Complementary and Alternative Medicine for Cancer in Small Animals: Separating the Wheat from the Chaff

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) constitutes a diverse and occasionally controversial group of treatments that exist outside of mainstream medicine. Particularly when considering CAM in the small animal cancer patient, it is imperative for veterinarians to understand the evidence basis (or lack thereof) for use of these alternative therapies in order to avoid delays in prompt and appropriate medical attention, worsening of a patient’s clinical condition, or even death of the patient. A variety of alternative therapies and their potential uses will be reviewed, including acupuncture; herbs, mushrooms and other oral treatments, such as CBD; vitamin infusions; cancer-specific diets; laser therapy; and homeopathy.