THE SUNNIEST DAY

We are so blessed to have such a beautiful sunny day.  I feel very weak but the sun is so nice on my black fur.  My belly is very swollen today.  Mom keeps giving me these small red pills from the Yunnan Baiyao packets to help stop the bleeding but it's not working.   I know my time is near.  Mom is going to keep fighting for me as long as my spirit stays strong and I keep fighting.  I was born a  fighter and I will fight until I have nothing left.  One can expect no less from a thoroughbred pit.

Mom & Me spending time in the sun together on our last sunny day.

After the sun went down, Mom fed me a whole bag of organic chicken dog treats and we ordered a pizza to be delivered to the house.  As crummy as I may feel,  I never say no to pizza or real meat dog treats.  

 We love pizza!

LAST TRIP TO THE BEACH

Today we drove a long time in the car.  I'm very weak.  Mom picks me up most of the time to get me from place to place and load me in and out of the vehicle.  I don't want to eat much but I am very thirsty.

Here I am with my dog friends riding in the truck to the beach.

We finally got to the beach and I was too tired to do much walking so I got carried once again.  It was so nice to breathe the fresh air and watch the waves crash into the sandy beach.  We've played at this beach many times in the past.  I took a moment to remember the times when I would run as fast as I could and  crash right through the waves as I'd chase after my float toy.  

This day was a day for listening to the birds and a time to witness the sea smells that surrounded us.  I spent my time at the beach laying around next to Mom and with my dog friends enjoying the scenery.  

Mom & Me

And then we began the long journey home.

I'm not feeling my best :(

I don't feel so good today.   I'm slow to move around and feeling kind of weak.  My belly is swollen and Mom is crying non-stop.  Her eyes are so full of tears she can't see the numbers on the phone to call my doctor.   It's gonna be okay Mom.... *Lick* Lick*

Later in the day...

We went to the emergency vet and the doctors confirmed that I have a new mass on my liver which is bleeding out.   The doctors say all they can do is put me into a deep dog sleep forever.  My whole family came to visit me at the hospital.   Mom couldn't go through with it and she took me home.   She keeps telling me we're going to take one last trip to the beach.  Today was a very sad day for everyone.

6 MONTHS STRONG!

After my 8th IVC treatment

IVC 5 & 6

I received two more Vitamin C treatments and I have had no ill effects.  I am at weekly intervals now.  I had blood tests done after IVC 4 and they came back showing I had no signs of a tumor bleed.   Thank goodness!

I have lots of energy and I'm feeling great.  I had a fun weekend playing with my dog friends.  Life is good.
-K

IVC #4 & CELEBRATING 5 MONTHS STRONG!

Hi Everyone!  I just made it to 5 months post operation! Yay Me!

Last Friday was a busy day for me.  I had my 4th IVC treatment, an auto sanguis injection and a Qi gong healing.   I had so much energy leaving the doctors office.  At first I felt great but then started to feel tired later on that evening.  The next morning I did not feel well.  I slept all day, my gums were light in pigment and I had very little appetite.

My mom was concerned I may have been experiencing a bleed out from a newly developed tumor.  (We don't actually know if I have any tumors at this point but in some cases, a dog might develop them on the liver this long after a diagnosis.)

My mom has chosen, instead of running hundreds of dollars in tests to find out my cancer status, she just puts her money towards more holistic treatments and whole foods to make me feel healthy and strong.  Knowing my cancer status would not change our treatment plan much, if at all.

By Monday my energy was back, my appetite was normal and I felt so much better.

We really have no idea why I felt this way over the weekend.  It could be an indication the cancer has returned, or maybe my body kicked on it's serious healing mode (I'd like to think so), or maybe I just did too many treatments in one day.  So many factors go into my health.  It's really hard to know exactly what went on.  I have already surpassed my life expectancy for a dog diagnosed with hemangiosarcoma and I am grateful to be here today.

I am scheduled to have another IVC treatment this next Friday.  We will see if the doctor wants to make any changes to my care plan at that time.   As It stands, we are now only doing IVC one time a week.

Thanks for reading!

IVC #3

Today I had my 3rd treatment of Vitamin C IV.   I seem to have had no ill effects from the Vitamin C treatments.   I eat the same, I have a ton of energy,  and I played all weekend until my paws got sore.   Today I received another 25,000mg of Vitamin C in 500ml IV.   I will be back on Friday for another treatment and then we cut down to once a week.   That's all for now! 

IVC TREATMENT #2

Here I am here at the doctor's office again.  This is my 2nd treatment this week.  My dosage has been increased to 25,000mg delivered IV.  It is a fairly painless process and the staff here is really great to me.  All I do is sleep for a few hours and then go home.  Pretty easy I think.  Since my dosage doubled today I will be monitored closely to make sure there are little to no side effects in the next day or so.

  

VITAMIN C IV TO FIGHT CANINE CANCER

I started Vitamin C intravenous treatments today.  Studies show that Vitamin C administered intravenously kills cancer cells like chemotherapy does, but without the harmful side effects.  Today I received 12,500mg through a 250ml IV solution.  I peed a lot, slept, and bounced around with good energy.  If I continue to do well over the next few days, the doctor may be doubling my dose for my next treatment in 4 days.  I will keep you posted!

Click here to learn more about how IVC works in the body.

4 MONTHS POST OPERATION

It's 4 months since the doctors estimated I had 3-4 months to live.  This is how I spent the day to celebrate 4 months of living strong.

Sunbathing in the morning hours

Mom said if I was really good she'd take me to the off leash park!

We kinda look like we're related, don't ya' think?

I yell at drivers almost as much as Mom does!  "Move B**** get out the way!"

Almost to Marymoor Park! I can smell it! 

We're here!!!  Gee thanks Ma, I love the dog park!

I ended the day with my second heaping bowl of veggies and turkey.  My food was increased and I eat about a pound of food in the morning and a pound in the evening.  All human grade and mostly organic.  Life is good!

HOW TO MAKE A ONE WEEK SUPPLY OF FRESH DOG FOOD

Hi, Kaylanni here! If you are wondering how to make food for your beloved pet, here is a description of how we do it in our house.  It may inspire you and give you some ideas.  Here is a quick explanation as to what work goes into making of a weeks supply of fresh food for a dog with cancer.  

First we cook up 7lbs of turkey.  The higher the fat content the better.  These packages from Trader Joe's or Costco usually weigh about 1.25 or 1.5 lbs each.  We break up all the meat after it has been cooked and then let it cool in a very large bowl. 

 

This is the pre-made veggie mix we buy.  It is 2lbs in weight and keeps very well in the freezer.  It's all broccoli, cabbage and other green veggies.  The Paws Cafe adds my omegas, probiotics, arginine and CoQ10.

Before we add the bag to the meat we must mix in the other vitamins the doctor wants me taking to keep my cancer as slow growing as possible.  At this step we add green tea extract, curcumin, mushroom mix and Yunnan Baiyao to help prevent internal bleeding from any mass that may develop.  Once it's all mixed in, we shake up the bag and let it sit until the turkey is cool.  If we add the mix too early, the heat may kill my probiotics.

After all the meat is cooked we add organic kale and organic chard in the leftover juices and fat from the turkey cooking process. This helps it to break down the greens enough to mix well with the other food and I don't notice I'm eating rabbit food.  This helps prevent me from spitting the chard and kale all over the kitchen floor while I sift through turkey. 

   

 

After all this has cooled, we mix the veggie mix with the meat and then the kale and chard all by hand.  Most important is to make sure the vitamins are distributed evenly throughout.  The food is then weighed into 7 equal parts and placed into a Tupperware for freezing/refrigerating.  With this recipe each container weighs up to a little under 2lbs and that is split between morning and night feedings.   That's about it! One weeks worth of dog food takes about 1.5 hrs a week to prepare and costs around $30 for a 50lb 8year old dog.

Here is a recap from earlier this month on the quantities of vitamins that go into the mix.

6-7lbs ground turkey, 2lbs veggies mix (made by Paws Cafe) 

1.5lb bag of organic kale and 1 bundle of organic chard or green beans, 1 head of organic broccoli chopped 

Omegas 2,000mg (helps keep down inflammation)

CoQ10 - 100mg day
Arginine

Doggy enzymes & probiotics 20 billion (increases my body's natural defenses)

Green Tea extract 100mg 2x dayCurcumin (turmeric root extract)- 250mg 2x day

PURE encapsulations mushroom formula - inc. Maitake, Reishi & Shiitake 1 cap 2x day

Yunnan Baiyao - 1 cap, 2x day ( found where Asian supplements are sold)

SNOWAGEDDON 2012

Hi Everyone,  It's Kaylanni the Dog here! I'm still living strong.  We have narrowed my treatments down to the injections every other week and Qi gong energy work every week with Mom's friend.  I feel great and I have lots of energy.  

We had a crazy snow storm this last week.  Here are a few videos of me playing in the snow.

Here's how Mom got snow inside her cell phone :)

I freakin' love playing in the snow!

Here I am breaking sticks in the snow! So fun!

Enjoying the fresh combination of snow and sea air.

Treatment Plan and Progress - January 2012

Hi Everyone, I wanted to let you all know that I'm doing great! I have a lot of energy, and I feel very calm and at ease most of the time, that is, at least when I'm not dashing around like sonic the hedge hog or frolicking though fields with sticks in my mouth.  I think my homeopathic injections may have some very positive side effects.

Here is a cool photo I snapped in the doctor's office.  It will help you understand the approximate location for my injection sites. I'm not sure exactly which spots he injects into because my head is usually being restrained by my Mom, while the doctor does his work.

I'm guessing the injections would be at the following locations, the heart, liver, & spleen points.  I know he gets a couple extra shots in, but I'm not sure which other points he targets.  These sites, from my understanding are not only stimulated through Auto-Sanguis injections.  Other methods include acupuncture, acupressure and massage.

As far as the rest of my treatments go,  I have had only one change to my supplements and my diet.  I lost one pound in the last two weeks so my mom has increased my food by about 15%.  She wants me to stay at the weight I'm at right now.  We will see if that increase can hold me here. The plan is as follows:


Treatment Plan 1/09/12


Every other week Auto-Sanguis injections


1.2 lbs of food a day - 75% ground turkey, 25% veggies mix (made by Paws Cafe) 
New addition! 1 bundle of organic Kale and 1 bundle of organic chard, chopped and added to my weekly batch of food that Mom makes up.  The doctor says these leafy greens are some of the very most healthiest greens you can eat!  I'm going to try to get my mom to start eating it too ;) Just you wait! I've seen her sneak a taste or two of my food!

Omegas 2,000mg (helps keep down inflammation)
CoQ10 - 100mg day
Doggy enzymes & probiotics 20 billion (increases my body's natural defenses)
Green Tea extract 100mg 2x day
Curcumin (turmeric root extract)- 250mg 2x day
PURE encapsulations mushroom formula - inc. Maitake, Reishi & Shiitake 1 cap 2x day
Yunnan Baiyao - 1 cap, 2x day ( found where Asian supplements are sold)


My Mom has also been massaging these pressure points on my back as we fall asleep at night and sometimes during the day too.  It feels great! 


That is all for now.  Thanks for reading!

Waiting for my 5th Auto-Sanguis Treatment

The waiting room of Animal Healing Center in Redmond, WA

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Egg Beater Massage

My humans think it's funny to rub my head with this egg beater device.  It actually hits three of my relaxation pressure points simultaneously.  I do find it to be quite relaxing.

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Cancer Prevention for Your Pet

Happy New Year Everyone! I celebrated my 8th birthday a week ago on Christmas Day and I am 38 days post operation!  Yay!

The following day I had my 4th homotoxicology session.  We have now dropped down to every other week for my injection sessions for maintenance.

I feel amazing! I've been going to the dog park and dashing around the neighborhood with my dog friends.   I have noticed that my coat is looking shinier then ever.  I think it might be the 2g of omegas I am taking every day, but dang I'm looking good! My weight is perfect too, 50lbs right on the nose.

Here are some ways I have learned through this whole process, how you may be able to prevent cancer in your beloved pet.  My Dr. says, "Cancer is much easier to prevent, than it is to treat."  

I have heard from many sources that 50-100 years ago cancer was almost unheard of in dogs.  We ate the scraps of what our humans ate.  There are many questions as to why cancer develops.   In some cases there may be genetic factors at play.  We can't help but consider that our modern diet, lifestyle and environmental pollutants might play a role in the cellular mutations that lead to this disease.

What we can do to prevent cancer before it starts:

1.  PURE WATER - Always allow us access to purified water.  The additives to public water can be toxic to us.

2. MINIMAL STRESS- Stress increases stress hormones in the body, overtime this can have an impact on the immune system response or the bodies natural defenses to fight off disease.

3. REGULAR EXERCISE - Regular exercise is so important for pets! It helps our circulatory system and keeps our heart and lungs strong.

4. MINIMAL VACCINATIONS - Vaccinate as little as possible over your pets lifetime.

5. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTANTS- There are so many things that can make us sick! Cigarette smoke, fertilizers, cleaning agents, some carpets aren't even healthy for us. We are also sensitive to dust and mold too! We are closer to the ground than you. Plastic can make us sick as well.  Here is a great blog that addresses how plastic has an affect on our systems.
http://www.dogcancerblog.com/hemangiosarcoma-mammary-cancers-and-plastic-link/

6. CONTROL WEIGHT - Over feeding can put unnecessary stress on a pet's immune system.  It could also be an indication of inflammation in the body, which is an opportune condition for cancer to develop.

7. FLEA PRODUCTS - Insecticides are designed to kill a living creature, it is best to use only if absolutely needed.

8. WHOLE FOOD - If you can fit it into your budget, find a way to feed us as close to natural and organic as possible.  Anything with a protein content of 50-75% is ideal and the rest being veggies.

If this is not possible consider dry foods that do not have a bunch of words you can't pronounce in the label.

It is very common for big name companies to add artificial preservatives, artificial flavors, and dyes, in addition to being high in carbohydrates and low in protein.  Cancer loves carbohydrates, and a high carbohydrate diet increases the likelihood of diabetes.  The protein provided in these types of foods is often made with very low grade meat and may include parts from sick or dead animals.  

Here are some great brands that you can trust to get you started if you can't cook food fresh for us:

Addiction http://www.addictionfoods.com/usa/	Nutro http://www.nutroproducts.com/
Avoderm http://www.breeders-choice.com/	Pinnacle http://www.breeders-choice.com/
Canidae http://www.canidae.com/	Premium Edge  http://www.premiumedgepetfood.com/
California Natural http://www.naturapet.com/	Raw Advantage http://www.rawadvantagepetfood.com/
Evanger's http://www.evangersdogfood.com/	Royal Caninhttp://www.royalcanin.us/
EVOhttp://www.naturapet.com/	Sensible Choice http://www.sensiblechoice.com
FirstMate http://www.firstmate.com	Wellness http://www.omhpet.com/
Innovahttp://www.naturapet.com/	Weruva http://www.weruva.com/
Merrick http://www.merrickpetcare.com/	Wysong http://www.wysong.net/
Natural Balance http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/	Ziwi Peakhttp://www.ziwipeak.com/
Nature's Variety http://www.naturesvariety.com/

Here is a great link to a much more extensive list of toxic things your pet may be coming in contact with on a daily basis Land of Pure Gold - Polluted


My Health History

I left my birth mom when I was five and a half weeks old because she was no longer nursing me and I needed supplementation.

As a puppy I had bad fleas and I was allergic to them.  As a result, every time I got fleas I had the desire to chew patches of fur right off my body.

For the first three years of my life I had quite a bit of separation anxiety and would cry and cry whenever my Mom left me at home or in the car.

I have always been prone to rashes on my tummy, hair loss on my back and ear infections.

I have had many courses of antibiotics throughout my life as a way to treat my skin problems. We found that grain-free was the best way to go for me. It pretty much stopped my allergic reactions and infections.

I have always been up to date on my vaccines because we thought it was best for me and I even had some extra vaccines for international travel and admittance to doggie day care.

I can't help but wonder if all this coupled with a genetic predisposition landed me where I am today.

The waiting room of Ancient Arts Vet

Waiting for my turn

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Tui Na Massage, Acupressure & Acupuncture for Dogs

+26 days PO

After following my mom to kettlebell class today, we went back to Ancient Arts Veterinary to explore what acupuncture would be like.  Acupuncture is just one of the 5 modalities offered under Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) which has been around for thousands of years.  A few of the methods TCM has to offer includes herbal remedies, Tui Na massage, Acupressure and Acupuncture. 

The herbal remedy blend I received today is known as Wei Qi boost and Escape Stagnation.  I am to take 1/2 tps 2x daily.  

We learned a little bit about Acupressure today.  It has been know to assist in pain relief, and immune system support.  Anyone can do it.  It is not a replacement for health care, but considered complimentary.  

I received Acupuncture for my first time today.  Dr. Darla was able to stick around 10-12 needles in me before I got so squirrely no one could hold on to me.  The needles stayed in for about 20 minutes during which I went through a series of moods.  I went from squirrely to calm, to nervous, to calm and then sleepy.  When it was over, I didn't make it easy for the humans to remove the needles from my back.  

The rest of the day I had times of excitement with lots of energy, like when I got to work and saw all my favorite people, and then when it was time to be quiet I found myself able to be more at ease and be peaceful, more then I usually am.  

After I got home my mom tried some of her new Tui Na massage techniques on me.  It takes me only seconds before I knock out and begin to snore out loud.  Today was a good day :) 

TCM & Cancer

Auto Sanguis Injections for Cancer

Monday, day +24 PO I had my 3rd Auto-Sanguis injection treatment.  These treatments are a combination of homeopathic remedies administered in the form of an injection.  The doctor draws a very small amount of my blood from my leg and then mixes it with the medicine.  The remedy is injected directly into my meridians along my back.    It is not too painful.  I tolerate it.  I do like that I always have a lot of energy afterwards.  The purpose of these injections is to try to keep my cancer at bay so I don't grow a new tumor, while stimulating my bodies natural defenses to help fight the disease..  After 4 consecutive weekly treatments, I will be dropping down to every other week for maintenance.

Chiropractic and Qi Gong for Dogs

+19 Days PO (post operation)
Today was a good day! It started out on a queen size memory foam bed.  I slept in until 11:00am.  That's when I heard the sound of fresh made ground turkey, chard and veggie-vitamin mix hit the food bowl.
My Mom and I then proceeded to our first appointment for the day, the chiropractor.
I had never been to one before.  Guess it can't hurt right?

We arrived at the chiropractic office.  The good doctor introduced himself with one extended hand while keeping one behind his back holding an odd looking metal device.  He came down to my level to evaluate my spine.  He then held his metal clicker somewhere close to my shoulder blades.  "CLICK!" "POP!" and then again to my neck behind the ear, "CLICK, CLICK, CLICK!"  I was so freaked out by this experience I tried to run out of the room, the door was closed.  I whipped around the room quickly to try to avoid another click!  He said my T7- spleen vertebra and my atlas were out.  The doctor was great but I'm not sure I want to do that again...

On our way to the next appointment we stumbled into the tea shop across the street where we accidentally struck up a conversation with an energy intuitive lady.  Without telling her everything we'd been through in the last couple weeks, she chose to share with us some insight, "If the spleen is strong, cancer cannot grow.  If there is no spleen, keep the energy life force strong where the spleen once was."  Okay....  interesting...  Funny how our next appointment was a Qi Gong lesson.

We headed over to a place called Ancient Arts Holistic Services.  The owner Darla is very nice.  She has  dog toys and real meat dog treats too! Darla spent the hour teaching my Mom breath techniques for developing her Qi Gong practice.  Once my Mom figures out how to gather the Qi and move the Qi, she can give some to me and help balance the energy in my body.  That seems to be the plan at least,  give me Qi where I'm missing my spleen and I'll be all good.  I spent most of the hour lying next to Darla on the floor near her feet. There is something I like about her.  I can't quite put my paw on it yet.  We went home with our Qi homework and made an appointment for the following week to learn massage techniques to assist my affected meridians do to my cancer and spleen removal.

I'm still not sure what to think of all these new approaches to staying healthy and strong, but I will tell you that earlier this evening I had so much energy!  I felt like a puppy again, bouncing around, mouthing Moms's arm as I tried to heel while she tried to walk.  I haven't tried that in years! I use to get in trouble for it, but not anymore ;)