It’s been a few weeks since Nesta and I checked in with our blog, so we wanted to give an update on this rainy March morning. Rather, as he sleeps happily on the floor, I will give the update. Nesta is doing great! He has been on his new nutritional regimen for over a month with the help of Dr. Cheryl Cross at the Univ. of Tennessee Veterinary Clinic. We were given her information for some supplement advice, so called her for a phone consult and she has been terrific! His osteosarcoma, (no chemo) supplement regimen has been this: 25,000 IU of Vit. A twice per day, 2 per day Turkey tail pills, 1 ml. twice a day of Hoxsey-like Bone-set formula, 2 tsp. a day fish oil and 100 mg Artemisinin per day for 5 days then 2 days off. I also add a few of the K9 Medicinals every day for good measure.
He is eating Earthborn Holistic grain free kibble with other goodies added, like cooked chicken, vegetables and cottage cheese mixture, occasional tuna or cooked chicken livers, or any other additions I read are good for him. But I have been using the Earthborn as the main base. I recently discovered the Honest Kitchen and want to look more into that as an option, although he seems to like the Earthborn. I just want to make sure I am feeding him the best and most well-rounded food a cancer patient can get!! The vet recommended I put him on a Prescription Diet but I am not sure I like those options… And I’m not sure they are grain free – need to do more research.
We recently returned from a 3 week stay in Asheville, and he had a great time – he has always been so adaptable to whatever comes his way. Everyone in Asheville was so friendly and loved meeting this fun-loving three legged dog! My love for Nesta grows deeper everyday.
On a sad note, my boyfriend lost his 13 year old lab, Tahoe, one week ago today. He started having seizures at home. After spending 19 hours in the ICU at the Vet Hospital, his seizures continued. They ruled out metabolic causes and decided it was most likely due to a brain tumor. Tahoe was so upset after each seizure, taking a long time to calm down, and not without the help of sedatives. We decided there was no other option than to put him down – ending the suffering. Kyle, my boyfriend, saw a very beautiful scene pass through his mind as Tahoe’s soul was lifted. He was frolicking happily through a field of green, no limping, no pain – running towards a hill where a group of people and dogs were standing underneath a beautiful old tree. Tahoe was smiling as his dog sister Sierra and human grandpa Alan were there to great him among others.
So glad to hear that Nesta is going well. The diet sounds pretty good too!
Sorry to hear about Tahoe but that was an amazing experience that your boyfriend had. I’m sure he will cherish it.
YAY Nesta! I’m thrilled you’re hopping along so well. My heart goes out to your people though about Tahoe, that’s a hard decision to make. I’m gonna bet that he’s watching over you and not far away at all.
Your diet sounds great and you are definitely on the right track. We LOVE Honest Kitchen. Earthborn is great too, but HK is something we’ve talked about lots in our Nutrition blog. Check it out. As for prescription diets….meh. I’ll pass.
Thanks for the great update! Don’t forget you can always ask folks questions in our Forums if you want feedback about what kinds of diets other pups are eating.