We just heard a great story from Presley, a new tripawd. Presley turned 10 years old on January 15, and her Mom says “She’s doing well since her leg amputation in October due to osteosarcoma, with some days better than others.”
Here is Presley’s story, as told by Michelle:
“Although the surgery itself could be considered a success, we’ve had several challenges and setbacks with her treatment. She did not respond well to chemotherapy. After her first round of chemo, she ended up in the hospital with a fever, so we discontinued that. She has also rejected her supplements. At one point she was taking 7 different supplements twice daily, but we’ve had to discontinue most of them due to upset stomach, runny stool or because she won’t take them.
Instead of more pills and potions, we’ve decided to focus on enjoying the time we have together. She loves to play with her sisters, Diesel and Bristol, and she has taught them so much, like how to play nice when they wrestle. She also lets her baby sister cuddle up to her in bed at night, which she has never done before.
Dealing with cancer has been heartbreaking and eye-opening. She surprises me almost every day with her resiliency and tenacity. This experience has definitely changed our lives, yet has brought our family closer together. We look toward the future in baby steps, celebrating each milestone one at time.
Please go to www.presleybear.blogspot.com to see photos of Presley and read more about her journey.”
Good luck Presley, we wish you a speedy recovery!
I bumped into your blog about Presley when I searched for information on Tan Yu Tang. I couldn’t hold on my tears reading her and her last day. I am feeling what you have gone through cos I too am facing the same journey as you. My beagle April was diagnosed lymphoma last November. It was one of the saddest day in my life. I couldn’t accept it cos she is only 5.5 years old. She is just like a baby to us.
Her usual vet prescribed her with cumin, shark cartilage and DMG. He’s not in favour of chemo and so do I. I lost my brother-in-law the same week we found out about April’s condition. The chemo sort of killed my brother-in-law.
Her condition deteriorate during Christmas. Her paws were swollen that hindered her walks. I could see that she was in pain. All we wanted for Christmas was to see her through. We thought we were lose her before the year ended. So, we went for second opinion. The vet encouraged us to send April for chemo. I objected it. My daughter read about others’ sharing lymphoma and asked the vet for prednisolone. After taking the steroid just for the night, she was much better the next day. I was shocked and scared to see her recovered so soon. It could mean that the drug was so strong. The swell of her growth subsided by 30% within two days and her paws healed within a week.
Next, my daughter did a research on holistic treatment and found a acupuncturist in Kuala Lumpur. BTW, I’m from Malaysia. Dr Susanna Santhiram-Hofherr is a certified acupuncturist. From there, I was introduced Tan Yu Tang. So, I tried searching for info on Tan Yu Tang in late December. Just now after April’s acupuncture session with Dr Susanna, I wanted to find more. That’s when I read about Presley. Sorry that I brought this up since she left you and your family almost 8 years.
When reading the blog on Time to Say Goodbye, I realised I too will be facing that dreadful day. I am not sure if I am strong enough to be there. If I don’t be there, I know I will not forgive myself. Every day with her is a blessing. Each time I looked at her, I tried to hold back my tears. Sometimes I couldn’t control them and the vet advised me not to cry in front of her. I will treasure every moment with her as you have treasured yours. Thank you for listening to my story. Sorry if I have caused you any inconvenience. God Bless! Jenny
Jenny, thank you for writing and sharing your experience. We are so sorry about April and know how hard it is to cope with a cancer diagnosis. Your vet is right though, don’t cry in front of her, there will be plenty of time for tears someday far away in the future. You are doing great, and so is she. You have her in the care of a great vet, may she have a long, long time and more happy memories with you. Live each day at a time and make the most of it, this is exactly what our dogs want. Many hugs coming your way across the oceans.
Hi,
We did not do Chemo after the amputation to remove the Osteosarcoma because we wanted Prasad’s immune system as healthy as possible to battle the cancer cell that could have matastazied into other areas – most likely the lungs.
We are doing a variety of supplements that he is handling very well. I’d like to recomend one supplement in particular. It is a Chinese herbal blend and is a powder which mixes easily into food. I mix it with yogurt or cottage cheese and then mixed into his food. It is called Tan Yu Tang and is from a company called Natural Path. It is meant to keep the lungs healthy. In the Chinese Holistic approach the lungs represent the immune system (and the cancer shows up in the lungs some 90% of the time after osteaosarcoma)
We also changed Prasad’s diet. No Carbs (well very little) and sometimes RAW and always a clean usually organic approach to the meat based protein.
And, of course LOTS of LOVE!
Good Luck,
such an inspiring story… love this site!