July 23rd
Good Poop!
This morning Ruggles had the good grace to poop on the newspaper I'd put down for him. He's also been kind enough to have a normal, not runny, poop with NO BLOOD in it!
His appetite is practically back to normal. The only problem now is that he won't eat anything other than regular dog food. I'm giving him Pedigree wet food with real meat mixed in. But if I overdo the ratio he won't eat. He used to be the family vacuum cleaner, but not any more.
He's no longer interested in the yoghurt and honey, but maybe that's because he doesn't need it now. So I'll take that as a good thing.
Late today I need to add K-9 Immune to his feed, which I hope he'll eat. He'll need his K-9 Transfer Factor tablets, too. As long as eats the stuff he needs to boost his immune system, I should be happy that he's eating at all, and not sweat about what he's ingesting (within reason).
Shots or No Shots?
His shots are due next month, but I know that a dog fighting cancer can't deal with vaccinations, too. I'll take him to the vet so he can see what Ruggles looks like (hopefully he'll have a positive reaction) and take it from there.
If I've boosted his immune system, maybe he'll be ready for his shots in the coming months.
Celebrating Life
The first thing is to get him past his two months' death sentence, which will be 6th September.
I am so excited that we've even made it this far! Ruggles is acting totally normally. He rushes out with the other two dogs and runs around with them, despite the heat.
A scare like this makes one appreciate one's pets more than ever.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Thursday, July 22, 2010
A Bad Scare
After discovering that I was giving Ruggles far too much artemisinin I decreased it from a whopping 800 mg to 100 mg for the next four days, hoping I wasn't too late to have avoided lasting damage to other organs.
18th July: Starts to Lose Appetite
The fourth day with less artemisinin Ruggles worried me by getting tough to feed. Otherwise he was the same dog as before, although perhaps more affectionate, and I could feel no lumps. He was also no longer coughing, a sign that the lumps inside him were still down.
But Ruggles has always been a greedy dog on the lookout for more food and this lack of interest was uncharacteristic in the extreme.
July 19th: Still Not Eating..
There were still no lumps, but Ruggles wouldn't finish his food. He has become hyper-aware of supplements in his feed.
The K-9 Immune and Transfer Factor tablets arrived. But Ruggles wouldn't finish his food with the powder added and wouldn't eat the tablets. At least he'd had some of the immune booster.
20th July: Blood in His Stool
Ruggles woke me up constantly, needing to go to the bathroom. Even though I'd left the back door open, he still went several times on the carpet.
There was a lot of blood in his stool and I was terrified: this had to be because I'd given him too much artemisinin and it had damaged his vital organs. I gave him no more artemisinin.
Ruggles is now refusing to eat any white meat. Eventually I persuaded him to eat a little bolognese sauce with minced beef mixed with the K-9 powder.
At midday he ate fried minced beef with no added supplements.
In the evening he ate some more plain fried beef. He also lapped up some honey and yoghurt. I was feeling more hopeful.
21st July: Starts to Eat a Little
Pooped on carpet again, but there was less blood in his stool. It was still very worrying, and even more so when he refused to eat any more fried beef with K-9 in it.
At midday Ruggles was still refusing to eat, but drinking a great deal. Points to kidney problems, I think.
11:16 p.m. He ate some more bolognese sauce with 2 K-9 powders in it and one Transfer Factor tablet (needed to help the K-9 work). It was an improvement.
Midnight: Ruggles ate some more of the honey and yoghurt mix. I know he shouldn't eat sweet stuff because the cancer feeds on it, but I wanted him to have the probiotic benefits of the live yoghurt and I put more K-9 in it.
22nd July: No Blood in Stool and Has an Appetite!
6:30 a.m. This morning Ruggles was sitting up outside instead of moping indoors. He came running when I called him and was eager to eat something. Still drinking a lot. I bent down to pat him and he licked me on the nose. It's been a long time since he did that!
6:45 a.m. Greedily ate two bowls of minced beef with bolognese sauce with 2 K-9 powders mixed in (he needs 4 a day).
After that he flopped down by the AC. It's going to be another hot day (it's been in the 90s for several weeks).
There was one small accident on the carpet WITH NO BLOOD IN IT!
He is also no longer panting as he used to do. I hope that means he's not in pain and generally more comfortable.
I left him looking relaxed.
There has probably been some kidney damage: I just hope it's healing enough to take advantage of the immmune powders to prevent more cancer lumps.
18th July: Starts to Lose Appetite
The fourth day with less artemisinin Ruggles worried me by getting tough to feed. Otherwise he was the same dog as before, although perhaps more affectionate, and I could feel no lumps. He was also no longer coughing, a sign that the lumps inside him were still down.
But Ruggles has always been a greedy dog on the lookout for more food and this lack of interest was uncharacteristic in the extreme.
July 19th: Still Not Eating..
There were still no lumps, but Ruggles wouldn't finish his food. He has become hyper-aware of supplements in his feed.
The K-9 Immune and Transfer Factor tablets arrived. But Ruggles wouldn't finish his food with the powder added and wouldn't eat the tablets. At least he'd had some of the immune booster.
20th July: Blood in His Stool
Ruggles woke me up constantly, needing to go to the bathroom. Even though I'd left the back door open, he still went several times on the carpet.
There was a lot of blood in his stool and I was terrified: this had to be because I'd given him too much artemisinin and it had damaged his vital organs. I gave him no more artemisinin.
Ruggles is now refusing to eat any white meat. Eventually I persuaded him to eat a little bolognese sauce with minced beef mixed with the K-9 powder.
At midday he ate fried minced beef with no added supplements.
In the evening he ate some more plain fried beef. He also lapped up some honey and yoghurt. I was feeling more hopeful.
21st July: Starts to Eat a Little
Pooped on carpet again, but there was less blood in his stool. It was still very worrying, and even more so when he refused to eat any more fried beef with K-9 in it.
At midday Ruggles was still refusing to eat, but drinking a great deal. Points to kidney problems, I think.
11:16 p.m. He ate some more bolognese sauce with 2 K-9 powders in it and one Transfer Factor tablet (needed to help the K-9 work). It was an improvement.
Midnight: Ruggles ate some more of the honey and yoghurt mix. I know he shouldn't eat sweet stuff because the cancer feeds on it, but I wanted him to have the probiotic benefits of the live yoghurt and I put more K-9 in it.
22nd July: No Blood in Stool and Has an Appetite!
6:30 a.m. This morning Ruggles was sitting up outside instead of moping indoors. He came running when I called him and was eager to eat something. Still drinking a lot. I bent down to pat him and he licked me on the nose. It's been a long time since he did that!
6:45 a.m. Greedily ate two bowls of minced beef with bolognese sauce with 2 K-9 powders mixed in (he needs 4 a day).
After that he flopped down by the AC. It's going to be another hot day (it's been in the 90s for several weeks).
There was one small accident on the carpet WITH NO BLOOD IN IT!
He is also no longer panting as he used to do. I hope that means he's not in pain and generally more comfortable.
I left him looking relaxed.
There has probably been some kidney damage: I just hope it's healing enough to take advantage of the immmune powders to prevent more cancer lumps.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Artemisinin Comes With Some Caveats...
Before I get overly excited about what's happened with Ruggles' cancer, I have to say the following.
According to information on the web, canine lymphoma is easily treatable but tends to come back. So it's vital to not only eradicate the tumors, but also to improve the dog's immune system - that same system that allowed the tumors to grow in the first place.
Also, I discovered that if the administered dose of artemisinin is too high, the dog's ability to absorb it is severely reduced. This
non-absorption resistance builds up quickly to as much as a 70% reduction. It can also lead to destruction of healthy cells.
Alas, I did not read this earlier, and have now reduced Ruggles' dose from 800 mg a day to 100 mg a day. I hope I have done this in time. There does not seem to be a recognized dose for dogs, but 50 - 100 mg has been suggested.
Meanwhile the growths appear to have completely vanished.
To boost his immune system I ordered K-9 Immune together with K-9 Transfer Factor which arrived today.
I have added Flax Seeds to his diet which are a source of Omega 3-6-9. I cannot add any more supplements to his food as he is starting to get annoyed by these additions!
Wish me luck. I am so hoping to take him back to the vet in two months from the date of his diagnosis to show him what can be done to beat this disease.
In the meantime, Ruggles is behaving just as before and showing no symptoms of unhappiness or body wastage. The coughing has stopped, which makes me hopeful that the tumors inside him have also gone...
According to information on the web, canine lymphoma is easily treatable but tends to come back. So it's vital to not only eradicate the tumors, but also to improve the dog's immune system - that same system that allowed the tumors to grow in the first place.
Also, I discovered that if the administered dose of artemisinin is too high, the dog's ability to absorb it is severely reduced. This
non-absorption resistance builds up quickly to as much as a 70% reduction. It can also lead to destruction of healthy cells.
Alas, I did not read this earlier, and have now reduced Ruggles' dose from 800 mg a day to 100 mg a day. I hope I have done this in time. There does not seem to be a recognized dose for dogs, but 50 - 100 mg has been suggested.
Meanwhile the growths appear to have completely vanished.
To boost his immune system I ordered K-9 Immune together with K-9 Transfer Factor which arrived today.
I have added Flax Seeds to his diet which are a source of Omega 3-6-9. I cannot add any more supplements to his food as he is starting to get annoyed by these additions!
Wish me luck. I am so hoping to take him back to the vet in two months from the date of his diagnosis to show him what can be done to beat this disease.
In the meantime, Ruggles is behaving just as before and showing no symptoms of unhappiness or body wastage. The coughing has stopped, which makes me hopeful that the tumors inside him have also gone...
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
What Happened When I Gave Ruggles the Artemisinin
The artemsinin arrived on 10th July, 2010.
I gave Ruggles 2 x 200 mg of the artemisinin in his food together with 2 x 28 mg iron. I opened the capsules of each and sprinkled them into his food.
From 11th July through to 14th July I continued to feed Ruggles white meat fried in Omega rich oil, with 200 mg of artesiminin and 28 mg of iron twice a day.
I added Springtime Inc.'s wonderful Longevity powder and Bug Off Garlic tablets which have cancer fighting properties, too. (Spirulina and garlic are good for the immune system.)
After consultation with my vet to ensure the prednisone would not interfere with the herbs, I added prednisone to his diet on 13th July. I was anxious that Ruggles not be in pain while I was trying this treatment.
On the evening of July 14th - 3 days after starting with the artemisinin - I dared to feel the lump on Ruggles' throat. It was down to a third of its original size. I could no longer feel the tumors on the back of his hind legs.
You can imagine how elated I was!
But read my post about a few caveats before you give your dog this herb.
I gave Ruggles 2 x 200 mg of the artemisinin in his food together with 2 x 28 mg iron. I opened the capsules of each and sprinkled them into his food.
From 11th July through to 14th July I continued to feed Ruggles white meat fried in Omega rich oil, with 200 mg of artesiminin and 28 mg of iron twice a day.
I added Springtime Inc.'s wonderful Longevity powder and Bug Off Garlic tablets which have cancer fighting properties, too. (Spirulina and garlic are good for the immune system.)
After consultation with my vet to ensure the prednisone would not interfere with the herbs, I added prednisone to his diet on 13th July. I was anxious that Ruggles not be in pain while I was trying this treatment.
On the evening of July 14th - 3 days after starting with the artemisinin - I dared to feel the lump on Ruggles' throat. It was down to a third of its original size. I could no longer feel the tumors on the back of his hind legs.
You can imagine how elated I was!
But read my post about a few caveats before you give your dog this herb.
Monday, July 19, 2010
The Search for Options While in a State of Denial
My husband - not unreasonably - said that chemotherapy was not a viable option for us. But I wasn't settling for the 'prednisone till he dies option,' either.
So I did what any other pet owner would do: I searched the internet for alternatives. I luckily found a site called http://caninecancer.com which has information on the various different types of cancer dogs can get. I clicked on lymphoma and hungrily read everything on the page.
Down on the right hand side, in a blue sidebar I read about a Chinese herb known by various names including sweet wormwood, which is available online in a form called artemisinin. It kills cancer cells in dogs if combined with iron tablets. There was mention of 5 dogs having been completely cured of lymphoma this way.
If your dog has lymphoma, I urge you to go to this link..
I immediately ordered 90 x 200 mg Artemisinin tablets online for Ruggles, and bought some 'Gentle Iron' at the grocery store. Cancer uses up a lot of iron, so the interaction of artemsinin with the iron kills the cancer cells. (That is my non-scientific explanation! The website gives a fuller one.)
Another huge factor with cancer is diet. Cancer loves carbohydrates and sugar - which are present in dog foods. So regular dog food is now a no-no for Ruggles.
You'll read a lot about what you can feed your dog and can go crazy trying to do the right thing. But to keep it simple I immediately stopped using dog food and began giving him cooked meat. White meat is best. Raw meat is supposedly even better, so I compromised by giving him half-cooked turkey, chicken and pork.
I then waited for two anxious days for the herbs to arrive.
So I did what any other pet owner would do: I searched the internet for alternatives. I luckily found a site called http://caninecancer.com which has information on the various different types of cancer dogs can get. I clicked on lymphoma and hungrily read everything on the page.
Down on the right hand side, in a blue sidebar I read about a Chinese herb known by various names including sweet wormwood, which is available online in a form called artemisinin. It kills cancer cells in dogs if combined with iron tablets. There was mention of 5 dogs having been completely cured of lymphoma this way.
If your dog has lymphoma, I urge you to go to this link..
I immediately ordered 90 x 200 mg Artemisinin tablets online for Ruggles, and bought some 'Gentle Iron' at the grocery store. Cancer uses up a lot of iron, so the interaction of artemsinin with the iron kills the cancer cells. (That is my non-scientific explanation! The website gives a fuller one.)
Another huge factor with cancer is diet. Cancer loves carbohydrates and sugar - which are present in dog foods. So regular dog food is now a no-no for Ruggles.
You'll read a lot about what you can feed your dog and can go crazy trying to do the right thing. But to keep it simple I immediately stopped using dog food and began giving him cooked meat. White meat is best. Raw meat is supposedly even better, so I compromised by giving him half-cooked turkey, chicken and pork.
I then waited for two anxious days for the herbs to arrive.
A Regular Visit to the Vet Ends in Bad News
Ruggles barks at the craziest things - the tail stream of a jet that flew by five minutes ago, or the moon, or just because.
He is outgoing, very friendly and gets on well with our other dogs, a Great Dane female and his buddy Scamp, a Jack Russell who was born within a week of Ruggles.
A month ago I noticed Ruggles coughing painfully as if he had something lodged in his throat. It began as once in a while, but when it increased I took him to the vet on 6th July. I had also found two big lumps under his throat, which I thought were his thyroid glands.
The vet took one look at him, felt the lumps, discovered more at the back of his hind legs and diagnosed lymphoma. He took several biopsies to be sure.
Our choices were: chemotherapy over 24 weeks for a total of $5.880 which would prolong his life for about a year, maybe 18 months: or prednisone to keep him reasonably comfortable, while reducing the cancer lumps a little until he died in two months.
I went away to digest the news and talk to my husband about what we should do.
I waited until I got into the car with my perfectly healthy looking dog before I burst into tears.
He is outgoing, very friendly and gets on well with our other dogs, a Great Dane female and his buddy Scamp, a Jack Russell who was born within a week of Ruggles.
A month ago I noticed Ruggles coughing painfully as if he had something lodged in his throat. It began as once in a while, but when it increased I took him to the vet on 6th July. I had also found two big lumps under his throat, which I thought were his thyroid glands.
The vet took one look at him, felt the lumps, discovered more at the back of his hind legs and diagnosed lymphoma. He took several biopsies to be sure.
Our choices were: chemotherapy over 24 weeks for a total of $5.880 which would prolong his life for about a year, maybe 18 months: or prednisone to keep him reasonably comfortable, while reducing the cancer lumps a little until he died in two months.
I went away to digest the news and talk to my husband about what we should do.
I waited until I got into the car with my perfectly healthy looking dog before I burst into tears.
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