Maya's Story. . .

I was in shock as we left the Vet's office.  My other dog - and Maya's closely bonded "sister" -  had just passed away a month ago.  Maya had always been a great traveler, but lately had been struggling with motion illness every time we went for a ride in the car.  So, I took her in for a senior check-up just to be sure everything was okay.  Unfortunately, it wasn't.  The doctor said her heart was enlarged, and she had a suspicious lump in her lung.  I kicked into high gear and made appointments with every possible specialist and scheduled CT scans, EKGs, blood work  and all the usual diagnostic tests.  Her Oncologist said she needed surgery to remove the lung lobe with the tumor before it grew any larger.  Without the surgery, she estimated Maya would only have a couple of months to live at best.  That was in February, 2011.

As an engineer and analytical chemist, I was a born skeptic of anything that couldn't be measured in a finite and scientific way.  But, I also knew Maya would not survive major chest surgery in her delicate condition.  I could feel it.   She slept all day long, lost her appetite and barely sat up for a treat.  She was barely hanging on, and it was breaking my heart.  So, I was torn between having the very risky, invasive procedure or doing nothing but wait for the inevitable.  Neither choice seemed like a good option, and I didn't know where to turn.  Luckily, I recalled my own experience with natural, holistic medicine a few years earlier when I had some female issues.  Traditional OB/GYN doctors had offered surgery as the only option, but after getting six different opionions, and with a high recommendation from a friend, finally found a nutritionist who said she may be able to reduce the tumor growth with natural supplements.  And, indeed, as long as I took the supplements as recommended, the tumors stopped growing.

So, I dug into the internet and read everything possible about Maya's condition.  Maybe alternative medicine treatments were available for her as well.  One lucky search led me to a well-credentialed holistic veterinarian in Southern California.  A newpaper article said that he was able to treat tumors with natural supplements.  We had nothing to lose, and it was only an hour away.  At that point, I was hoping for a miracle.  Both Maya and I were still grieving over the loss of our other dog, but this vet kindly told me to "pull myself together" for Maya's best chance to fight this possible cancerous tumor.  I knew he was right, and recalled everything I'd ever heard about how a positive attitude can help to fight cancer.  He started Maya on eight supplements right away, and I followed his dosage instructions precisely.  Sure enough, she gradually improved over the next couple of weeks, and I knew we were on the right path.  Her vet said he was boosting her immune system so it could attack the cancer from within.  At the same time, Maya regained her appetite and started smiling again.

Then one day, she suddenly took a turn for the worse.   I rushed her into the nearby emergency clinic and they put her in the ICU for overnight.  The next day, I received the bad news.  The tumor had nearly doubled in size and was now interfering with her breathing.  The doctor said I should let her go or schedule the lung surgery right away.  At her age of somewhere around 14, she was a high risk candidate for the surgery, but had no chance at all now without it.  Well, after some very close calls and four days in an oxygen chamber, we got our miracle.  Maya started breathing on her own again and was able to come home.  The pathology report said that the tumor was indeed cancer, but was mostly dead tissue.  The natural supplements had assisted her and her own immune system had indeed killed most of the tumor from within.  As best as they could tell, tests indicated that the cancer had not metastasized.

Six months have passed, and Maya is doing great!  She is able to go for walks again and has the bounce back in her step.  We are forever grateful for the wonderful holistic veterinarian who worked so well with the traditional medicine doctors to give Maya her quality of life back.  I wanted Maya to benefit from both schools of thought, but had expected some difficulty working with so many different types of veterinarians.  I was pleasantly surprised that each doctor brought their own expertise in to help solve the problem, and they worked wonderfully well together.

We're taking one day at a time, but feel like Maya's been given extra time.   The integrative medical approach worked better than either could have worked on their own.   In my own words, natural and nutritional supplements restored and boosted her immune system so that she could withstand the life-saving surgery that was necessary.

Thank you for helping Maya stay with me a little longer!
Pauli Arabanos
Huntington Beach, California