Kirby was red, furry, part Australian Shepherd and Golden Retriever, 75 pounds of trouble from day one to eleven years old. If you wanted to study characteristics of a breed you got two for one with her; she was both pure Aussie and Golden. Present water fowl in the water and she was in, two short minutes later of splashing and effort and they were in a tight, very tight circle. What a herder she was!
We never hunted her because we lived in the coastal region of Los Angeles County near the harbor. Yes she owned a boat and yes she lived to go there. The ducks, coots, and other fowl kept their eyes upon her. Am I exaggerating? No, Kirby could clear the last 2 feet of the boat and the dock if a victim came too close!
At about seven her athleticism became slightly hampered by arthritis. It was not to be outdone by her strong will that never left her. At this time a limp developed as well as some slight swelling in her right forearm. We were told this was a bone bruise of sorts. After treatment it went away. At ten the lump came back and she was diagnosed with bone cancer. Our Doctor feels the earlier bout was the beginning. We were told she would last about two months without treatment, with, a year and one half.
Devastated, we began seeking solutions. Treatment likely included amputation of the right leg, chemo therapy and recovery of at least one year. This would cost us at least fifteen thousand dollars and buy her eighteen months. We felt the time she had left should not be spent in agony, limited in movement, doped on drugs and not able to chase her subjects! She would hate that because Kirby was one very bad patient. When you cut her toe nails she was mad at you for a week!
Three things bought her another year in relative comfort and normal behavior. By this I mean chasing and herding water fowl as well as total domination of all cats and dogs in the immediate vicinity. An herbal anti inflammatory, home made dog food and cordyceps medicinal mushrooms.
The herbal anti inflammatory contained Glucosamine Hcl, Manganese, Pennywort or Gotu Cola, Celery, and Ginger. We presented it to our Vet and he saw no problems with this supplement. Besides the Glucosamine and Manganese, the other three ingredients reduce inflammation by removing fluid and ultimately, poisons. Cancer stricken throughout, we gave Kirby two pills a day for her 75 pound body. We did not expect anything because she was well beyond her expiration date but we were astounded. A day after we began feeding her the pills she once again ran out to meet anyone walking up to our property and she herded our other animals again. This activity had long since stopped. This was the first treatment of the three.
The natural home made dog food per our own research, contained natural cancer fighters; purreed coconut oil, asparagus, and other green vegetables, blueberries and carrots. We added ground chicken and yogurt for protein and palatability for Kirby because she loved that stuff! Many other veggies found their way into the mix but this was the main ingredient list. By the way, do look into asparagus because it is supposed to contain powerful anti cancer qualities.
Medicinal mushrooms are a mystery to me. They are supposed to help and apparently do. We saw the mass on Kirby's shoulder diminish in size significantly after feeding them to her. This brought comfort because the mass hampered her movement.
Kirby frolicks now in doggy heaven and I'm sure the water fowl there are looking over their shoulders. Notable to all is that Kirby achieved at least sixty seven percent of the time that conventional cancer treatment would have netted her. It should also be noted that these treatments improved her life instead of a mass assault on her quality of life!
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