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  #451  
Old January 25th, 2013, 01:48 PM
Connor & Katie Connor & Katie is offline
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Well, the news is not good. Based on the consultation today the specialist is pretty much certain it's nasal cancer. We can have the ct scan done to try to determine the specific type and how aggressive/advanced it is and treatment options. But even with chemo/radiation he said the best case scenario is 9-18 months. We really don't want to do chemo/radiation, especially if it will only give her about a year. I guess now we have to decide if we want to do the scan just to have a little more information or if we just want to try and enjoy whatever time we get with her.
Any thoughts or advice about the ct scan would be greatly appreciated, did you (or would you) do it, if you did it was the information helpful. Also if you've been through this, what can we expect over the next few months, she's perfectly healthy & happy right now (aside from bloody noses).
So sorry I didn't get to be the lucky glimmer of hope in this thread
-Heather
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  #452  
Old January 25th, 2013, 11:05 PM
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SuperWanda SuperWanda is offline
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I'm so sorry that they suspect Katie has nasal cancer. Is it because of the nose bleeds that they suspect this or was there some other indication there is a tumor in the sinus cavity?

Did they recommend taking a biopsy? I guess you said they could determine the type of cancer with the CT scan. They were able to do a needle biopsy on our Timber through the roof of her mouth. Like I said, we don't have a CT scanner here so had an endoscope done where the actual mass was seen. I know that a CT scan would have given us more information about the size/extent of the growth.

Like you, we were told that radiation and chemo would not extend her life a great deal and decided to try to keep her as healthy as possible with diet and supplements. They gave us an estimate of as little as 5 months. It has already been 3 months and I don't see her getting any worse and she is still a very happy, playful dog still enjoying her life.

If you want to read more about our Timber's diagnosis this is a link to the thread I started on the subject. It is titled soft palate mass because that is what we thought it was before we had the biopsy done which determined it to be a nasal adenocarcoma:
http://www.pets.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=82502

Whatever route you decide there are things you can do if it is nasal cancer. I got much of my information here from the many wonderful and knowledgeable people who replied to my post . I also found a site that was started by a man who's dog was diagnosed with nasal cancer. He started treating her holistically and this dog, named Lucy, seems to have gone into remission. That blog can be found here:
http://dognasalcancertreatmentforlucy.blogspot.ca/

When we got Timber's diagnosis, we were shocked and extremely sad I know how devastating it can be. We honestly thought we would be putting her down shortly but really, nothing has changed too much for her because, unlike ourselves, she does not think in terms of her cancer, or how long she may have to live. It is hard to carry the burden of knowing and thinking and worrying but my husband always reminds me just to enjoy each day and love her as much as I can. I still find it hard because I tend to look ahead instead of enjoying the "power of now" but I think we all do that to some extent.

I know with your Katie, you probably want to find a solution for the bleeding. There was mention of some herbal supplement that can help and is posted on the Lucy's nasal cancer blog I mentioned above if you decide to try some alternative therapies.

I am certainly not an expert on this subject but I do home cook for our two dogs and add supplements to their diet so if you have any questions, I'd be happy to try and help.
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  #453  
Old January 26th, 2013, 09:17 AM
Connor & Katie Connor & Katie is offline
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Thanks Superwanda, your info is really helpful! and I may be bugging you a lot! It's also absolutely great to know that Timber is still doing great and feeling good! Thank you!!

We had already ruled out all causes except fungal and cancer with our regular vet and the specialist said "with her age, extent of bleeding, and from only one nostril, we're not looking at fungal" I have a few vet friends too and they agreed (they've all seen nasal cancer none have seen the fungal infection, they also said if you're not going to do chemo/radiation there's really no reason to get the ct scan). If we do it it'll be scope, ct, and biopsy. I'm hesitant because it's very expensive and if we do it we won't financially be able to do anything else for her and I'm concerned that we won't get much more info than we already know. Putting a name on the cancer doesn't help us take care of her any better. It would only be helpful if they could tell us size, direction of growth and suspected future symptoms to watch for (but I guess we know most of what to watch for, just don't know which ones are most likely).

After a day of thinking about it, I'm starting to think I'd rather spend money on supplements that may extend her life and make her more comfortable, and spoiling her than spending it on the ct scan that may give us more info, but won't make her better. But we still need to talk and think some more before we decide.

The chinese herb for bleeding...have you used it? where did you find it? Katie actually hasn't had a nose bleed for 2 days- Yay!! but I'd like to have some of that on hand and give it to her when needed. Also, supplements, diet, any info would be great. Although some of that may be in Timber's thread, I'll go read that right now, and the other website. Thanks!

This will be a huge lesson for me in "living in the moment" Katie is perfectly healthy and happy now, so I need to work hard at just enjoying the time we get with her and not worrying about the future!

Heather
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  #454  
Old January 26th, 2013, 09:54 PM
MaxaLisa MaxaLisa is offline
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I'm so sorry to hear about the nose

I used Yunnan Baiyao for my GSD. He had a weird nose issue, where blood would spurt from the leather of the nose (not the nostrils), and I would give the herb, and also would make a poultice from it. I ordered it from here: http://www.modernherbshop.com/

Last edited by MaxaLisa; January 26th, 2013 at 11:16 PM.
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  #455  
Old January 26th, 2013, 10:45 PM
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SuperWanda SuperWanda is offline
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I'm just embarking on this nasal cancer issue myself so I hope I can help in some way. The one thing they said with Timber was that her tumor was a mass of inflammation and I am hoping that the supplements will reduce that and keep her immune system strong so we can hopefully extend her life and give her added comfort. It is all an experiment but as I go forward, I can tell that she has good energy and is feeling well at the moment so I don't think I am doing any harm. I certainly haven't done nearly as much as the fellow who's link I gave you with the dog named Lucy. I am trying some things I feel comfortable with and rotating things more than giving them all at once. I have no idea if this is the way to do it or not

MaxaLisa mentiond the Yunnan Baiyao for the bleeding. She has so much great information and I value her opinions. She helped save Timber a few years ago when several vets could not figure out that she was suffering from a tick disease called anaplasmosis.

I have never used Yunnan because Timber only had one nose bleed in her life and that was when she was first diagnosed with a tick disease a few years ago. I really don't know if she had nasal cancer at that time. She was very sick and had low blood platelets with the tick disease. But, since that time she has never had a nose bleed. She does have a lot of clear nasal fluid that drips from her nose. It was during this past fall, we thought she had allergies, she seemed to have a stuffy sounding nose which eventually turned to wheezing. That is when we were sent for the endoscope and biopsy. The wheezing was probably due to a secondary infection (pneumonia) that we cleared up with antibiotics but the only symptoms she has now are the drippy, stuffy nose, and she sometimes makes gagging sounds because her tumor has grown out of the nasal cavity and is pressing down on her soft palate.

I think Lucy's blog has some info on the Yunnan baiyao as well:
http://dognasalcancertreatmentforluc...o-chinese.html.

I'll make you a list of the supplements I'm trying in the morning.

I hope Katie is still free of her nose bleeds today!

Last edited by SuperWanda; January 26th, 2013 at 10:56 PM.
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  #456  
Old January 27th, 2013, 08:10 AM
Connor & Katie Connor & Katie is offline
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Thanks so much MaxaLisa & SuperWanda!!

Katie is still great and no nose bleeds for 3 days now- Yay!! After a little more reading I'm thinking it may have stopped since our regular vet put her on Doxycycline "just in case" her original bloodwork came back positive for a tick borne disease (all were negative, but we didn't want to stop in the middle of a course of antibiotics- superbugs and all). We may have to talk them into giving us more depending on how things go.

I'd like to have some of the chinese herb on hand so that if she gets a nosebleed we can add it to her supplements immediately.

I feel like I'm learning so much! Between the info here and Lucy's site, there is a lot to figure out and decide, but if nothing else at least I feel like I can do something to help Katie.

Do either of you do the cottage cheese/ flax oil? Do you feel like it's helpful? Would it be useful even though I'm already giving her high quality fish oil?

Thanks again for all your help & support!!

Heather
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  #457  
Old January 27th, 2013, 12:26 PM
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I have also found this very overwhelming. Still do at times. I am always questioning if I am doing too little, doing too much??? I don't think there is a right answer.

I have been trying the cottage cheese/flax oil (Flora organic) mixture every day. I don't know if it is helping but Timber really enjoys it so I figure I would try. Our other dog won't touch it but she has never liked dairy. Timber is 65lbs and I have been mixing 4Tbsp of 1% cottage cheese with 2Tbsp oil with a hand blender until the oil disappears. I think I could up it to 3 Tbsp but like you, I also give some fish oil or krill oil and didn't want to give her too much oil??? I figure she might get something from the fish oil that she may not be getting from the flax.

There is a good book that I found at the library here called Preventing and Treating Cancer in Dogs by Dr. Shawn Messonnier. It describes a lot of different supplements and how they work as well as giving information about dosage so I found it very helpful.

So everyday I am trying the cottage cheese/flax oil mixture
Natural factors IP6 500mg twice a day. (It said to give on an empty stomach but I wrap it in a small piece of processed cheese).
Natural Factors tumeric and bromelain 300mg twice a day
500 mg krill oil or 1000mg wild salmon oil per day
Purica immune 7 (mushroom complex) once or twice a day
AOR brand lactoferrin-250mg once a day (this is a component of colostrum)
coenzyme Q10 50mg per day
Vitamin C (sodium ascorbate) 500mg per day (I could probably give more but am starting low and working up)
Vitamin E 400IU ( I have the succinate (dry) form and the d-alpha tocopherol form but not sure if one is better) I probably give it every other day

The other things I have but do not give every day are
Milk Thistle 250 mg (I give that a few weeks on and then take a break)
Astragalus 500mg (Thinking about giving this at times alternating with echinaceae)
Alpha lipoic acid 200mg (sometimes I give this in place of vitamin C)
Selenium 100mcg (Apparently certain food have selenium like eggs and liver so I will give this if I haven't given food sources)
L-Arginine, L-Glutamine, L-Lysine 500mg each (I haven't quite decided what to do here. I know the lactoferrin has amino acids but I believe the dose for these is quite high in Dr. Messonniers book so I was going to look that up again)
The last thing is Sisu brand MSM with Boswellia 500mg (I am not giving this now for whatever reason but have heard it is helpful for cancer).

I also have brewer's yeast for extra B vitamins which I add to their food and for vitamin A I just be sure and give sweet potato, squash or carrots a few times per week.

If I throw a few canned sardines packed in water, I don't give fish oil or calcium.

For calcium I generally used crushed egg shell which I make and add 1/2 tsp per pound of meat I am giving. Timber also likes goat milk, yogurt and cheese so that also gives her calcium.

Gosh, I hope this doesn't sound too complicated. I think what I try to do is not balance their diet each day but figure it will balance out over an entire month. Just like my own diet, everything in moderation and variety should keep things in check.

If you feed kibble as part of the diet I don't think you have to worry about balancing other nutrients as much. I use to give a kibble breakfast and then make a dinner but timber has decided she just doesn't want to eat dry dog food anymore. I also wonder if it might be harder to swallow or maybe her sense of smell has changed.

Oh, and you mentioned doxycycline. I was given doxycycline when she had the pneumonia like symptoms. My vet mentioned it is good for respiratory problems and MaxaLisa said it has cancer fighting properties. I basically give her that when her nose starts sounding really stuffy. I'm sure when you have a tumor in your nose you are more prone to infection as well.
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  #458  
Old January 27th, 2013, 01:01 PM
Connor & Katie Connor & Katie is offline
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wow SuperWanda! That is a ton of information, but it's exactly what I need! Thank you!

I'm trying to figure all this out. We got IP6, glutamine, and milk thistle last night, they already take vit C and fish oil (although we didn't necessarily give it every meal and now we will).

I'm planning to order the Yunnan Bayio, curcumin and maybe melatonin. I may also do cottage cheese and flax oil. I may do arginine too as I have a bottle that I sometimes use (it's good for asthma in humans)

I didn't realize until now that IP6 should be given on an empty stomach. That will be a challenge for us since C&K usually eat at 6 & 6 and we can't usually get home at lunch time. Maybe I can give it to her before bed.

I need to read and research a little more to figure out what I want to give her everyday and what I want to rotate, and what I want to give Connor too as a preventative (he's 13 and Katie's only 10, so I feel like it's smart to be proactive)

Thanks again! I really appreciate it!

Heather
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  #459  
Old January 27th, 2013, 04:22 PM
MaxaLisa MaxaLisa is offline
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Originally Posted by Connor & Katie View Post
Thanks so much MaxaLisa & SuperWanda!!

Katie is still great and no nose bleeds for 3 days now- Yay!! After a little more reading I'm thinking it may have stopped since our regular vet put her on Doxycycline "just in case" her original bloodwork came back positive for a tick borne disease (all were negative, but we didn't want to stop in the middle of a course of antibiotics- superbugs and all). We may have to talk them into giving us more depending on how things go.

I'd like to have some of the chinese herb on hand so that if she gets a nosebleed we can add it to her supplements immediately.

I feel like I'm learning so much! Between the info here and Lucy's site, there is a lot to figure out and decide, but if nothing else at least I feel like I can do something to help Katie.

Do either of you do the cottage cheese/ flax oil? Do you feel like it's helpful? Would it be useful even though I'm already giving her high quality fish oil?
Great news about the nose bleeds!

It should be added, that even if the tick panel is negative, there still could be tick disease. This is actually pretty common, for a variety of reasons, also depends on what panel was run, and what type of test. We don't even have tests for some of the tick diseases. So, if the doxy is helping, I might consider going with the treatment that the tick list recommends, which is 5 mg/lb, for 8 weeks. Would also be interested in seeing any bloodwork that was done.

SW has done a ton of research on this stuff, she will be a great resource for you!

The cancer fighter in the flax is from the lignans, which is separate from the omega fatty acid issue. Something about the cottage cheese (originally something called quark was used), helps it be more beneficial than the flax alone. I haven't ever used the flax/cottage cheese protocol, but every night I have always added fresh ground flaxseed into my dogs' diets. I'm a huge believer in flax. It also protects from the estrogens in the environment which can cause bad things to happen in the body.
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  #460  
Old January 27th, 2013, 06:42 PM
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MaxaLisa, did you mean 5mg/kg? I can give you some more info tomorrow as I am heading out in a moment. But, I think for the tick disease timber was on 10mg/kg but I will double check that. I also divided it into two doses as it can sometimes cause a loss of appetite and I gave it with a little food (just not calcium as the doxy binds to Ca and becomes less effective).

Not sure if I am really that knowledgeable about tick disease but do have info that I can pass on about the testing from a vet I was in contact with at the time who studies tick disease.

With the IP6, I just give a capsule 1/2 hour before breakfast and right before bed. First I tried to mix the powder in the capsule with water and squirt it into her mouth but she really didn't like that. I figure a small piece of processed cheese wrapped around the capsule wouldn't be the end of the world. I think the IP6 can also bind to certain minerals which makes it less effective - especially iron. I think this is the reason it is good for treating tumors as they also take iron from the body. I don't think cheese has much iron so whatever way you can make it easier on yourself and Katie.
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  #461  
Old January 27th, 2013, 10:12 PM
MaxaLisa MaxaLisa is offline
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Originally Posted by SuperWanda View Post
MaxaLisa, did you mean 5mg/kg? I can give you some more info tomorrow as I am heading out in a moment. But, I think for the tick disease timber was on 10mg/kg but I will double check that. I also divided it into two doses as it can sometimes cause a loss of appetite and I gave it with a little food (just not calcium as the doxy binds to Ca and becomes less effective).
Tick list recommendation is 10 mg/kg twice a day, which is roughly 5 mg/lb twice a day. It's about twice as much as many vets use, but the vets on list have experienced fewer relapses with that dose, and some dogs on the list have not responded at all to the lower dose.

You used to see that dose in some of the textbooks too, but now you typically only see it in print for something like rocky mountain spotted fever., not the others.

Doxy is less calcium sensitive as regular tetracycline, many dogs need the fuller meal because of stomach upset.
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  #462  
Old January 28th, 2013, 09:44 AM
Connor & Katie Connor & Katie is offline
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Thanks MaxaLisa! I know the vet gave us 4 weeks worth of doxy, but I haven't looked at the dosage (pill size). I'll have to get the paperwork and see exactly what they did. Ticks are pretty rare here, I'm pretty outdoorsy and I haven't seen one in at least a couple years, and I haven't seen one on C or K in at least 2 or 3 years, maybe longer...but who knows...maybe...
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  #463  
Old January 28th, 2013, 03:18 PM
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SuperWanda SuperWanda is offline
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Connor & Katie,

I sent you the info. about tick testing through personal messages (3) because it would have been way to long to paste into this thread.

Thanks MaxaLisa for clarifying that. Yes, the dose I treated Timber with was 10mg/kg twice a day for 28 days. I think I was told anaplasmosis is generally fairly responsive to doxy, unlike some other tick disease. I did repeat for another 4 weeks for a total of 8 because Timber was also on high dose steroids at the time since vets here thought she had an immune mediated disease (they were wrong). I treated a second time just in case her immune system was low and she needed an extra treatment to really be sure we were clearing it from her system.

You said with Katie that you had no other symptoms like weakness, low platelets or anemia so I would hope she wouldn't have a tick disease but I guess in some cases symptoms can be mild. It would be good to know that they properly ruled that out though.
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  #464  
Old January 28th, 2013, 05:48 PM
Connor & Katie Connor & Katie is offline
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Thanks SuperWanda, I really appreciate it! I need to check on the exact dosage of doxy we're giving Katie and talk with the vet and see exactly what tests were run, but after reading a little more about symptoms of tick borne diseases, it really doesn't sound like that's what Katie has at all. But at the same time the doxy (or something) seems to be helping, she hasn't had a nose bleed in 4 days and I don't think I heard her sneeze all weekend!
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  #465  
Old January 28th, 2013, 09:15 PM
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SuperWanda SuperWanda is offline
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That is great to hear!

My vet recommended the same dose of doxy (10mg/kg) we used to treat her tick disease but for 14 days on and off (whenever I find her symptoms getting worse). I have also read some use 5mg/kg for cancer treatment but I am just doing what my vet suggested. If you suspect any tick disease, I would use it for a longer period of time.

Doxycycline seems to be a wonder drug. I am just about to pick up another refill to give Timber. I noticed her nose was sounding a little more stuffy and when that happens I am to put her back on the doxy again for 14 days. I think that people with nasal tumors are more prone to infection so maybe the doxy acts on that as well as reduce the inflammation. I know it is also used as an anti-tumor drug. I think I read that it has been shown to induce cell death and prevent cell proliferation in certain types of tumors but I am not sure if it has been studied with nasal tumors specifically. My vet mentioned it is generally helpful for respiratory problems.

It is hard on the liver so good to take a break and use it on and off. Milk thistle and the curcumin may help to support the liver as well.
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  #466  
Old January 29th, 2013, 01:01 PM
MaxaLisa MaxaLisa is offline
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My vet recommended the same dose of doxy (10mg/kg)....
Sometimes vets will say 10 mg/kg, but they are talking about the total daily dose, rather than twice a day, so it gets confusing! Treating would be much easier if we could see in hindsight
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  #467  
Old January 29th, 2013, 03:21 PM
Connor & Katie Connor & Katie is offline
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They did the Snap 4DX Plus test on Katie, all negative and she's on 10mg/kg of doxycycline per day (divided into 2 doses) for 4 weeks. Based on her symptoms and the negative test (and the fact that I haven't seen a tick in years), I'm confident she doesn't have anything tick related.

I'm listing the following mostly for purposes of discussion and for anyone who comes here looking for information like I did.

Katie is a 10 year old 80 pound chocolate labrador with suspected nasal cancer (opted not to have the ct scan done- for now anyway). She had very minor nose bleeds off and on for 2 months, then a major nose bleed on Jan. 17th (and somewhat major bleeding for the next 6 days), the vet put her on doxycycline "just in case" a tick borne illness was found (all tick tests were negative). After 5 days on doxy, her nosebleeds stopped (this appears to be fairly common as doxy has anti- inflammatory actions as well as antibiotic). We've decided to give her homeopathic supplements and take each day as it comes rather than go the chemo/radiation route.

After a weekend of reading and thinking, I've decided on the following supplements to begin with.

with her morning meal:
Fish oil (~1 tbsp)
Vitamin C 1000 mg
Glutamine 1000 mg
Arginine 500 mg
Doxycycline 200 mg
CoEnzyme Q10 100 mg (ordered but haven't gotten this yet)
Red Ginseng 400 mg (ordered but haven't gotten this yet)

with her evening meal:
Fish oil (~1 tbsp)
Arginine (500 mg)
Doxycycline 200 mg
Milk thistle 150 mg
Curcumin 500 mg (ordered but haven't gotten this yet)

Before bed:
IP6 600 mg
with cottage cheese mixed with flax oil

I also ordered the chinese herb Yunnan Baiyao in .25g pills to give as needed for bleeding.

Please feel free to discuss. This is all very new to me and I know some of you (SuperWanda!) have a lot more experience with choosing supplements than I do! I attempted to look at each supplement's function and chose based on trying to maximize anti-angiogenic and anti-oxidant functions along with some liver support and immune boosters.

It's day 3 of supplements and Katie is doing really well.
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  #468  
Old January 29th, 2013, 08:43 PM
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SuperWanda SuperWanda is offline
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Your plan sounds good. We'll have to keep in touch to exchange information. I'm only 3 months into this myself so I hope we can improve the outlook for our girls!

If you ever have time to add some pictures, I'd love to see your two. I added you as a contact so if you click on my name, you will be able to view my albums where I have pictures of Timber and Shiloh. My husband and I have no children so our dogs are our family and I am finding it hard to accept the fact they are 12 and 14 now. My older dog is generally healthy but seems to sleep a lot more, has some hind end weakness and is hard of hearing. Like you, I am also giving her some of the same supplements. Wish they had longer lives!
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Old January 29th, 2013, 10:15 PM
Connor & Katie Connor & Katie is offline
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Your plan sounds good. We'll have to keep in touch to exchange information. I'm only 3 months into this myself so I hope we can improve the outlook for our girls!

If you ever have time to add some pictures, I'd love to see your two. I added you as a contact so if you click on my name, you will be able to view my albums where I have pictures of Timber and Shiloh. My husband and I have no children so our dogs are our family and I am finding it hard to accept the fact they are 12 and 14 now. My older dog is generally healthy but seems to sleep a lot more, has some hind end weakness and is hard of hearing. Like you, I am also giving her some of the same supplements. Wish they had longer lives!
Your dogs are beautiful! Huskies always look so majestic.

It doesn't take much coaxing to get me to brag on my pups, I uploaded a few pictures just now. My husband and I have no children either, so C&K are our kids, Connor is 13 and sounds almost exactly like your Shiloh (although I think he can still hear fine when he wants to!). When people hear that C&K are 13 & 10 they always say "wow they're OLD" and I've always been offended "NO, they're "in the prime of life" or "middle-aged"" In the last couple of months I'm starting to come to the realization that maybe they are getting "old" ...sigh. I really wish they had longer lives too.

Thanks again for all your help!
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Old January 30th, 2013, 04:29 PM
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SuperWanda SuperWanda is offline
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I get that too when asked about their ages. It seems that many mid-sized dogs we know have passed away at around 10-12 years I know that Siberians have a life expectancy of 12-15 years but I don't think Timber is a pure breed and Shiloh, not sure if she is part hound or has some lab or shepherd??? I do feel lucky to still have our girls and always hope they'll get close to reaching the world record of 29 years! Amazing! There are even a few larger dogs on this list! I wonder what they are being fed?

Not sure how accurate this is but I found this list of the oldest dogs on wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_oldest_dogs
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Old January 31st, 2013, 09:05 AM
Connor & Katie Connor & Katie is offline
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I get that too when asked about their ages. It seems that many mid-sized dogs we know have passed away at around 10-12 years I know that Siberians have a life expectancy of 12-15 years but I don't think Timber is a pure breed and Shiloh, not sure if she is part hound or has some lab or shepherd??? I do feel lucky to still have our girls and always hope they'll get close to reaching the world record of 29 years! Amazing! There are even a few larger dogs on this list! I wonder what they are being fed?

Not sure how accurate this is but I found this list of the oldest dogs on wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_oldest_dogs
How funny! I was just looking at that exact site a couple days ago! After looking up "average age of labradors" and finding 10-14 Yikes But then Connor and Katie have always been better than average
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  #472  
Old February 9th, 2013, 05:11 PM
MaxaLisa MaxaLisa is offline
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How are things going? Any nosebleeds?

I was just reading up on doxycycline's use in colon cancer and also pancreatic cancer. I think I have to say, when in doubt, use it!

I hope that all is well with everyone, SW and Timber too!
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Old February 11th, 2013, 10:22 AM
Connor & Katie Connor & Katie is offline
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so far we're good here!! Katie just ran out of the doxycycline, so we're planning to go 2 weeks without and see how things go. We're nervous, but hoping all the other supplements will help. We have the chinese herb too, so first sign of bleeding we'll start that. Fingers crossed!!

Katie is feeling great and even started running with me again! We set a goal of a local 5K run in the Petco 5K9 series in May. I hope more than anything she gets to run it! I shared our story with the organizers and we were chosen as ambassadors! I set up a fb page about it, you can check it out here: https://www.facebook.com/KatiesAdventures?ref=hl
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  #474  
Old February 11th, 2013, 04:28 PM
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hazelrunpack hazelrunpack is offline
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That's awesome, C&K!!
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Old February 13th, 2013, 05:56 PM
Connor & Katie Connor & Katie is offline
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Anyone tried going to a holistic vet? I just emailed one close to us, he's got a pretty cool website http://vitalanimal.com/ I'll let you know what I find out. We haven't made an appointment, just thought I'd throw it out there and see if anyone here has an opinion.

and Katie's still feeling great!
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  #476  
Old February 14th, 2013, 09:32 PM
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SuperWanda SuperWanda is offline
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Hi everyone,

We are doing okay here as well. Just finished another 14 days on the doxy. I agree with MaxaLisa - this stuff is amazing. Always seems to help when Timber's symptoms begin to flare up with the stuffy nose. I took a break from the supplements during the 14 day doxy but am back on my regular regime.

I checked out your facebook page Connor & Katie. That is so inspiring! As much as I worry about this cancer, I think exercise is so helpful both physically and mentally.

I have been to a holistic vet here once after Timber was recovering from the tick disease. I took her for acupuncture and physical therapy. She had lost a lot of muscle mass and had a bad limp so thought it would help. I think it did but Timber found it very stressful. Our other dog loves attention, even from the vet, but Timber gets stressed out so easily. She would just shake the entire time so I eventually stopped taking her and we worked on some of the exercises at home. I never did try any of the other things they offered like the Chinese medicine at that time but would consider that now if I felt she was getting worse or had any bleeding issues.
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Old February 17th, 2013, 02:36 PM
MaxaLisa MaxaLisa is offline
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Great new CK! Love the FB page - for some reason my phone didn't switch to the mobile ite: https://m.facebook.com/KatiesAdventures?fc=0&_rdr
Glad to hear how well she is doing, I hope it continues off the doxy - I could never keep max off doxy for long, though his issues were different.

I have used a holistic vet. With max and his infection, we did IV vitamin C treatments every other week. He also saw the acupunturists and has had lifetime chiropractic care. Like regular vets, there are good ones and not so good ones. If you find one that you work well with and they understand your dog, they are worth their weight in gold. I do have one that is over 100 miles from here that I consult with by phone, after my dog has seen them initially, that I primarily for homeopthay, though I wish he were closer, she is amazing.

SW, I'm glad that Timber is doing so well. I so hate this stuff that you guys are going through
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Old February 17th, 2013, 02:39 PM
MaxaLisa MaxaLisa is offline
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I should add, my old regular vet wa very holistic minded, so I did work with her primarily. I sometimes have issues with holistic vets because they like doing things their way, and I like doing things my way. So if you find a vet where you are both thinking in the same direction, that' great. For example, one holistic vet here uses primarly herbals, which where allergens for my boy, which created a clash in interpretations.
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Old February 19th, 2013, 09:47 PM
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Dark spots on belly - fungal problem?

So Timber does have some darker spots on her belly. I think, MaxaLisa, you said that could be fungal associated with the doxy and that you have used oil of oregano, pau d'arco?

Timber has been licking herself down there for quite some time and awhile ago our vet suggested spay incontinence and gave me some estrogen supplements but I never saw any sign of urine although sometimes it can be such a small amount that you don't detect it because your dog is licking all the time to try and clean herself. I never felt comfortable with the estrogen pills so decided to try adding estrogen rich foods like black soy beans, flax seed but I sometimes wondered if that was making her more itchy? Just tried to keep the area clean and it seemed to subside but now that I see brownish spots I wonder if it has been yeast all along.

Why does it come out all over the belly like that. Is this something that would be in her uterus? Anyways, maybe I should up the probiotics. I have a liquid one called Bio-k. Would it help to apply that on the belly and vulva area as well as to add to her food. Do you think that repeated dose of doxy can help to encourage resistant yeast infection.
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Old February 20th, 2013, 02:36 PM
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hazelrunpack hazelrunpack is offline
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Soy can be very allergenic in dogs, so I'd cut out the black soy beans. How big are the brown spots? Are you sure they aren't just changing pigmentation? I know our dogs get dark spots on their bellies as a normal age-related change...
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