Diablo

In 1994, my father was diagnosed with cancer. The disease was advanced so alternative treatments, we were told by professionals, weren’t a realistic alternative. The best and brightest minds in oncology decided aggressive radiation would give my dad his best chance.

Two months later he was dead.

My family grieved and while I urged my lonely mom to get a pet, she wasn't ready. Nor was she ready the next year. Or the next.  Five years went by until she decided it was time.

When my dog was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma of the front leg, I was absolutely devastated. When her veterinarian told me she had about 2-4 months to live I was completely shattered, scared and totally lost.

I was willing to do whatever it took to not allow this to happen. We went to see a veterinary oncologist where we started chemotherapy. Then to a surgeon, after her leg fractured, who amputated her leg. All of this is what they had told me I had to do, but none of it felt right... I was scared.

Then I met my integrative veterinarian.

Kalo was an awesome friend and companion, so when he was diagnosed with cancer of the spleen, I left no stone unturned when I was researching for his care and treatment.  I found very helpful people, and yet, each only had their narrow area of expertise and that was not enough for me.

I wanted someone who could put ALL the pieces together to heal and cure my ailing friend.  Conventional medicine offers some good resources AND holistic medicine offers some good resources, so I knew if I could find someone who knew it too, and could put both disciplines together, then we would have the BEST medicine.

Haley is One In A Million. How Integrative Medicine Helped Her Beat The Odds Against Hemangiosarcoma

Haley is a 14-year-old golden retriever and a cancer survivor/thriver. She was diagnosed with hemangiosarcoma subsequent to a catastrophic spleen tumor burst in June 2012 when she was 13. She spent four days at the emergency hospital and had several blood transfusions, but she recovered through an integrative approach of traditional and alternative medicine. We knew that the prognosis for Haley was not great: one to three months post-surgery, but we decided to take a chance and make those months the best they could be.

Our sweet chow retriever, Kya, was diagnosed with thyroid cancer at age 9.  The tumor was displaced over her larynx and was a very complicated surgery to remove.  She fully recovered and we went on our happy way through life continuing our re-checks with her surgeon on a regular basis.

At the two year mark a routine lung x-ray revealed a couple small nodules in her lungs showing that it had metastasized.  We then did tests to see if she was a candidate for iodine therapy which had good results for thyroid cancer.  She was not.

We love integrative medicine now, but we didn't always feel that way. In fact, in the beginning we were rather skeptical and suspicious.  However, successful experiences with two of our cats brought us to a new understanding and a real appreciation for integrative medicine. Here is Booter's story:

BOOTER

When Booter’s lump appeared on his throat, we had no idea what we were in for.  It was troubling because none of the tests could confirm exactly what the lump was. We had already taken the conventional route - all they had to offer was more drugs, antibiotics and steroids. It took forever to even determine that it was cancer, because the biopsies kept coming back “inconclusive.”  In the meantime, due to all the tests we were running, we discovered that Booter had cardiomyopathy ( a weak heart) AND chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).  That meant steroids could worsen his heart health. Earlier in his life he suffered from asthma and had received large amounts of cortisone to suppress that condition.