We found Calvin at a local animal rescue 7 years ago, he is a purebreed Cocker Spaniel and we are therefore not sure of his exact age. He doesn't appear to be an old dog, and from I've been told, Cockers tend to show their age. Anyway, we took Calvin to the vet for kennel cough, and he had an x-ray of his lungs and heart. By chance the x-ray also showed what they called a "large mass" in his abdomen. It was concluded that it was a splenic tumor. We took him to another vet and they suggested an ultrasound prior to a possible surgery. That ultrasound (in January) showed clearly that Calvin's splenic mass (tumor) was not only malignant but had already spread to his liver and one other spot in an undefined area.
Our vet gave us a terrible prognosis. He said surgery was not advisable, and that Calvin would live about 1 1/2 to 2 months. Shortly thereafter, I started researching options (our vet has mentioned he thought the uprise in cancer in dogs was due to processed foods, etc). I found by chance McDowell's website. While I understood there were no guarantees, I decided to order the products (Hemangiosarcoma Support program). We changed Calvin's diet to all organic food (the very best available), and switched him to bottled spring water as the water in our area has high levels of clorine and cloramine.
To our astonishment, now about 8 months from diagnosis, Calvin is feeling very well. His appetite is excellent, and he wants to go everywhere with us (he continues to be spoiled). We did not believe there was any point in doing another scan. It is abundantly clear that McDowell's formulas are working (and I think the change in diet helped). While I understand his prognosis is still negative (according to the vets), we will just continue and hopefully prove them wrong.
Our vets (two of them) are fairly astounded he is still with us and doing well. We highly recommend McDowell's formulas and intend to continue using them for as long as we have Calvin. I'm so impressed with their products, if I ever get sick I will consider using them too!
Very truly yours,
Matthew , James (and of course Calvin)
