At the beginning of May 2004 I took my Labrador cross, Blue, to the vet as he had been limping or appeared to be lame for some time on and off. As he was an active dog I thought he had strained a muscle or something. The first vet, my usual vet, prescribed painkillers and complete rest for him. After two weeks he was still the same. In fact, he seemed to be getting worse, he didn't want to go for walks and spent the minimal time he could outside. He was laying down most of the time and didn't seem to get happy about anything at all. I took him to another vet who diagnosed him as having arthritis in all four legs and gave him more painkillers and wanted to prescribe expensive drugs for him. I was very suspicious. I didn't feel his diagnosis was right. Blue was getting worse and I was getting concerned, I was then recommended a Danish vet based in London by a good friend of mine. I took him to see her and she immediately decided to x-ray him completely. The x-rays showed a lot of damage in his shoulder joints and some shady areas on his spine. She sent the x-rays for a 2 nd opinion and they came back all clear (as they were even in both front legs). He was prescribed more pain killers and told to rest again. About a week later ( 3 June 2004 ) I noticed he was bleeding from the mouth and seemed even more tired than usual. I phoned the same Danish vet who asked me to bring him in immediately thinking that he had a broken tooth or rotten tooth. She put him under anaesthetic and when she was looking at him she realised that there was absolutely nothing wrong with his teeth but he was bleeding continuously from his gums. They did a blood test and found his Red Blood Count (RBC) was at 17% (normal for a dog is over 38%) and his White Blood Count (WBC) was at just 2.1% (normal for a dog is around 5%) and that he had no platelets so he couldn't form any kind of scab to close a wound. He was dangerously close to death and in need of specialist care, perhaps a blood transfusion so the vets told me to rush him to The Royal Veterinary College – Queen Mother Hospital for Animals in Hertfordshire, north of London . That was the longest car journey of my life, Blue, barely awake from his anaesthetic, with dangerously low blood levels. As soon as we got there Blue had various tests done was put in intensive care. That night going home without him was just the most awful thing. I was so upset. The initial results showed very high levels of proteins in his blood. Further tests the next day including 2 biopsies in his shoulder bone and his hip bone revealed that he had Leukemia Myoloma. He was kept under close observation for 3 days in intensive care as the vets weren't even sure that he would survive he was so ill. He wouldn't eat or do much, he had this disease in an advanced stage. I was angry with myself for not having done more earlier. He was prescribed chemo drugs Alkaran and Steroids Prednisone at fairly high doses. We were told that untreated Blue had just a few weeks to live. We were told that treated with these drugs he may live one or two more years but could not be cured. We knew nothing at the time about either of these two drugs other than assuming that this was the right way to try to help Blue. We wanted to do anything to help him. I started researching and investigating as much as I could about Leukemia in both dogs and humans. I knew nothing about natural or alternative treatments but started researching them too and during one of my many sessions on the internet I came across an amazing website that was particularly useful to me – www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com. On this non-profit website I read about other ways to treat cancers and other diseases rather than poisoning using chemo or steroids. I read about the dangers and lack of cures brought on by chemo and steroids. I read that there was high success rates in treating cancer with certain alternative treatments. I read for the first time about the Johanna Budwig cancer cure using flax oil and cottage cheese. I was fascinated, but at the same time I thought that it couldn't be this simple. Then I read more and more about this lady Professor Johanna Budwig who was nominted for a Nobel prize 5 times and her findings and how she was ignored by the medical profession despite having such high success rates in curing cancer. I bought book after book with information on her. I also bought books on fighting cancer with the correct nutrition and lifestyle. I got in touch with a man in America through Shirleys Wellness Café who's dog had also been diagnosed with Leukemia at a very advanced stage. He had cured his dog from sure death using only the flax oil and cottage cheese diet and vitamins. When Blue came home from the hospital 3 days later he was not a well dog. We felt that we must follow the vets orders and give Blue the two drugs he had been prescribed. Amazingly, within a few days he did appear more alert and seemed to almost return to normal. However, due to the severity of the effects of both the chemo and steroids it was important that we took him to the local vet 2 times a week for blood tests to make sure that the chemo wasn't closing his bodily functions down too much. I also learnt that this ‘miraculous' change in Blue was due to the steroids and their fake short term effect on the body. It was hard for us to go through with these conventional medicines, knowing that what we were giving him was having such an impact on his already frail body. For those first few weeks his blood levels remained steady. However, after less than 4 weeks of being on the chemo and steroids his temperature started to increase and he was just lying down unable to get up or do anything, he was continually panting and had a dull look in his eyes. We took his temperature which got to over 40 degrees. I called the vet and they told me that this was a ‘normal' side effect of the chemo and just to continue with it. This continued for the next 2 days. We then made the decision on 3 July 2004 to take Blue off the chemo and steroids completely as we didn't feel it was fair to put him through this suffering when we had been told that it wouldn't produce a cure anyway. I had put Blue on the flax oil and cottage cheese diet alongside his conventional treatments from the beginning– he loved the flax oil and cottage cheese so it wasn't a problem. I continued researching about dog nutrition and the link between diet and cancer in both animals and people. I started to change Blues diet, threw away all his dried dog food and he was put him on the BARF diet (Bones And Raw Food). This consisted of two thirds carbohydrate (rice, potato, pasta) and one third raw protein (raw fish or meat) plus finely diced carrots, broccoli, cabbage etc.etc. often adding whole raw eggs, all the time alternating as much as possible with the raw foods for maximum benefit. I also took Blue to a homeopathic vet (www.alternativevet.co.uk) who prescribed 2 alternating types of treatment which he was to be given 3 times a day on his tongue 15 minutes before meals. I also gave him the human grades of spirulina, vitamin B, vitamin C, Siberian Ginseng, grapeseed extract and iron all in easily absorbable forms. As well as this I gave him a liquid multi-vitamin and mineral supplement daily as well as bitter apricot kernels which contain a natural cyanide which potentially attacks and gets rid of tumourous cells. I took careful note about the dangers of sugar in cancer patients and made sure that Blue got nothing that contained any sugar having read that sugar feeds cancer cells and makes them divide more quickly. I also learned that fluoride might be harmful to cancer patients so made sure he got only purified or bottled water. I also put him on a supplement called Transfer Factor Plus (www.transfer-factor.info), containing the mothers first milk – the colostrum. As well as this I started treatment for him by a radionic practitioner – a form of healing with proven results for both humans and animals see www.radionic.co.uk. Blue improved immediately. Without chemo and steroids he suddenly seemed like he had been realised by a false ‘veil' of behaviour. He wasn't lame, seemed happy and although not quite back to his old self, he did seem much better. As we continued for the next two months with the alternative treatments he got better day by day. Now, nearly two months later ( 24 August 2004 ), he is the brightest, liveliest, healthiest dog I have ever seen. I can't remember him being this happy and alert. His coat is the softest I have ever known it and his whole body just looks incredibly strong and healthy. Blue even seems to know that we have helped him and has become a lot closer to us all. People find it hard to believe that he is nearly 8 years old, he looks like he is 2 years old. Another proof of his health is in his nose, it has started to turn black again like when he was a puppy, which means that he must have been deficient in something for many years without us knowing. His most recent full blood test (end Aug 2004) showed a fully healthy dog with all normal levels. The vets were baffled as to how this could be possible, but I aim to baffle them for a long time to come and will continue with all his treatments as long as he lives. Blue's feeding Programme MORNING Homeopathy drops on tongue (Carc and Hecla Lava – alternating) then 15 minutes later... Feed: 1 x large teaspoon of flax oil MIX WITH REST OF FEED CONSISTING OF 1/3 PROTEIN (FRESH MEAT OR FISH + PERHAPS RAW EGG), 2/3 CARBOHYDRATE (COOKED POTATO, PASTA, BROWN BREAD OR COOKED RICE AND RAW VEGETABLES – GRATED CARROT, BROCCOLI, BEETROOT, SPINACH, FRUIT ETC.) (nothing burnt and NO SUGAR) Mix with warm PURIFIED water. LUNCHTIME Homeopathy drops on tongue (Carc and Hecla Lava – alternating) 15 minutes later... 1 x large teaspoon of flax oil MIXED WITH.. EVENING Homeopathy drops on tongue (Carc and Hecla Lava – alternating) 15 minutes later... 1 x large teaspoon of flax oil MIX WITH FRESH FEED AS ABOVE (Nothing burnt and NO SUGAR) PLUS.. MONDAY ½ x Vitamin C TUESDAY ½ Vitamin C WEDNESDAY ½ Vitamin C THURSDAY ½ Vitamin C FRIDAY ½ Vitamin C SATURDAY ½ Vitamin C SUNDAY Nil extra (apple seeds to be saved and crushed and added to his food as much as possible) |