Dear Jane,

I just wanted to say I am so sorry to hear about Zuko's health status. My heart goes out to you and Zuko. Thank you for taking such good care of him, and for asking for help on his behalf. I will keep Zuko in my thoughts and prayers.

My dog lost a leg to osteosarcoma last year, like Zuko. My dog goes to see my holistic vet who practices Chinese medicine about every other week for acupuncture. My vet checks my dog's body at each visit, and then puts the acupuncture needles in the spots that are needed for treatment. I learned acupuncture was helpful for cancer treatment from the website http://www.path.....thpaws.com, and my vet agrees the acupuncture is important. I decided every two weeks is best, after reading the website Path with Paws. My vet likes us to come every 2 - 4 weeks.

My vet and oncologist encourage me to massage my dog for 20 minutes each day to keep the blood flowing. Since my dog lost a front leg to osteosarcoma, she is now putting a lot of weight on her remaining front leg. That leg and shoulder get very sore, so my vet and oncologist encouraged me in particular to massage that remaining front leg, and the shoulder blade all the way up to the top of her back where the shoulder meets the spine, and then up her neck to the back of her ears.

I do this every morning when she wakes up, and before she goes to sleep. She loves the massage. If she moves away from me or starts to pant, then I stop massaging and let her be. To massage her, I rub my dog's body with a washcloth, like you would do if you were drying your dog off after a bath. She loves to be dried off. To massage my dog, my vet showed me to use my thumb, and rub it over her body in the shape of a small circle, not using much pressure at all. She told me not rub over the bone, but just over the muscle.

For improved blood flow, and to help with the side effects from the chemo, I have been advised by a Tibetan medicine cancer specialist to give my dog saffron each day. I did a bunch of research about saffron quality and price, and ordered from https://www.gol.....affron.com I am very happy with the product I got in the mail. I take three strands of saffron out of the container each day, and put it in a mug. I then add a small amount of boiled water to the cup. I let it sit for maybe 15 minutes, until the water in the mug becomes golden colored. I then pour the contents of the mug over my dog's food. She eats it no problem. I make sure she also eats the three saffron strands I had put inside of the mug. If you are interested in learning more about Tibetan medicine then I can recommend http://www.men-.....index2.htm

I have not tried CBD, but I give my dog hemp oil in capsule form. My vet has said that hemp oil can be given at any time. She said not to give my dog THC. Because I am vegan, I buy the Deva brand vegan hemp oil capsules. She takes one capsule each day. She is 40 pounds. I don't know if this helps for pain, but I think it can't hurt so I give her the hemp oil capsules.

My local, independently owned pet supply store (Fang and Feather in Portland, Oregon) carries Holistic Hound brand CBD Dog Treats. Holistic Hound is a company in Berkeley, CA. The store also carries Pet Releaf CBD products. I spoke with an employee at length about this in the past, and was told they had looked into different companies and were the most comfortable with the products produced by Pet Releaf. I have also been told Canna-Pet is a reputable brand.

For arthritis pain, I give my dog a mixture of turmeric, dried ginger powder, and blackstrap molasses. I follow this turmeric recipe, and keep it in the fridge. http://www.dogs.....eric-dogs/ Each day, I prepare her this mixture: I mix in 1/8 teaspoon of the dried ginger powder, plus one teaspoon of the blackstrap molasses, with about 1 teaspoon of the turmeric mix from the refrigerator. My dog will eat it off of my fingers. I give this mixture to her a few hours after her breakfast meds, and a few hours before her evening meds just in case that makes a difference. (My dog also takes prescription pain meds recommended by my vet and oncologist for her arthritis, as well as Chinese herbs, and some other herbal supplements I have read about and added in for arthritis and cancer.)

In addition to following Tibetan medicine, I also follow Tibetan Buddhism. I also have these recordings for my dog, for pain: https://shop.fp....._2099.html I play her this set of recordings each day. I made a little stereo system for her with a set of USB computer speakers and an MP3 player, and have this little sound system set up near her favorite bed: https://shop.fp....._1361.html

That is all I can think of, from my own experience that may be of help to you. Sending you and Zuko my best wishes.

Nicole