Mast cell tumors are among the most common tumors in American dogs, but fortunately, most forms of this cancer are very treatable. They also may be called mast cell sarcoma, or mastocytomas. Don't worry too much about the exact name they put on the dog's disease. The information given here applies to all forms of Mast cell tumors. And the treatments are similar. GOOD news for dog lovers! About 80% of dogs with Mast cell canine tumors can be put into remission through the use of modern methods of treatment. The "typical" canine mast cell cancer patient is generally an older larger breed dog. The first sign of trouble is usually one or more tumors on or under the skin. The ones you can see are the most treatable, but they can crop up anywhere, and the deeper they are, the more dangerous they can become. The tumors often change size from day to day and, because their normal function is releasing histamine as an immune reaction, they tend to over do it and swell, or cause a rash or hives when disturbed. Tumors on Dogs - are they all canine cancer? Symptoms of the more serious metastasized mast cell cancer may include: loss of appetite, vomiting (sometimes bloody), diarrhea, abdominal pain, dark or black feces, itchiness, lethargy, anorexia, irregular heart rhythm and blood pressure, coughing, labored breathing, bleeding disorders, delayed wound healing, or enlarged lymph nodes. The prognosis for a dog with mast cell cancer depends on the stage and grade of the tumor. The skin tumors are considered to be quite curable and about half never reoccur after being surgically removed. Other more aggressive types like bone, groin or oral tumors are harder to defeat. But modern treatments, including immune support, can dramatically increase the odds of remission and, in many cases, produce a long term positive outcome. Dogs that are otherwise healthy have a good chance to become their old selves again. We all want predictions... how long will my dog last before the disease wins out? Before you put too much stock in the answer, keep in mind statistics are useful in a general way, but the only thing that really counts is THIS patient. We care about the health of YOUR dog.

Read Testimonials from dogs with Mast Cell Tumors

See what our customers have to say

Gretchen, 11-yr-old Australian Shepherd

Gretchen was diangosed on 10/26/10 with mass cell melanoma of the throat and tongue. The vet said to pamper and spoil her and with any luck, we might have her until Christmas. Surgery removed 3/4 of a growth sized like an avocado the 1/2 of an egg sized one. We immediately started an aggressive and complete Birkdale Critical Care Diet and medicine regimen. She is happy and energetic and just had a second surgey to remove part of the recurring tumor. We still have her and she is healthier than she has been in over a year. We realize her time has been shortened over all, but her time with us has been extended and made a happy experience because of Birkdale. The owners have answered our calls at 9:30 PM from home and responded to our needs with concern, understanding and positive support. Our vet was surprised with the results and supportive of our efforts with Birkdale. She said she supports "whatever works" and this is working. We are recommending Birkdale as a standard diet to our friends and have our 8 year old Lab on the diet now too. They both really love it. Our thanks goes beyond health care. Birkdale has added to our "heart care" too. 

 by David Skiles on 01/19/2011

My 6 year old beagle was diagnosed with a mast cell tumor in July 2009. It appeared seemingly out of nowhere on her back left legluckily, my vet biopsied it and determined it was probably a mast cell tumor. She had her first surgery done by him, but the pathology came back as unclean margins. I researched right away and discovered the Critical Care power-packs by Birkdale Medicinals and got her started right away. She had a follow-up surgery by specialists at a university and was given a good report. To this day there has been no recurrence of her cancer. After switching her food to the Petmix and another grain-free dry food, she actually lost over 2 pounds with no increase in activity! These products are wonderful and have given my beagle better health, and a longer life. Thanks!

 by Reviewer on 10/19/2010

I inquired about dog cancer on the web and this site came up. My 14 year old female Jack Russell Jackie had developed a lump in her groin area that had turned into a tennis ball sized tumor within two weeks. I ordered the food for her initially in hopes of a miracle but unfortunately it was too late for her so I was never able to see how this food could help her. I do have two healthy dogs at home that are a little younger but one is a picky eater. I decided to cook the food and see how it works for them. They loved it, they look forward to their breakfast and dinner every day. I can tell the difference in their energy levels and my Roxy who was slightly overweight has trimmed down to where she should be for her breed. I have no more throwing up or diarrea problems with either of them. I truly believe this food is the best thing out there and would recommend to anyone. I will never feed my dogs commercial dog food again.

 by Lisa Swift on 07/06/2010

5 months ago boxer,Greta, developed what looked like an injury on the tip of her nose. I though she had scraped it chasing squirrels or lizards in the back yard, but it kept growing. 3 months ago she was diagnosed with lymphoma of the skin. She had a tumor on the top of her nose the size of a silver dollar and 2 mm high. It was a raw, bloody, open wound and was spreading down the side of her nose. I was devastated. The vet said she had 4-6 months to live. I went on line searching for help and found K9 Critical Care, transfer factor, Omega 3 and ProBiotix. I also switched her dog food as recommended. We saw improvement within 2 weeks. 3 weeks ago it was pink new skin and now, though a bit of her nose is gone, there is no visible tumor at all. I took her to the vet 2 weeks ago for a check up because I wanted to know if she had something in her stomach or if she was just getting fat. Turns out she had gained 5 lbs. The vet said this cancer is a nasty one and can spread anywhere in the body. He had never seen a dog this far into this disease looking so well and asked me for information about what I was treating her with. Thank you!

 by Susan Ralph on 06/06/2010

I have a lot of faith in your product. We ordered the K-9 Critical Care Supplements and they came promptly. The contents are just what any dog with cancer needs. And the price was reasonable. Unfortunately, our 12 year old Golden had to be euthanized due to an edema that formed in the leg where the tumor was. He was spry and healthy in every other way but it was evident that the leg was causing him discomfort. That said, I will use your maintenance products with our dogs in the future before they get cancer or get as bad as our Buster did. We just did not know about your fine company. 

 by Reviewer on 01/26/2010

Thank you so much for your kindness when I first called regarding my dog's (Hunter) advanced Lymphoma.  I know I was tearful and upset and you were a voice of calm and reason.  Well, it will be a month on Tuesday, and Hunter has done a "180".  When first diagnosed he had several tumors in the lymph nodes of his neck, front legs, and back, he had also lost 30 pounds.  He was listless,  not interested in eating, and would throw it up when he did eat.  He went downhill so fast, I thought we would be putting him down within a week, even though the initial diagnosis was 4-6 weeks to live.  We immediately started researching and put him on a fresh meat, broccoli, diet. And, then we found you.  Within a week of being on the K9 Immunity and transfer factor, his tumors had shrunk in half, in two weeks we could not find them. His appetite is back to normal and he's back to a healthy weight.  His energy level is not completely back to what it was, but almost.  We also have him on the Prednisone, but I feel safe enough to have cut the dose into a quarter of what he was initially on (in conjunction with my vet, and on a prednison taper).  Words cannot say enough about your products.  At only 7 years old we were not prepared for him go- especially as we have an 11 year old dog that is his best friend. I have every intention of using your products for the rest of his life span however long that may be- but, I am comforted by the fact that he is so much healthier.  Thankbs again, and feel free to use this in your testimonials if you like. 

Mary

Thank you. I've been using your power pack and your pet mix for about a year; since my dog had his first mast cell tumor removed. He just had another removed, but I think it was there before the one on his leg but we thought it was just a fatty tumor. It tuned out that there was a MCT hiding inside.
 
Do you have any stats from users about the effectiveness of the program and the food? My dog Riley hadn't been to doggie day care for months, but when I took him yesterday the staff told me that he looks younger to them every time they see him. I think that is a great testimony, but I'd love to hear any other info you may have.
 
I don't feel good about chemo because I'm not sure it is worth the side effects.
 
Any info you can offer will be appreciated. All my dogs scarf your food down as soon as the dishes hit the floor!
Rosemarie

Hello Tom,
I'm so thankful that I found your site and talked to you about my boxer. Boomer is doing great with the medicines and his new food! He loves his food it's unbelievable how much it has changed everything. He no longer chews at his feet his skin and coat are great and is more energetic!

Alright, Boomer had a mast cell tumor on his belly and on top of his foot. We got them removied and I put him on the one month power pack, with the PetMix and Taste of the Wild. He would always get sick from almost every food we would give him and he has not gotten sick for the past 5 weeks since we switched him to everyhting!

Hi Tom,
I just want to tell you how our 10 year old lab is doing. As you know, she has been getting your Birkdale Power Pack ever since she was diagnosed about 7 months ago with a nasal chondro-sarcoma. We had her to the vet for her annual check-up last week, and I am knocking wood as I tell you what they wrote in their report: "FEELS GOOD, NO SYMPTOMS OF NASAL TUMOR CURRENTLY. NO SYMPTOMS OF ARTHRITIS. DOING WELL CURRENTLY. SUCH A NICE DOG!" That's a quote, and I just had to share it with you. No surprise that we continue our Birkdale Medicinals.

I have now been giving "Ruby" my vizla your k9 for 1 days and the results are remarkable. My vet was expecting me to bring her in to put her to sleep. When I brought her in to remove her surgery stiches he said "what did you do?" So I showed him your K9 product plus the 4life Transfer and he asked me for a copy of the info page you sent me.
I was so glad to talk to you a couple of Sundays ago when you happened to be in the office. Ruby is like her old self again. I am feeding her lots of protein like you said. I wish I could find a good dog food so I don't cook two meals a day for her. She does not like the n/d can food. The hemionsircoma tumor was not removed, so I am hoping that following you suggestions of antioxidants and diet will take care of her cancer. I can't believe how well she looks! As far as the vet was concerned it was a matter of "weeks".
Ruby is a beautiful red Vizla with long ears and a cinnamon coat. Intelligent and energetic. I have kept her indoor for a month, so she would not bleed internally from the tumor. THANK YOU! I would like to be one more success story on your web site!
- Betty

Hello Tom,
My Chocolate Labrador passed away last October. He was nearly 1 years old! After he was diagnosed with a malignant tumor, we put him on the Immune Assist for Canines and we saw dramatic improvement. Not only did his tumor shrink, his coat was shiny and full, he gained his appetite, and he even started growing brown hair where it used to be gray! I truly believe that if he wasn't on this supplement, he would have left us a lot sooner. His improvement and his prolonged life inspired my whole family to take the supplements!! Hence the big orders!
In fact, my friend's father had stomach cancer, and was going through chemotherapy when I introduced this product to him. After taking the Colostrum and Critical Care for a month, his white blood cell count dramatically improved, and even his doctor was astounded! He didn't even lose a lot of physical strength. My cousin started taking it after being diagnosed with breast cancer. She's been on chemo, but she hasn't lost much stamina, and she already is starting to grow her hair back! She is absolutely thrilled! Meanwhile, I have had some cervical issues due to HPV. After taking my Critical Care and Colostrum for half a year, I went back for a check-up and my doctor happily reported to me that I am no longer in this high risk group because my immune system has improved dramatically. It's an incredible feeling! I have to say, I also get a ton of compliments on my hair--lots of volume and luster, and I even noticed my few gray hairs that I had are gone!
Pretty amazing!
I want to thank you for this amazing line of products. We all feel safe taking them as well because it's organic and made here in the U.S. I am most grateful for the time I got to share with my beloved dog--surely it would not have been possible without this wonderful line of supplements. It gave him life, a whole year longer!
With much gratitude,
Nami

Dear Tom,
Thank you so much for your kindness when I first called regarding my dog's (Hunter) advanced Lymphoma. I know I was tearful and upset and you were a voice of calm and reason. Well, it will be a month on Tuesday, and Hunter has done a "180". When first diagnosed he had several tumors in the lymph nodes of his neck, front legs, and back, he had also lost 30 pounds. He was listless, not interested in eating, and would throw it up when he did eat. He went downhill so fast, I thought we would be putting him down within a week, even though the initial diagnosis was 4-6 weeks to live.
We immediately started researching and put him on a fresh meat, broccoli, diet. And, then we found you. Within a week of being on the K9 and transfer factor, his tumors had shrunk in half, in two weeks we could not find them. His appetite is back to normal and he's back to a healthy weight. His energy level is not completely back to what it was, but almost. We also have him on the Prednisone, but I feel safe enough to have cut the dose into a quarter of what he was initially on (in conjunction with my vet, and on a prednisone taper). Words cannot say enough about your products. At only 7 years old we were not prepared for him go- especially as we have an 11 year old dog that is his best friend.
I have every intention of using your products for the rest of his life span however long that may be- but, I am comforted by the fact that he is so much healthier.
Thanks again, and feel free to use this in your testimonials if you like.
Mary

John, I don't know if you recall speaking to me on the phone back in June. My 12 year old dog, Steppenwolph, had just been diagnosed with nasal adenocarcinoma in his left nostril, a very aggressive tumor. He had several nose bleeds prior that lead us to the cancer diagnosis. The week I received your product he had a very serious bleeding episode that put him in the ICU of a local emergency vet hospital for three days. They had a very hard time stopping the bleeding. His doctors told me to prepare for the worse. They had not seen a nasal tumor bleed like this and felt it may have progressed too far to do anything about it.
At this point, he had not seen an oncologist yet. We had been referred to the University of Georgia teaching hospital and had our first appointment scheduled the day after his release from ICU. He was very weak and I feared there wasn't anything they could do for him but I drove him to Athens, GA anyway. They gave him an exam and felt if he could take a week to recover with no new problems we could look at the possibility of radiation therapy. I continued giving him the IA, 4 caps per day. I also received some other herb treatments from another source during this week and started him on those as well. His red blood cell count improved and he started feeling much better.
On our next visit to the University they were very impressed at how well he was doing. He received a full exam including ultra sound of his organs and full pre-anesthesia work up. A CAT scan of his nose showed that the tumor had completely filled the left side of his nose but had not invaded the bone or broken passed the nasal cavity. His blood count was still low but improving daily. With the exception of the tumor and anemia he was in perfect health. We started the radiation treatments right away.
12 treatments for 4 weeks, including 10mg of Prednisone daily to decrease the tumor's inflammation and Clavamox, and antibiotic to avoid a possible secondary infection. The treatments went uneventfully with very little side effects or complications. The anesthesia three times per week barely effected him.
Once we were done he had lost a little bit of hair around his left eye and had a little swelling of his left gums. His doctors were amazed at his turn around. And so was my bank accountthe cost of the treatment was $800 less than the estimate given!! All due to the lack of "usual" problems most dogs experience he didn't have. It has now been almost two months since he finished treatment. We didn't go through the expense of more x-rays or CAT scan to see if the tumor actually shrunk. But he can breath through the left side of his nose again! No more sneezing and not a drop of blood lost since July. Steppenwolph is back to his pre cancer, happy, energetic self again. This type of cancer isn't curable with radiation. About the best it can do is give him another year or two of symptom free life. But that doesn't count the help he has gotten from the IA and other herbal treatments he has been getting all this time. And his doctors said something helped him during this period they didn't expect. I'm planning on continuing those for the rest of his life.
Thanks again. IA is a wonderful product!
Sincerely,
Jim and Steppenwolph

While I can't prove it worked, this is what happened
Phric was diagnosed with fibrosarcoma. The tumor was surgically removed and the follow on therapy recommended was for him to undergo radiation for six weeks. We decided this would literally destroy his personality and greatly endanger him with the number of times he would be anesthetized, to say nothing of the fact a portion of him would be burned to a crisp. In the meantime I found your product and decided to try it as well as changing his diet to healthier foods, all in the name of trying to improve his immune system, which Western therapy was ignoring.
Several weeks after his surgery all looked well as we did not find evidence of other tumors or signs the cancer had invaded his organs. At that time he had been taking your K-9 for two weeks. I reduced your recommendation to a third, given he appeared not to tolerate the full dosage. A week later I found another tumor on the side of his face. It was diagnosed as more fibrosarcoma and surgery was scheduled for its removal two weeks later. A few days later it appeared the tumor was shrinking. Three days before surgery it had shrunk to a spot with no evidence of any mass. The Vet recommended it be removed anyway and sent off to pathology. The report showed no evidence of sarcoma!
The area is now completely clear with no evidence anything was there.
He has since gained some weight and is back to his goofy personality I am now a believer in polysaccharides and his litter mate Phrac, is also now on a low dosage of your product.
So, why did the sarcoma come and go? I suspect I have the answer to that question, I just can't prove it
Dr. R.M. Clemmons' paper, Integrative Treatment of Cancer in Dogs, got me interested in doing a lot more research on canine cancers. What I found is the Western medicine approach is far short of what therapy is available in the treatment of dogs with cancer and extremely intrusive. Potential customers for your product will find oncologists are like republicans and democrats - they don't agree on anything. So, what are they to do? They can spend inordinate amounts of money on Western therapies, with no guarantees, or try your product. They need to consider what they have to lose, if they don'tYou can send this or any part of this email to potential customers, I don't want anything from you in return. I am simply very happy you developed the K-9 product, and now have more than anything I could have asked for
Jerry

We got Bixby from a rescue group. He is a Border Collie mix, about 6 years old. Extremely smart, full of life. Loves to eat. In October, 2006, he started rubbing the right side of his face everywhere - the coach, floor, walls, etc. Then we noticed redness and drainage from his right eye. His regular vet said it could be allergies and treated his symtoms as that - antihistamines, eyedrops and prednisone. No improvement from the medications. I took him to another vet because I started to notice an odor from the drainage and he started scratching the right side of his face and his right eye, so we had to place a E Collar to prevent him from reaching his eye.
The bad news was this vet noticed his face being assymetrical. Muscles were starting to atrophy. His right eye started to roll because of the lack of muscle control. They kept him for more tests. He had no sensation in his left nostril so the combination of all his symptoms arrived at a diagnosis of brain tumor. To relieve some of the symptoms, he was prescribed antibiotics, prednisone, eyedrops, neurontin. We were told to return after two weeks. On the next visit, the vet said she did not think she could do anything more for Bixby. She said to keep him comfortable. If we wanted to pursue more tests and treatments, they would cost thousands of dollars and a lot of discomfort for Bixby.
I left the office that day extremely depressed. I could not imagine Bixby being sick.
He is always happy and keeps us happy. I decided to go on the internet to do some research. I arrived at your website and read all the wonderful stories from pets recovering from cancer. Therefore, I ordered the K9 Power Pack. It did not take long for his symptoms to diminish. I continued ordering and giving him the products. The right side of his face started to fill in after approximately three months. It was after Christmas when we saw more progress. I believe his condition has stabilized. His appetite is good. No change in his physical functions. He has not deteriorated since we started the K9 products. We are now 9 months using K9. I give him 8 capsules a day, 4 in the morning and 4 at night. Thank you for great life-saving and life-prolonging products! I have stopped crying for Bixby. He is going to be with us for a long time. I am really convinced that K9 has kept him alive. I will keep you posted. I will share this story to as many folks as I can.
Lennie

I've been using K-9 Supplements and Transfer Factor for my dogs for a few years (or longer) and I'm definitely a believer as well. Also although no proof, I really believe when I cut Rexie's and Cassie's doses back to maintenance (instead of keeping them on the full dose) is when Rexie's hemangeosarcoma returned and Cassie's started.
Cassie's holistic vet recommended mushroom therapy for an inoperable tumor deep in her shoulder. She was on them for a couple of years and the tumor shrunk down some (more importantly - it stopped growing). At the same time she had a spindle cell carcinoma on her tail - the whole tail had to be removed, so it was a good follow-up therapy for that. The hemangoesarcoma was a later surprise.
I've found the vets (other than holistic) and vet specialists (like oncologists) will tell you your wasting your money and call it all unsubstantiated hype. But don't believe them because they don't have any experience with it and won't open their minds to the possibility that something other than what they've been taught can help (or work).
Further my husband uses their people version to stay healthy. When he doesn't use it he spends most of the fall and winter fighting colds/flu/viruses - when he takes it daily during those months, he doesn't get sick at all.

Sandy

I just had to send you these 2 pictures of my dog Calypso.
She was recently diagnosed with systemic Lymphoma due to a very fast growing mast cell tumor. She went down hill very fast and starting to refuse food and became very sick. I decided to try K9 supplements along with prednisone and forced her to start eating good quality raw foods (chicken, ground turkey, yams, some oatmeal).Although she is 13 1/2 and her prognoses is not very good, I have seen a huge change in her personality in the very short time on the K9. (less than 2 weeks).
Even more astounding is that her huge, hot, heavy Mast Cell tumor has decreased in size dramatically. It was oozing and bleeding and now is almost non existant. See the attached pics. I will continue to do everything for her and I, and Calpso want to thank everyone at Birkdale for this wonderful product.
-Donna