Saving Sol/Buddy From Lymphoma

I've decided to continue this blog. I feel more strongly than ever about the holistic treatment we gave our Buddy. I am convinced that if I had been braver to get him completely weaned off of Prednisone, he would have lived longer yet.

I've learned so much; through experience and through reading (and reading, and reading). Also through others' expertise and experience. Let me pick up where I left off in the July 1st post, after I discovered that some people had saved their dogs from lymphoma through diet and herbal remedies.

As I called around to health food stores and any place I thought might carry herbal tinctures, John Kessenich, owner of the Baraboo Grainary, gave me an hour of his time and advice. He also gave me the name of a lab breeder north of the Dells. Kathy Turbett had recently saved a dog of hers from lymphoma. The dog had lived so far six months with no evidence of cancer. She recommended I wean Sol completely off Prednisone, that it was like a poison, weakening him daily, taking away his appetite and strength. I had no reason to doubt that.

Kathy advised me not to try to detoxify Buddy until he was off the Prednisone, as it would create something of a war inside him; the detox herbs trying to rid his body of the steroid. I should stick with healing herbs. They'd take a week or so to really get into his system, anyway.

Sol was to have only one of his two pills that day. I gave it to him early in the morning, and then two hours later offered him breakfast, which he refused. I was distressed, but resolved to wait till later before giving in to panic. On Kathy's recommendation, we would give Sol only one pill a day for five days, then every other day for awhile.

That day I bought lots of healing things for him. When I got back home, I gave him a can of chicken stew for dogs from the Grainary, which he ate hungrily. He also ate a teaspoon of cod liver oil, and an herb capsule wrapped in organic cheese. Cheese always had been his favorite. I bought a juicer that day, too. With everything else I had to do, learning to use the juicer was overwhelming. I waited a week for that. Kathy also recommended lots of petting and massage for Sol, and keeping stress to a minimum.

Next time I'll begin to describe the herbs and how they work.

Goodbye, Dear Sol, Dear Buddy

Sol (not the name we called him by; the boys gave him the name Buddy when we adopted him) died today at 11:45. He appeared to have either a heart attack or a seizure. He woke up early not feeling very well at all, but he had only about ten minutes of real distress at the end. A few yelps of pain, some thrashing of his head, fear-filled eyes looking to us, and he was gone. My sixteen year old son and I petted him and held him to the end.

We are so very grateful to the Lord for extending Buddy's life for four months beyond the longest he was given to live. Also for allowing him to pass quickly, at home, and not from the cancer. We didn't have to make a decision to euthanize. What a blessing.

So three hours have passed, we took him to the vet and they will take care of his body.

The first wave of grief is over, and the second just hit just now when my son left the house to mow his grandparents' lawn. Always Buddy and I look out the window together to "wave goodbye." This will not be easy, but we have a wonderful Lord to comfort us, and loads of memories of the best dog that ever lived (at least with us!).

Sol's Diet

Sol began to eat. This was (and is) the diet we put him on:
1/3 cup of oatmeal poured into boiling water and soaked for 20 minutes (or natural brown rice simmered for 45 minutes)
1/2 cup cooked ground turkey (or boiled and rinsed lean ground beef, or 2-3 eggs cooked)
1 heaping spoonful of plain yogurt
1 heaping spoonful of plain pumpkin (out of a can, the kind you'd use to make pie)

As I researched and shopped the natural food stores, I added some herbs and tinctures. I'll tell you what they are in maybe the next installment.

After three days of eating, I thought Sol looked a tad less emaciated. After the fifth day I knew he looked better. He was drinking a little less, eating three to four meals a day, sleeping much more restfully, and getting outside to the yard without help.

I knew he wasn't out of the woods yet, and we still had to play the balancing game of weaning him off the Prednisone. So how did that part go? Stay tuned...