Dr Andrew Weil Treats His Dog’s Tumor
Dr Weil was given a container of bloodroot paste to experiment with. Here is what happened. This is a similar product to bloodroot salve, but without the zinc chloride.
His Story
“I had to make a decision about veterinary treatment for my dog Coca, a Rhodesian Ridgeback, six years old and in good health except for a growth that had developed near her right shoulder. It started as a black skin tag but had steadily enlarged until it was the size of a marble. It looked like a little black cauliflower.
The vet told me it should come off. “These things can turn into melanomas, you know.” Taking it off would mean putting the dog under general anaesthesia, which I did not want to do, since it is a risky procedure, more so for dogs than for humans. So I did nothing and the tumor kept growing.
The Test
Here was a perfect opportunity to test the power of the bloodroot paste (it contained no zinc). I smeared a thin coating of the paste over the growth every morning for three days. On the fourth day when I called Coca over for the treatment, I was alarmed to see blood running down her side. The tumor had turned grayish and seemed to be separating from the skin. I stopped applying the bloodroot and two days later, the whole tumor, then whitish-grey, dropped off. It left a raw circular area that quickly healed over.
The Result
The end result was a circular, slightly depressed area of skin with no trace of tumor. The bloodroot had removed it more neatly than I could have done with a scalpel! Hair grew back over the spot, concealing it completely.
I could not have asked for a better outcome, and the dog showed no signs of discomfort.”
Dr Andrew Weil