Words of Encouragement

"Your Dog--"He is your friend, your partner, your defender. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him... to be worthy of such devotion.." Anonymous

Recipe for Homemade Food

There are many recipes to help dogs with cancer. With the research I did in searching for books from the library and talking to my vet, there was one common finding. Lots of protein and low carbs- cancer feeds off of carbs. It is best to consult your vet before giving your dog any homemade recipe, vitamins, supplements, etc. Bo loved the homemade food and maintained his weight during his cancer fight.
He had originally lost 10 pounds. He was 138 before cancer and stayed at 128 throughout his 7 month fight. His coat was shiney and soft. But my main concern was to boost his immune system with this recipe. A healthy immune system helps fight cancer.
Remember, I personally decided to treat his cancer in a natural way. Each person dealing with pet cancer has their own views on this. I hope you are following along because you are interested in other options to treat your pet's cancer besides chemotherapy and radiation.

I also tried to buy organic vegetables without pesticides or chemicals.

This recipe is based on a 130 pound dog.

Bo's Healthy Eating Recipe- by Jodie
5lbs. Perdue turkey (5 packs). Not lean turkey. More fat the better.
3-4 stalks celery
3 organic tomatoes
Handful of Brussels sprouts or a small head of cabbage
Broccoli head
Large handful of green beans
Handful of dark, leafy greens
4 eggs
5 teaspoons garlic from the jar or 5 fresh garlic cloves crushed
1 Tablespoon of fresh rosemary, ground
1/3 cup hulled flaxseeds

Cook turkey and do not drain fat. After cooking turkey add garlic, raw egg yolks, rosemary and flaxseeds. Mix.
Steam green beans, tomatoes, brussel sprouts, celery, leafy greens & broccoli. Chop finely & add to turkey mixture. (Dogs can not digest raw veggies).
Cook egg whites & add to turkey mixture.
Stir all and add about 1 cup of mixture to a zip lock sandwich bag. Pat bags flat.
Store bags in the freezer.
Thaw 2 bags overnight in the fridge for the next morning’s meal.

Added benefits: Add a Tablespoon of fresh parsley, a couple Tablespoons of cottage cheese or organic yogurt and 1 1/4 teaspoons of Carlson Fish Oil for each feeding on top of homemade food. Lemon flavor is fine.

Add dry kibble to homemade food such as Orijen 6 Fish or EVO Reduced Fat. Both have low carbs and high protein which is good for cancer dogs. Cancer feeds off of carbs!

Bo was given this mixture twice a day. The mixture makes about 20-24 bags of food.

Supplements added to homemade and dry food:
1 teaspoon (twice a day) of Vitamin C powder.
5 drops (twice a day) of pure Vitamin E oil.
1 tablet (twice a day) of L-Arginine.
Several drops of Constitutional Blend (twice a day) (purchased from Dancing Paws Wellness Center in Richfield, OH). It’s similar to Essiac Tea.
CAS Options tablets- 3 a day. (Dancing Paws Wellness Center).
Hoxsey & Boneset Liquid Herb (Dancing Paws Wellness Center).
Cosequin Double Strength tablet once a day to maintain joints/cartlidge.

These web sites helped as I did research for my cancer dog. There are many more out there, but these were some of my favorites.

http://www.wearethecure.org/
www.curecaninecancer.org
http://www.evopet.com/products/default.asp?id=1492
http://www.caninecancer.com/essiac.html
http://www.dancingpawsawc.com/site/view/140375_Home.pml
www.rottweiler.net
www.dogaware.com
www.nasc.cc

The Star of the Neighborhood

Bo was so well liked in my neighborhood, that people would actually stop by my house and ask how Bo was. We even had a neighbor girl that would come over to take Bo for walks when he was younger. People seem very intrigued by Rotties and they were mostly surprised at how well behaved and friendly Bo was. Rotties like to lean on people and Bo was big into that. He would nuzzle your hand so you could pet him, whine a bit to let you know he was happy, then lean on you. I would be doing yard work on the weekends and there was this guy who would drive by to say "Hi Bo." I would get a little wave from him that he acknowledged me, but he was more interested in saying hi to Bo. I thought it was awesome. When my house went up for sale, this person stopped by to say goodbye to Bo. He was sad that he was leaving the neighborhood. This is the type of impact Bo had on people.

Even Terry Hamilton from the Ashland Sheriff's Dept. would drive his cruiser by and get on the intercom to say good morning to Bo when he was outside. Or he would whistle in the intercom. Bo would be turning his head left and right. Cute!

Rotties seem to have the same traits. Both my rotties would sit on my porch with their legs hanging over the edge. Kind of just chillin'. Both Roxee and Bo would use the porch as a launch pad (that's what I called it) to jump off and chase cars in the fenced in area. That porch never was smooth or fully painted. There will always be traces of Bo and Roxee in that porch.

When spring came around, I would mulch the flower beds. Bo loved laying in the mulch. He smelled like cedar chips when he would come in. He never really dug in the yard. He did have a bone once and for some reason he wanted to bury it. Now, my yard was not that big so there weren't that many places for him to go. He picked a corner beside the porch and proceeded to bury his bone . . . with the tip of his nose. He didn't use his front paws- guess he didn't really know how to. His nose was bloody and covered in mud. We all laughed about that one. I found his bone and all he really did was push it around the dirt to slightly cover it. Good effort, Bo!

Since I sold my house in April, I know people have missed seeing Bo in the neighborhood. He was a star and well-known.

Bo the Rottweiler- As a puppy

I've decided to start a blog about my dog, Bo. He meant the world to me and I didn't want his memory to fade, but to be glorified.

My first experience with bone cancer in dogs came when my first Rottweiler, Roxee, was diagnosed in early 1999. I had never heard of dogs getting cancer. My husband, at the time, and I decided not to pursue chemotherapy or to amputate her front leg. She did very well getting around, but limped a bit. We believe she had another medical issue with her spine at the time, which caused her to yelp with pain. On Friday, October 1, 1999, I made that dreadful call to our vet. My family was by my side and even my Aunt Judy left work to be there for me. We buried Roxee on my parent's farm where we had a beautiful burial for her. A sunny, warm day. It was also the day my brother would have his rehearsal dinner for his wedding at my parent's house. I know having family and friends near helped.

A few months had passed and I longed for another dog. I ran into a friend who said she knew of a Rottweiler breeder who just had puppies. I made the inquiry and found that her rotties did not have any cancer- meaning none had passed away from this awful disease. Both parent's to the puppies had lived long lives. Bo's dad, Hemi, was 12 at the time.

I remember driving for about 1.5 hours after aerobics that evening. When I arrived, the owner let her puppies out of their box to greet me. Bo came running towards me and jumped all over me and licked my face. I fell in love instantly. I came back a week or so later to get him. He was such a good boy on the ride back home. He sat in my lap and wanted to be snuggled. Little did I know, this is how it would be for Bo his entire life- a loveable dog!

After six months, I did what most pet owners do. He was neutered and off to obedience classes. He took two different types of classes- basic training and obsticle courses and did very well. Bo did whatever he was told and listened to every command. Rotties like to learn and to be taught continuously. He graduated and loved all the dogs in his class, especially this little Jack Russell.

I worked two jobs so Bo had a babysitter. He was either at my boyfriend's parent's house or at my parent's house. It was always off to grandma's or grandpa's!! And Bo loved his rides. I actually bought a bigger car to fit him! And a four door. I always had a 2-door sports car. Well, those days were over. I was a "mommy" now!

Exercise was an everyday part of my life. I walked with my mom in the evenings and on the weekends. Bo joined us, along with their dog Rose. A Rottweiler and a coon dog on a four mile hike every day. Neighbors would yell "Good Morning" or "Hi". As if everyday were a parade and the dogs were the stars! And they loved it! We would make a stop 2 miles into the walk at a pond so they could drink to revive themselves in the heat. Bo knew the difference between my walking shoes and aerobic shoes. Walking shoes to Bo meant excitement, gobble down food, drink fast, tap his nose on the door handle and get ready to head outside! Aerobic shoes meant he could relax for an hour, then mommy is coming home to take me for my exercise time! Bo continued walks his entire life. It made him happy. And to see him happy made me happy too.

I took up running and Bo was by my side. I think I actually starting running because Bo would move fast on his walks. I would get up early in the morning to take him for his walk in the park. Almost every time we were seen together, someone would stop and make a comment about Bo. "What a beautiful dog, or how old is he, or what's his name." He was always noticed! It became a joke with me . . . what about ME! I try to stay fit . . What about ME!! Just kidding. Bo was a good looking rottie with toned muscles and a shiny coat. When I brought Bo back to my house, he would wait outside for me to clean his fee off. He knew never to walk straight into the house without clean tootsies. What a good boy! Once he was fed and good to go, I would head back outside for my true run.

Squirrels were the enemy. I kept him on his leash when one of those rodents were in site. In the park, he had tumbled down a hill early in his life and tore his ACL. He had surgery and 6 months later, had torn his other ACL. I found out that dogs only have 2 knees. Well, that's a good thing since those surgeries cost about $4,000! No worries, he's worth it.

That's all for now and just a bit of early memories of my precious dog. Stay tuned for more!