Wednesday, February 29, 2012

More fun, cancer fighting information..

A great horsewoman in the Bend, and a huge advocate of Protandim has sent me this information. It is very, very, interesting and I do have Leroy taking this supplement as part of his daily diet. There are a few vets in the area that are using this supplement with animals and getting great results. This is the article I got today from Diane..Leroy seems great today and has only coughed twice so far. The diet is still a huge hit and one of my favorite parts of the day is the wiggle-butt dance he gives me while he waits rather impatiently while I make a huge deal of mixing all of his food together... : )

Curcumin (aka Turmeric which is in PROTANDIM) has been found to be highly effective preventing and treating glioblastoma, a fatal brain cancer and one study showed an 81% decrease in brain tumors with no evidence toxic side effects!. ”Curcumin is the most evidenced -based nutrient use as a cancer support than any other nutrient!” He states that the spice effects 700 genes, and it enters more than 100 different pathways once it gets into the cell. He also says, based on his research, that curcumin appears to be safe in the treatment of all cancers!

http://joseph-birch.livejournal.com/22014.html

If anyone has any questions or wants to know more, or get protandim here is a link to Diane's site..

www.mylifevantage.com/dianevandenBerg 


Tuesday, February 28, 2012

News! Sort of..

So, Dr. Emily called me today to give me the information on what the specialist had said. It was a lot of information to take in and process and I am hoping it will start to make sense as we go to more appts. The specialist that the x-rays were sent to thought that the lung tumor could be one of a few things. Excuse my spelling here, it's been a long time since my Vet Tech days, and my spelling is a little rusty...due to the fact that it looked as if along with the tumor in the left caudal lung field, there appeared to be some lymphnode enlargement around the heart area as well. The abdominal x-rays we took showed everything to be normal, except the spleen was on the higher end of normal. Judging by the way the tumor looked it could be a number of cancers that I can't spell such as lymphomatoid granulomatosis, malignanat hystiocyctosis, or a long shot, a fungal infection. I think there were a few other cancers thrown in there as well, but I was in the middle of a timed Quiz when the Vet called and felt overwhelmed and distracted. Of course none of these cancers can be determined without an aspirate..since cost is a factor right now, we decided to try just the aspirate and not the ultrasound which could range up to about 500.00 plus the costs associated with the consult, and the pathology report etc. we are looking upwards to 800.00 for just a diagnosis..so keep your fingers crossed we can get an aspirate without an ultrasound. The other option is a CT scan, but we'll cross that bridge if we come to it.

We were referred to Dr. Dougherty at Bend Vet Specialists for an appt. Thursday at 10am. I just want to know what kind of cancer this is, some sort of prognosis, know that I am feeding him the exact diet he requires, etc. I have never gone through this before, to this extent with a pet. I knew somehow in my heart that he would get through the mast cell tumor, but this time I am afraid of having "false" hopes. I have my moments of ups and downs, clarity and confusion, but I am so happy he is an animal and does not process or understand this sort of information like a person does. I had some pretty amazing epiphones yesterday that Leroy enabled me to have, and if I am feeling more like writing later I will elaborate on them. Until then, hug your pets, tell them you love them, and remember that diet is SO important. The stuff that you buy in the stores is NOT healthy, do your research, and in my opinion prevention is the best "cure". Keep y'all posted as we know more!

Opportunist

Leroy is one of the smartest dogs I have ever met, I think he knows he can do whatever he wants as he left his bed in the middle of the night to go sleep on the couch, again, something he has never done before! : )The hard thing was he had his worst coughing fit yet..it was deep and sounded painful..that makes me sad : (

Monday, February 27, 2012

Tumors suck..heres a diet to feed health, not the tumor

Saturday, February 25th, I took 9yr. old, Leroy into the vet to see Dr. Emily about a seemingly small, but chronic cough he had had for the past few days. He had been digging holes in the backyard so I thought that maybe he had got something lodged in his throat, or inhaled an irritant of some kind. On a darker, gut feeling note, I questioned some sort of heart issue, I never expected to get the news, and see x-rays with a golf ball size tumor in the lower lobe of Leroy's left lung. I was devastated and tried as hard as I could to listen to what Emily had to say, but I could not absorb a thing. All I heard was that she was going to send the x-rays to a specialist, and that we could do an aspirate and ultrasound to find out more about the tumor. She touched upon surgery, but the cost is about 5-8k. and prognosis is life expectancy up to a year after this extremely invasive surgery. Thoracotomy. I felt helpless and at a loss with what to do. Jeff and I brought Leroy home and cried the rest of the day. Sunday, a sleepless night later, brought about a new vigor and plan...alternating between panicky and proactive, we decided to immerse ourselves back into educating ourselves once again on cancer diets and natural treatments..this is a rough overview of what we are doing right now, and we will keep you posted through this blog on all news and new treatments we pursue. Leroys diet has been 2c. Taste of the Wild, Salmon flavor 2x a day. His pm feeding included his supplement of Equerry's Spunk II, an amazing blend of probiotics, glucosamine and chondroitin. This supplement has been very successful in keeping Leroy sound and active since last summer when he was also diagnosed with mild spondylosis.

We went to Whole foods and got:
 **Spirulina which with 62% amino acid content, and one of the world's richest sources of Vit B-12 is an excellent cancer fighter and immune booster.
**Organic cottage cheese
**Organic Flaxseed oil (liquid form)
**Whole, brown, flax seeds (in bulk) This is all part of the Budwig Diet:
http://www.holisticdog.org/Symptoms/D_E_F/Flaxseed/flaxseed.html
this diet has been used by many, including Leroy with his mast cell tumor with great results.
**Fish Oil..Omega 3 fatty acids. Watch for Omega 6's there have been some studies that have been done that show that to much Omega 6 may increase the rate of cancer cell growth. This is a great website with a lot of helpful information regarding canine cancer:
http://www.natural-dog-health-remedies.com/dog-cancer-diet.html
**Protandim- This supplement is gaining credibility and popularity quickly amongst the medical and veterinary fields. I have a few friends that swear by this for themselves and for their pets and I figured it would be excellent to add to his diet.
http://www.protandim.com/
**Forco- is an amazing, tested and tried probiotic supplement that has virtually cured my horse Lewis of his ulcers and digestive issues. It is excellent to support Leroy with as his body undergoes many changes and stresses.
http://forcocolorado.com/
Other supplements used are Vit C
 Bachs flower essences: Are very good at helping the body achieve and maintain equilibrium..I use them myself as I need as much support as well going through the stresses of having a sick pup.
http://www.bachflower.com/

Food: Raw Poultry, Beef, Buffalo, and rabbit that is raised right here on our horse farm by the property owners:
http://junipermeadow.com/home.html
we will feed with a ration of 1.25:1.0:.75

1.25 is meat ie; rabbit, home raised chicken, home grown beef, COOKED fish..Rabbit at least twice a week as it has the best amino acids, anti-inflammatory, and omega 3s

1.0 is healthy carbs brown rice, rice, potato, sweet potato, yam, oatmeal, quinoa, millet, barley, chia, or amaranth. I found an excellent mix made by http://www.sojos.com/europa.html that covers all the veggies and berry needs.

.75 fruits and veggies blueberries, blackberries, Kiwi, apples, pears, cucumber, carrots, pumpkin, green beans, peas

For now, and this will change as needed Leroys diet is transitioning slowly to the above ration mixed with supplements, cottage cheese and flaxseed sources.

For now he is doing well, he coughs most often at night and in the morning upon getting up, but he is in excellent fitness, mind and spirits! He escaped the backyard fence tonight (He NEVER does things like that..lol) and ran to help us feed the horses, nose buried in the snow, VERY proud of himself...stay tuned for more food and supplement options..and updates on the Lee-man!







Leroy's Brief Medical and dietary History!!

Here is a brief history of Leroy's past..He was born on July 3rd, 2002, he was a rescue from a pet store in New Hampshire that had been shut down for abuse and neglect of dogs. I got him when he was 16weeks old, a terrified, shy, puppy, who had never set foot outside of his cage in the Fox Run Mall. The day I got him it was pouring rain, but there was something in his eyes, an old soul sort of look that instantly drew me to him. He would look down his long, pointer, nose at you, with this look that said he knew way more about life than I would ever know..a sort of arrogance, but a gentle, kind, confident sort of arrogance.

Leroy had bouts of colitis throughout his first few years but no major health issues of any sort. He was my companion EVERY where I went. He was always in my car during the day while I worked, or at the barn, out on trail, and at the beach every single day for his daily, chase seagulls as fast as he could, outings. Walk, was NOT in his vocabulary. I took many road trips with Leroy, he has more miles, and has seen more of America's coast line than most cars have. We moved from Maine to Santa Cruz, CA. in February 2007. In July, I noticed 2 ticks burrowed in his left, front armpit. I thought nothing of it as there were always ticks on him in CA. The site of the bite was the usual red, with a hard little bump, but still nothing unusual for a tick bite. I monitored the site as close as I thought necessary, with no unusual changes until one day I got in my car from a day at work and noticed the site had blown up to the size of a soft, fluid, filled golf ball. By the time I got back home, an hour later, it was back to it's normal size, about the size of a pimple. I called the vet the next day, and they got us in. I was heading to Maine in a few days and had almost thought about cancelling as it really appeared to be "nothing". Well that "nothing" turned out to be a grade II mast cell tumor. This was devastating news, as he was the picture of health, with no signs of cancer. The odd thing about the tumor was the amount of eosinophils that were within it. I knew in my heart, though the vets felt different, that this was a tick related issue. Leroy had surgery, the vets felt the margins were clear on all sides of the tumor, but due to the location so close to his lymph nodes the prognosis was pretty poor. 80% chance it would come back in 6mos. We even saw the best Canine Oncologist, Dr. Jay Stone, at Santa Cruz Veterinary hospital where we seriously contemplated chemo. and radiation, he was only 5yrs old at the time. The process and price of treatment was to invasive for all involved so Jeff and I decided to do what we could holistically. Until this point Leroy's diet was Purina food, I always "thought" I was buying the "best" store brands, and had never really explored, nor felt I needed to explore what other options were out there. We spent countless hours of research, talked to vets, naturopaths and more. We decided the best option was to put him on a cancer diet that was low in carbohydrates, higher in protein, and moderate in fat. We discovered Grain free, Innova Evo, at that point, as we did not have the freezer space to do a full raw diet. We supplemented this diet with cottage cheese, Salmon oil, Shitake Mushrooms, Bovine Colostrum, VIT C, Spirulina and fresh fruits and veggies. Leroy never looked better.

When we moved to Bend, OR. in November 2007 we discovered a wonderful pet store that sold, and made doing a raw diet easier than it had been in Santa Cruz. We fed him Full raw, alternating between chicken, beef, buffalo and duck. We continued his fruits, veggies, and supplements. Things were looking great for Leroy. We found a good vet, with a great wellness program. We discovered that Leroy was Lyme Positive after he had started limping. His urine was also full of struvite crystals, and very concentrated. So we had to alter his diet to a veterinary prescribed diet for the crystals. I am convinced that the Lyme disease, the urine issues and the Mast cells are all related on some level. All of his issues started after this tick bite. We got the crystals under control and slowly transitioned him onto a grain free food, Taste of the Wild. He was doing very well and we felt that we did not need to continue the huge expense of a raw diet. Plus, we had gotten a new German Shorthaired Puppy, Percy, and the dry food was a healthy, more convenient alternative. Every year during Leroys annual dental we would remove any new lumps that would crop up. I was so excited year after year when they just came back as fatty, lipomas. Outside of occasional limping he was in great health as long as we monitored his urine and lumps rigorously. As of last year we decided to no longer remove his lumps as he was having a harder time recovering from the surgeries. This year, January 2012 there were no new lumps to take off and he seemed to be in great health.