Thanks to everyone who’s submitted their answers to Part I and Part II of the first ever 2010 Tripawds Treatment and Recovery Survey.

We’ve received 32 surveys so far. The comments have been enlightening, and will serve future Tripawd pawrents well. Some of the heartfelt details pawrents shared included things like:

• “I went through “anticipatory grief” where I felt like he was dead even though he was perfectly fine. I think I cried every day for about a month . . . I no longer worry and know he will let me know when he is ready to move forward.”
• “he did really well, so i did well, for me it was hell making the decision to amputate because it felt like i was meeting my needs not his”
• “Day to do I didn’t worry but as soon as anything seemed ‘different’ I worried. A lot.”

Remember that by taking the time to answer the survey questions, you will be helping many others hopping along the same Tripawds path. Plus, you get to be entered into a drawing for another $10 Café Cash gift certificate. One lucky winner can use it toward anything from the new Tripawds Gift Shop.

To be entered in the drawing, just fill out Part II of the survey (and Part I if you haven’t already done so), no later than Monday, March 22 at 12 midnight, Pacific Time.

We’ll continue taking responses indefinitely. Stay tuned for our findings from your answers, here in Jerry’s blog and his three legged dog discussion forums. Thanks for taking time out to help us with this impawtant research.

Many thanks to everyone who sent in their responses for Part I of our 2010 Tripawds Treatment and Recovery Survey about Canine Amputation and Cancer Care. Now, here’s Part II, which focuses on canine bone cancer and alternative medicine.

Please be sure to complete the 2010 Tripawds Care Survey Part 1. You will be redirected here to part 2 upon submission.

Once again, Tripawds is holding an incentive drawing for another $10 Café Cash gift certificate. One lucky winner can use it toward anything from the new Tripawds Gift Shop.

To be entered in the drawing, just fill out Part II of the survey below (and Part I if you haven’t already done so), no later than Monday, March 22 at 12 midnight, Pacific Time.

We’ll continue taking responses indefinitely. Stay tuned for our findings from your answers, here in Jerry’s blog and his three legged dog discussion forums. Thanks for taking time out to help us with this impawtant research.

cforms contact form by delicious:days

Many of you might be familiar with “Dr. Marty,” because he happens to be the veterinarian of choice for celebrities like Oprah and Martha Stewart. Dr. Marty also has his own Sirius Networks radio show on Martha Stewart’s network, Monday nights, from 8pm-9pm, EST. He has made regular appearances on many TV shows as well.

Long before many of us learned about the horrors of commercial pet foods, or embraced the concept of holistic medicine for animals, Dr. Marty was advocating for home cooked diets, speaking out against over-vaccination, and treating his clients with acupuncture and homeopathic medicine.

We were introduced to Dr. Marty after learning about Prana, a 15 year old German Shepherd who was a lifelong client of Dr. Marty’s. Prana lived a long, healthy life and with Dr. Marty’s guidance, managed to help her body cope and heal from several medical conditions that would wreak havoc on less healthy dogs. We asked Prana’s Mom what her secret was for living such a great life:

“I have been using alternative therapies on my Shepherds for the past 15 years. I give them a raw foods diet, mostly organic, avoid conventional vaccines, except for minimal use of rabies, never use heartworm meds and avoid conventional flea and tick treatments.”

When we heard about the amazingly healthy life that Prana enjoyed, we just had to learn more about her Mom’s Mentor, Dr. Marty.

Dr. Marty is a conventionally trained veterinarian who became a believer in alternative medicine long ago, when he sought out holistic medicine treatments for his own recurrent health problems which weren’t being helped by traditional western medicine. When these problems were finally resolved using a natural, non-toxic approach, he  committed himself to mastering the art and science of integrating holistic methods of treatment with conventional veterinary medicine in his own practice.

Dr. Marty is considered the world’s leading expert on holistic veterinary medicine. But he isn’t defined strictly by holistic medicine principles: he believes in the powerful curative effect of combining the best of both conventional and holistic medicine. As a result, he and his staff at Smith Ridge Veterinary Center follow the principles of “integrative medicine” where both types of therapies are combined to maintain health and guard against disease.

Since 1984, he and his staff have become well-known for their extraordinary success at treating cancer and other serious illnesses. Critically ill cats and dogs from around the world are brought to his clinic for treatment, usually after other vets have given up on them. The vast majority are restored to health and wellness once the principles of integrative medicine are faithfully applied.

The Nature of Animal Healing

Dr. Marty has a comprehensive book filled with practical advice about pet health and wellness, called “The Nature of Animal Healing.” This book takes readers through the essentials of holistic medicine, and shares basic tips for applying these principles to your pet’s life. This guide should be a part of every pawrents resource library.

Dr. Marty explains that holistic pet care is centered around the concept that the best way to cure an animal who is sick, is to help the animal cure itself. Neither us nor the veterinary pharmaceutical industry are not the true healers of our pets — they are. By treating the root of the problem instead of the symptoms, holistic medicine helps our pets regain and maintain their own health.

The book has great advice such as; why we shouldn’t feed our animals commercial pet foods, and what we should be feeding them instead. He explains why vaccines are doing more harm than good, and how you can keep your pet safe from overuse of them. You’ll learn what acupuncture and homeopathic medicine is and how it can restore your pet’s vitality. You’ll discover why sick pets need to experience a “healing crisis” and how a scare like that will actually help them recover. There is an entire chapter devoted to the methods Dr. Marty uses for treating cancer holistically, and also a comprehensive layman’s guide for treating a variety of common cat and dog ailments with common foods, natural herbs, homeopathic medicine, and lots more.

Originally published in 1999, The Nature of Animal Healing makes incredibly bold statements that fly in the face of what modern conventional veterinary medicine teaches. And while some of the holistic methods and principles he endorses might seem too far out for some (he believes in the “dubious effects” of vaccines), all of his arguments are supported with scientific data that he and other like-minded doctors have researched for decades.

We feel compelled to mention that we respectfully disagree with some of his ideas. For example, in his chapter about animal spirituality, he believes that there is no need for pawrents to be present during euthanasia. He explains that wild animals choose to die alone, and being present with our animals during their final moments is fulfilling our own human needs, not theirs. I think that in the time since this book came out, our thinking about this emotional subject has changed tremendously.

Overall, however, Dr. Marty’s book is life-changing. Read his book with an open mind, make a commitment to applying his advice to your own pet’s lives and we guarantee you won’t be disappointed. Results like the long happy life of Prana are proof that it works.

Dr. Marty’s clinic is located in South Salem, New York, about 1 hour north of New York City. His clinic is Smith Ridge Veterinary Center, and both in-person and phone consultations can be made by calling (914) 533-6066.

Recently, there’s been some discussions here and in the Bone Cancer Dogs Yahoo Group about whether or not mushroom therapy has any real benefit to dogs undergoing cancer treatment.

We wanted to get a current picture on the status of how mushroom therapy treatment is doing out there in the real world, so we wrote to my oncologist, Dr. Marie Mullins, who led the K9 Immunity clinical trial that I participated in, when I was patient in 2008 at the Santa Fe Veterinary Cancer center.

With her permission to quote her, here is what Dr. Mullins said about the study:

“The results of the K9 Immunity trial have not yet been published. They were submitted to JAVMA* but rejected (they rarely publish articles on nutriceuticals). They were going to try to get it published in some international mushroom journal (not sure of the exact name) but I have not heard much since then (October 2008 time frame).

The data that I saw was all very preliminary (some of the dogs were still alive). At that point in time, it did not appear to significantly extend survival times but the case numbers were low and statistics lacking.

However, it seemed to overwhelmingly improve their quality of life and protect most of the dogs from untoward chemotherapy side effects.”

In our own limited knowledge about mushroom therapy, we recently learned that mushroom therapy isn’t just something being promoted for dog cancers only. A family friend who is a certified “ND,” a naturopathic doctor, in Washington state, and specializes in holistic cancer treatments, uses mushroom therapy for her own human patients.

It’s so hard to know what is fact and what is fiction when it comes to nutriceuticals, but by posting your stories and experiences with K9 Immunity and other canine cancer therapies here in our Eating Healthy Forums, we can try to help get the official verdict out to the public much sooner.

*Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association

Recently, New York resident Yvonne Gonski wrote to us after watching the PBS show we were featured in, called Why We Love Cats and Dogs. She was moved by Jerry’s story, and wanted to share her own experience with Prana, her amazing nearly fifteen year old German Shepherd girl.

Sadly, Prana recently passed away after a courageous battle with pneumonia. She will be missed dearly. Her Mom wrote this great post for us, before Prana went to the Bridge. We publish this story in tribute to this amazing girl. May her spirit fly free.

Here is Prana’s inspawrational tale . . .

If you’re wondering what the secret is to ensuring a long healthy life for your dog, Yvonne Gonski has two words: “raw foods.” And although many of you Tripawds are battling cancer and might be avoiding raw foods right now, we thought your pawrents still might find these general concepts about home made dog diets to be useful.

“I have been raising German Shepherd dogs for the past 28 years. My journey of learning to provide my dogs with alternate methods of care began 15 years ago, following the passing of my three male German Shepherds.Although two of them died from age related conditions, I started to question the commercially prepared food I was giving them and the conventional vaccines and medications they received over the years.

One of the books that got me started was The Complete Herbal Handbook for the Dog and Cat, by Juliette de Bairacli Levy A strong advocate of a raw foods diet and the use of herbs to treat most canine diseases, she bred Afghan Hounds for over fifty years.

Her lines are virtually disease free and many of her dogs typically lived into their twenties. Her book has become my bible for feeding and treating my dogs with herbs when they are ill.

What Does Prana and Vahana’s Raw Diet Look Like?

Read the rest of this entry »

Tripawds Book Review:
Speaking for Spot: Be the Advocate Your Dog Needs to Live a Happy, Healthy, Longer Life
by Dr. Nancy Kay, DVM, Specialist, American College of Veterinary Medicine

Dr. Kay, a board certified internal medicine specialist in California, was nice enough to pass along a copy of her new book “Speaking for Spot.” Always eager to read up on the latest in canine health care tips, we jumped right in and were so pleased to find out that this book delivers exactly what it promises.

Speaking for Spot is a handbook about how to ask the right questions, in order to get the right answers, and treatment, from your vet.

While Dr. Kay addresses the latest advances in canine health care, she also takes a unique approach to canine health care, by choosing to focus on pawrent and physician communication styles that can help, or hinder care.

This is the kind of book that’s especially helpful for those of us who turn into wimps in the doctor’s office, and are hesitant to knock them off their pedestals. She explains:

“I’m referring to what is known as the “white coat intimidation factor; a phenomenon that gives the doctor an air of authority and superiority. When she is on such a “pedestal,” two-way communication flounders. Medical advocacy requires active client participation, and a client who is intimidated does not feel comfortable voicing an opinion.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Please note: this information is just based on my own experience, and is not meant to replace advice given to you by your vet or other canine health professional. To read about what other pawrents are feeding their tripawds, please visit our “Eating Healthy” Forums.

Before I got sick, I used to eat a half “BARF” diet (Bones and Raw Foods), and half premium Innova EVO kibble diet. I  was lean and healthy, and my system was used to good food already. That’s because when I was about four years old, my Mom found out what’s really in commercial dog food. After that, she never fed conventional dog food to me again – that stuff’s bad.

When we learned I had cancer, we wanted to make sure my diet was as healthy as possible. To point us in the right direction, my Mom did more BARF research and attended a BARF class. She also got a great book called Natural Nutrition for Dogs and Cats that helped her find the right combination of a human grade, meat and veggie diet for dogs with cancer.She and Dad decided to focus on a few select type of foods and supplements, which we describe below. There are many other choices out there, please do your research and learn what’s best for your dog’s unique health picture.

After I got sick, I still ate a half-BARF, half kibble diet, but some BARFers don’t advise giving dogs kibble and BARF foods simultaneously, because they say kibble slows down digestion of raw meats. My Mom tried to give me a 100 percent BARF diet for a while, but found that I was getting too skinny.

She started feeding me small amounts of Innova EVO kibble with supplements mixed in. As an entree, I got various types of raw meat. I never had a problem with digestion, and once I started eating this way, I maintained a perfect weight of 75 pounds.

Please keep in mind that we are not experts, and your dog’s own nutritional needs may be different. We recommend  talking to a holistic nutritional expert and/or learn all you can about BARF before attempting a diet change for your Tripawd.

My Dog Cancer Diet

My daily regimen changed over the two years I fought cancer, just like the cancer within me evolved. In my case, the osteosarcoma progressed exactly as textbooks describe it. My diet changed at three distinct times while I fought this disease.

Read the rest of this entry »