Took Addie to the new holistic veterinarian yesterday, Dr. Friedly in Falcon, CO.
He was briefed on Addie's condition, diet, and supplements. He told us that the basic diet we are using (see previous posts) is a good 'anti-cancer' diet. In addition to the supplements we are giving her (also outlined a few posts ago), he suggested Hepagen-C, which is primarily for Milk Thistle (liver support) and Fractionated Pectin (for anti-metastasis).
In his experience with neoplasene, some animals do have digestion troubles. To counteract this, he suggested keeping her on the drug for 6 weeks and taking her off of it for 1 week then repeating this routine for the rest of her life. This is a little different than the instructions provided by Buck Mountain. We will see how she does at the six-week juncture and decide what to do at that time.
He also told us that some of his other patients with cancers as bad or worse than Addie's hemangiosarcoma are still alive 18 months after his initial visit with the animal. This was very encouraging and gave us hope that what we are doing will not be in vain. It sure sounds a lot better than the internal medicine veterinarian's prognosis of death in 10 weeks.
As far as her general state of being is concerned: from the last post up until 2-3 days ago she has been pretty energetic in the mornings but seems to have a significant drop in energy in the late morning and early afternoon. We think this might be her body trying to adjust to the lack of carbohydrates and beginning to use fat for energy. The past 2 days have been better with the late morning crash not seeming to be as drastic.
We plan to take her on a couple of hikes this weekend. Hopefully, she will be able to do a little more than she has over the past couple of weeks.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Camping Trip
Addie had been doing pretty well last Thursday and Friday (7 out of 10), so we decided to take her and Shep camping for the weekend. We didn't go far from home in case she had any issues. We thought it would be good for her to get out, sniff around, and take some walks. We also wanted to test prepackaging her meals in order to see if she would eat her new food cold. We precooked everything and put 2 meals in each baggie.
We got to our site on Friday at about 6pm. She was happy to run around, play in the creek, and smell "stuff". She enjoyed her campfire warmed dinner! We took some extra bacon grease to help her want to drink water after eating.
She slept well Friday night and was up at her usual 6:40am (not 6:39 or 6:41), ready to go. It was her first time with her new food cold. She had no issues. We went on a leisure 2 hour hike, and she did well. We did take some lunch meat as a snack since she is no longer allowed the carb-loaded, standard dog treats. She kept up and had energy at the end. We all took a couple hour long nap, then went on a short 30 minute walk around the area. Again, she had good energy. She actually played very puppy-like with a stick.
We had been concerned about the lack of carbs in her diet. She does get tired in the afternoons, but has shown good energy in the morning and pretty good energy in the evenings after a day of napping.
We are looking forward to her appointment with the holistic veterinarian on Wednesday as we have all kinds of questions: supplements, is the neoplasene causing stomach issues, what about internal bleeding, etc. I already have a long list prepared!
We got to our site on Friday at about 6pm. She was happy to run around, play in the creek, and smell "stuff". She enjoyed her campfire warmed dinner! We took some extra bacon grease to help her want to drink water after eating.
She slept well Friday night and was up at her usual 6:40am (not 6:39 or 6:41), ready to go. It was her first time with her new food cold. She had no issues. We went on a leisure 2 hour hike, and she did well. We did take some lunch meat as a snack since she is no longer allowed the carb-loaded, standard dog treats. She kept up and had energy at the end. We all took a couple hour long nap, then went on a short 30 minute walk around the area. Again, she had good energy. She actually played very puppy-like with a stick.
We had been concerned about the lack of carbs in her diet. She does get tired in the afternoons, but has shown good energy in the morning and pretty good energy in the evenings after a day of napping.
We are looking forward to her appointment with the holistic veterinarian on Wednesday as we have all kinds of questions: supplements, is the neoplasene causing stomach issues, what about internal bleeding, etc. I already have a long list prepared!
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Stitches Out
July 23, 2008
Today was a pretty good day for Addie - 6.5 out of 10. She is still a bit lethargic, but otherwise OK. She has taken 5 doses of neoplasene after tonight's dinner. We find that adding some bacon and warming up her dinner in a little bacon grease definitely encourages her to drink a lot of water after she eats which is a good thing...
She had an appointment with the Internal Medicine veterinarian today to have her stitches removed. She was quite feisty when they tried to take her temperature - they gave up :-)
She weighed in at 64.8 lbs. Rob contributes the majority of the weight loss (about 5 lbs) to the spleen and tumor. (I'm not sure about that...) She wasn't happy about the stitches being removed, but still did OK. The area healed pretty nicely.
The veterinarian had not heard of neoplasene. Since it is a 'holistic' remedy we were not surprised but were disappointed. We had hoped that another one of his patients may have tried it and that he might have had an optimistic story to share, but it was not to be. We do have an appointment with a 'holistic' veterinarian here in Colorado Springs on July 30th. He has treated dogs with neoplasene (he carries a supply in stock). We hope to get some insight and more reasons to be hopeful from him.
Afterwards, we took her on a little walk at a nearby park - she did really well.
We are still optimistic - her food and medicines are becoming routine now....
Today was a pretty good day for Addie - 6.5 out of 10. She is still a bit lethargic, but otherwise OK. She has taken 5 doses of neoplasene after tonight's dinner. We find that adding some bacon and warming up her dinner in a little bacon grease definitely encourages her to drink a lot of water after she eats which is a good thing...
She had an appointment with the Internal Medicine veterinarian today to have her stitches removed. She was quite feisty when they tried to take her temperature - they gave up :-)
She weighed in at 64.8 lbs. Rob contributes the majority of the weight loss (about 5 lbs) to the spleen and tumor. (I'm not sure about that...) She wasn't happy about the stitches being removed, but still did OK. The area healed pretty nicely.
The veterinarian had not heard of neoplasene. Since it is a 'holistic' remedy we were not surprised but were disappointed. We had hoped that another one of his patients may have tried it and that he might have had an optimistic story to share, but it was not to be. We do have an appointment with a 'holistic' veterinarian here in Colorado Springs on July 30th. He has treated dogs with neoplasene (he carries a supply in stock). We hope to get some insight and more reasons to be hopeful from him.
Afterwards, we took her on a little walk at a nearby park - she did really well.
We are still optimistic - her food and medicines are becoming routine now....
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
July 22: Day 2 of Neoplasene
July 22, 2008
Addie hasn't quite had the energy over the past 2 days that she had Friday - Sunday. It could be that we overexerted her this weekend, or that we didn't feed enough carbohydrates. We aren't sure. She isn't bad, just not full of energy.
Today was her first full day ( 2 meals) with the neoplasene. So far there have been no issues. We did cook up some bacon this morning and mix that and some of the resulting grease into both meals. This helped considerably in that she drank quite a bit of water afterwards. We also took away all water outside of 30 minutes past meal time per Dr. Fox's instructions. That too helped her drink right after both meals.
She did run a bit this evening and even played a little ball. She does not seem anemic but her gums and tongue are not quite a red as they were previously. Her stitches are due to come out tomorrow -- yea!
We plan to speak to the veterinarian about his thoughts.
Addie hasn't quite had the energy over the past 2 days that she had Friday - Sunday. It could be that we overexerted her this weekend, or that we didn't feed enough carbohydrates. We aren't sure. She isn't bad, just not full of energy.
Today was her first full day ( 2 meals) with the neoplasene. So far there have been no issues. We did cook up some bacon this morning and mix that and some of the resulting grease into both meals. This helped considerably in that she drank quite a bit of water afterwards. We also took away all water outside of 30 minutes past meal time per Dr. Fox's instructions. That too helped her drink right after both meals.
She did run a bit this evening and even played a little ball. She does not seem anemic but her gums and tongue are not quite a red as they were previously. Her stitches are due to come out tomorrow -- yea!
We plan to speak to the veterinarian about his thoughts.
July 21: Neoplasene Arrives
July 21, 2008
Addie had great energy this weekend. We couldn't even tell she was sick. We hiked short distances both Saturday and Sunday with her. It was great to have her back to her old self!
The neoplasene arrived this afternoon! It was like Christmas. We are putting a lot of faith into this small bottle.
We served Addie her standard meal (standard for the last 5 days), and injected 1.2cc of the neoplasene into a few pieces of the chicken (we read that neoplasene has a horrible taste).
She didn't even notice. She consumed the meal in her standard 20.5 seconds. We tried our best to get her to drink as much water as possible afterwards per Dr. Fox's instructions. This is to help with absorption of the drug.
We were concerned because some dogs do have vomiting as a side effect, but she was good.
First dose down!
The neoplasene arrived this afternoon! It was like Christmas. We are putting a lot of faith into this small bottle.
We served Addie her standard meal (standard for the last 5 days), and injected 1.2cc of the neoplasene into a few pieces of the chicken (we read that neoplasene has a horrible taste).
She didn't even notice. She consumed the meal in her standard 20.5 seconds. We tried our best to get her to drink as much water as possible afterwards per Dr. Fox's instructions. This is to help with absorption of the drug.
We were concerned because some dogs do have vomiting as a side effect, but she was good.
First dose down!
July 17: New Diet
July 17, 2008
In all our extensive research, we found much proof that typical dry dog food is very bad. I could go on and on, but to make a long story short, we decided that we would cook meals for Addie starting that day.
We had been primarily feeding Iams which we thought was "high quality" food. We were sadly mistaken. For Shep, our other dog, we will be purchasing alternative dog food.
Effective today, Addie's meals consist of:
1.5 C. cooked meat (chicken, pork, beef)
1/2 C. veggies (chopped broccoli, zucchini, etc.)
Some Sardines with oil
Olive Oil
Above is sautéed together until warm - veggies cooked
Served 2 times per day
Once a day - add the following to the mix:
Garlic
Fish Oil
Glucosamine (for joints)
CoQ10
Vitamin C
She absolutely loves her new food - garlic and all!
In all our extensive research, we found much proof that typical dry dog food is very bad. I could go on and on, but to make a long story short, we decided that we would cook meals for Addie starting that day.
We had been primarily feeding Iams which we thought was "high quality" food. We were sadly mistaken. For Shep, our other dog, we will be purchasing alternative dog food.
Effective today, Addie's meals consist of:
1.5 C. cooked meat (chicken, pork, beef)
1/2 C. veggies (chopped broccoli, zucchini, etc.)
Some Sardines with oil
Olive Oil
Above is sautéed together until warm - veggies cooked
Served 2 times per day
Once a day - add the following to the mix:
Garlic
Fish Oil
Glucosamine (for joints)
CoQ10
Vitamin C
She absolutely loves her new food - garlic and all!
July 16: Little Ray of Hope - Neoplasene
July 16, 2008
After crying and feeling hopeless for most of 24 hours, we decided to do some research on Hemangiosarcoma as well as any alternative options to chemo.
Rob came across a drug called Neoplasene. It reported some amazing results in dogs with all types of cancer. He made a call to Dr. Fox at Buck Mountain Botanicals to purchase some of the medicine but was told that only a veterinarian could order. On Thursday, he had our local veterinarian order it for us for Monday delivery.
I still researched all weekend. The bad news was that there was not much information about neoplasene being used on dogs with Hemangiosarcoma. There were very few cases to be found.
That is the reason for this blog.
We want to post about how we are attempting to improve the quality and quantity of Addie's remaining time with us.
Our hope is that it will help others that follow with our same struggle.
After crying and feeling hopeless for most of 24 hours, we decided to do some research on Hemangiosarcoma as well as any alternative options to chemo.
Rob came across a drug called Neoplasene. It reported some amazing results in dogs with all types of cancer. He made a call to Dr. Fox at Buck Mountain Botanicals to purchase some of the medicine but was told that only a veterinarian could order. On Thursday, he had our local veterinarian order it for us for Monday delivery.
I still researched all weekend. The bad news was that there was not much information about neoplasene being used on dogs with Hemangiosarcoma. There were very few cases to be found.
That is the reason for this blog.
We want to post about how we are attempting to improve the quality and quantity of Addie's remaining time with us.
Our hope is that it will help others that follow with our same struggle.
July 15: The Worst Day!
July 15, 2008
We were pretty happy with her progress after coming home from the hospital. She was eating well, and although still seemed anemic, was getting her energy back.
I called the vet to make an appointment to have her stitches removed and to discuss our concerns about her gums and tongue still not being as red as they should be. The vet seemed strange so I asked him if he had gotten Addie's pathology results back. (We had originally told them that we didn't want it sent in as we didn't want to know - chemo wasn't an option and we didn't feel there were any other alternatives, so there was no point). However, they accidently sent it in anyways.
He told me the most horrible news: Addie had aggressive cancer of the blood vessels - hemangiosarcoma.
He told me that she only had 6-10 weeks to live and that the cancer would probably spread to her liver or lungs. He gave me several possible outcomes, none of which were even remotely above horrible.
For the next 24 hours we could't do anything but cry, especially when we looked at her. Our little girl was going to be leaving us soon and she didn't even know. We were not ready yet to let her go!
We were pretty happy with her progress after coming home from the hospital. She was eating well, and although still seemed anemic, was getting her energy back.
I called the vet to make an appointment to have her stitches removed and to discuss our concerns about her gums and tongue still not being as red as they should be. The vet seemed strange so I asked him if he had gotten Addie's pathology results back. (We had originally told them that we didn't want it sent in as we didn't want to know - chemo wasn't an option and we didn't feel there were any other alternatives, so there was no point). However, they accidently sent it in anyways.
He told me the most horrible news: Addie had aggressive cancer of the blood vessels - hemangiosarcoma.
He told me that she only had 6-10 weeks to live and that the cancer would probably spread to her liver or lungs. He gave me several possible outcomes, none of which were even remotely above horrible.
For the next 24 hours we could't do anything but cry, especially when we looked at her. Our little girl was going to be leaving us soon and she didn't even know. We were not ready yet to let her go!
July 7: The Day it All Went Bad
July 7, 2008
Addie was having a perfectly normal, good day. At 3pm we decided to take her outside but she couldn't get up. Something was definitely wrong. Through tears, we carried her to the car and drove her to our vet. He wasn't sure what was wrong but noticed she was very anemic. He suggested that we take her to the emergency animal hospital.
Once there and examined, it was determined that she had a large tumor on her spleen that had ruptured and was bleeding internally. Emergency surgery was needed. By this time she could barely raise her head and there was no wag in her tail. We were devastated. We said our good byes to her while trying to stay calm (not at all possible) and waited for her to be transferred to post-op. It was 3 of the longest hours of our lives...
She came out of surgery like a trooper! Within 10 minutes of being out she wanted to stand up to greet us and the wag was back! At that point, the doctors did not know if it was cancer but did not see any signs of cancer in any of the other internal organs - a great sign. She was then transferred to the Internal Medicine veterinarian next door for 2 days of recovery.
She did very well and was able to come home on July 9th. It wasn't the best shaving job ever done, but she was happy to be home and we were happy to be with her again!!
Addie's Pre-Surgery Years
January 1998 - July 2008
Addie has been our little girl for so long. She has been with us through our many moves, our ups and downs, and yet always greets us at the door with the biggest wag of her tail and a smile (something she learned from cousin Lucy recently).
I swear, she was a human in a previous life. She totally understands everything we say. We catch her understanding more than she should (her previous life showing through) and then has that little look - like: oops, I wasn't supposed to acknowledge that!!
She is definitely considered our little baby and our parents' grand baby. She is loved by all!
Addie has been our little girl for so long. She has been with us through our many moves, our ups and downs, and yet always greets us at the door with the biggest wag of her tail and a smile (something she learned from cousin Lucy recently).
I swear, she was a human in a previous life. She totally understands everything we say. We catch her understanding more than she should (her previous life showing through) and then has that little look - like: oops, I wasn't supposed to acknowledge that!!
She is definitely considered our little baby and our parents' grand baby. She is loved by all!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)