Hi McDowell Team,
On Aug 15th it will be 1 year since Clancy was diagnosed with osteo sarcoma. Amazingly enough, he is still here. Mid July will be a year since his first symptoms appeared with his right front leg.
Recap:
Clancy will be 13 yrs old in October. He's a Malamute/Irish wolfhound mix and was 122 lbs in his prime . He is either an incredibly durable old dog or the drastic changes to his diet and all the herbals and supplements have done their job. Perhaps it is a combination of the two.
He is down to about 110 lbs and holding. He does everything in slow motion as would be expected of such a big old dog. He sleeps a lot. His limping has increased significantly over the last few weeks. He started dragging the right foot. It actually wore the nails down a bit. The vet said it was a lack of muscle strength as well as the possibility of nerve damage from his tumor eating down into the bone. So we avoid places with pavement for walking and stick to soft ground. I will make him a leather bootie to protect his nails, if his stamina and will to live out lasts his nails.
It was actually a relief to realize that some of his limping is due to numbness, rather than pain. After the vet brought that to our attention, it seemed kinda obvious that other details about his body language and how he was doing things with that leg, that there is more lack of coordination and strength than evidence of pain.
He is taking 4 50mg Tramadol 2x per day. Since the numbness thing, I've thought about backing it down to see if it matters but haven't been brave enough to try it yet. I tried Rimadyl 100mg tabs instead of the Deramaxx and it does not seem to upset his stomach as much. Still only using it for 2 days when we really have to. And pad his stomach with some milk thistle.
I upped his AIH and Osteosracoma herbal support back up to 20 drops per dose. We got him a telescoping ramp to get in and out if the van. Trying to jump up and hold on with his front feet and then the impact on his front legs when jumping down was getting to be too much. The ramp works great and has allowed us to continue our daily walks with all 4 dogs as usual. Clancy meanders to check his "p-mail" and the others run around. We just let him wander at his own pace. When he's pooped out, he lays down and 'supervises' the girls chasing the ball.
He still perks up and reacts to all the same things he always has. His eyes are still bright. He still gets excited when he knows it's time to get in the van or if I have a treat in my pocket. He is still enjoying life, just at a much slower pace. All is as it should be under the conditions.
The corner of the counter in the kitchen now dedicated to Clancy, reminds me of the mega medications and supplements regimens AIDS patients are on. But I believe without a doubt, it is the reason he is still here and enjoying his golden years. I do believe we will lose him this year but due to old age as much if not more than his cancer.
I have learned SOOOOO much through all this. Thank you for what you do and the products you produce.
Thanks
Deb Fleming, Clancy and the rest of the 'zoo'.
