[00:00:00] >> Dr. Jessica Tartof: It can vary a little bit on the veterinarian. I test vitamin D before I will go ahead and prescribe it, and then vitamin A, there’s not good testing for that, so I use levels that are well below toxicity.
[00:00:22] >> Announcer: Welcome to Dog Cancer Answers, where we help you help your dog with cancer.
[00:00:28] >> Molly Jacobson: Hello, friend. I’m Molly Jacobson. Today on Dog Cancer Answers, we have a listener call from Billy in California. To answer Billy’s question, we’re joined by Dr. Jessica Tartof, an integrative veterinarian and Chinese herbal medicine specialist from the Chicago area.
Dr. Jessica wrote an amazing article for our website, dogcancer.com, about how to choose a supplement for your dog. It’s a must read for every dog lover to help you select products that will meet your dog’s needs, are safe and effective, and won’t drain your bank account for nothing. You can find a link to that article in the show notes.
Dr. Tartof, thanks so much for coming on the show.
[00:01:04] >> Dr. Jessica Tartof: Thank you for having me.
[00:01:06] >> Molly Jacobson: Let’s take a listen to Billy’s call.
[00:01:10] >> Billy: My name is Billy and I’m calling from California. My question is, are there any supplements that I can give my dog to help him fight the cancer? Thank you.
[00:01:20] >> Molly Jacobson: So that’s a pretty broad and general question, uh, but it’s definitely one we get all the time. So, Dr. Jessica, as an integrative veterinarian, what are your go-to supplements for dogs with cancer?
[00:01:32] >> Dr. Jessica Tartof: So my go-to are usually, kind of a list. Chinese herbs are top of my list, which formula greatly varies. So it depends on the dog, what’s going on, the results of some testing, vitamin A, vitamin D, usually mushrooms as well. And then I will have other supplements on top of that.
[00:01:59] >> Molly Jacobson: Okay. So you go with the Chinese formulas because you’re, that’s your training, and you know and understand all of those many lists of, of ingredients. And those are really nice blends, right? You’re getting a lot packed into those formulas.
[00:02:15] >> Dr. Jessica Tartof: And a lot of them do have curcumin in there.
[00:02:20] >> Molly Jacobson: My understanding is that it has a lot of synergistic value, that it seems to help other things do better. So that makes sense.
[00:02:28] >> Dr. Jessica Tartof: Yes.
[00:02:28] >> Molly Jacobson: Okay, great. And then vitamin A and vitamin D, you tend to do only if testing reveals that it is necessary. Is that right?
[00:02:37] >> Dr. Jessica Tartof: So it can vary a little bit on the veterinarian. I test vitamin D before I will go ahead and prescribe it. There’s extremely rare cases I won’t test, but I will typically test. And then vitamin A, there’s not good testing for that, so I use levels that are well below toxicity.
[00:03:02] >> Molly Jacobson: All right, great. And what mushrooms do you like to use? Is there a particular one that you always prescribe, or are there blends you’ve had success with?
[00:03:11] >> Dr. Jessica Tartof: Yeah, usually I’ll use, Myco-Forte is probably the, the biggest one that I use. And then I use uh, the turkey tail. I’ll add in turkey tail a lot of times as well.
[00:03:21] >> Molly Jacobson: Okay. Turkey tail and, and Micro Forte, Myco-Forte?
[00:03:24] >> Dr. Jessica Tartof: Myco, yes.
[00:03:25] >> Molly Jacobson: That is a blend, right? That’s not just one mushroom?
[00:03:29] >> Dr. Jessica Tartof: Correct.
[00:03:30] >> Molly Jacobson: Okay. I’ve pulled up the label and it looks like it has cordyceps, tremella, reishi, shiitake, maitake.
[00:03:37] >> Dr. Jessica Tartof: Yeah.
[00:03:37] >> Molly Jacobson: Oh, there’s a lot.
[00:03:38] >> Dr. Jessica Tartof: Yeah.
[00:03:38] >> Molly Jacobson: What do you like about this blend? Myco-Forte.
[00:03:42] >> Dr. Jessica Tartof: They’re the company I trust and it’s a nice blend of herbs for cancer. So it’s one I use quite a lot. And then I’ll tweak it depending on what is going on. So there’s definitely times I’ll add in like the turkey tail with it. Sometimes I add in other mushrooms just depending on what I’m using it specifically for.
[00:04:04] >> Molly Jacobson: So that’s a good sort of all around mushroom supplement to start with and then you can tweak from there.
[00:04:10] >> Dr. Jessica Tartof: Correct.
[00:04:12] >> Molly Jacobson: Thank you so much for talking to us today, Dr. Jessica Tartof. I so appreciate you being here in your calm, integrative approach to veterinary medicine.
[00:04:22] >> Dr. Jessica Tartof: Well, thank you for having me.
[00:04:25] >> Molly Jacobson: And thank you friend, for listening. Depending on what type of cancer Billy’s dog has and any other health problems that might be present, the exact supplements his veterinarian chooses to use may vary. But Dr. Tartof’s list is a great, good place to start for many dogs with cancer. Chinese herbal blends hopefully are being recommended by a veterinarian who, like Dr. Tartof, is experienced in their use. Curcumin is awfully likely to be in there. Medicinal mushrooms. And vitamin D or vitamin A, depending on the case and if she’s concerned about vitamin deficiencies, Dr. Tartof will be back soon to talk more about curcumin specifically and why she uses it alongside other supplements instead of on its own. So be sure to come back for that.
If you have a question for us like Billy did, you can call our Listener Line at (808) 868-3200. Just leave a message and we might use your question for a future episode. Definitely join our Facebook group, Dog Cancer Support, to share which supplements you have found helpful for your dog with cancer. You can find that at dogcancersupport.com or by searching for Dog Cancer Support on Facebook.
I am Molly Jacobson, and from all of us here at Dog Podcast Network, I’d like to wish you and your dog a very warm, Aloha.
[00:05:48] >> Announcer: Thank you for listening to Dog Cancer Answers. If you’d like to connect, please visit our website at dogcancer.com, or call our Listener Line at (808) 868-3200. And here’s a friendly reminder that you probably already know: this podcast is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It’s not meant to take the place of the advice you receive from your dog’s veterinarian.
Only veterinarians who examine your dog can give you veterinary advice or diagnose your dog’s medical condition. Your reliance on the information you hear on this podcast is solely at your own risk. If your dog has a specific health problem, contact your veterinarian. Also, please keep in mind that veterinary information can change rapidly, therefore, some information may be out of date.
Dog Cancer Answers is a presentation of Maui Media in association with Dog Podcast Network.
