in updates about my dog's condition from time to time.

Scott

Update from Scott,  August 5, 1999

I am happy to report that he is still doing great!! His spirits and energy have remained at very high levels as well. He has had another surgery as we felt a small lump in the same area as the first one. When we went back (in July) to the same vet that did the first surgery, she was shocked and AMAZED to see him alive let alone how great he looked. She confided in us that, at the time of the first surgery (March 3rd), she gave him 3 weeks at the most to live. The second surgery in July was much less invasive and she says that while the tumor was much smaller than the first, there was still discolored tissue in the area but nothing like what she first saw.

We are continuing with the essiac tea twice a day as well as bovine cartilage, CoQ-10, shark liver oil, picogynol, Flax Seed Oil and raw foods. We have also started him on Laetril from the Christian Brothers, website www.christianbrothers.com. He gets just a little of a good dry food and then raw hamburger, chicken or ground turkey.

I am convinced that the alternative remedies not only have extended his life but have given him a great quality of life too. He runs and plays as if nothing is wrong!

Scott

Update from Scott,  January 24, 2000

I am sad to report that Toby lost his fight with cancer 2 days before Christmas. We live in the country and had a vet come to the house to put him down. He was on his favorite dog bed in front of the fireplace! As hard as that was, let me assure anyone who is going through this for the first time with their pets that it is extremely peaceful for the animal! They literally just fall to sleep. And seeing that was a big relief for my wife and I.

Do I think the essiac helped? All I can say is that on March 3rd 1999 a vet operated on him and gave him 2 or 3 weeks to live. We started him immediately on the essiac and a raw food diet (all raw meats, chicken beef and pork). We also started him on vitamins, garlic, brewers yeast, bovine and shark cartilage... really experimenting with just about anything we could find. He had a fantastic 10 months of life. He had 3 more surgeries including one very major one but he always bounced right back.

So while nothing was able to cure him, I certainly think we helped support his immune system to fight and he had really never suffered. And I would do it all over again if I had to. For the most part, he was able to continue running and playing until the very end.

My feeling is that death is as natural as birth, it's just harder to say goodbye than hello.

Jan's response...

What a well-done web site. It has EVERYTHING you could ever want to know about essiac. We learned about essiac while searching the net for anything to help our cat.

In early March, our veterinarian removed a large mass they dubbed a hemangiosarcoma, and suggested that it would return in force very soon unless we put him through chemo. We could not subject our trusting affectionate little friend to that, so when we stumbled across essiac, we began adding a half-teaspoon of essiac to the water on his canned food, once in the morning and once in the evening. He was already in the habit of lapping up the water before eating his food, so this works well. We just hope we bought a reliable formula from a trustable marketer.

In any case, now more than 60 days after his surgery, our cat never seemed so healthy in many months. We'll see. More time will tell.

Carol

Update from Carol,  July 21, 1999

An update on our dear little kittycat. The doctors had only given him 3 or 4 weeks after his surgery on March 6. He lived until July 10th at the age of 16 years and 8 months. And his life was good. But around the 4th of July, he lost his appetite (and he loved to eat!). He began to seem short of breath. So on the 7th we took him in for a checkup.

They took an x-ray, and then the blood sample. When the doctor brought us the x-ray, she sadly warned us that his condition was fatal. She showed a healthy cat's lung x-ray alongside our cat's x-ray. Healthy lungs look clear and black. Our kitty's lungs had white bubbly formations and very little black. Cancer had almost completely overtaken his lungs. We asked her to run the bloodwork anyway. His condition deteriorated rapidly. He could walk only about 2 feet before resting 2 minutes. He couldn't get to his catbox in time. Saturday morning we had to take him in to the vet and say goodbye. The injection of tranquilizer stopped his heart and lungs. We miss him.

About the blood test results. Of course, the test reflected the bad news, that his blood cell count was down to 12. But there was some surprising news as well. His kidneys had been compromised and in April, his creatinine numbers had been in the upper 40's. We had been giving him subcutaneous fluids to help him (and he actually enjoyed the process because he got the world's best head and chin scratching). But conventional wisdom is that failing kidneys never improve. Yet this last creatinine number was 32, 30 is the high edge of the normal range! His other kidney numbers were improved also. The vet just couldn't understand it -- and we didn't tell her about the essiac.

When we started giving him essiac, we could find no data about dosage. We began with a full teaspoon on his food in the morning and again in the evening. But he threw up, so we backed off to a half teaspoon each time. This may have not been enough to battle the cancer, only postpone it. However, we were surprised at how his kidneys improved.

Jan's response...

I am sorry about your loss. Thank you for updating us on your experience with essiac, it sounds like your experience was similar to mine and that you had a long and wonderful life with your cat. I believe essiac lengthened my Sven's life, that to me was a success.

I am trying essiac for my dog who has a cancerous tumor. I have gotten him capsules rather than tea because it is difficult to get him to drink. Do the capsules work as well?

Jan replies...

I lost a Great Dane to cancer in February, and I believe essiac extended his life by about 6 months. He had a very virulent cancer, spindle cell sarcoma that couldn't be totally removed, that should have killed him in about 2 months so I count that a success.

I could not get him to drink essiac tea so I put it in his food. Your dog might drink it with chicken broth in it, or chicken or cheese shreds, or honey, and I think if I have to do it again I will try those kinds of things before putting it in the food. The trouble with capsules in my view is that the herbs have not been brewed, which causes something to happen with the herbs that doesn't happen otherwise, some kind of "synergism".

When you buy the dry mix or herbs and make the tea yourself, you SEE and know what you are using. It seems that a lot of the herbal medicines/pills on the market don't really contain what they say they contain. I like to be able to put my hands on the herbs. I am by no means any kind of expert, I have just read a lot and fiddled a lot.

Do you know what kind of cancer it is? If you have a mast cell tumor you might want to use shark cartilege instead. I am taking my second dane to a holistic vet who said she has seen shark cartilege prevent recurrence of mast cell tumors long term in a dog that was covered with them, a late stage. She doesn't recommend it for other cancers.

I am hoping you may be able to give me some information about essiac dosing for our cat. We have a colourpoint persian aged 9 years and our vet has just told us that the lump she removed from her belly was actually breast cancer. This is the 2nd operation of this kind the first one showed no signs of anything sinister. Our vet has now told us that according to the biopsy tests it may have already spread and has given her no more that 6-8 weeks and there is nothing more they can do for her.

I have since been spending every spare moment searching the web for something to give Sammi some more time with us. My search has brought to light two possibilities, Maitake (which may help slow the spread of the cancer), and a low carbohydrate diet. Now I have found out about essiac tea which seems to be helping lots of pets out there.

While there is a lot of information about essiac and we have found a UK supplier, we have almost no idea of dosage and indeed how to administer the essiac. Your site has been a lot of help and I am hoping you could give me some information as to how and how much we should give our puss to try and help her (she is not an easy cat to feed!!).

It has been about a week now since the terrible news of our Sammi's condition and we would like to start this treatment as soon as we possibly can. Please feel free to include this letter on your site if you think it may help others. I would be very grateful for any information you can pass on to us. Thanks in advance,

Dave & Wendy (& Sammi)

Jan replies...

I would try giving her a teaspoon three times a day and if she tolerates that increase it gradually to a tablespoon. You could put it in a syringe and squirt it in her mouth. I am only guessing about the dose, it seems like animals (dogs at least) can sometimes tolerate large doses of it, and at this point it isn't likely to hurt her. So if it doesn't make her throw up, you could even give her more. If you can't get it into her alone, I believe it is better to give it in the food than not at all.

Don't stop the other things you are doing. If you can find a holistic vet, that would be good. Essiac seems to work particularly well with breast cancer in people. I don't know if it will prove to be the same for cats.

If you view your effort as something to give her more time and improve the time she has you will be happier, as opposed to expecting a cure. I don't know how often essiac or other herbs really cures cancer (once in a great while something does, in an individual, and not easily repeated), but I am certain they can slow it and make it less painful and life better. It is well worth the effort.

Jan

November 12, 1999 update from Dave ...

You asked me to keep you updated. We had to let Sammi go last Wednesday as her breathing had become difficult as the cancer had spread to her lungs. We believe the additional treatments like Essiac, Maitake and some homeothaphic remedies we had given her, helped a great deal to prolong her life and she did not seem in any discomfort until the very end when we decided to stop forcing her to take the treatments.

She was put to sleep at our home surrounded by our 3 other Persian cats. If I can be of any help to any other people who are experiencing this type of problem please forward my email address. I will be putting a picture of Sammi taken two days before she died on my website and I will let you know the address shortly.

Dave Woods

Jan replies...

I am sorry to hear you have lost Sammi. But I am glad you were able to make her last time more comfortable, and maybe longer. I think that is a big thing. I would love to see your website, and I am glad you are willing to have your email passed on to other people who need help.

Just wanted to let you know that my husband and I have been giving our 14 year old cat, Bear, essiac tea for the past 8 weeks. He was diagnosed with lymphoma in his small intestine and starting in his stomach. We decided against traditional treatments because of his advanced age and kidney disease. He had suffered from diarrhea for about 7 weeks prior to being diagnosed and was not eating well. Our veterinarian prescribed baby food because it is easily digestable.

Since giving him the essiac tea, he has regained his appetite (eating regular cat food along with baby food), has gone from urinating 12 times a day down to 4 or 5, is playful and has even gained some weight. Our veterinarian is very supportive and has requested that we give her all the info we have on essiac so that she can pass it on to others.

We gave him 1/2 ounce twice a day for 7 weeks and have now reduced him to 1/2 ounce once a day. We are watching to see how he does on this dosage and will go back to twice a day if need be. He is not co-operative, therefore we have to hold him and use a syringe to give it to him, not a pleasant experience but whatever it takes. He has started to hide on us every morning and evening, that is why we cut down to once a day.

We expect to have our baby for several more years, but if that is not the case we are thankful for the essiac because it has definately improved the quality of his life. I hope this letter is helpful to others. Thank you.

Donna

Jan replies...

Thank you for that info, Donna. I don't know much about cats, so I really appreciate it. Please keep me posted. It is great that your cat is feeling a lot better. I think that is a huge thing, personally. It will be even more wonderful if the essiac does more than that.  

Update from Donna, May 7, 2000 ...

Jan, last November I told you about our cat Bear. He was diagnosed with lymphoma in his intestines and starting in his stomach. We decided to try him on essiac tea. Our vet was totally supportive. Bear was only given 3 to 6 months to live. Eight months later he is still here and doing well.

Yesterday we took him to have a check up with his vet. All is well. The vet refers to him as her "Miracle Man Kitty". She could not detect the fullness in his intestines that she originally felt and had tested through biopsy. The only difference we detect in him is that he has slowed down, but then again he is 14 years, 8 months old.

He has a good appetite, in fact he has gained .6 lbs. When he first got sick, he was having severe diarrhea everyday, now he might have a little soft stool or slight diarrhea once every three weeks or so, usually after he has eaten something different. He loves to eat some of whatever my husband is eating so sometimes we let him have a taste.

We started out giving Bear 10 cc of essiac tea every morning and evening. We did this for 6 weeks and then we cut back to 10 cc every evening. We also give him Metoclopramide (anti nausea medication). We give him the tea and medication one hour after he has eaten. We based the amount on his body weight and then added some in case of spills. We give it to him in a syringe and squirt it down his throat, not an easy thing to do.

Hope this info helps others, I'll continue to keep you posted.

Jan replies...

Donna, this is wonderful news! It gives me goose bumps to hear these things, I really am happy for you. Please do keep us posted. Also, it is great information for other people who have cats, the dose amount helps a lot. Thank you.

Update from Donna, November 19, 2000 ...

Jan,
Just a note to let you know that Bear is still doing great, we celebrated his 15th birthday on September 14 with a visit to the Vet. She is amazed at how well he is doing. This month, it has been 14 months since he was diagnosed with lymphoma. We decreased the dosage of essiac tea to 10cc twice a week. His appetite is still good. He eats a jar of baby food, a 6 oz. can of cat food and about 1/8 cup of dry food every day. Hope this gives others encouragement, will keep you posted.

Donna

Jan replies...

This is wonderful news. It has been a year since the first letter from you. Thank you so much for telling me this.

Those of us involved with this site have been having a discussion about dose sizes. Bear is one of the instances that makes me think we ought to be giving much bigger doses. If you reduce it by weight the correct dose for a cat would be about 1/2 teaspoon a day. This is what Rene Caisse may have said to do.

I notice that cats seem to respond better than the dogs, and I wonder if it is because of the relative dose size, an ounce a day is an awful lot for a cat. But when I need to give essiac again to my dogs I will give much more of it than the traditional recommendation.

I am so happy Bear is doing so well !

Update from Donna, July 26, 2001 ...

Jan,
Just a note to let you know that Bear is still with us. We give him 10cc of essiac tea every other day. We had reduced the frequency to twice a week but he started to have soft stools and some diaherra so we went back to every other day. Everything is back to normal. Bear will be 16 years old on Sept 14. Needless to say we are very pleased and look forward to a few more years with him. He will have a check up with his vet in September. Will let you know what she has to say.

Bear has certainly shown myself, my husband and our vet that one should not give up just because conventional medications/ therapies are not advisable. Bear has been such a big part of our lives, we even take him on vacations back to Canada with us. We have no children, so he is our baby.

Donna

Jan replies...

Dear Donna,

I get a huge grin and tears each time I hear from you about Bear. I am so happy.
Thank you for letting me know!

Update from Donna, October 13, 2001 ...

Just a note to update you on Bear. Three weeks ago we noticed that Bear seemed to be distressed and he was bumping into things. We took him to Dr. Meyer and she confirmed that he was almost totally blind. She thoroughly examined him and other than being blind, she found him to be in pretty good health for being 16. She told us that his type of cancer rarely goes to the brain and she could find no evidence that it was in his optic nerves. Also, she could not feel it in his intestines and hasn't been able to since he has been taking the Essiac for the past 2+ years.

We do notice that he is slowing down but he still has a good appetite. Today, he had an accident in the hallway and sometimes he has a hard time staying in the litter box. We watch him carefully and help him find his way. He seems to enjoy the added attention, actually likes to be held and still sleeps with us every night.

We realize that our time together is coming to an end, we will let him go with the dignity and love that he deserves because he has given us 16 plus years of love, happiness and companionship. Will keep you updated.

Donna

Jan replies...

Hi Donna,

I am sorry Bear is fading. He has surely had a great life, though, and it is incredible that you beat the cancer. I am sure the remaining time he has with you will be wonderful for all of you. And it might be quite a long time, too. I know cats can live a very long time, it is amazing to me because I have only had dogs.

I never expect (and never encourage anyone to expect) the result you have gotten, which turned out to be amazing. I feel a lot of affection for Bear, the survivor, and your success has given heart to a lot of others.

Donna sent an additional note the same day...

Jan:
In my email, I forgot to let you know that another cat with cancer is taking Essiac. A friend of mine asked me for the Essiac instructions because a fellow nurse where she works has a cat that was diagnosed with the same cancer as Bear. I gave her a month supply and her cat responded the same as Bear. Her vet is dumb founded, but very pleased and willing to accept that the Essiac does work.

Donna

The sad and final Update from Donna, October 20, 2001 ...

I write this message with a very heavy heart. Bear left us on Wednesday. He had failed rapidly since last Sunday. On Monday he decided not to spend time around us, stayed in a closet and did not sleep with us. He had a couple of litter box accidents and was not walking well. On Tuesday, more of the same and he was very distressed. Also when he did come out of the closet, he walked in circles and couldn't quite find his way. He didn't sleep with us Tuesday night and Wednesday morning he was walking very strangely, with his head lowered so his chin was almost touching the floor and he couldn't really lift his feet of the floor. We called Dr. Meyer and made an appointment for that afternoon. George and I spent the the time until the appointment holding Bear, loving him and trying to comfort him and soothe his and our distress.

Dr. Meyer was very surprised at his decline, examined him and confirmed that it was time because it would not be long before he started to have pain and we could not and would not let that happen. George held him and I patted him and said goodbye while Dr. Meyer administered the shot. We will take his ashes back home to Canada and bury them with his brother Bilwee. Needless to say we are having a difficult time but we know we gave him a good life and we kept our promise to him that we would not let him suffer.

He was our baby and it hurts so much. We will miss him, life will never be the same.

Donna

This letter came from Donna on October 28, 2001 ...