I decided to call the vet the other day to ask about what might be going on with Jersey's back legs. Her front left leg had already gone lame. I had taken her to get it X-rayed twice. Neither time showed anything out of the ordinary. The first time it was done, the vets palpated it - they bent it, twisted it, over extended it, over flexed it. She didn't have any reaction. The second time, Jersey sharply looked at the vet when the doctor felt around the elbow. Even still, it wasn't a sharp reaction. As a result of the X-rays and the examination, the vet wasn't sure what was going on. It could be any number of things; a soft tissue bruise, possibly something going on in her shoulder or even a tumor which wasn't yet detectable. In any event, Jersey and I went home with anti-inflamatories in our pocket and tried to watch out for any over exertion so she wouldn't hurt it even more.
During the struggle of last weekend was when Alexa and I noticed she seemed to be having trouble with her back legs. It seemed as if Jersey was reluctant to stand up or walk. We chalked it up to feeling punky.
On Monday, she showed some marked improvement. She was able to get up and take halting steps. She stood over her food to eat and with help, she was able to get into the backyard to get some fresh air and soak in the sun. It was also an excuse for her to have a good long pee and a poop. She looked happy and relieved to be up and around. Her appetite was good, her attitude was great, she was engaged and seemed content. My only concern was her hopping about on her stiff rear legs.
I made the call to the vet on Tuesday to see what might be causing it. I also asked if there was anything he could take to help manage us manage this latest development. His response was what we had come to expect: keep her on the Prednisone. It's the strongest anti-inflamatory available for her and would also be able to mitigate any pain she might have. He also told me there was nothing left he could do and expect her to quickly deteriorate.
Ah! I took it as a gauntlet being thrown down. There was nothing left to do medically except to keep her comfortable which I took to mean that now, it's totally up to us. We have nothing to lose.
I think I mentioned in an earlier post that when it comes to her food, our mantra is "meat, meat meat!" Based on all the research I had done, it seemed that the most effective approach to cancer was related to diet. A high protein, no grain, no carb diet matches the diet dogs naturally have. All the by products, fillers and preservatives in prepared dog food tend to have an effect on its overall nutritional value. Our option was to switch to a "Raw" diet. A raw diet is all uncooked, unprocessed meats, vegetables and some fruits. For example, a raw chicken diet is comprised of meat, gizzard, hearts, necks, intestines,etc and all the other parts that we would ordinarily cast off. All that stuff is extremely beneficial to dogs. Lack of grains and proteins means there is no added sugar or starches which actually feed cancer cells. Ultimately it could arrest the spread of cancer cells and make them die. If they have nothing to eat...
Bottom line is with the raw diet, the blast of chemo she gets once a month and a regular, small dose of Prednisone, Jersey is responding. She also gets sardines and fish oil mixed in with her diet. Not only do they taste good to her, their loaded with essential oils and omega3's which are extremely benefical for her. There's also a splash of unpastuerized goats milk thrown in. It's also supposed to be great for her.
Needless to say, I think she is improving. She is walking up stairs, she is able to get outside, she can jump on the couch, her appetite is excellent and she seems to be doing well On the other hand, that's how she has been over the last few days. Who knows what she'll be like later today or tomorrow. Those days can take care of themselves. All I know is that right now, she seems to be A-OK.
I know she'll never be the way she used to be - able to run free, able to explore the beach and the forest, jump into and out of the car to follow the stream up into the hills. For now though, I'm thankful and grateful she is still here and that all we are doing seems to be helping. Who knows what tomorrow will bring. At this moment, her eyes are sparkling and she's smiling.
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