Hey everyone.
I noticed my girl, Astrid, had swollen glands under her 4 armpits so I took her into her vet.
After testing it has been determined that she has cancer, lymphoma, in those 4 glands (and maybe others).

Her appetite and behavior are still completely normal, but the vet believes by the end of the year, she will become very uncomfortable as her tumors grow.

He says it's basically untreatable. With dogs, chemo is an option but because she is so tiny, it would be nearly impossible to determine the correct dose that is both effective and non lethal.

I told him I am willing to try it, rather than just let her degrade. She is only 5 years old and she is the sweetest little girl I've ever owned.

He said he will do more research over the next few weeks about performing chemo on such a small critter because he isnt willing to risk something that has never been tried before.


My question is, has anyone here experienced this in their suggies? Has chemo been tried ever? Successfully or not?

The vet says surgery isn't an option to remove the tumors as there are too many of them and there are likely more in progress.

I'm also curious about trying CBD (cannabis) treatment if nothing else. I want to try anything and everything possible rather than stand by and watch her die.
Has anyone used cbd in sugar gliders before?

T.I.A.

I'm sorry this has happened to your little girl. I admire you for trying so hard to cure your baby.

I can honestly say I have no idea if she can be cured. If she has many tumors they might have spread to other parts of her body. My grandfather had skin cancer. They removed the tumor, but it was too late. It spread around his body and caused him to die.

If something goes wrong during treatment she may die sooner than she would have naturally. From my understanding chemo is a very long, grueling process that can cause lots of pain. In a little critter so small I don't know if it would be worth the risks.

I'm all for you trying to save her precious life! I admire what you are doing. I just want to put the idea that maybe it is her time? Maybe it is better to let her enjoy her last few years in peace?

On the other hand you may be able to increase her life span. That's up to you to decide if the risks are worth it.

I don't know if cannabis would help. I know I once had a very shady conversation with a guy who told me he calms down his blind glider by smoking around it.

I hope someone can properly answer your questions. I'm sorry you have to go through this. Please keep us posted :)

I would never directly smoke around her, that can't be healthy. I'm looking into CBD as it has been used to treat cancer in humans and children with health problems, and it is essentially the healing part of cannabis without the effects of marijuana. It is not known to have any adverse effects and she may not even notice she's having it, and there is a small chance it can heal her. I will have to do some research on the effects of cbd in animals and the proper dosing ratio, but without any other options and no real scientific reasons not to try it, I think it is worth it

I am so sorry that you and your precious baby are going through this! I can just imagine how heartbreaking it is. Good for you for being so vigilant and noticing her swollen glands, therefore getting her care right away!

I really can't tell you what to do. Only you can decide what is best for your sweet girl. But I can tell you what I would do if I were in your position, and to share an experience I had recently. Last week, I was driving around and I passed a vet clinic that advertised for "pocket pet care". I was curious so I pulled over and inquired about sugar gliders. The doctor herself came out and said that they care for other small animals like bunnies and hamsters, but not sugar gliders. She was curious though, and said she would be happy to educate herself so she could treat sugar gliders. I really appreciated her offer, but to be perfectly honest, I couldn't help but think that I really don't want her "practicing" on my baby. When sugar gliders need care, most people would naturally want a doctor who is experienced and knowledgeable. So this leads me to what I would do in your situation: I would want to find a qualified exotic vet who has experience with sugar gliders and I would get a second opinion. Perhaps there's a vet in your area who does have more experience in these situations? It's good that your vet is willing to do research first rather than taking a risk by trying something that he isn't familiar with.

Our pets are so precious to us and we would do anything to help them. Sometimes this means going to whatever lengths are possible to save them, knowing that whatever the outcome, we have done our best. And other times it means letting them go so they won't suffer. I will be thinking of you as you discern what your next step will be, and praying for peace, healing, and comfort for both of you!

It might be interresting to try misletoe therapy, even if it doesnt fully cure her, it could slow down the progression of the tumors and improve her well being.

Sending my sympathies.

So my calculations for Astrids weight say her dose of 4:1 CBD/THC oil is 0.16mg
I diluted it into coconut oil and am starting her on 0.1mg (1 drop of dilution) twice per day to ease her into it. She seemed to not mind the first dose.

I have a pretty good feeling about this potential treatment. Other than cbd, chemo and mistletoe treatments have been recommended. Chemo for something this small has a huge risk of either being too much and killing her, or being too little and not working, all while giving her some nasty side-effects...

So i will be contacting my vet to inquire about mistletoe and its properties, all while continuing this cbd treatment.
I think its her best chance, and at the very least might ease her suffering.