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.