Joy (& thoughts) on Seeing Tumor Reduction

Vida's new supplements seem to be doing their job and reducing the size of her surface tumors!

I noticed it yesterday, her muzzle tumor wasn't nearly as prominent - the same "acreage" but flatter. Today it was flatter still, and slightly smaller in its spread. The one on her hock was down by half.

Tumor Update

Soooo....

More tumors keep showing up, and some of her old ones get bigger.

I veer between negative and positive states when thinking about it, but am taking action.

Healthy Dogs On A Budget With Plants

It can seem expensive to feed your dog fresh food, but it doesn't have to be. It doesn't have to be “all or nothing,” any fresh food is a good thing, more is better, and thoughtfully chosen fresh food is the best.

One of the best ways to add useful nutrients to your dog's food is to use plants. Surprised? You'd expect to read “meat” in that sentence, but when you learn about the disease preventing power of plant chemistry you'll see that modest amounts of well chosen plant foods are extremely useful for dogs.

The starting point...high regard.

Sometimes people ask me how I got started feeding my dogs a raw food diet. I usually talk about how my own health issues (chemical sensitivities, toxin overload) brought me toward natural health care in general, and how the health issues in my dogs (cancer) brought me to the decision of feeding them raw food diets.

This is a path of change that is easy to communicate, but it really doesn't get to the core of what continues to inform my decisions about how to feed my dogs.

Summer Herb Blend

Since Vida's doing a homotoxicology program that's rather involved, I'm letting that remedy series to the heavy lifting and am using her herbal blend for support with a focus on antioxidants and adaptogens.

• 2 parts rosehips
• 1 part hawthorn berries
• 1 part spirulina
• 1/2 part astragalus
• 1/2 part ashwagandha
• 1/2 part kelp
• 1/2 part milk thistle

.... hold on.... 

I was low on ashwagandha, so that and the astragalus are ending up a little lower  proportion. 

And.....

I had to figure out how much to make for the summer! I found a handy conversion tool that told me that 70 teaspoons is 1-1/2 cups. Whew!

So the finished products is a little different... 

2/3 are roughly as above. 

1/3 is:

• 3 parts rosehips
• 3 parts hawthorn
• 1 part spirulina
• 1/2 part kelp

It's fine, it's not rocket science, it's just a meal boost.

And then I bagged up individual meals for the road! 15 meals, grab and go when we get to the hotel (plus a few more for my mom to feed while I'm at IHA). Easy.

Packing List for the Traveling Dog

Food for the road

• Honest Kitchen Zeal
• Great Life kibble (duck limited ingredient grain/potato-free)

Supplements for the road

• Mushroom Matrix MRM
• Homemade Herb Blend
• 3 different dropper bottles for her auto-sanguis therapy (that have to stay refrigerated,so... I bought a cooler that plugs into the car)
• Stress Stopper flower essence from Spirit Essences (like Rescue Remedy)

Additional supplements for the 2 month destination

• Iceland Pure Sardine/Anchovy Oil
• Flea Free
• Hyaflex hyalauronic acid
• Dried ground Chaga

Miscellaneous supplies

• Additional i.d. tag for the trip (says "traveling!" plus cell number) (she has a tag at the cabin with that info)
• Mat/blanket (she has a bed at the cabin)
• Horseblanket-style fleece jacket
• Swim vest
• Chuck-It
• Two Turnups
• Organic cotton plush toy (very important for the hotel, releases energy to shake it after a day of driving)
• Small stainless bowl
• Portable water bowl
• Two Comfort-Flex harnesses
• 10 foot Mendota lead
• Two 6 foot Mendota leads
• Water Loopie Sport
• Nail tools
• Tick and flea tools (Neem spray already at cabin)
• Herbal Energetics Herbal 1st Aid Powder
• Custom homeopathic remedy for bee allergy
• Poop bags
• Swim harness (old plain harness because I usually swim her at a boat launch and need to be able to grab her and display "control" if a boat comes)
• Heartworm herbs (might use these if it seems they won't interfere with autosanguis)
• Icelandic Fish Skin chews
• Boulder Dog Food Company Dried Buffalo Heart Strips

I think that's everything!