A New Day Comes With New Hope

Well the "fixer" in me couldn't completely stop the research and we've done a great deal in the past week. Through friends' research and my own, there seemed to be hope in herbal supplements. Let me first say, that there is no cure for this cancer. Even the surgery, radiation, and chemo are not cures, they are only used to slow the progression of this type of cancer down. With that said, there is great promise shown in some medications and herbs in slowing down the progression of this type of cancer as well.

I do want to warn those of you who read this blog, to do your research carefully and do not believe everything that is on the web, because there are so many claims made, much of which is not proven and some of which is not safe for your animals.

Through my research I was able to find a Vet in Atlanta who is a holistic vet and offers nutritional plans as well as herbal and various medicinal treatments for dogs with cancer. Below please find our treatment plan that we have worked out for Tasha:

1. A new diet:
   
   
   
   1. We are putting Tasha on the "Cancer Diet," which is high in protein and low in carbs. This decision is because there are studies that show that tumor cells grow rapidly when provided with carbohydrates, yet slow down when deprived of carbs and fed with fats. Therefore we have the following recipe:
      
      
      
      1. 50% Meat or fish
      2. 50% Veggies (Including Shitake Mushrooms to get D-Fraction)
      3. Flax Seed Oil
      4. Centrum
      5. Tums
   
   
   2. The biggest factor in her diet is to keep her eating and not losing any weight.


2. Herbal Supplements:
   
   
   
   1. Hoxey:
      
      1. This supplement has shown promise in people with malignant cancer and is being studied in companion animals for the same benefits. We will keep Tasha on this for the first year and then determine the effectiveness.
   
   
   2. Double-Strength Fish Oil:
      
      1. This supplement has shown to improve the quality of life for cancer patients, slow weight loss and slow the growth and metastasis of tumors. She must be on a very high dosage of this to see results.
      
      
   3. Cell Advance 880 Antioxidant:
      
      1. This supplement should not be used for animals who are undergoing radiation or chemo, but as Tasha is not going to have those treatments, it has shown to enhance the effectiveness of the other drugs that she is on.


3. Medications:
   
   1. Piroxicam:
      
      1. This a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, which has proven to aid in the treatment of certain cancers that are affecting the lymphatic system. We will watch her carefully on this drug, as we do not want her to experience stomach upsets and lose weight.

If we find that Tasha is tolerating the above treatment well, we are considering adding Poly-MVA to her regimen, as it has also shown progress in treatment of adenocarcinoma.

I also wanted to share that there is a long list of other supplements that have not shown any evidence of helping with cancer in dogs, yet they are distributed throughout the internet. Please be advised to work with a certified holistic vet before determining what is the best treatment for your loved ones. A short list of items you should stay away from are listed below:

• Beta-Glucan
• CoQ10
• Colostrum
• Conjugated Linoleic Acid
• Ellagic Acid
• Enzymes
• Glutathione
• IP-6
• Lycopene
• MGN-3
• Melatonin
• Shark Cartilage
• Shark Liver Oil
• Vitamin D
• Transfer Factor
• Astagalus
• Berry and fruit juices (Noni, Acai, Goji and others)
• Black Walnut
• Cancell
• Cansema
• Carnivora
• Coriolus Versicolor
• Essiac (Flor-Essence)
• European Mistletoe
• Graviola
• Green Tea Extract
• Grapeseed Extract
• Ginseng
• Haelan
• Neoplasene
• Pau D'Arco
• Red Clover
• Saw Palmetto
• Wheat Grass and Wormwood

We have started the new program with Tasha today and I will keep you posted on her progress.

Also, another quick note. Our sweet boy Skol, or Buddy as we like to call him, is currently undergoing surgery to remove a fatty tumor from his leg. We are hopeful that this surgery has no complications. We will be changing his diet as well, but not to the low carb diet, but a homemade diet to keep him healthy and at a good weight.

More updates soon.