In August last year, my 14 year old dog, Carmina suddenly went lame. I took her into the vet where they x-rayed her leg.  Nothing really showed except a small spot that the vet thought could possibly be osteosarcoma.  He wasn’t totally sure since it was only a tiny spot, so he said if she didn’t improve or became lame again, bring her back in.

She stopped limping after a day, and the whole word “osteosarcoma” slipped from my mind.  However, she started to pace during the night, barking, and panting.  I couldn’t sleep, and it was getting frustrating.  The vet thought it may be onset of canine dementia, but the medication didn’t seem to be helping.  Then, she went lame again.

The next x-ray revealed that the small spot from a couple months ago had already eaten through the bone at about the ankle in her left front leg.  Suddenly everything made sense.  Now I understood why she kept biting off only her left bootie.  Why she was pacing and panting.  She was in PAIN!  Her leg was amputated the next day and then sent for a biopsy.  The results came back quickly as the aggressive and deadly osteosarcoma.  The prognosis was poor for her surviving more than a couple months.

I took her to my holistic vet, and we started a holistic treatment plan.  I change her diet based on the recommendations in the Dog Cancer Survival Guide my vet recommended, and switched her to only filtered water.  I soon switched ALL my dogs to filtered water and off commercial dog food.

Four months after her leg was amputated (now 15 years old), Carmina started to cough.  This time x-rays revealed a few lesions in her lungs, and the usual prognosis would be a month or two more to live.  Again, I went to the holistic vet and we upped the holistic treatments a bit.

Within a week, the coughing stopped, but she suddenly swelled up and stopped walking.  I actually thought it was the end and tearfully made an appointment for home euthanasia.  Then, my vet prescribed an anti-inflammatory to try to see if she just needed a little help.  Sure enough, the next day I woke up and Carmina was up and hopping to the door!!!

What appears to have happened is that the treatment was a little TOO successful and her body fought back so hard against the cancer that toxins were released in large amounts into her body, overwhelming her system.  The anti-inflammatory just gave her the boost she needed to get back on her feet.

I credit her continued survival and good quality of life and mobility to our holistic vet, the dietary changes, and the Petgenix Hip & Joint blend that keeps the need for Rimadyl away!