Don't Follow Your Vet's Advice Blindly

If I Only Knew THEN, What I Know NOW...

This is very difficult to write, as it has been a very personal and emotional experience for me. But, while talking with my mother just now (who is a breast cancer survivor), she told me of a Relay taking place this weekend. She said that there was a picture board for everyone to post a picture of someone that they had loved, and lost due to cancer. She told me that she put a picture of my pet on the board for me.

This hit me very hard, and I was very touched, because she understands that my pet was more than just a pet to me - he was my baby. You see, due to certain medical conditions, I didn't have children. One year, my husband and I chose to adopt an adorable Brittany pup to be in our lives, and we named him after a very good friend of ours - "Seppe."

Over the years, Seppe became our constant companion - he would travel with us when we went camping, or visited friends. He would get very excited when we went fishing, and would be known to simply leap off the boat into the ocean after the 'fish-that-got-away.' He enjoyed chasing lizards and swimming in the lake. He was well socialized and safe around other pets and children, but was known to be able to fend off any predator dogs that tried their luck... and failed. And, most of all, he loved it when my husband would say "Wanna go for a ride?"

Almost two years ago, while grooming Seppe, I noticed a small lump on the left-back side of his ribcage, so I took him to the vet who performed a syringe biopsy and determined the lump to be a "fatty tumor" - nothing to worry about. He told me that this was typical in many older dogs. I believed him. Even when he said that the lump would get larger, and I shouldn't worry about it unless Seppe was in pain. Over the course of the next year and several return visits, I got a new vet. This new vet was concerned, but after reviewing the biopsy papers, she too, just wanted us to monitor the lump, once again, looking for any signs that Seppe was in pain.

Spring was approaching so we had to start dealing with the dreaded flea season. Seppe was allergic to fleas, and started scratching himself bloody and losing his fur. Out came the yearly treatments to combat that problem - again! This is about the time that I started to notice that Seppe's eating habits were changing. He stopped eating but getting bloated and acting lethargic. I thought he might have worms, so I called the new vet. This time, there was something definitely wrong! She did a series of blood tests, and insisted that we get him to a specialist - tomorrow! She was afraid that Seppe wouldn't last through the weekend.

An appointment was made, and we headed to the specialist the next morning, who confirmed my vets' suspicions. After an abdominal scan, it was quite evident that Seppe had a malignant tumor growing inside, and it was so big, they could only see one kidney because of the growth. The tumor was in fact hidden beneath the "fatty tumor," which is why it did not show up in the original biopsy. There was nothing we could do. The sad news was that Seppe was given two weeks to live "if you're lucky." We were devastated! Seppe was only ten years old, and his breed usually lives to be 12-15 - and Seppe had always been so healthy and happy! All of this was happening in just one week!

That weekend, we took Seppe for a short walk down the street to visit some friends. They were astonished about Seppe's appearance! His health had deteriorated so drastically over the past week.., loss of fur, lethargic, bloated belly, and of course, that lump on his side. They told us of this juice that they had been taking, and said that their own health had dramatically improved from it. They gave us a bottle and strongly urged us to start feeding Seppe 1-2 ounces a day. I think we would have tried anything at this point, even though we had doubts of this "juice," it wouldn't hurt him, nor did we have anything to lose.

Let's jump to one week later. Seppe is drinking the juice religiously each day. He actually started eating his food again, and wanted to go outside and chase, of all things, lizards! Jump to two weeks (terminal date). We started noticing dramatic improvements in his skin, and his fur started growing back. One day, we turned around only to see Seppe swimming - not just swimming, but he actually swam the length of the dock (100') and climbed the ladder at the end to get out! Unbelievable! This is a picture of him trying to get a fish out of the bucket (one of his favorite past-times).

Over five months, Seppe seemed to grow healthier and became himself again. His eyes were bright, his gums were pink, and he was eating and gaining weight, and seemed very happy. Was this juice that our friends introduced us to actually helping Seppe? We knew that he was improving, but we wanted proof. We called the vet back out in August and requested another series of blood tests. The results came back greatly improved from five months earlier, and she said that we must be praying a lot! She wanted to know what we were doing. We knew he was better, but I didn't want to jump to any conclusions until these blood tests were performed again.

Unfortunately, there's not a happy ending to this story. We didn't catch this tumor soon enough; and one month after he turned 11 years old, and seven months after the specialist told me the bad news - Seppe looked at me one night and told me that it was time. So, as painful as it was, we had to let him go.

He now rests in our backyard. He will forever be with us in our hearts. He is missed! * September 18, 1996 through October 12, 2007 *

This is when we realized that we were not providing our pet with the necessary nutrition this entire time. We blindly believed marketing campaigns for well known dog foods. We trusted veterinarians prescriptions for fleas and allergies. As a pet owner, it is YOUR responsibility to maintain the welfare and nutritional needs for your pets - just as you would your own children. If only we had known sooner! But those last seven months were quality months. He knew that he was loved. I don't know how he got cancer - it could have been anything - the food, allergy medicines, or flea treatments - who knows for sure? But one thing is for sure; none of them are natural products.

So, what is my message to you? Question your doctor. Listen to your heart. Don't follow blindly. Do what you can to keep you, your family, and your beloved pets stay healthy - now - before it is too late! Research any product that you give to your pet.

And one day, when we're ready to adopt a new pup into our lives, that pup will also be given a healthy and natural pet food, plus a nutritional supplement to stay healthy!

Joan Bailey - Health Appeal

[http://www.gojihealthappeal.com/]

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