Goodbye my Good Blue...

Today I say goodbye to my good friend Charlie Blue. 

He was a good dog- a better friend- and will be missed dearly.  Thanks for your tail wags, happy walks, and goofy antics- we love you Blue!

Ji Song Rong... Yun Zhi...Hui...huh?

Charlie started a new supplement... a well-advertised, well-known, and on the expensive side super supplement called 4Life Transfer Factor Plus.  In a nut shell, this one has stuff that the immune system naturally produces.  The literature on this one also mentions intelligent molecules that remove invaders, intuitive molecules that teach immune cells how to behave, and Natural Killer cells that defend the immune system...  must have been marketed to men.

I also promised to post more on the Magic Mushroom Mix... also known as Five Mushroom Formula or Wu Gu Fang for my Chinese readers.  This supplement has 5 mushrooms (duh) that contain high levels of beta glucans (known for their immune-enhancing properties).  This supplement also mentions those Natural Killers... supposedly helping the body to produce more of these guys.  Here's my favorite excerpt from the Magic Mushroom brochure:

"Dong Chong Xia Cao supports kidneys and jing, supplements yang, augments lung yin, transforms phlegm, stops bleeding, regulates glucose levels."

Huh?

Charlie has been on one more very important supplement since the very beginning.  Photo below of probably his favorite supplement:

Thanks Costco from Charlie Blue :)

squawks and squeaks

Its been a little while since I've posted... mainly because not much has changed lately.  Charlie started on a new supplement- some kind of tincture derived from 5 magic mushrooms... I'll post more once I finish reading what it supposedly does.  

The Blue had a restful weekend.  He enjoyed his trots around the block and through the park near our house- even perked his ears up when we got near the dog park (we avoided the dog park- a little worried that Charlie would get pushed around there).

Nora continues to stick by her big brother- trying to sleep near him, sit on his head, nibble his ear, etc.  Charlie tolerates this to a point- once in awhile humoring her with bark/moan/growl and sticking his mouth over her whole head.  

While we notice some improvement in Charlie, its still so hard to see him in pain.  Especially when we see Nora growing bigger and bigger and Charlie appearing to shrink thinner and thinner before our very eyes.  We continue to stay positive, rejoicing in improvements and small successes (Charlie ate his dinner without spitting raw meat all over Austin last night!) and looking for hope and humor in even the hard times.   

This morning provided a moment of humor that I can't resist sharing.  Char had an ok night- but admittedly, I showed up at my parent's home office feeling a little sad.  My mental/emotional status changed dramatically soon after I saw this:

This is Gilly- my childhood cockatiel... without tail feathers.  Cockatiels make great pets for kids- they are hardy, friendly, affectionate... and they live forever.  Gilly has valiantly survived losing her cockatiel husband, extreme weather conditions, numerous escape attempts (she just sits on the outside of her outdoor cage- refusing to fly away), predator attacks (other birds, dogs, heavy-footed humans).  Today, my parents dog happened to be standing on her glorious tail (over 15 long feathers!) when she decided to run away... leaving the tail under Louie's foot.  So enjoy this awful sight- it did bring a smile to my morning!

a new day...

Happy to report a so-far good day for Charlie Blue.  He is walking straighter, not dragging his toes as much, and seems to have more energy.  He stretched and shook- something I have not seen him do in over a week- and even played a little bit with Nora.  I'm hoping this continues- its nice to have a little bit of the old Blue back!

Charlie is also on day 2 of a new supplement- ES Clear.  This contains burdock, sheep sorrel, slippery elm, and Chinese rhubarb.... a supposedly cancer-fighting combo.  We'll let you know how it goes...

stealing the show...

Charlie's little sister, Nora Nora, really wants her own blog.  But for now she has to share.  Here are a few pics of her stealing the show:

Do you think she knows she's cute?

These boots are made for walking...

Charlie wears boots for his walks.  They help protect the tops of his feet- since he has been dragging his toes when it gets hard to lift his feet all the way up.  He walks very well in his boots- and he looks good too!

Charlie looks noticeably better today- he must have slept well last night!  He excitedly wagged his tail when he got to work this morning and even jogged a bit in the field with uncle Beuford.  

only other dog owners truly understand...

Thankful...

Just had a bunch of friends crash our house with pizza, salad, dessert, etc to show support for the Blue (and us).  It was a nice distraction- and a blessing to realize that we have people in our lives that don't think its weird to pray for a sick puppy!  Thanks guys- you mean so much to us!

To eat or not to eat...

Well, Charlie had an interesting night.  First he was worn out enough to let Nora sleep next to him... which is just too cute of a photo-opp to miss:

Dinner time came- and Charlie refused to eat his delicious RAW food.  (Who could resist raw beef and raw eggs and healthy powder mixed together with pureed spinach?)

We had to force him to take his pills- since he wasn't going to unknowingly gobble them down with his dinner.  This upset the blue enough to make him 'hide out' in our office by himself for several hours.  We decided to let him be.  We checked on him before we headed to bed- and offered his food again.  He initially refused but when we 'hand-fed' Charlie, he happily ate it all up.  

A strange thing that Charlie has been doing since becoming sick is sleeping in weird places.  In the past, Charlie loved to sleep on his doggy-bed, close to our bed.  Not the case anymore.  We started leaving our door open so he could sleep where he was most comfy.  We've found him in the living room, on the couch, etc.  Last night he decided to sleep on the little couch in our office- perched on top of all the throw pillows.  This morning, this is what I found in the office:

Ok- so in case you can't tell- that's a throw pillow with the stuffing pulled out.  When Charlie was a puppy, he chewed a hole in this pillow.  I've never fixed it- but just pushed the stuffing back in and flip it over so no one sees!  For some reason, last night or early this morning, Charlie decided to remove some stuffing again.  Why all this analysis for something most would deem worthy of a 'bad dog?'  Well, Charlie has been reluctant to perform any of his 'recreational' activities as of late.  He sleeps, eats, limps about, and that's about it.  He hasn't chewed a toy, played with Nora, or gotten into his normal mischief in what seems like ages.  Was this morning's pillow destruction a brief moment of feeling like his old self?  I don't know... but that's what I like to think.

So Charlie happily ate breakfast and hung out while we were at church.  It was good to have a few hugs and hear lots of sympathetic words from friends while we were out- it really means a lot to know so many people care about the blue!  

Charlie's been lounging outside in the yard.  He took a snooze in the shade near my herb garden too:

Sorry he looks kind of sad in the photo... he usually looks kind of sad because...well... that's what he looks like! (google weimaraner if you don't believe me!)

Circumstances...

This blog is created under sad circumstances.  However, it could also stand as a place where hope and happy memories are recorded as well.  But first, introductions are necessary.  This is Charlie Blue:

Charlie Blue is a 2 and 1/2 year old blue weimaraner that enriches Austin's and my life.  He moved into our first house with us (and ate our brand new molding and trim), rode in my first new car (and chewed through the seat belt when left alone for a quick run in to the store), and is the perfect model for my many photographic whims and whimseys.  Charlie loves running laps in the back yard, barking at fenced-in dogs while on a walk, sun-bathing on the back porch on weekends, eating anything peanut butter, and playing with his uncles Beuford and Louie while I'm at work.  He also likes car rides, the beach, dog park, and puppies.  Charlie just became a big brother when we brought home Miss Nora Nora right before Christmas.  Charlie does not like late nights, water, or dogs that want to hump him.  Here's Charlie with Nora Nora at the beach:

This picture was taken the day Charlie's world began to change dramatically.  On New Year's Day night, Charlie started acting strange.  He pawed at us and refused to lay down.  When we went to pet him, we noticed his stomach was as hard as a rock.  We rushed to the pet ER down the street fearing that he had bloat.  Several hours later (and several hundred dollars later as well) the ER vets stared mystified at a very foggy x-ray of Charlie's abdomen.  He was given pain killers and sent home with an appointment at his regular vet the next morning.  

The next day, at the regular vet, Charlie was given an ultrasound and blood and urine samples were taken.  The ultrasound revealed several masses in his kidneys, uretors, and on his spine.  The vets were uncertain as to the cause of these masses and began testing for a bacterial infection.  Various possibilities few around the exam room- kidney stones, bladder infection, fungal infection, tumor ("but he's too young")- but there was nothing more to be done until the tests came back.  

One test after another came back negative and Charlie's condition continued to decline.  At the vet we discovered that he had lost about 10 lbs and it was beginning to show.  He continued to eat and drink normally but his back legs became weak.  His stomach was still hard and painful to the touch.  Over a week went by before the vet asked to perform one more ultrasound.  The results of this image showed Charlie's kidneys to have swollen nearly double their size in one week.  The vet scheduled an emergency consult with a specialist.  

I rushed Charlie to this specialty hospital to undergo further tests.  Using more advanced equipment, the new vets discovered not an enlarged kidney, but a mass inside his vena cava (the large blood vessel around his kidneys, spleen, spine, etc).  An additional x-ray revealed nodes in Charlie's lungs as well.  The doctors performed a biopsy of the vena cava but were unable to determine what the mass was.  However, based on the nodes, size of the mass, and its location, the veterinary oncologist concluded that Charlie had an aggressive case of Hermangiosarcoma- or cancer of the blood vessels.  With the nodes in his lungs, the doctors determined that very little could be done.  Charlie was sent home to us with a two-month prognosis.  

Naturally we were devastated.  Words really can't describe how devastated we were.  For those who have a pet living closely to them, this is the type of situation you never dream of experiencing... at least I never did.  I had recently lost a dear loved pet to cancer.  However, his death was in his later years- still too soon in my opinion- but he had lived long and hard. Charlie is just a puppy!  

The next morning began with the grim realization that I would spend possibly the next 2 months watching my best friend deteriorate.  There was no hope... no chance.  

My mom- a type A personality with a huge heart for all things animal- had spent hours researching and searching for alternatives.  She discovered (among the miracle cures) a link to an online book called Curing Canine Cancer.  I read through the entire thing in nearly one sitting and concluded with the belief that yes, there was something to hope for Charlie and there was still more to be done.  While I didn't immediately begin ordering $1000 supplements online and calling animal healers, I did schedule an appointment with a homeopathic veterinarian and started looking into switching Charlie's diet to something more anti-cancer.

Here's the gist of what I think about canine caner and Charlie's situation: Charlie is most likely not going to live as long as he should... and that really sucks.  He might not even be with us for very much longer.  But just because the vets don't think they can help him, that doesn't mean we can't help him.  Cancer is not only treatable via chemicals and radiation- there are lots of alternative immune-supportive techniques and practices that have proven to be very effective.  Now, I don't necessarily believe- or expect- a miraculous turn-around will take place because Charlie's taking vitamins and eating new food- but I do believe his body has the ability to heal if given the support he needs.  Dogs instinctively know how to heal themselves... sometimes their bodies are just too worn down.  There are things I can do to make the rest of Charlie's life as 'heal-able' as I can.

So here's the things we're trying:

• Switching to RAW diet.  Dogs are natural carnivores- not grain-eaters.  Their bodies need meat to perform as they should.  Also, cancer cells do not feed on protein- but on carbs.  By cutting out the carbs and beefing up the protein, Char's body has a better chance to heal.  So far Charlie LOVES RAW FOOD! (and btw- Nora is enjoying it as well!)
• Aqua-therapy- The tumor in Charlie's blood vessel is restricting blood flow between his heart and back legs, making it difficult to walk.  Charlie tried out an underwater treadmill today and it seemed to really help those back blood vessels constrict.  I'll post pics below of this experience.  And for those of you who know the Blue, you realize Charlie does not like water and never really took to walking on the treadmill... so today was a mini-miracle!
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• Herbs and Supplements- Under the direction of Charlie's homeopathic doctor, we are adding cancer-killing, immune-system-boosting, feel-good herbs and supplements.  So far he's trying DHA (found to be effective in delaying cancer growth among other things) and Yunnan Baiyao (a Chinese herb used to improve circulation).  There are others to be added once we see how his body is adapting.
• Healthy Powder added to RAW diet.  This is mix of supplements from the above mentioned book that I've added to his food.  It includes all sorts of things I've never heard of or have been too afraid to look at at the health food store.  It actually smells kind of good. (weird, I know)  here's what's in it: nutritional yeast, lecithin granules, kelp powder, bone meal (ew), and garlic powder.
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So that's where we're at with this thing.  We're not giving up hope, but we're realistic as well.  We love our dog- very much- and want his remaining time with us to be as full as it can be.  And by full I mean healthy and happy.  

Thanks for your prayers and good thoughts for Charlie Blue- we'll keep you updated on his happenings!

Charlie taking a rest after his aqua-therapy.