Canine Cancer Update... long post

Our baby is doing well with with her T-Zone Lymphoma.  She had her first oncology follow-up last week.  The results were very good -- her lymph node sizes have not increased, no new glands seem to be affected, and her blood count is the same as it was last month.  She has cancerous lymphocytes in her neck glands -- these are just cells (b-cells that are small and intermediate in size), which is better than having tumors.  Basically, it is doggy leukemia or canine Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. To be informative, the cost to monitor her condition is $154 per month.

We are boosting her immune system with a number of supplements (found on sale whenever possible), which are added to her veggie slop.  Her slop now includes legumes (roman beans and lentils) high in omega fatty acids, and vegetables that are high in Folate (cruciferous veggies like broccoli, asparagus), fruits with Folate and vitamin C (mango, strawberry, etc.).  Turmeric, folic acid, vitamin C, beet root, mushroom powder, and B-vitamins, are being added to the slop.  In addition, she gets a tablespoon of Missing Link each night.

Additional sources of nutrition are fed during the day to augment her three meals.  In the morning, it's a couple of ounces of buttermilk and brewer's yeast.  This is an acidic mix (her pH should be acidic and  not alkaline) that also helps with gut bacteria.  The gut is the basis of a healthy immune system.  The slurry made from meat or poultry bones is fed later in the afternoon.  She also gets a banana for lunch every day -- and has since she was a pup.

We add parsley into her food whenever possible.  This week, it was on sale -- a bunch of the organic variety was just $1.29.  It was cut up and chopped in the blender with oil.  She'll get some with each meal.

We are also feeding a mixture of canned mackerel and canned pumpkin for three meals a week.  A version is also  made with beans (pureed in the food processor). The mackerel is drained, and the pumpkin is not the pie-filling variety.   The extra source of Omega Oils is important -- this type of fish has both 6 and 9.  For her raw meals, we are including gizzards or a whole egg (she eats the shell too).

About an hour a day is devoted to either preparing food/snacks to fit in the nutrients she needs in order to boost her immune system and discourage the growth/spread of the cancerous cells.  She gets a long off-leash romp at least three days per week.  We walk one mile, she runs back and forth three times that! This helps with her circulation, weight control, and mental health.  She's 11, so we give her a rest in-between days.

Every day, she gets combed so that all the dead hair is removed.  Dogs detox through their skin.  Teddy suffers from hot-spots, which affect her immune system.  We have her on a medication that suppresses her white cells.  While that's not ideal, an infection would be worse.  We have her trickled down to the lowest dose we think will be effective and let good grooming, exercise, and diet do the rest.

This cancer thing is not a happy place for us, but we feel that with a median survival rate of two years or more, this kind of careful care will enable us to have more time with her.  If anyone reading this is facing lymphatic cancer with their dog or cat, please feel free to reach out to us.  We are learning a lot and feel optimistic in spite of this disease.