Tumor, But No Surgery? What Will People Think??
I saw one of my favorite senior canine patients this week, Caleb. I actually wrote about him earlier, after he had such an amazing response to a single dose of a vaccinosis remedy.
This time, tumor surgery was his main reason to visit. Catherine had had it with his steadily growing tumors and the constant admonishment by friends and family to just get these taken off.
Maybe they were all right, and surgery was Caleb’s best option. Maybe she was wrong for letting them grow this long.
Maybe she was acting irresponsibly with his health care.
Caleb turned 15 this month, and is a Staffie mix who’s a bit shy. He’s learned that I’m only here to help him, so he’s warmed up to me steadily over the past two years. He gets especially attentive when I go to the remedy cabinet to give him a dose of something fitting.
He came to me with a history of having had tumors surgically removed. Multiple times.
Even though the surgeon’s motto is “A chance to cut is a chance to cure!” that really never holds true in chronic disease. Caleb made that abundantly clear, as he continued to try, try again to make more benign tumors.
Now, we’re taking a different, homeopathic approach to his health, and he’s really enjoying his life.
And growing tumors like there’s no tomorrow!
Society and Symptoms
We live in a society that largely abhors seeing symptoms of illness. Your horse has rough bumpy eruptions on his withers? Your dog has a tumor the size of a pie plate on his chest? Or a new “scrotum” that’s actually a benign tumor?
No, I didn’t grow a pair. But, shhh! The other dogs don’t know that.
DO something about that! Get it out of there!!
This pervading attitude is likely one you come face to face with once you’ve understood health and disease in a deeper way, usually as a result of working with a homeopath.
And this attitude is based on a fundamental misunderstanding of disease, shared by the majority of doctors in all fields:
The symptoms ARE the disease.
If we can make them go away, we’ll have health.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Out of Harm’s Way
When a surface eruption (pimple, rash, hot spot, etc.) or tumor is manifested, it’s important that we have a proper understanding of where this originated.
Contrary to what is perhaps easier to accept, this hasn’t “fallen from the sky” or been acquired by contact with some sick animal or a toxic golf course.
It’s come from the workings of the vital force.
And the good news is, it’s very, very external and unlikely to be accompanied by inner disease.
That’s how the vital force rolls: keep disease on the outside, whenever possible.
Wayyyy better than a sick liver or heart or kidneys.
The (Vital) Force be With You
Homeopaths recognize an inner intelligence, resident in all living beings, and call it after Hahnemann’s term, the vital force. The vital force unerringly attempts to keep the animal (or plant or human) in balance.
I think of it as an extremely efficient gyroscope of sorts.
An acute example of its workings is the heat, pain and swelling that accompanies an injury.
Say you fell and your knee crashed into a rock on the trail.
“Owww! Dammit!”
And that knee is now “talking to you” for several hours, and perhaps into the next day or two. That talk is composed of symptoms, like the pain, heat and swelling.
And here’s the important point: these symptoms are NOT the disease. They are the workings of the vital force to repair the damage you’ve done to your knee.
The symptoms are indicative of the move to restore order, homeostasis, wellness, and as such, are worthy of your respect and assistance.
Still Trying, After All These Years
In chronic disease, we see symptoms stretched out over time, not uncommonly, over years.
And, as chronic disease is the commonest form of disease on the planet, these long lasting, repeating symptoms are the commonest type we see, in our animals and ourselves.
Caleb’s tumors, benign but unsightly, are an example of a chronic symptom.
And, just as in the acute symptoms of trying to heal an injured knee, these tumors are there for
Only. One. Reason.
Caleb’s vital force is putting tumors out on the surface to try to keep him well. To establish balance, harmony in the Whole.
Caleb has even more impetus to make these surface tumors than the average animal does.
Why?
His earlier attempts were repeatedly suppressed.
The surgeon, misreading their true purpose, said, in essence, “Oh! We’ve got a disease called lipoma. Let’s cut those nasties out.”
And Caleb’s vital force responded.
“Wait! I worked hard to get some balance in my whole economy by making these lumps out on the surface! Now I have to try again!”
So, more followed, and more, until even now, three years after his last surgery, his vital force is putting forth more tumor growth.
With Holistic Health…
…Comes great responsibility.
You can no longer count on your friends (at least your old ones) or your family accepting what you now know. You’re seeing health and disease completely differently from the model you grew up with, most likely (unless you grew up in a homeopathic family, much more common in Britain, Europe and India than in the West.)
The more you respect the workings of the innate intelligence to heal your animals (with a bit of help from homeopathy when needed), the more you accept symptoms as part of getting well.
Here’s how my conversation about Caleb went with Catherine recently.
WF: “So, you’re thinking you’d like to get this dangling tumor cut off, hmm?”
C: “Yes, it’s so big. And everyone is telling me I should just do it, already!”
WF: “How’s the rest of Caleb doing?”
C: “Oh, quite well. He has a bit of trouble getting up on my bed now, but he still runs around all frisky in the yard. His sleep is still solid (earlier, it had been restless). He’s not humping the air involuntarily like he was before. And he always shrinks his tumors and gets a really shiny coat after you give him a remedy.”
WF: “Is he suffering with these tumors, do you think?”
C: “Not at all. He never seems to notice them.”
I then relayed to Catherine my take on the balance Caleb had achieved by having these benign tumors on the surface (he’s got several, and a long wart hanging from one lip). He was a happy old guy, coming to me for pets and keeping up with life at home really well, eating, drinking (a bit too much), getting around, and eliminating well.
An Earlier Patient: Tumor Off, Paralysis On.
I went on to share a patient’s story from years back, when I practiced on Maui, with a similar old dog with a huge external tumor. Much like Caleb, I hadn’t been able to make Timmy’s tumor shift much, though he was an otherwise healthy dog after prescribing constitutional remedies for him over the prior year.
His owner wanted that thing off of Timmy. She was tired off it, and tired of all the pressure from anyone who saw him.
Timmy had surgery and his tumor was left in the waste basket.
Within four months, Timmy was paralyzed in the rear quarters. He was incontinent for both urine and stool. From the waist up, he was a normal dog, but his rear end was no longer in his control.
Having learned in my homeopathic training about cure, palliation, and suppression, this dog showed all the hallmarks of the latter. The original disease manifestation was suppressed by cutting it off, and his disease then took a deeper, more serious turn.
Timmy was now paralyzed from the waist down.
Coincidence? Only to someone who’s not learned Hahnemann’s understanding of suppression’s effects.
Standing Your (Lonely) Ground
When you venture down this natural path, you really are a pioneer. And pioneers often have a tough time of it.
You’ve probably never heard of Ignaz Semmelweis, a physician in Vienna in the mid-1800’s. This man likely saved millions of lives by boldly sticking to his unpopular theory:
When he pushed his idea and required hand washing between procedures, the death rate plummeted.
His idea was so unpopular with his fellow physicians that he was shunned, ridiculed, and finally locked up in an insane asylum, ultimately dying there, having been beaten by guards repeatedly.
If you feel pressured to conform to the perceived norm in health care for your animals or yourself, I have some very strong advice:
Get new friends. Fire your vet if he’s not on board.
Who we hang with and listen to shapes our reality more than we might realize. If you constantly have to defend your values in raising healthy loved ones, you are taking on more burden than is necessary or good for you.
The good news is that you are far from alone. Communities of like-minded folks are springing up all over, including right here on Vital Animal | The Natural Path and over at Dogs Naturally Magazine. And, of course, Vital Animal Courses, often a hot bed of discussion and support.
Get with your proper pack, ignore those naysayers who think you’ve got to make symptoms go away right now, and life will get better and better.
As to symptoms, keep track of them in the diary you keep for each animal, and if you see them repeating over and over or getting worse, it’s time to call your homeopathic vet for a consult.
Caleb Gets a Reprieve
Catherine and I decided, in light of how well old Caleb was doing, to not “upset his apple cart” with another surgery. Catherine would brave the slings and arrows of a non-understanding peer group in the interests of Caleb’s overall health.
Caleb came smiling up to me as I held out his remedy. Though he made a sour face after I gave it to him, I knew I’d done right by him. And he’ll come back even more confident and loving the next time I see him.
Have you had people all up in your business because you raise vital animals and don’t suppress symptoms? Tell us about it in the comments.
I walked out of a vets office with my mom’s 27 yr old dog because a vet started chastising me for not having a large growth removed from her hind leg.didnt even bother to explain that dog had heart murmur all it’s life and was doing quite well with the growth intact for years….
Excellent move, Mary! Surgeons are often blind to other things, their mantra: “A chance to cut is a chance to cure!” Of course, they also don’t understand the true definition of cure…
I’ve got a large dog with his “boxing apparatus” hanging on his chest; more towards his “belly button”. I’ve always just left them alone, except now I think it “has” to come off. He’s suffering back pain that isn’t paralysis, but it’s close. He’s 76# and for 2 women suffering debilitating issues of our own, neither can lift even his buttocks off the ground since it’s dead weight. *With that, comes urinating on himself (which we’re not 24/7 avail) and thus gets on his “dangling dongle” which makes it seriously red and inflamed. We wipe it off of course, but it’s still red and raw. **Can apply either a liquid gel of lidocaine every so often, or try to cover and wrap it with vet wrap and a moisture barrier of some sort, or see if the vet can try and drain it some? Or can he numb it really good and tie it off so it falls off on its own, or…???? Anything done will have to be at the house and not the clinic; in case that matters, as we’ve both hurt ourselves helping him, and have other pets besides him to care for. I don’t care cost… only helping him.
My dog has a fatty tumor that has been analyzed many times. Benign. Located near his penis. He’s 13 and the vets say leave it alone. Are those wands I’m seeing on-line effective?
My dog Nala has mast cell cancer. We had a large-fast growing tumor removed from her hind leg in February (dirty margins) and she has since had multiple smaller tumors grow back in the same area. One has grown huge recently, we had been able to control it with benadryl and prednisone for about 7 months but it is no longer responding. It’s about the size of a very large pomegranate and hangs off the back of her hind leg. It’s always black and blue and awful looking although it doesn’t seen to bother her much yet. It bounces around when she walks. There wouldn’t even be enough healthy skin to remove the tumor if we wanted to, and our only other option is removing the leg. But I know as soon as we remove it, the tumor will appear elsewhere! It’s hard, though to sit there and just watch it grow. Not acting is very difficult, but I know she will not tolerate surgery or recovery well at this point in her life.
my beagle is 15 1/2 yrs old with a large fluid filled hanging tumor, similar to how Calebs looks. About the size of a lemon.
I have been hesitant to have it removed ( one due to her age, and two it doesnt bother her) my worry is what happens if it ruptures, it is getting awfully close to the ground – I have looked for some type of harness to cradle it up but have not found one
if it ruptures will she die? since it does not seem attached other than by skin is it possible surgery could be simple ? She has many other small tumors ( most seem fairly attached but they are small in comparison to the large hanging one)
any info is greatly appreciated.
I was curious how you are making out with the tumor? It sounds similar to my dog’s. I am constantly worrying about rupture (and what effect would that have) and am also in search for some kind of sling to keep it from bouncing around all the time.
Tara, My dog is suffering from the same, she has had three surgeries and recently it spread all over her body at a lightning rate. I am curious about the fate of your dog ever since you published your comment. Can you please suggest your email to contact you?
Mine is gurjotsinghgahir@gmail.com, Thanks.
Hello,
I just joined and I was introduced to your website by a friend.
I need some advice. I have a 4 year old male Maltese and I found a dime size lump on his left side of his chest. Of course I freaked out and I’m very worried about it. I also noticed on 10/18/15 three red raised circular patches on his belly and redness on his upper sides of his legs. So, I had made an appointment with his regular vet (2 weeks away) but I couldn’t wait so I took him to another vet to have him checked. The vet right away said they want to take it out. I asked her why not aspirate and she told me because it’s on the muscle and that wouldn’t be the best thing to do. I was of course devastated to hear that. She checked his ears and said that they look very pink and hot (but has no smell or anything coming out from them) and wanted to test him for fungus. I then asked her about his belly rash and she suggested I have his skin tested as well. With everything she was telling me I couldn’t think straight so I told her I will think about things and decide what to do. (Only because I feel in my gut there has to be a better solution) The vet called me yesterday to ask if I was going to make the appointment for the surgery and I told her I was still thinking about it. I asked her what she thought about the lump and she said it probably isn’t a fatty lump but a benign tumor. The best thing would be is to have it taken out. Anyway, he still has his other vet appointment this Saturday and I’m hoping to get some more information and a second opinion. My dog is active, appetite is great, and seems normal. I am in desperate need of your advice. I’m afraid of making the wrong decision….should I get him surgery, I have no idea what to do. He eats Orijen and I was giving him bananas, he loves bread which (i feel horrible for giving him bread) because maybe that contributed to perhaps “yeast infection”? I blame myself…but I’m here to learn from you and to get advice and help. Thank you.
I’ll make this real simple, Yersenia. Nothing about this is “do it yourself” or “just give remedy X and all will be better.
You are dealing with chronic disease, and conventional medicine has no answers for this. Veterinary homeopathy does, but only by hiring someone professionally trained to manage your dog through it. See my Resources page for the AVH list, hire someone who does mostly or only homeopathy, even if they are no closer than your phone to talk to. Expect to spend months working to get this chronic disease on the way to cure.
Homeopathy can cure this, will careful work and a lot of focus on your part to pay attention to symptoms and how they change with each prescription.
Shortcuts? I know of none.
All the best to you and your animals.
OMG, I can’t tell you what an AHA! this is for me. Wow!!! This amazing information you have shared here has opened up a whole new world of understanding for me. Whew! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
I have to share with you two comments on Dr. Mercola’s article yesterday that tie into this. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this information. These blew my mind, just like your article (interesting coincidence that your blog posting, which I never saw last year, dovetailed into my life with these comments yesterday. The universe is awesome!
“Fluorosilicic acid in the water removes iodine from the body. Glyphosate locks up the nutrients needed to carry iodine back into the body and to where it is needed. The resulting iodine deficiency, along with the loss of essential nutrients and resulting high blood sugar set the stage for toxic pathogens in the blood such as Candida. I believe that “Cancer Cells” are a normal cell designed to combat invasion of toxic substances including Candida. In a healthy person, I believe that “Cancer Cells” can multiply and surround the foreign invasion and destroy it. But lacking essential nutrients and iodine, the foreign invasion wins and the body eventually dies of starvation as the invasion grows to a large size and using most of what nutrients are left. When the invasion is destroyed, the “cancer cells” become in active and with time, disappear.”
–and–
“Cancer cells do ‘combat invasion of toxic substances’. They do not combat the Candida directly. When excess sugar is ingested, Candida populations soar. This causes much more Candida waste to be produced. If the amount of this waste overwhelmes the liver’s capability to break it down, then excess toxins form. These excess toxins cause inflammation which triggers the master oncogene. The master oncogene in turn activates other oncogenes which go to work to form cancer cells. The cancer cells grow and multiply depending upon the amount of excess toxins they need to absorb. Once these harmful toxins are absorbed by cancer cells, they no longer are able to directly attack healthy tissue causing tissue damage. When one starts to detoxify, then the cancer cells stop multiplying. They start to shrink as they send their stored toxins to the liver for processing. Eventually, all the cancer cells will shrink and dissolve or convert back to normal cells. Cancer only exists as a response to excess toxins to preserve the body. Cancer grows or disappears in response to the amount of excess toxins. Reducing sugar is paramount to properly dealing with cancer. Otherwise the Candida populations do not go down. They soar instead feeding the cancer indirectly through the Candida’s waste. Regards, AlwaysYoung”
If this is true for humans, it’s got to relate to our dogs, too. Yes?
Hey Elle,
I’ll buy the idea of sugar being problematic, Candida growing as a result, but neither of these comments ring true to me that cancer is somehow a “toxin fighter.” I suppose that’s possible, but I’ve never seen evidence of that.
AFAIK, toxins (and vaccines, long before they were toxin-bearing like they are now) can induce uncontrolled cell reproduction, aka cancer, tumor, malignancy.
I have often wondered if the surface lipomas are “waste baskets” on the periphery, but I don’t know that that’s anything more than a theory. They could be tested fairly easily, as a lot of them are cut off every year and, for some expense, could be screened for common pesticide levels.
I realize this post is almost a year old, but for some reason I just came upon it and find the subject matter fascinating. I wonder if it would apply to human cancer tumors, too. Maybe the tumor is just the sac that forms around the diseased cells and keeps them from entering back into the bloodstream. Maybe it’s a protective mechanism. What happens when we cut off the human ones? The same results as the excised tumors on the dogs?
Same idea exactly, Elle. You know from your studies in homeopathy that nothing happens in a live body without its vital force being behind it, right? So, a tumor is, first and foremost, an attempt to balance the being again.
Usually, they start external. The more we say, “No, you can’t do that!” and cut them off, the more impetus there is to create more and, finally, make them internal.
The goal is to cure the patient, and when that happens, the tumors stop arising. Balance is re-established when the disease is extinguished.
Hoping for some advice: now tennis ball sized, hard and immobile, will under skin (no lesion) between scapula, appeared a few months ago, round and self-contained, mass is still growing. FNA cytology showed irregular cells but no cancer. Raw-fed and clean life-style, for last 8 years, no vaccines for last 5 plus years– why did this tumor appear now at age 13? And why is it continuing to grow? I fear it will become a fibrosarcoma or osteosarcoma as more of the surrounding tissue joins in the party of de-tox or inflammation or whatever is going on at this site (where micro-chip is, early vaccinations, etc.). Now adding more supplements (Chinese herbs, EO’s to stimulate immune system) but to no avail! Not causing pain or affecting movement or organs at this time but if it continues to grow, it may become uncomfortable :(( Just want to stop the growth, and would be amazing if we could help his body to shrink it or absorb it or reject it… Any suggestions???
Hi JCH,
Not sure what to make of “irregular cells but no cancer.” Cancer is irregular cells and a tumor, as you describe. I prescribe homeopathically for the individual who has cancer. You can visit my Resources page to see if you find a veterinary homeopath you’d like to do this for you. As this is chronic disease, it takes close work and skill in homeopathic prescribing, so I’d not recommend DIY.
I’d also be using high levels of Transfer Factor, to really get the immune system woken up to this foreign cellular reproduction. I have my protocols available if you sign up for the Vital Animal Pack, at the bottom of any page. Both are free to do. Once you’re signed in as a member, you’ll see my ebook, Immune Protocols on your member home page, and you can download it and put these remarkable transfer factors to work for you. To date, they have bested any other immune supplement they’ve been put up again in raising the NK (natural killer) cells, which is what you want working for you in cancer.
Why at 13? Not uncommon to see older animals get diseases like cancer. Their immune systems are in decline and what was more easily kept in check in youth is able to break through as over disease.
Best to you in your endeavors to turn this around. Not easy, but there’s a chance.
I made my dog a cloth harness to hold up the baseball size tumor on her belly. It pulls and is uncomfortable to walk. You can make a cloth harness with 4 ties that go up around the back of the pet. Tumor larger than a baseball seems cruel to let it grow beyond that. So surgery or put dog down. Unfortunately I had put my baby dog asleep she waa 15 yrs old and the tumor had a sore appear and waa rotting.
Omg! I just tried to craft one for our dog last night! It is terribly difficult for her to keep it on, but I had hoped it would keep her growth from dangling into the snow on her walks, and maybe keep her from licking it. I’ll keep trying to get her to be comfortable with it! Glad to know others have tried to make a sling!
One quick question. What if the tumor is diagnosis to be cancerous. Then do you still leave it or take it off. I understand about benign lumps and bumps but still wonder about one’s that are positive for cancerous cells. Thank you, Katie
Hi Katie,
The same logic applies, Katie. I try to get the patient cured and expect the tumor to follow suit. Sometimes it does. Not enough of the time to suit me, but it does.
I reserve surgery for those tumors that are getting in the way of function, impinging on some vital organ, or bleeding, as some spleen tumors do. These can be the cause of death, and may necessitate emergency surgery, often before I even see the patient.
Thanks for asking. It’s a good question.
I let this article sink in for a while, since it struck such a chord with me. My precious baby Pookie was diagnosed with a giant tumor last April, and she was scheduled for an ultra sound to determine if surgery was appropriate. In some sense I knew it wasn’t, and fate stepped in as always. A huge limb smashed out the windshield of my truck–I had to cancel the scan. I was pushed to reschedule but told them I was going to treat the tumor with homeopathic medicine and raw food. They were so sarcastic about my choices it put me off entirely, we never went. Nine months into treatment, she is back to being her old self despite the vaccinosis, a rotted tooth, irritable bowel and constipation. My belief in nutrition and healing energy has been cemented, along with a new understanding of what tumors really are. Thanks for an inspiring article, doc, which advocates thinking outside Dr. Whitecoat’s box.
Wow, great story, Nora! Amazing resilience in these guys, in all of us, really, if we give the vital force half a chance.
Thanks for sharing Pookie’s story with us.
I really enjoyed this article on tumors. I have a 15 year old furry dog friend that has a couple of large tumors. She has good energy but one of the tumors is on her rear end and I’m afraid she will have problems pooping soon. How do you find a homeopathic vet? I live in southern Oklahoma and to my knowledge there are none around here.
Best way is visiting the AVH list on my Resources page, Karen. It’s a list of practicing homeopathic vets that tells what percentage of their practice is homeopathy and whether or not they do telephone consulting. Many of us do this, so distance becomes a moot point.
All the best in getting your friend back to Vital Animal status.
I am still a bit confused.
If the body is trying to get rid of toxins and is throwing them off in the way of a tumore, boil or cyst, then once it is outside of the body why not clip it off?
If there is more that needs to be ejected then more lumps will form.
BTW we are thinking of moving to Austin and I hope you are still taking new patients when we get there. 🙂
Finding a raw feeding co op is one of my other goals.
Anne
Hi Anne,
it’s not always clear that tumors are toxin dumps. A more accurate view is that a tumor, like any other symptom (an eruption on the skin to an inflamed sore joint) is the work of the innate intelligence or vital force trying to maintain balance. Chopping it off makes less sense when you look at it this way.
I used to revel in opening abscesses in my dairy cow patients. Seemed heroic as the gallon of pus spilled out of my scalpel puncture. But I was pushing the vital force’s timing. I would have better served my patient by giving a remedy like silica, to enhance the efforts of the vital force and bring it to a head to drain on its own.
Do write me again if you come to live here! At least one raw feeding coop I know of here, as well as a couple of great stores in my food coop (“my” as in, I’m a proud part owner!): Wheatsville Food Coop.
I am very much looking forward to it.
So far both sons are there. For us it will be quite a step but then I have lived in quite a few places ( like you ).
Guess I can do it again.
Anne
Many years ago, before I knew anything my 10 yr old son came down with the Mumps.
I called his pediatrician and took him in. It can’t be Mumps I said, he had the shot/vaccine. She just gave me a dirty look and said, sometimes they don’t work.
So I gather she knew that they don’t work.
Everytime I go into a pharmacy i get asked if I want a flu shot. I ask if they will guarantee that I will get the flu if I do. I don’t get many smiles.
Anne
Good on ya, Anne. It’s good to speak up and point out the flaws in their offer! Ask it LOUDLY for extra effect.
Thanks Judy for sharing your story. I never considered the possibility that a tumor could fall off. Fascinating!
Thank you for another great article. And I like reading peoples personal stories here, makes me feel less crazy! Except I admit to being obsessed with poop…..
A window to the inner world, Anna. Nothing abnormal about it. I actually train my clients to be stool detectives. I always want to hear if my patients have weirdness going on around stool time.
Makes for some interesting conversations when we’re doing a phone consultation and the owner is at work!
All right… more natural rearing dog owners obsessed with poop. Hubby and I ask each other every time one of us takes the dogs out to the yard if anyone had a BM and how they looked. It’s definitely a help with getting their raw meat and bone ratio correct along with anything being weird like Dr. Will says.
Another awesome blog, Doc and I also love the comments. We all help each other learn more and that’s a win-win all around.
Merry Christmas, everyone!
Great article on the tumors. I was curious to hear what you think about lumps classified as histiocytes that appear mostly on a dog’s muzzle. Do you have any idea what causes those? I have a dog who has not rec’d any vaccines yet she developed one a couple years ago but it went away on its own…and now she has another one…larger one. I am hoping that it too will shrink on its own but I do wonder what causes these. I think there might be a hereditary link to this though. Thank you!
Yes, I’d think about inherited chronic disease, parents, grandparents, etc. Good chance, with no vaccines in this one, that you can bump up her vitality even more and it will recede as well.
My very old swiss mt dog grew a tumor exactly like the one pictured. Finally it fell off. I phoned the surgeon who had removed my beagles anal glands. She was very support and felt had done the right thing. She couldn’t believe how old my swissy was – still strong & healthy. I reminded her of the surgery she had performed on my beagle – removing her anal glands & the subsequent diagnosis of terminal cancer being given 2 months to live, no hope for survival. I explained to the surgeon I went raw & began making their food. My beagle was still alive at that point – healthy, strong, vital at age 20. The surgeon was shocked & told me to never let anyone make me believe I didn’t know exactly how to properly care for a dog. That beagle lived till age 22. The swiss mt dog lived 2 1/2 more years after his dangingly tumor fell off. He never grew another tumor.
I forgot to say my beagle was 14 years old when her anal glands were removed.
Wow, Judy, you really had some Vital Animals in your care (and because of your care!) I love it when the vital force just “knows” the tumor is no longer serving a purpose, and it shrivels up and drops off. I’ve seen it with warts on patients, but never a tumor the size of a scrotum (yet). I’ll keep looking, knowing it’s in the realm of possibilities!
Thank you! By the way, I loved your article. Made so much sense to me. It’s so nice to once in a great while to meet a vet I like! 😉
Beautifully written article. I must circulate it with my readers. One thing I found puzzling, my animal patients LOVE the remedies, as long as I get it right. They will even choose if I give them the option. I saw a dog yesterday who had been bitten badly 2 days before. Home prescribing remedies had helped up to a point, but he was still sore and lame. I narrowed it down to two and offered them both. He chose one by focusing on it and licking the bottle. He ignored the other. He lapped up the remedy voluntarily. Within a couple of minutes, his demeanour changed, he went outside to wee and poo (he had been holding on all day) AND he let the bad leg touch the ground, something he hadn’t done before. And they say homeopathy is slow?!
Now you’ve got me second guessing my Rx, Madeleine! Time will tell. I’ve seen the “sour grapes” look now and then, but have never made notes in my records about it to corroborate if it was a wrong prescription. I shall henceforth!
And what a cool and rapid response your bitten dog patient showed you! Acute diseases are amazing in how rapidly they can turn around. Even JB’S dog’s swollen lymph node came down pretty fast, at 36 hours (earlier comment). That was a bit more chronic, but still quite a remarkable resolution time.
I once had a Lg Haired Dachshund that developed a large mass below her ear on her neck. The mass sprang up quickly over a 36 hour period.
I did not have a regular Vet at the time & took her to a Doc in the Box Vet.
He preformed an examination & needle aspiration. Results from the lab were inconclusive. No cancerous cells were detected but, Lab Tech could not rule out cancer. Think this was a CYA diagnosis.
The Vet was insistent that surgery was scheduled immediately to remove the mass, as he was convinced it was a cancerous tumor. When I declined to go through with the surgery the Vet became belligerent & bullied me.
I stood my ground & found another Vet for a second opinion. She was a homeopathic vet. After an exam & one dosing my little darling was CURED!
Come to find out the cancerous mass was in actuality a swollen lymph node. After one homeopathic dose the mass disappeared within 36 hours & never returned.
I called the previous knife happy Vet to relay to him what had transpired. He would not believe he was wrong so I took my precious girl back to him to prove him wrong. He still insisted that his diagnosis was correct & would not admit his mistake even when the proof was in front of him.
Beware of the money grubbing charlatans. If a serious situation comes up with your pet, a second opinion is a wise idea.
Great story, JB! All too often, we doctors have too much ego invested and think too highly of our limited knowledge. I’ve been there. With age comes humility, having had more opportunities to see where I misstepped.
And how cool how fast she responded! (And what a gruesome thought to have had a lymph node cut out of her body, especially in a reactive, swollen state — great job standing your ground!!)
My visit to a “real” vet was like a monte python skit. He needed to be neutered and trying to get him in with only homeopathic vaccines took a lot of manipulating. They thought I was a mad woman after answering their basic question.
What dog food do you use. Table scraps, raw bones, raw chicken and some blue buffalo. He loves to eat the horse manure. He gets a lot of raw salmon too. I try to freeze it first but sometimes he just gets to the guts before I do. You know bones can kill him. Well not so far.
Has he had his vaccines. Yes homeopathically. So he hasn’t had any vaccines? What about parvo. Ya – homeopathically. Well I’m not sure what that means,
Does he get exercise? He runs free. Oh you take him to the dog park. NO never.
How are his bowel movements? I have no idea I never see them.
Now to me that seems pretty normal. I guess It is way too far out there for the establishment I basically had to work the staff against one another, and slip him through the cracks to get neutered. After the surgery the front desk was upset that he had gotten in.
This is my first pet fully outside the traditional model. He is 10 times more healthy and smart than any other dog I have ever had.
What a riot, Szarka! But do see if you can find some stools. Even I’ll ask you that question if you need my services again someday.
The 10X healthy and smart is a testament to your being the pioneer this time around! Bravo!
Hi Szarka, I just read your posting from the 15th. I was aghast to see that you followed the “conventional” thinking with neutering your boy.
I live with 7 Aussies. Only one of whom, is spayed, for a health reason. The rest are entire…when heat cycles show up, I use a combo of Australian Bush Flower Essences to help the boys stay calm and focused.
Maybe, you had to do this in regards to a signed contract…but, please do some research on male cancers and the relationship between neutering and cancer. We have all been sold “a bill of goods” on healthcare for our animals.
I am NO longer a sheeple…but a REBEL with a cause… Connie
Thank you, I have never neutered or spayed my dogs or cats. They eat like the old farmers fed natural table scraps, the cats get the cat food, but now line up with the dogs. I have land and a barn, when in heat the feamles come in the males I keep separate. I always get yelled at from our vet for not fixing them, that is why they have these tumors. Well so far all are over the age of 12, My bichons and Cockapoos I had until they were 23 yrs old, and I chose to put them to sleep because of the suffering. My terrior mix has a tumor the size of a hand, it looks like a hand , yet she can still jump over the fence and outrun the others except the beagle. My beagle has a round fatty tissue on he stomach by rib cage, and another started by the ear, that one was extracted with a syringe all water. No vaccines except initial when babies and they live longer than any other dogs my friends own; which pay thousands for every single little thing, My parents send thousands a month on their cats and keep telling me I need to have the tumors removed. Why when they are the fastest dogs in the area and most active and have no issues except over-happiness and love. I would like to reduce the size on my terrier afraid it has abscessed a few times and gone down but do not want it to burst, even though it seems to be disconnected from anything and on the skin only. When it does I keep using the natural oils externally it shrinks enough so not as tight and the abscess closes in a day. Glad I found this site, I am not alone
As a kid, most people heard the old saying .. if your friend jumped off a bridge would you also? Of course not!
As adults we’ve forgotten that knowledge. “Everybody else is doing it” seems to be an acceptable answer from fake food to fake finances.
Being a pioneer and bucking the system can be exhausting. But I find I sleep soundly with the knowledge that my choices are actually inline with that inherited knowledge (vital force).
Thanks again Doc!
Good points, Tricia. Yeah, the mob (or herd of sheeple) is now blaming moms who choose not to vaccinate their kids with every outbreak of kid diseases on the planet.
Somehow, they don’t make the connection between believing everyone should vaccinate for everything and believing their own kids are now immune, since they vaccinated them for everything! If you believe in vaccination and did it to your kids, why worry about what others do? Your kids are immune. Right?
Of course, that’s not happening, as vaccinated kids are getting the infectious diseases they were vaccinated against, sometimes at higher rates than their unvaccinated chums!
And on sound sleep, this could be a post all its own. To the extent that you understand the amazing mechanism of maintaining health we all have innately in us, you can sleep soundly without worrying about the big bad wolf at the door (disease).
Funny you mention vaccines. I just had a conversation with a friend of mine who gets his flu shot every year – right on time. And every year, gets sick – right on time.
Isn’t it funny how one’s mind could miss that correlation? Guess your friend is waiting for the double blind study to prove what should be obvious. Because, as we all know in the age of scientism, we can no longer believe our senses and experiences.
I have read that tumors in the shoulder region, incidentally the site usually used for vaccinations, have been studied after removal. The findings, when cancer was found in the tumor, were identifiable components of the actual vaccines. In other words, the vaccine caused the cancerous tumor. Is this true in your understanding, Dr.? If so, is it the body trying to rid itself of the toxic antigens in the vaccine? I chose not to vaccinate our last dog based on this information. Interested to hear your take on it.
Hi Claudia,
Tumors are most definitely caused by vaccination, some of them more obvious than others. The ones at the site of vaccination are often fibrosarcomas, and even conventional medicine recognizes cause and effect.
They may have changed the name, but for many years, cats were diagnosed with VAS: Vaccine Associated Sarcoma. And they were largely, if not all, malignant and quite incurable.
Inspirational like always!!!. I am so glad people like you exist !!!
Great article! I’ve seen instances like you describe. Now I assume occasionally it may be a good idea to remove tumors? How does one go about making that determination? Cancerous vs. Non-cancerous? I had one dog that had a growth on its shoulder. Doc said to leave it alone – we had needle aspirations evaluated – no cancer detected. Eventually (within about 6 months) it turned into a 12 lb osteosarcoma (if memory serves). Is there a rule of thumb or always a roll of the dice?
I’m quite conservative in suggesting tumor removal but that’s when I’m in the driver’s seat as the primary physician for my patient. This could easily be the subject of another blog or maybe a course (how about “Wrapping Your Mind Around Cancer”), but in a nutshell, removing even a malignant tumor doesn’t bring an animal to a healthier status.
About the clearest time I can see for surgery is if we are losing the battle homeopathically and the tumor is either 1) very painful, like the osteosarcoma you mention, or 2) really impinging on some vital organ.
We’d do it for convenience and helping the animal, but would never imagine we helped the vital force in getting the animal cured. Usually just the opposite, like I referred to in my post.
I find a combination in my personal experience. I get some skeptical side-eye and concerned looks when I describe the care protocols I use for my pack… But at the same time, I’m often the first person they call for suggestions or feedback when something happens to one of their animals. They are unsure or afraid of the simplicity (in administration, not in process) of the natural approach, and yet they clearly see the results and the gentleness and care and non-stress that comes with this approach. I try to ignore the side eye and know it comes from a place of caring. In turn, I try to lead by a gentle example of how things can be.
Beautiful, Natalie. In the end, I think we’ll win more quiet victories in exactly this way than we ever will with confrontation.
That resonates with me fully.