On Saturday we met with a vet who in addition to conventional medicine, also studies Chinese medicines. She is going to order some chinese herbs for Snuggy which hopefully will arrive shortly. She didn't think these could cure his cancer because the type of cancer he has (carcinoma) is so aggressive, but they should help diminish the symptoms and help slow the growth.
I asked her about acupuncture and she told me that acupuncture is great, except for cancer patients. She said it's because acupuncture brings energy and increases blood flow which will just feed the cancer, and obviously you do not want to do this. This was news to me as everything I've heard/read contradicts this. So back to the internet I went and found information that states "you want to be exceedingly careful in using acupuncture with cancer because selecting the wrong points can actually accelerate the cancer growth." The key is to get a very experienced acupuncturist who is knowledgeable about cancer specifically. So for now, we'll skip this option but are still looking at other treatments such as infrared therapy to complement the diet, herbs, and supplements he is taking.
Snuggy remains symptom free, but we have noticed his appetitite has increased. This is common in cancer patients as the cancer is trying to feed itself and robbing the rest of the body to do so. Weight loss is common in dogs with cancer which is why we feeding Snuggy a little more food, concentrated in high quality proteins because cancer feeds on carbohydrates.
Snuggy enjoyed watching the Superbowl last night but was disappointed that the Patriots did not win. However, we can't be too sad about the Giants winning as they support animal charities. Snug hopes he'll be around next year at this time to watch Superbowl XLIII. Go Snug!!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment