Where's the Beef?

As many of you know and if you don't know, you do now, I feed Lucy a raw diet consisting of raw meat and produce.  The other day, I forgot to take her meat out of the freezer to thaw.  So off to the store I went to "fetch" Lucy some meat.  I picked up a package of each, beef and chicken.

Upon my arrival home, Lucy greeted me with a wagging tail and her nose to my bag.  I pulled both containers of meat out of the bag and held them out to her asking "What would you like for dinner:  beef or chicken?"

Lucy sniffed both packages.  She gave the chicken package two licks and licked the package of beef forever.  I thanked her and immediately mixed a piece of beef with pureed snow peas and lettuce.  She gobbled it and that was the end of that!  Her tummy was full and now it was time to "play ball".

Lucy with a full tummy and favorite toys.

Lucy Has Cancer, Part 5

Since my last posting regarding Lucy's cancer, we took Lucy to have her lung  x-rays .  Great news:  Clear--no signs of cancer!

During the x-ray reading, Doctor Kevin informed me Lucy's tummy was full of chicken bones.  He let me know in case she had gotten into the trash.  I told him they were from the chicken leg she ate for lunch.  Yum, yum!

Lucy is thriving on her grain-free, raw food diet.  She went from an allergic, ichy, hot spot, yeasty-earred dog to clear skin, no bald spots and spotless, clean smelling ears.  Yippee!

In addition to Lucy's raw diet, she receives the following supplements to support her immune system:

• Vitamin C
• Vitamin E
• Milk Thistle
• Chlorella
• Spirulina
• CoQ10
• Bone Meal Powder
• Astaxanthin
• Balanced Amino Acids
• Halo VitaGlo Hip & Joint Supplement

We have more great news:  Lucy made it through her second surgery to remove two additional tumors!  She had prolotherapy injections to her torn ACL in her knee too.  The two tumors were benign and her knee is getting stronger.  Doctor Kevin at Loving Touch Animal Center:  You rock!

Kevin Brantly, DVM

Upon the healing of her incisions, we started messaging Lucy's scars to prevent scar tissue from forming and adhering to other internal areas of her body.  Lucy loves the extra-special attention.  Who doesn't love a message?

Lucy is a bit more tired these days.  We've started our 1 mile walks again.  She doesn't ever seem too tired to walk me. I forgot how fast she goes and got shin splints the first few times.  They were well worth the smile on her face as she paced through the 'hood to smell the roses.  Err, replace the word "roses" with "pee spots".

Lucy laying under my desk

We are extremely happy Lucy made it through her surgeries.  Her innocent, joyful spirit completes our lives.

In case you missed the other posts leading up to this one, here they are:

• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3
• Part 4

Lucy Has Cancer, Part 4

Since I last posted, Lucy has had all 30 of her staples removed.  Well, actually it was 29.  One was missing and today as I was cleaning up her toenail clippings, I found it.  A souvenir to place in her keepsake box!  And yes, I have a few of her baby teeth saved there too.

Speaking of teeth, let me take you back almost 10 years ago when Lucy was a pup.  We lived in IL at the time.  She and I were headed outside for a late-night potty.  Lucy slipped on the icy step and her tooth popped out.  Help!

I frantically placed an emergency call to her vet, Dr. Youssef, at Essington Road Animal Hospital in the wee hours of the morning informing him of the situation at hand.  He explained it was normal and another one would grow in it's place.  It had been 14 years since our last puppy and I had forgotten they lose their teeth like humans.  OMG!  How embarrassing was that?

Back to today....  Lucy is still under doctors orders to wear her wardrobe of t-shirts.  Her scabs need to fall off enabling her wound to close up completely before she can undress and RUFF-house again.

Playing "tug" with Lucy.

Also, we still stay with her 24/7.  She gets entangled in the t-shirt when she bends and brings her legs to her chest.  Plus, sometimes it comes untied enabling her to scratch the area and irritate it.  So in this case, we are her "watch dog".

We have extended the length of Lucy's walks from 4 houses to 10 houses, back and forth.  She just loves her walks.  The more, the merrier, as she regains her strength and energy each and every day.

All in all, Lucy's recovery is going excellent!!!  We are extremely happy with the progress she's made to date.  I chalk this up to the staff at Loving Touch Animal Center, her raw diet, high antioxidant supplement regimen and the love, affection and respect we have for her within our home. ♥ ♥ ♥


Click on the links below for other posts in this series:

• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3

Lucy has Cancer, Part 2

For those of you who read my previous blog post, here is an update on Lucy:

Lucy is recovering from her surgery on Tuesday.  The cancerous sarcoma mass was removed. She has a long incision, approximately 10 inches in length, with 30 staples and 2 drains on her lower left flank region.

The surgery was difficult, lasting approximately 2 hours instead of the allotted 1/2 hour of time.  The cancer was encapsulated except for at the base where a 1-1/2 inch diameter was attached to her muscle.  The veterinary surgeon removed a 5 inch diameter piece of muscle.  We are awaiting the histology report and hoping enough of the margins were removed so it doesn't grow back.

Lucy has been a real trooper.  Thank goodness for pain meds.  Dogs don't show much pain.  It is a sign of weakness in the wild.  When she is unable to get comfortable (cannot lay down), it is a sign to give her medication, approximately every 12 hours.

Lucy obtained a new wardrobe from her ordeal.  We upcycled Steve's old t-shirts for her.  Well, actually, Steve passed them to me.  I wear  them for art and household projects.  I cut off the arms on some of them and passed them along to Lucy.  Wearing a t-shirt alleviates self-inflicted trauma from Lucy trying to scratch as her incision is healing and catches the fluid from her drains.

I'm bringing sexy back!

Lucy was under some heavy anesthesia and wasn't interested in drinking water at first.  I didn't want her to get dehydrated.  So I went shopping for some fresh coconuts and found some.  As soon as I arrived home, I punctured the eyes of one giving her the water inside.  She lapped it up immediately.  Yay!

Coconut water provides an isotonic electrolyte balance and I'm sure hers was off from anesthsia.  Did you know coconut water from the cavity of a fresh coconut is sterile until opened?  It mixes easily with blood and was used in World War II for emergency transfusions.

And too, as Lucy luck would have it, the February/March Issue of Animal Wellness Magazine arrived containing Dr. Carter's cancer cocktail recipe.  Dr. John Carter, a British veterinary surgeon and research scientist, created it after losing his own dog to cancer.  The recipe is as follows:

Ingredients:
8 ounces raw chopped liver
4 ounces grated carrot
1/2 ounce ground Brazil nuts

Instructions:
Puree the ingredients.  Serve as a topping or as a complete meal.  It's bursting with flavor and nutrients including potassium and selenium.

I chose calf liver over mature beef or chicken thinking it is the youngest liver with the most nutrients.  Lucy loves her "liver pâté de foie gras".  She gobbles it all up!  It is an easy recipe to include in my beloved's raw diet.

Lucy has had sudden bursts of energy today.  She wants to play fetch which, of course, is a BIG no-no presently.  So I took her for a walk--down 4 houses to where her dog buddies, BJ and Bear, live and back.  She was tired after and took a nap.  Steve thought I might have taken her too far.  Rehabilitation exercise is a must prior to being able to leave a hospital.  It would strengthen her, I told him.

Unfortunately, Lucy is not out of the woods yet.  She has a lipoma growing under her left forearm and another small mass on her right side.  The veterinary surgeon was unable to remove them as Lucy was at the limit for anesthesia during this surgery.  (sob, sob)

To all of Lucy's fans in blog and social networking land and Loving Touch Animal Center:  We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your pawsitive thoughts regarding Lucy's health.  Dogs are people too.  Woof!


PS:  Read the other posts in this series:

Part 1
Part 3

25 Random Things about Me

Recently, I listed these "25 Random Things About Me" on Facebook. Thought I'd add some additional info and pictures.

1. The 1st time people visit my home, they come to see me. The 2nd time people visit my home, they come to see my dog, Lucy. She is a wonderful entertainer!

(Lucy modeling mom's handmade jewelry)

2. In 4th grade, I was awarded 1st place in the entire school district for coloring a picture promoting fire safety.

3. I prefer to sweep my house with a broom rather than vacuum. (The best vacuum cleaner I've used is a Shark Roadster Euro-Pro. Inexpensive too.)

4. I have MCS (Multiple Chemical Sensitivity) and suffer with severe migraines for days after being in the presence of perfume/cologne, scented lotions, detergent, air fresheners, hairspray, synthetic chemicals and the like.

5. I love flying kites and always take my Crayola kite on vacation: http://tinyurl.com/c8cdgn

6. The moving company said they'd never packed as many cookbooks as I had. I'm into raw food now. A good, easy cookbook is "Raw Food Made Easy".

7. In 2001, my monoprint entitiled "Mummy Dearest" was awarded 1st place in printmaking at ECC.

Mummy Dearest
copyright Susan Calvert
all rights reserved

8. For the last 8 yrs., I've done laundry in this fashion:

* Add 1 cup (plain) Arm & Hammer baking soda to washer bin
* Place clothes in washer by COLOR
* Fill softener cup with white vinegar
* Wash on hot
* Place a waded up piece of aluminum foil in dryer with clothes

Viola! Clean clothes, no static, less expensive, NO CHEMICALS.

9. I use organic unrefined coconut oil as my body moisturizer and in my hair for a new look. I cook with it too. NO CHEMICALS AGAIN!

10. I like modern, colorful, eclectic furniture from Axi: http://www.axifurniture.com, Shoestring Creations: http://www.shoestringcreations.net/Been_There_Done_That/index.htm and Sticks: http://www.sticks.com.

11. I use my (prescribed) far infrared sauna from High Tech Health weekly to sweat out toxins: http://www.hightechhealth.com.

12. My art has graced the pages of Animal Fair magazine twice: http://www.animalfair.com

13. I studied horticulture at 3 colleges and am a certified Master Gardener from the University of IL Cooperative Extension Service in Kane County, IL. I've physically installed our landscapes at our last 2 homes. I use a Neuton battery-operated mower to cut our lawn. Works great even on our hilly landscape and NO CHEMICAL FUMES! http://www.neutonpower.com

14. I feed my dog only human food. Lucy loves veggies!

15. I am a self-entertaining individual with lots of projects. My favorite project in 2008 was my bathroom renovation: http://tinyurl.com/b8svw6

16. People are surprised at all the produce in my refrigerator, especially when they see the trays of live wheat grass growing. I juice it!

(click on picture & find the wheat grass)

17. I get bored easily. I start one project, another and another. Then I go back to the first project and complete it and so forth with the remaining projects I’ve started. Is this ADD? It drives my husband mad!

18. We open the windows whenever possible to refresh the air. I use essential oils and only organic ones as air fresheners when necessary. Tea Tree oil has anti-bacterial properties that purify the air and kills germs and mold.

19. In 2003, my painting entitled “Shortstop” was awarded 1st place-watercolors at the Contemporary Dog Art Competition held in NYC at Sardi’s Restaurant. The judges were Chris Jussel, past Senior Vice President at Sotheby’s and original host of the PBS television series, “Antique Roadshow”; Dr. Anne Imelda Radice, who serves on the art committee of the American Kennel Club and is past Curator of both the National Gallery of Arts and the U.S. Capitol; and Jane H. Willis, Instructor at New York University and President of the Appraisers Association of America. I'm very proud of this.

(L to R)
Judge Jane H. Willis
Susan Calvert with painting, Shortstop
Judge Chris Jussel

(Award-Winning Plaque)

20. I silly dance daily for a change of scenery. Silly dance = dancing to upbeat music with my dog, Lucy.

21. You will hardly find any processed food in my home. I make most everything from scratch. If you drop in unexpectedly, I’ll only be able to offer you H2O or tea. Once in a while, I indulge with a Green & Black’s Maya Gold chocolate bar. They’re the best!

22. I enjoy going to music concerts, especially at Chastain Amphitheater in Atlanta.

23. My home projects receive many compliments and inspire others to be creative.

24. I love hardware, office supply and art stores. Anything to get/keep me organized!

25. I have spent the last 8 yrs. learning about the effects chemicals have on our health: how the food we eat, products we place on our bodies and breathe affects our health. I have a library in my home on the subject. We are merely living test tubes!