finding balance through conscious living
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I know how scary it is to find a histiocytoma on your dog. You’re not alone!
Instead of opting for a risky surgery or harmful medications, I used a home remedy to cure my dog (pictures below!) and I want to help you do the same!
Below is a step-by-step explanation of how I spent about $5 to safely and healthfully remove a canine histiocytoma, at home.
First, let me save you the trouble of spending money on unnecessary home treatments.
Luckily for you, I tried all of the expensive natural treatments that others recommended before I found the one that actually worked.
I’ll tell you what didn’t work so you don’t have to waste money and time like I did!
What Didn’t Work:
My #1 money-saving tip for naturally removing histiocytomas is don’t waste money on essential oils!
You may be thinking “But Whitney, did you use them long enough to know for sure that they wouldn’t work?” It’s possible that they would have worked in time… a long time.
Using natural remedies helps you develop a lot of patience, but you should at least see changes/improvements within a couple of days with a natural remedy. With essential oils I saw none.
On the other hand, within 48 hours of using apple cider vinegar, I saw changes in the canine histiocytoma that I was very happy with.
5 Stages of the Canine Histiocytoma Regression
There were clear stages of regression with the histiocytoma. If this is your first time healing a histiocytoma naturally then each stage can be frightening so let me explain them in detail so you know what to expect.
Once I started using apple cider vinegar, the first stage happened within the first couple of days. The color of the histiocytoma started to change. The once light-pink bump got darker.
This was the scariest part of the healing process because at the time I wasn’t sure it was a good sign that the bump was getting darker. I definitely lost sleep those first few nights, worrying about it.
Side Note: I don’t recommend trying a natural remedy so blindly like I did. I was in a tough spot. My lifelong vet who I trusted wholeheartedly had just retired and his replacement was untrustworthy to the point of being guilty of malpractice. Oh, the stories I could tell you! I was ready to take my dogs’ health into my own hands as much as I could so I dove into researching natural preventatives and remedies. Curing the histiocytoma was my first big win and it changed how I approach health (for myself and my dogs), forever!
The next stage of regression was a reduction in the size of the tumor. The base of the histiocytoma (where it emerged from the skin surface) never got smaller. It was as if it was deflating a bit.
I was so relieved to see this happen! It took about a week to see this change.
During this stage of the healing process, the histiocytoma started to dry up. It became dry and crusty in layers.
Whatever you do, don’t try to remove these layers! You don’t want to break the skin and cause an infection.
Finally, the dried-up histiocytoma began to fall off. It happened a little at a time, like a scab. What was left was a small bald spot on my dog’s tail.
Success!
It took the hair a few weeks to grow back completely. The skin is a bit raw during this stage to continue to keep an eye on it. A drop of coconut oil where the bump once was will help heal the vulnerable skin.
The bump never returned and he never had another histiocytoma, which is almost always the case.
Now that you know what to expect during the healing process, I’ll walk you through the steps I took to heal my dog’s canine histiocytoma.
It’s simple and inexpensive!
What You’ll Need
Only use raw, organic ACV with the mother.
You can also use painter’s tape, which is what I used. The reason I used painter’s tape is because I already had some and it stuck to the tail without pulling out a lot of hair when I removed it. Painter’s tape is just sticky enough to stay in place, but also peel off without hurting too badly.
Cotton balls work best but you can also use small pieces of a paper towel.
If your dog’s canine histiocytoma is located in a difficult spot to treat like the shoulder, you may need to use vet wrap instead of a Band-Aid or painter’s tape.
This process took 2-3 weeks so take a deep breath and prepare to wait. If this is your first time using a natural treatment let me just warn you that it takes patience. This is not an overnight cure.
If this isn’t your first natural remedy rodeo then you know exactly what I’m talking about. Good things take time!
If you have electric clippers on hand carefully trim as much hair around the area as possible. If the risk of cutting the histiocytoma is too high then skip this part. It’s not an absolute must. It’s mostly to help keep the bandage in place. The more hair in the way, the less it will stick.
Give the area a good, careful cleaning to wash away dirt and grime. Apple cider vinegar will naturally disinfect the area so you don’t need to use a separate disinfectant.
You want to soak the cotton ball then squeeze the excess out. If it’s too wet then it will cause the bandage to fall off. With trial and error, you’ll get the hang of how wet it should be.
Place the cotton ball directly on the histiocytoma. It should cover the bump completely, on all sides.
Use a Band-Aid, painter’s tape or vet wrap to keep the cotton ball in place. Be careful not to wrap it too tightly. The blood flow shouldn’t be restricted at all.
Change the bandage daily or as often as needed. My dogs are very active so I had to change the bandage 1-3 times per day, depending on how dirty it got.
As the canine histiocytoma heals it will be itchy to your dog. If you need to, have your dog wear a medical collar/cone during this time. Your number one priority is to keep your dog from making the histiocytoma bleed.
Air is also going to help the histiocytoma heal. Each day, between bandages, I would let the bump dry for 20 or so minutes. This step will help it heal much quicker.
Once the histiocytoma dries up and falls off you can stop bandaging the area. Again, this should take 2-3 weeks.
If the canine histiocytoma is located in an odd spot like your dog’s lip or back and you’re unable to keep it bandaged, 2-3 times a day, place an ACV soaked cotton ball on the area and hold it there for a few minutes. This way will take longer but will still work!
I highly recommend that you also add apple cider vinegar to your dog’s water or meals on a daily basis. ACV has incredible properties that will boost your dog’s immunity and improve their overall health.
Histiocytoma dog tumors are scary to find on your pup! Have you found a weird bump on your dog? I’ve been there and I know it’s unsettling when you don’t know what you’re looking at or how to fix it. Have no fear! I have…