Thursday August 25th 2009

DAILY

• ESSIAC tea (orally) 10 ml Twice a day.
  
• DAY 48 PREDNISOLONE 2.0 ml x2/day (Reduced to 80% of the original dose)
  
• DAY 50 OPC one capsule twice/day - South African 'anti-cancer' herb: Stopped at Day 50 for a break from the OPC.
  
• DAY 57 CF IP-6 & Inositol one capsule twice/day
• DAY73 HYDRAZINE SULFATE one capsule/once a day in morning after food.
• SHEEP SORREL DECOCTION ON GAUZE compress : on back left leg lump. Nightly applied with a gauze soaked in the sheep sorrel, kept in place with first aid tape.
• Liver tonic ( 2 drops in food twice a day) Ongoing since the beginning of Lucy's treatment. (from homeopathic vet)
• Nox Vomica 30 + H (from homeopathic vet) For nausea. Sunday/Monday 3 doses.

UPSWING
So very good news.... another UPSWING! Hooray. Thanks for the support, from Lucy's blog readers :) We appreciate that a lot!
After four days of refusing to eat anything but the 'Macdonalds' of dog foods... MILK BONES... she has begun to eat meat again, and has her energy back. She is doing well again.
She lost a bit of weight this last week, but is putting it back on now.

STEROIDS & NAUSEA?
The vet thinks the nausea may be a side-effect of the steroid Prednisolone rather than caused by the Lymphoma. It is a known side-effect in some dogs. I reduced the dose back down to 2.0ml morning & night. Combining that with the Nox Vomica, and stopping the OPC for now, seems to have done the trick.

NOX VOMICA Homeopathic Remedy
Lucy wasn't eating at all on Friday or Saturday. On Sunday we went back to the vet who gave us some Nox Vomica for Lucy to see if nausea was causing her lack of apetite.
Not sure if it was the Nox Vomica or combination of things (I stopped the OPC as well and decreased the dose of the steroid Prednisolone), but on Monday morning I had the idea to go to the coffee shop nearby where they give her dog biscuits. It worked. She snapped into her mental routine and got all excited and ate two big biscuits... So that gave me the idea to go and buy a box of MILK BONES (full of coloring and preservatives.. YUCK!), but at least she would eat them perhaps? I was right. BUT unfortunately then she would only eat Milk Bones until last night. Now she is starting to eat ground beef with them and today hopefully some ground pork as well.

GOING AWAY FOR A WEEK
I have to go on a trip for work to Amsterdam, and so Lucy will be taken care of by my partner, who has to take time off work to do that. I have arranged for some of her favorite friends to drop by to take her for walks too, to keep her spirit up, and also for another friend to come by and do an energy healing session. It's hard to leave her. I have deliberated long and hard, but it feels ok. Thankful for the upswing of course!!

Wednesday August 19th 2009

FAILED ATTEMPT TO WEAN OFF THE STEROIDS.
Lucy is now back at the original dose of Steroid, so its official now that I wasn't able to wean her off it. Lymph glands have become smaller again now, as a result. They are not so hard as two days ago. Lucy was beginning to refuse food again on Monday, and so that was the day I decided to go back up to the original steroid dose. She is eating again, but still being picky. I am hoping that that the eating now returns to normal as well in the next few days.
She's doing the steroid 'stare' again... and lots of panting...all known side effects.

Prednisolone/Prednisone INFO

Overview (Click here for the website I got this info from)

The immune and inflammation systems of pets and people constitute essential safeguards against infections and disease.

However, in some situations, inflammation is dangerous and leads to severe damage in tissues and organs.

Similarly, the immune system, often for no apparent reason, can attack the body and cause great damage or even death.

Many of the resultant medical conditions are called autoimmune diseases.

There are a number of drugs available to control inflammation and suppress the immune system in animals and people. Among the most prominent of these are prednisone and prednisolone.

These drugs belong to a class of drugs known as glucocorticoids, because they are related to cortisone and they contain glucose in their molecules. These drugs also are related to the steroid hormones normally produced by the adrenal gland.

The effects of glucocorticoids can be observed in every organ system and these drugs should not be used except when necessary.

Prednisone is rapidly converted in the liver to prednisolone. Except in cases of severe liver disease, the drugs are considered the same (equivalent).

Prednisone/prednisolone are anti-inflammatory drugs, which reduce the swelling, pain and redness associated with inflammation.

An important effect of these drugs is that at high and very specific doses, the immune system is suppressed.

Prednisone is a prescription drug and can only be obtained from a veterinarian or by prescription from a veterinarian.

Brand Names and Other Names

This drug is registered for use in humans and animals.

Human formulations: Prelone® (Muro), Key-Pred® (Hyrex), Predalone® (Forest), Predcor® (Hauck), Delta-Cortef® (Upjohn) and various generic preparations

Veterinary formulations: Delta-Cortef® (Upjohn), Prednis-Tab® (Vet-A-Mix), Meticorten® (Schering), Solu-Delta-Cortef® (Upjohn), Sterisol® (Anthony), Cortisate-20® (Anthony) and various generic preparations

Uses of Prednisone/Prednisolone

Since prednisone has effects on nearly every body system, the uses of this drug are wide and varied.

The drugs prednisone/prednisolone are used to treat allergies, inflammations and autoimmune diseases when the underlying cause cannot be treated or prevented. Examples include treatment of bronchial and lung diseases, skin diseases, intestinal diseases, spinal cord and brain diseases and diseases of the blood.

Prednisone is often a supplemental treatment for various cancers.

It is required as a supplement in the adrenal gland disorder, Addison's disease (hypoadrenocorticism).

It is used as a treatment in bacterial (endotoxic) shock.

Prednisone is used to treat a variety of immune system and autoimmune disorders .

Precautions and Side Effects

While generally safe and effective when prescribed by a veterinarian, prednisone can cause side effects in some animals.

Prednisone should not be used in animals with known hypersensitivity or allergy to the drug.

Prednisone should be avoided in fungal infections.

Prednisone should not be used in pregnant animals, since it can induce labor.

Extreme care must be taken when stopping prednisone therapy. If an animal has been on prednisone for an extended period of time, slow weaning off the drug is critical to avoid serious complications.

Prednisone may interact with other medications. Consult with your veterinarian to determine if other drugs your pet is receiving could interact with prednisone. Such drugs include non-steroidal anti-inflammatories.

Adverse effects include increased thirst and appetite, panting, vomiting, restlessness and diarrhea.

Some animals may develop stomach ulcers from prednisone use.

Long-term use of prednisone may result in loss of hair coat, weakening of the muscles, liver impairment and behavioral changes.

How Prednisone Is Supplied

Prednisone is available in 1 mg, 2.5 mg, 5 mg, 10 mg, 20 mg and 50 mg tablets.

Prednisone 3 mg/ml syrup and 1 mg/ml suspension is available.

The injectable forms of prednisone vary. Some injectable forms are 20 mg/ml up to 125 mg/ml concentrations.

Dosing Information

Medication should never be administered without first consulting your veterinarian.

Doses of prednisone vary widely depending on the reason for prescribing.

Anti-inflammatory doses range from 0.1 to 0.3 mg per pound (0.2 to 0.6 mg/kg) up to twice daily.

Immunosuppressive doses range from 1 to 3 mg per pound (2 to 6 mg/kg) up to three times daily.

Doses for various diseases range between 0.1 to 3 mg per pound (0.2 to 6 mg/kg).

The duration of administration depends on the condition being treated, response to the medication and the development of any adverse effects. Be certain to complete the prescription unless specifically directed by your veterinarian. Even if your pet feels better, the entire treatment plan

should be completed to prevent relapse.

Sunday August 9th 2009

DAILY

• ESSIAC tea (orally) 10 ml + 1ml extra Sheep Sorrel Decoction Twice a day.
  
• DAY 30 PREDNISOLONE 1.5 ml x2/day (60% of the original dose)
• DAY 40 OPC one capsule twice/day - South African 'anti-cancer' herb
• DAY 39 CF IP-6 & Inositol one capsule twice/day
• DAY 55 HYDRAZINE SULFATE one capsule/once a day in morning after food.
• SHEEP SORREL DECOCTION ON GAUZE compress : on back left leg lump. Nightly applied with a gauze soaked in the sheep sorrel, kept in place with first aid tape.

GOOD NEWS... Lucy has bounced back again gradually after a few days back on the steroid. I have brought the dose up to 1.5ml twice a day. (the liquid suspension is 5mg/1ml of liquid, so 1.5ml is equivalent to a 7.5 mg tablet dose which equals 15mg/day. Her original dose was 25mg/day)

SHEEP SORREL DECOCTION
The sheep sorrel soaks in overnight through the skin. This feels like a good way to introduce it to her system, in addition to the more well-known Essiac tea given orally. In the 1930's Rene Caisse was injecting Sheep Sorrel into muscle tissue, with great success at fighting cancers. However since I don't know how to do those injections, I am hoping that by soaking in through the skin a similar treatment is occurring. I am curious if anyone out there has managed to find a vet willing to try injecting it?

BLOG FOLLOWERS
Lucy's Love-oma now has a site counter. We were pleasantly surprised to find out that about 50 people a week are currently reading Lucy's blog. We hope the information we are posting here proves useful to those of you out there that are also fighting canine lymphoma.

SOME QUESTIONS sent to us by a blog follower in Nova Scotia:

So, a few things- you are suggesting we avoid the steroids altogether? So far we have started the essiac tea, twice a day like Lucy, cottage cheese with flax oil twice and two meals of boiled chicken with some steamed carrots. Honestly, she seems so great- and since we started this stuff- only three days ago- she seems like a whole new pup- so we are very grateful for this. You said that steroids decrease the validity of the homeopathic approach? I have read pages and pages over the last days and never read that- but we are new and certainly don't know much right now- we are just trying to know everything we can.

I also found through reading that i did not think a remission was even possible without chemo? You seem to think it is- can you please tell me everything you can about that?
Our vet is telling us to wait for the signs that your Lucy had before we consider the steroids- rejecting food, loss of weight, etc. He has already explained that steroids really do, unfortunately, only buy some precious time with your dog...

It's great to hear that the Essiac tea is helping your dog.

STEROIDS & REMISSIONS?
It was my homeopathic vet who told me that the Steroid treatment prevents the possibility of a remission. I will ask her to give me more information about this so that I can share it on the blog. The steroid seems to be a life-saver at critical times when the dog is crashing hard. However, it is best not to give it unless they need it... That is my own personal feeling about it, which vets seem to agree with. But each person must do only what they feel is right.
The reason seems to be that the steroid is useful to reduce cell inflammation and out-of-control cell responses, but in the process it also shuts down the natural healing processes. My homeopathic vet feels that some healing might still happen, if the steroid dose is significantly reduced, but the regular vet's doses would be too high for the cell's natural healing processes to happen.

This quote from WIKI:

Corticosteroids inhibit the inflammatory response to a variety of inciting agents and probably delay or slow healing. They inhibit the edema, fibrin deposition, capillary dilation, leukocyte migration, capillary proliferation, fibroblast proliferation, deposition of collagen, and scar formation with inflammation.

CHEMO & REMISSIONS?
Since I have decided not to pursue chemo treatments, I have not done much research on it lately. However when I did that earlier on, it seemed that it could only buy time in the form of a remission, but never a cure. So chemo might extend the life of the lymphoma animal by a few months, but those months would be more traumatic for the dog, due to the side effects and actions of the chemo treatment itself. Other factors for me about the chemo are the cost and the fact that it is modelled on human treatments. Chemo doesn't seem to work as well in dogs as it can in humans. It costs an average of $8-10,000 to treat a dog over several months with chemo. I don't have that kind of money, but if I did I would not choose the chemo path even if I was treating myself.
Since Lucy is only 6 years old, I feel that the homeopathic and 'alternative' treatment paths offered Lucy the best chance of a long-term remission. No-one ever seems to talk of a cure being possible, however the woman I spoke to in NY who is the main researcher for the Hydrazine Sulfate (which my vet had never heard of), has had successul results, extending the life of lymphoma and other cancer dogs by as much as 8 YEARS!

So to sum it up, I am currently putting my faith in the combination treatment of Essiac Herbs, Sheep Sorrel compresses, Hydrazine Sulfate, the OPC herb (ordered online from a cancer researcher in South Africa) and the homeopathic remedies prescribed by my vet. This is quite a load for Lucy daily, but she seems to respond very well to them all, without any obvious side effects.

There are labels for these treatments on the right hand side of this blog with links as well so you can find out more about these treatments.

Tuesday August 4th 2009

DAILY

• ESSIAC tea (orally) 10 ml + 1ml extra Sheep Sorrel Decoction Twice a day.
  
• DAY 25 PREDNISOLONE 1ml x2/day (Back up, but still a 40% reduction from the original dose)
• DAY 35 OPC one capsule twice/day - South African 'anti-cancer' herb
• DAY 34 CF IP-6 & Inositol one capsule twice/day
• DAY 50 HYDRAZINE SULFATE

JUST TODAY

• SHEEP SORREL DECOCTION ON GAUZE compress : on back left leg lump.

STEROIDS, STEROIDS, STEROIDS... MIRACLE OR CURSE?
So when we chose to put Lucy onto Prednisone steroid treatment, it was an act of desperation. She was crashing severely and refusing food and water for ten days. I had to force feed her with an oral syringe into her mouth at that time. She lost 2 kilos of weight in two weeks.
However I did not know that once a dog is on steroids, it halts the natural healing process. That was not explained to me at the time. It acts as an immune suppressant, and so can only buy your dog time, but will prevent any chance of them going into a cancer remission... which is the obvious preferred goal.
For that reason, once Lucy was back to her normal diet and activity level and seeming comfortable and happy again, I discussed with the vet the option of weaning her off the steroids. The risk is that if she needs the steroids again, they may not work as well a second time. The bonus being that if she copes with being weaned off, the other therapies may then kick in giving her a chance of going into a cancer remission.

DIFFICULT TIME DURING THE LAST 48 HOURS
So over the last three weeks we have been reducing the dose of steroids. Her Prednisolone dose came down to 0.5ml last Friday (31st July) as planned (a 0.5 ml reduction each week for four weeks, to wean her off steroids). She started to crash physically on Sunday night... 48 hours after this new lowest dose began.
The lymph glands swelled up again very large and hard and tight. She had a difficult time sleeping on Sunday night, so I slept on the floor with her. She kept close to me.
On Monday she had no energy at all and went out into the garden to sleep by herself... NOT something she has ever done before (being a typical border collie, she likes to keep close to her humans as much as possible.) I was scared.
PALE LIPS & COOL SKIN
I noticed that her lips were pale, and her skin very cool to the touch, considering the hot weather. Being a holiday in Canada, my own vet's office was closed. I called an emergency vet and did some quick online research. Pale lips is usually caused by either Anemia or Low Blood pressure (which can be caused by internal bleeding). Either way it can be very serious.
I left a message for my own vet to call me back on their emergency line as well.

INTUITION & COURAGE
I sat in the garden with her, and meditated on what to do. Having been around dogs most of my life, experiencing both human and animal 'western' medical systems (both of care and of billing!), I had to decide now whether I should now drive to the 24 hr emergency clinic, despite them being unfamiliar with her case and health details.
It can be so hard to make a decision, especially when you are choosing alternative therapies for the good of your beloved companion, who can't speak for themselves.
I had already had one battle with a conventional vet, who was angry with me for choosing homeopathic & alternative options (and so consequently charged me $50 for my homeopathic vet to have access to Lucy's own xrays that I had already paid $200 for!)

I decided to give her another dose of the steroid, to bring her back up to 1.0ml and then I sat and I waited for my homeopathic vet to phone me back...
MIRACLE! Within 45 minutes of the extra dose, Lucy was transformed! It was so strange to see her go through 24 hours of such obvious decline & body distress.... (panting, pale lips and skin, exhaustion, hiding) to deciding to chase a crow up the garden and then coming to ask me for food. After which she hunted down a tennis ball and insisted I throw it for her.
So I gave her another 1ml dose in the evening, and have increased it again this morning to 1.5ml.
The glands are reducing in size again and her appetite is returning now as well.
I thought I would be able to handle the transition off the steroids much more bravely, but it was horrid. I hope that I have not caved in too easily, with increasing the dose again? My new decision is to keep her at the minimum dose needed to prevent this kind of crash. I will not put her back up to the full amount but nor will I try to reduce it to zero again for the moment. It seemed she was getting the full benefit of the drug at a dose of only 40% of the original dose, so there is no need to go higher than that. Sooo... SHE IS BACK ON AN UPWARD SWING AGAIN now.

FOOD
During this new downswing, she totally lost her apetite again. She went back to wanting only biscuits and stopped drinking water as well. This is exactly what happened the first time around before we put her on the steroid.
Now that her Prednisolone dose is back to 40%, she is eating again. It may take me a few days to get her back onto the Raw food. She refused it so far, but did eat two small cans of canned EVO this morning as well as some grain-free biscuits.

BUMP ON HER RIGHT ELBOW
Lucy has always had a callous on her right elbow since she favors lying down on that side. However I have noticed that she 'flumps' down more heavily since her illness began. It may be that the glands in her legs feel awkward, or some other discomfort is causing her to flop down more heavily from a different angle. Anyway she has made that callous irritated and it is a bit raw/scratched looking. She keeps licking it, so I have been cleaning it with 2% iodine (disinfectant) since yesterday, and today I put a soft dressing on it to pad it a little and give it a chance to heal up again.