I cannot help but notice the slight - but very meaningful - improvement. Note the way her forelegs are bent around my leg in this picture. Her back legs are also relaxed. The stiffness seems greatly diminished. Something is beginning to work.
I feel compelled, also, to discuss a moral dilemma with which I have been dealing. Considering the hemangiosarcoma, is it right to "keep her going" and trying to enable her to once again walk on her own? I think so.
My family and a few of my friends do not agree. In fact, I had a huge argument with my younger sister and several smaller ones with both of my parents about this subject. Everyone seems to be telling me to put her to sleep.
My friends and acquaintances met through rescue work and facebook, however, seem to agree, instead, with me. Dr. Rovner, her veterinarian, also agrees that we are doing what is right for Muffin. There is hope.
First of all, if she were in pain, this would be a totally different story. She was in pain from her infected teeth and mouth - we took care of that. She is *not* in any physical pain now.
Second, the cancer was, at the time at least, isolated in her spleen. We got it out. She healed well. For the cancer, we are treating her with: 75,000 IU of Vitamin A with 3,000 IU of Vitamin D, plus a Chinese herb combination called Shao Fu Zhu Yu Tang, which is specifically designed to combat hemangiosarcoma. It contains 9 herbs, including fennel seed and Corydalis. There is hope here.
She's already been very lucky in that 1) it was isolated to the spleen whereas in most
cases its already too late once diagnosed, and 2) we found Dr. Rovner. We could not have afforded to treat her, nor could we have known about the Chinese remedy. He put in a lot of his own personal time and effort to research this. He is our hero.
Finally, even though progress is slow, I believe Muffin will walk again. We are treating her with prednisolone twice daily, Pepcid AC to protect her stomach from the medications, and acupuncture. There is also a Chinese herb for back problems on the way.
I met a lady and her dog Tuesday in Dr. Rovner's waiting room whose dog recovered from one sided paralysis through acupuncture and chiropractic treatment. It took her 2 months to recover, but she is still walking 8 years later. There is hope.
Dr. Rovner has hope for Muffin. I have hope for Muffin. Her supporters who have donated money and spread the word about her to get her what she needs have hope. Most importantly, though, I believe Muffin has hope. She communicates very effectively, eats well, and is happy despite her condition. She is *not* ready to go.
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