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Xena gets extra time with support for Osteosarcoma - McDowell's Herbal Treatments

An Essay on My experiences with Canine Cancer

My 11 year old female Labrador, Xena was diagnosed with cancer in her left front shoulder on November 25th 2011, 24 hours before my wife and I were to board an airplane to visit her sister in Hong Kong where she lives. Our veterinarian estimated she had two months remaining to live!   Devestated, I cancelled the trip and spent the time with my beloved dog instead.

Needless to say it was a rough Christmas that year. My son flew in from the west coast and we all were treading lightly as to what the future held. He tearfully said good-bye upon his departure and it was a quiet New Year’s celebration that year.   I had been given the name of George Peterson, manager of Herbal Treatments.com and acquired the Osteosarcoma Support and Maritime Pine Bark that was recommended. While using these Xena was up and down with eating. We tried a number of things and fish sticks of all things were always eaten so we started adding that to the dry food she had eaten most of her life.

It was at that same time that a good friend of mine was experimenting with cannabis oil to relive back pain from an auto injury. From his experiences I began cooking small amounts of cannabis sativa I had chopped finely at 325 degrees Fahrenheit in the oven. I would then take a 00 size empty capsule and fill it about 1/3 of the way and gave it to her with her morning Novox every morning starting in early January 2012. Once assured there was no apparent ill-effects this became the morning routine every day. At night I would give her a 50mg Tramadol to insure a sound sleep. Most importantly I also began a daily afternoon regimen of walking off leash through a wooded path for about a tenth of a mile to a field of about 75 yards long and played of all things croquet! She loved to chase the balls and block every shot I took with ferocity.

Then January became February and her birthday which is Valentine’s Day, the 14th, then came March, April, May and so on. Her appetite returned and now besides the medications I previously mentioned, her diet consisted of diced sandwich meats mixed with dry food in the morning and in the evening some dry food mixed with chicken or beef broth and a meat based wet dog food. She ate this every day. Her stool was always normal, she drank a bit more water that when she was younger and while her mobility wasn’t what is once was she showed no signs of distress.

This continued for two and one half years! Late January 2013 I was let go from my employer and spent even closer time with her. We all knew her time was limited but we never really dwelt on that much. I learned to enjoy every day with her as it came. Her strength seemed and endurance seemed to actually improve. She seemed to be more happy and peaceful as well. I began including a weekly drive to a local dog park which she greatly enjoyed. She got along well with the other dogs and would run some and play with them.

Finally early Saturday May 18th 2013 she suffered a massive stroke that left her blind and totally paralyzed on one side and in a great deal of anxiety and distress. The fear in her face told me enough, I had her back and called in for an in-house euthanasia. As I lay on the floor nose to nose, breathing in her every breath, she breathed her last.

Now I cannot claim my actions bought her 2 and a half more years than what was predicted but I can say that up until that morning she never exhibited any signs of distress. The day before the weather was so good I decided to blow the day off and we spent most of the day at the dog park and she would have graded that day an A++. I am so happy I decided to do this instead of procrastinating about something else given her demise the following day. I also have a different perspective about my unemployment status knowing that she would be with us only for four more months. Now I consider it a privilege from God to have had the opportunity to bond that much more with her. In the beginning of this episode I always promised her I would be there until the end of the time and I was able to keep that promise. She did not die alone and was never without her friends. I shall end this with a quote from one of my top ten movies “Blade Runner”, “I didn’t know how long I would have her who does?”

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