Standard treatments for hemangiosarcoma do important work. But there’s also quiet progress happening beyond them.
Doctors and scientists exploring new paths, revisiting old ones, and finding things that actually help our dogs feel better.
Ozone therapy seems to be one of those quiet breakthroughs.
You may have heard it mentioned in passing, or seen it pop up online, but it’s worth a closer look.
We sat down with Dr. Jim Bridges (DVM CVA FAAO), a veterinarian with years of experience using ozonated glycerin in canine cancer cases, to help you understand what it is, how it works, and whether it might be right for your dog.
A gentle heads-up: Dr. Bridges’ experience so far has been with splenic hemangiosarcoma (some with liver metastasis). So what we’ll share applies best to splenic cases. If your dog has another type of HSA, it’s still worth asking your vet or a specialist; just know the data is less clear for those forms.
With that in mind, let’s start at the beginning.
What Is Ozonated Glycerin?
Ozone therapy is an alternative medical practice that introduces ozone into the body to treat diseases. It has been used and researched medically for over 100 years.
According to Dr. Bridges, Japanese researchers have been studying ozone since 2021, with the goal of finding a water-soluble substance that holds onto ozone longer than ozonated water.
The result is ozonated glycerin: a gentle, time-release form of ozone therapy that’s easy to give to patients. OG is created by infusing medical-grade ozone into organic, USP food-grade vegetable glycerin. The glycerin acts as a stable carrier, allowing slow release of ozone. OG is incredibly versatile, it can be used topically, orally, and locally for numerous health concerns.
In practice, it’s shown antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, and antiprotozoal properties, along with anti-inflammatory effects. It also helps with tissue repair and has antineoplastic activity.
How Does It Work for Splenic Hemangiosarcoma?
From February 2022 up until last year, Dr. Bridges gave over 300 ozonated glycerin injections—either locally or intraperitoneally—to 50 different patients. Twenty of those were splenic and liver masses, mostly hemangiosarcomas.
He’s clear about what ozone therapy does best for this cancer: palliative care that works fast.
What he usually sees is improvement in pain control, appetite, weight gain, and energy.
And if it shrinks a tumor in the process, that’s always a great bonus.
Most, but not all, of the masses Dr. Bridges saw decreased in size. Most spleens that were starting to bleed returned to normal size and shape, and two dogs even had routine splenectomies after ozone treatment to prevent recurrence.
As with any treatment, the earlier you start, the better. As he says, “everything gets better with more oxygen.”
But how you actually give ozone therapy matters almost as much as the therapy itself.
How It’s Given and Why It Matters for HSA
Ozone therapy comes in many forms, and you’ll stumble upon ozone oils, at-home machines, and rectal insufflation as you do your research.
Dr. Bridges acknowledges that rectal insufflation can offer some daily support (provided you have a really good machine, proper calibration, and solid training as an owner). But the amount of ozone delivered this way is actually quite small.
As for ozone oils, he’s been making and using them for over a decade. But, as he says, “they smell bad and taste worse,” which can make treatment tricky for both owner and dog.
Both of these, in his experience, aren’t the best approaches for splenic hemangiosarcoma to get the most effective outcome.
Dr. Bridges prefers intraperitoneal injection for abdominal tumors.
The way he does this is by hooking up an IV set to a saline bag with ozonated glycerin and a 1.5-inch needle, slowly advancing the needle through the midline, then hanging the bag and letting it flow wide open. This bathes the tumor and the organs in an oxygen-rich solution.
A single injection can last up to a month. The standard approach is to give it every 14 days until remission, then switch to monthly.
He also sometimes combines ozonated glycerin with prolozone injections, an injection therapy that can combine ozone gas, anesthetics, vitamins, and nutrients.
When you’re weighing which treatments fit your budget and your dog’s needs, ozone therapy can be a cost-effective supplementary option to consider.
Dr. Bridges charges around $80 for prolozone injections and $150 for ozonated glycerin (though prices may vary according to your pup’s needs).
Combining with Other Treatments
Ozonated glycerin injections can work great with standard therapy and supplementation, but timing matters.
As Dr. Bridges says: “If you are thinking about chemo, you must start OG first. Then the OG will prevent most of the side effects of chemo and enhance its cancer killing effects. The same is true for radiation, as ozone is a radiosensitizer.”
He also encourages his splenic hemangiosarcoma patients to use Yunnan Baiyao to help with bleeding crises, and he likes the benefits of 7-mushroom blends. They all work well alongside ozone therapy.
To really understand what this looks like in real life, let’s talk about two dogs.
Castle and Lucy
Dr. Bridges talks about Castle, a 9-year-old spayed female Labrador retriever who had a splenic hemangiosarcoma measuring 39 x 51 cm, a watermelon-sized tumor that was starting to rupture and bleed into her abdomen. On ultrasound, the image was unrecognizable as a spleen.
Dr. Bridges started intraperitoneal ozonated glycerin treatment.
Two weeks later, the mass had decreased by 75%, and her ultrasound showed about half a normal spleen with a cucumber-sized mass at the end.
A second injection was given. By the end of that month, her spleen was normal in size and architecture.
After the third injection, the owner stopped being consistent with rechecks. Eight weeks later, the tumor had started to regrow.
Still, monthly injections were given for six months. She then moved to injections every three months. At her 18-month recheck, her spleen still looked normal.
Castle enjoyed a remission of two years before she finally succumbed to the cancer.
What amazed Dr. Bridges most was that the spleen regenerated when the cancer died off, instead of scar tissue, the original tissue grew back. He now sees this again and again with the liver and spleen.
He also told us about Lucy, a black lab. He bought her a much better quality of life for about six months before the splenic tumor started growing again.
Outside of hemangiosarcoma, he’s seen mammary tumors disappear completely, and he talks about the benefits of use in human health as well:
“In humans we are finding that OG given before and during chemo can prevent most of the side effects and enhance the effectiveness of chemo and radiation—mainly through its oxidation effects weakening the cancer cells.”
Final Thoughts
Ozonated glycerin can be a great tool, one that helps with pain, appetite, energy, and quality of life when your dog needs it most.
It’s also cost-effective and won’t add much burden to you or your dog’s routine. When you’re already juggling appointments, medications, and everything else, that simplicity matters. It plays nicely alongside standard treatments and holistic ones too.
If nothing else, Dr. Bridges hopes you walk away with this: learn about ozone and ozonated glycerin. Ask your vet. Do your research. See if it might be a fit for your dog’s journey.
If you wish to learn more about Dr. Jim Bridges, he’s shared his work in webinars and online talks you can find on YouTube, and he’s currently teaching vets through https://www.ogpro.org/
Warm thanks to Dr. Bridges for his generosity and expertise and for helping us bring this information to you.
