Goodbye to brave Maverick - who turned weeks into months

Maverick (Aka Mr Custard) stayed with us until November 2010 (8 months from diagnosis). Our worst fears were realised when he yelped after he jumped into the back of the car for his beloved walks. 

 This 9 stone dog was unbelievably nimble on his feet and for some time we had been lifting him down from the car to prevent him from jarring his joints which he seemed happy to accept but he was not so keen on our assistance in helping into the car.  Apart from that one yelp Maverick made no other noise although the limp seemed more pronounced than ever.  We both knew there was a strong possibility that the bone was now broken and made an appointment to get to the vets at Oswestry as soon as we could - this was over an hour away.  We still had our other dog in the car who had not been toileted so we drove down to our usual walk en route so she could have a wee before the journey.  Unbelievably Maverick started to cry to be let out of the car as he thought he was missing out on his walk!  We gently lifted him down & he started pulling to get on the walk - we let him have a sniff and a mooch and got on our way.  On our arrival Barbara also felt that the bone would be so weakened that it could be broken however she x-rayed first and this confirmed it was the case - we knew nothing more could be done.  The x-rays of his shoulder looked like a mass of 'snow flakes', there was no solid bone left and a break just through walking alone would have been imminent.  We spent his least half hour talking to him and brushing him (his favourite indoor experience) knowing we had done everything possible for him and this decision was the right one made at the right time - no regrets.  I'm sure people will understand and relate to the dreadful emotions you experience when you've lost a dog and wonder if you did the right thing and whether you should have done more/asked more/pushed more.  Maverick's passing was awful however it was made more bearable because this time we knew we couldn't have done any more.

His journey through cancer involved a steep learning curve for us and I am so glad that I stood my ground at the vets & asked for a referral to Barbara at Oakwood vets.  Her support was unwavering.  For anyone contemplating this journey my biggest piece of advice is that it is never too early to start this treatment.  Back in April 2010 we were told his limp was due to arthritis (very possible in a 9yr old Rottie), however having already lost a previous dog to 'arthritis' that turned out to be cancer, I asked for a second opinion. This confirmed it was actually cancer and we made an appointment with Barbara.  We were fortunate in that we were already feeding a 'loose' version of the bones & raw food diet which forms part of the CV247 whole treatment.  Maverick was taking steroids fro
m our usual vets and Barbara supplemented this with K9 immunitas tablets and echinacea alongside the CV247 - we also followed the dietary advice from John Carter which consisted of organic rice or pasta, raw fruit and vegetables and raw chicken liver - the steroids made Maverick ravenous which meant he ate the food, I think we may have had trouble otherwise!!  I also gave him raw apricot kernels.

So, he started his treatment in April and by June/July he was still going downhill, he seemed to plateau for a while and then slip further down, although he still wanted to walk twice a day, the distance he could manage became less and less.  At this point we felt that another decline in his health would be the last.  We still persevered and for this I am glad, for during July we noticed he seemed brighter and this became more and more noticeable, his coat started to shine and became glossy, his zest for life increased and his lethargy disappeared. The length of his walks increased & he seemed in far less pain. Time and again people we met whilst walking could not believe that he was 10 and had cancer. From a personal perspective I felt that if we had left treatment until his symptoms worsened then it would have been too late as it seemed to take several months

for the effects of the treatment to take hold and it was very scary time watching him slowly decline.

Maverick was given between 4-6 weeks to live in April 2010 by our conventional vets who painted a very bleak picture, we were berated for choosing an 'unconventional' path of treatment.  

I do not have a medical background and am just an average person who will listen and be guided by a professionals advice however I also know my own dog and wants what's best for my them so they can live a happy healthy life for as long as possible.  

It's difficult to describe in words the journey made by Maverick and ourselves.  You printed a picture of Maverick with a cone on his head a while back in the caption competition, there was some video footage taken at that time and I suppose this is the best way to capture him & show everyone that no matter what the outlook appears to be - there is always hope.  The link takes you to a very short clip of Maverick playing with his beloved cone on the beach in late September 2010 (6 months from his diagnosis of osteosarcoma), would you guess he had cancer - I think not!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvK5QaD4TRs  

 
With kind regards
Kathryn

My Angel..Lily Twinkle

Lily Twinkle lasted for nine months from the day of diagnosis for Lymphoma and was happy and pretty much healthy until I made the decision to take her to my vets.
Since my last blog in April, Lily Twinkle was amazing and every vet who met her couldn't believe she had lymphoma as she was bright and her coat and eyes shined. She was pretty much a normal dog healthwise except for the enlargement of her lymph nodes.
She stayed on a daily dose of 25mg steroids until she went and the side effects got less and less as the steroids got less effective. I had spoken to Prof David Argyle at the Dick Vet in Edinburgh but he felt there was a chance she would crash if I took her off steroids all together as it had happened to him before with a dog so I didn't want to take that chance.
I did mean to update Lily's progress in July but the time just flew in! With the help of CV247, holistic meds, natural herbal meds and nutritional therapy from raw food she led a healthy and happy life. She was a bit sluggish in July and I noticed she had some fluid on her hock as she hadnt wanted to walk that day so her circulation wasnt at its best. From that day on she got a walk twice a day which she loved after she got up and out the door. I also managed to get in touch with the physio at the Glasgow Vet School, Melanie. She showed me how to do a lymphatic massage to help boost lily's circulation and lymphatic drainage system. It really helped and she never had another odema after that.
I also couldn't have done such a good job with Lily's treatment without the help of my vets..ICR Butt and Partners...Sarah, Rory and the two Chris's who all had an open mind and knowledge that helped me be positive and productive.
Richard Allport was brilliant and so positive and full of ideas to help Lily and such an understanding of holistic meds and the importance of nutritional therapy. Prof David Argyle was so helpful and managed to fit me in for a consultation at a minutes notice as his oncology knowledge is amazing. Melanie the physio was so patient and kind is showing me how to help Lily with massage. It was great to have such a great support mechanism in place to help Lily and me!
Lily turned eight on 12 September 2011 and we had a wee party for her and I made a liver cake with cheese topping which she and all her friends loved. I was so delighted she'd made it to her eighth birthday as was sure she wouldn't make it past four months with Lymphoma.
At the beginning of October she had an infection that was treated with antibiotics and she was ok for a week then it came back and it was treated again and we decided that she would have to go on antibiotics permanently. It showed her immunity, that had done brilliantly for so long, was now starting to find it hard to keep infections at bay so that is the next protocol.
I got an appointment with Prof David Argyle on 18th October to see what advice he could give me. He was very pleased by how well Lily Twinkle looked and acted at having no chemo only natural treatment for nine months. He did however say that she was at the end of her illness and her liver and spleen were now involved as her tummy was still pot-bellied from the steroids depositing fat on her tummy but now it wasn't fat but organ enlargement.
She was healthy looking and happy and loving her food and her walks but her insides were telling a different story. I was glad I went to see David as I knew there was no-one more qualified with so much experience of Lymphoma to give me a true picture and he even said some of his patients don't do as well as Lily Twinkle has when on chemo.
He couldn't give me a timescale as look how well she had lasted beyond all the odds but I knew it was time.
I made an appointment at the vet on the 20th October and I spent two days going for walks, cuddles, pictures and giving her tasty things to eat, still raw meat but left out the veg. She went for her final walk and was slowing down but still managed a trot and a good sniff round the woods. At the vet she got chicken, corned beef and mature cheddar and then got a raw chicken leg to munch on while the blue jag went in her leg. She was ready and knew and she looked at me with happiness in her eyes while she chomped on her bone three times before she just went. She lay with her head on my lap with her tongue out one side and a chicken leg out of the other with her big soft head and looked so cute and peaceful.
I sat patting her for 40 mins in that position while chatting to the vet and my friend, it wasn't rushed and I feel I got to say my goodbyes and I knew that Lily Twinkle never suffered. She could have lasted another month or so but I was so worried her spleen would rupture or her liver would fail and I couldn't have forgiven myself if that had happened because I would have been keeping her alive for me not for Lily Twinkle.
I now have wonderful memories of a fantastic dog called Lily Twinkle who made everyone see her on the inside not the outside. She was a true pacifying kind dog whose calm nature is so missed in my house. She was a credit to her breed and she changed so many peoples opinions of Rottweilers.
She gave blood to save dogs lives and was a true angel.
Lily Twinkle ~ 12 September 2003 to 20 October 2011 ~
I will miss you so much 

Nikki x  

PS Thank you for the lovely comments. I forgot to thank Lily Twinkle's breeder, Sharon at Blairoak. She was so helpful when I went to pick Lily eight years ago and has continued to be a great support and friend who sent Lily Twinkle a Xmas card every year and whom I will keep in touch with as she lets me go and kiss all the puppies when she has a litter.
Nikki x

Kia's story

Kia's Tale

I'm putting out this world wide plea, for help for Kia, in her fight against cancer.

Kia, joined our family ten years ago, tomorrow; 26.06.2001, she was six eeks old, and had just been rescued from a house that had fifteen adult dogs, all intact. Three of her siblings had already been drowned, and her day consisted of been the plaything of a group of unruly children. At the time of her rescue, both her and her brother were been rolled down the windscreen of the family car. Thankfully her new life started a few hours later. On another positive note her sister, that had not been discovered at the time. Was freed, a week later. For a fiver and ten cigs, teenagers today.



With ears, twice the size of her body, Kia was now home! With Sheba, our very maternal GSD as surrogate Mum, Kia soon found her way and blossomed adulthood. With stunning looks, she's DobermanXEnglish Bull TerrierXPharohhound possibly Boxer. She draws attention where ever we are. She's very timid, and both Emma, (sister who was rescued) and her have lots of funny quirks and habits. Mainly grabbing the first thing to hand, when anybody comes to the house; be it her baby, a ball of sock or a roll of kitchen roll. It becomes a treasured item, to show off!!! They also still have some scars, from their previous lives, but we don't dwell on them. Together their like a pair of bookends.



Things have gone on brilliantly, she had her first shots. Was spayed around six months and until two years ago, she'd never been to the vets. This was only because she strained the tendons after too much ball chasing. Forward to the present, March 2011, as my Mum was getting Milo, another reprobate we rescued, into the car. Kia was stalking the picnic tables. My Mum heard a slight shuffle and when she got Kia in the car, she realised that she had been bitten. Kia was bathed and sorted, with no apparent ill effects. But about a week later her right eye, became swollen, and her third eye lid came out. The vet diagnosed an infection, antibiotics and anti imflammatories were prescribed. Follow up, eye same, different meds given. This continued for five weeks. Then on the Royal wedding day, Kia's head, eye, nose. Swelled up enormously, off to the emergency vets, Not examined, but Vet mentioned could be a growth in the soft tissue. Swelling went down after two days, PDSA follow up said they would remove her eye, if necessary. We went to a private vet, who said, it wasn't acting like a tumour, but organised a biopsy, to get too the bottom of things.



Morning of biopsy, dropped Kia off, full of hope and just wanting an answer. three hours later, our lovely vet is telling me that he's sorry, but things aren't looking good, and we should prepare for the worse. Poor Kia, she looked like she'd done three rounds with Mike Tyson.From that phone call, I was accessing ColdWetNoseblog and checking out the list of vets that were prescribing cv-247, an appointment was made. We are fighting this head on.  A week later and the results were in: Carcinoma, Orbital mass. There was a Neoplastic mass, features of epithelial origin, most likely of lacrimal gland origin. A week later and Kia had her right eye removed, but unfortunately, they couldn't get all of the tumour, it was in the soft tissue above her eye.



this is where it gets complicated, The vets who we were going to get the cv-247, hadn't been able to get any for several months. So I got in touch with Richard Allports surgery, a lovely lady filled me in on what the problems had been, and what we needed to do to get the cv-247 from them. This is were the problems started. Our vet, as lovely as he is, doesn't know anything about cv-247 and he wasn't  happy dealing with Mr Allport. He put me in touch with another vet, who uses complimentary treatments. Luckily he had used cv-247, so he could give me some details IE regarding painkillers etc. He also explained how to obtain the drugs, without compromising prescribing laws. Back to our vet, to fill him in on what I'd been told. This time I was told he would only deal, with the original vet, I had contacted. As any of you know who is or has been in this situation. You don't want hold ups. We just wanted the prescription and the tablets and of course what to feed her. After yet another bank holiday, we were told that finally the vet had got the tablets, and knew the dose. So off we went to collect the prescription, along with some Metacam. Then on to pick up the cv-247. Whilst voicing my concerns about using Metacam. I enquired about John Carters diet and if they had any info sheets. What was said next, was to me so very sad. The vet, just looked at me and said." I don't know who John Carter is, " I told her he was the vet that had formulated this treatment, but that he also recommended a very precise diet. She said that she was American and that she only knew of the drug from the manufacturers that supplied them, but they could provide a generic diet sheet, suitable for dogs with cancer.



Now several years ago, I read one of the articles in DT; about John carter and his amazing treatment, the rigid diet, and some of the remarkable cases. Both animal and human. So I knew John's way was the only way to go. However I only know the basic principles; low salt, low sugar, no processed foods,  organic foods only, no grains other than oats and only bottled water (prefabley) glass. I know we need Tryplase capsules, along with other various vitamin and mineral supplements. This is where we need Your Help!!! I'm not very Internet savvy, so sourcing the right info, is proving to be an uphill struggle. I've poured over the cv-247 blogs, which are helpful, but there seem to be some discrepancies, regarding ingredients.

 

So anyone with suitable recipes, where we can get the supplements and any organic suppliers who can do wholesale would be a massive help. Also of course we'd love to hear from anyone who's going down the same route, to swap updates with. Kia is approx 221/2 - 23kgs. we are in Leeds and are waiting to hear from you. I'm not sure how this all works, so I'm giving all my contact details to Beverley.



Regards

Carolanne and Kia

Every day is a bonus

Lily Twinkle has been amazing..she looks so happy and healthy and what more can you ask for.  Thanks to the blog on Herbie I bit the bullet and asked my vet to refer me to Richard Allport for telephone consultations on CV247 and holistic treatments.  It was the best thing I have ever done as Richard is a vet first and foremost but also believes in CV247 and holistic and natural healing.  I found it hard with Chilli Pepper to know what was the right food to feed her on and what herbs or vitamins to add into her food as there is so many when you look on the internet.  Now I have had a several consultations and the first initial consultation was about everything to do with Lily Twinkles diet and personality and what doses to put her on and all the right herbs and a balanced natural diet which is cooked mostly except the meat and chicken wings for calcium.

Lily was doing fab until 3 weeks ago and she got up and went a walk as normal then when we went to my sisters in the car she looked miserable and was very uncomfortable as her lymph nodes in her neck were big by this point.  She had lasted a month without steroids which was great as they made her drink loads and she weed herself wherever she lay although they did take her lymph nodes down brilliantly.  I had to phone my vet and she was instantly put on large dose of the steroids again for 3 days and within 12 hours she was back to her happy lazy self, upside down on the couch. I phoned Richard the next day and he advised sometimes dogs may need the help of steroids for a couple of days a month or maybe more just to help reduce the swelling so I am certain the natural way is the right thing to do but for a few months we can give her short course of steroids to keep the lymph nodes down.  The prognosis for Lily is dire without chemo but if I get one more month out of her like she is behaving now I will be delighted.

Every day is a bonus and unlike how I behaved with Chilli Pepper (crying every day when she was still alive) I don't cry as I am appreciating her being well and still here.  If we dont have long then I am not going to remember how sad I was but how happy Lily Twinkle was.  I think it is working with the CV247 and natural remedies and it would be lovely if it continues for ages and then maybe my vets' will take more of an interest in this magical potion!!

I also managed a great breakthrough with Petplan..who lily is insured with as they classed CV247 as a homeopathic med but I complained and now the claims team accept that it is a vet medicine as has to be prescribed by a vet or doctor as contains sodium salicylate which is also in aspirin.

I have just taken the picture above tonight and it shows how healthy and contented Lily Twinkle is in her favourite position with a smile on her face lol.

Nikki and Lily Twinkle x
 

Remembering Chilli and fingers crossed for Lily Twinkle

Hi Beverley

I have been meaning to email you for ages to advise that Chilli Pepper left us on 26 May 2010.  We had no regrets and her last 15mths were the healthiest she had ever been and the cv247 was the reason for that.  The cancer was very aggressive and although the cv247 kept it at bay for an extra nine months it took over most of her colon and digestive tract to the point where the food was finding it hard to go through from her tummy.

Up to that day in may she had been out for her normal walks but was a bit distressed with the pooing thing and she had a urine infection also so that didn't help.  Up til then she had been pretty healthy and happy.  I felt her tummy during the day as she hadn't eaten much in the morning and it was full and I could tell she was uncomfortable so by 9pm she wasn't any better so called my vet (who is luckily 24 hrs) Chris and I took her up.  He put his head in his hands trying to think of something else we could do but I told him it was time.

I still cry every day about Chilli Pepper and I miss her so much as she was my friend more than my dog.  I got a puppy...Blue Roan and Sable Cocker Spaniel in December and she is great...although I still miss Chilli, Dilly Dumpling has made my life a little happier.

That being said I noticed my Rottie Lily Twinkle's lymph nodes were swollen last week so up to the vet and although I knew it was lymphoma, we did the antibiotics thing for a week.  No change so a biopsy was done and the results came back yesterday as expected.

Here we go again..I haven't got over Chilli Pepper yet and my lovely kind Rottweiller now has cancer too at the same young age of 7 1/2...although now I am more positive and know the path I will follow. Chemo was considered as Lily loves the vets as long as she gets a biscuit and has Xrays done without sedation.  She is a gem of a dog who for the last 2 years was a blood donor for the Dick Vet in Edinburgh (20 minutes of blood taken from the jugular without sedation) and they think she is a fab dog too as do my vets and everyone that knows her.

Thank god for the blog Beverley, it is still going strong and another rottie on the site too. Glad to see Heidi is still ok so am going to follow her diet with the Budwig cottage cheese and flaxseed oil thang too.  Lily Twinkle cant seem to tolerate raw carrots or cooked ones that are in chunks..she always brings them up so cooked and blitzed carrots for her!  With Chilli we did the vintage JC diet but I found a holistic site that  gives a recommended diet which is mostly cooked like Heidis diet.  I thought it was all raw but it appears to be working well with Heidi so will give it a try.  I am so optimistic as Lymphoma has a pretty bad prognosis but Cv247 helped Chilli be healthy and Happy so I want the same for Lily for as long as we have.  It is great to see the other lymphoma cases of the spaniels and they seem to have around 18 mths at least so it may be quite effective for this type of cancer.  Web advice of vets was prognosis around 6 to 8 weeks without chemo and 8 mths with.

I didnt do the glass bottle mineral water with Chilli but will do it with Lily..as you have said numerous times JC did say it had to be glass not plastic bottles, and he knew best.

Please add this to the Blog Beverley and I will be back in touch regularly with Lily's blog.  My vets are totally behind me as all think that it was a success for Chilli Pepper's quality and quantity of life after diagnosis. Lily is on Prednisolone for two wks to blast the multicentric lymphoma to reduce the lymph nodes and in that time I will give her all the vitamins and herbs etc and introduce the diet gradually.  After that I will bring in the big guns aka cv247!

Love Nikki and Lily Twinkle x
 

Mr Custard on becoming a legend and avoiding the paparazzi

No Mr Custard's (aka as Maverick) head hasn't really turned into a carrot after eating too many!

I love this picture. It was taken a few weeks ago as I feel this sums up Maverick's attitude towards his illness. 

No-one passing us on the beach that day would ever know how seriously ill he is. This is a traffic cone that was washed up on the beach and one of his favourite ever long standing 'toys', he can spend hours flicking it on his head and then running about with it appearing headless.  He truly is a beach dog and although we live in middle England we try to get to the beach every now and then so Maverick can enjoy himself to his hearts delight.  Up until his cancer took hold and affected the strength in his leg, he used to run through the waves out to sea, pick a suitable incoming wave and body surf back to the beach and then start the whole process again.  

He seems to understand his own limitations now and will only paddle - we also have him on a long lead just in case.
The fun we had that day also made me reflect on my own attitude and outlook for Maverick. I realised that we can all be guilty of spending too much time focusing on the negatives(the worry of the cancer and the 'what-if's' that inevitably accompany it).  Precious time is wasted on these negative thoughts.  

I spent five months worrying endlessly whether each day would be his last and what I would find each morning on rising instead of celebrating and enjoying every day that he survived past his life expectancy.  Its not easy to do this but I try really hard now to take each as it comes just as Maverick undoubtedly does.  I don't imagine that he wonders how he will be tomorrow or that day after that, he just enjoys the day for what it is, nice bit of food, two walks, meet and greet his friends and cuddles in the evening.  Maybe that's a lesson for us all - enjoy the here and now. 

I feel so grateful for the extra time that the CV247 has given Maverick.
I was very hesitant about starting the blog as I felt a sense of responsibility towards providing a happy ending and worried that if Maverick only had his treatment for a couple of months and then passed away we would somehow of 'failed'.  His journey has made me realise there will never be a happy ending as he will inevitably pass away at some stage whether it's from the cancer or old age and the blog is really about his and our trials and tribulations if anything.  

Someone once told us on our local walk that Maverick was a 'legend' (I'm not sure this was particularly complimentary at that stage) however even if one person reading this tried CV247 and had some extra quality time with their dog then he would have truly succeeded in becoming a legend.
Kathryn

Read Mr Custard's first blog by clicking here. 

Happy Birthday to Mr Custard

This letter is going into the November issue of Dogs Today, and also included below is the first installment of Maverick's story...

I have a 'nearly' 10-year-old Rottie named Maverick (aka Mr Custard) who started displaying symptoms of osteosarcoma in March; he was eventually diagnosed in April (and that's another story). Luckily, I have been subscribing to Dogs Today for some years now and had read the article on John Carter and CV247 (April 2009). My vet knew nothing about CV247 and suggested it would be better to just continue with the steroids as life expectancy was very poor for this type of cancer (between four to six weeks). I stood my ground and asked for a referral to Barbara at Oakwood Vets in Oswestry (incidentally, Barbara was Maverick's first vet, as she was the breeder's vet so he has come full circle). He started on CV247 and the special diet following that visit.

So here we are in August and Maverick is still with us. We take each day as it comes and let Maverick tell us how many walks he can manage. His cancer is in his left shoulder so he limps quite heavily, but he has already enjoyed two holidays in Devon and the New Forest respectively that he wouldn't have otherwise had.
It's quite a lonely journey, as, just like humans, each dog will respond differently and you will have to overcome numerous problems along the way. Maverick does not like taking any form of medicine/tablets and has always been a picky eater, so we have discovered new ways of disguising tablets etc. He also started to have a very unpleasant smell emanating from his skin (as one friend kindly explained: well, that's because he's rotting from the inside out!). Fortunately, this smell has now stopped, so I can only presume he's stopped rotting! Our worry now is the bone shattering just from walking or the odd occasion when Maverick feels like a run when our backs are turned! We know this would then be the end of the road for him and it would be very unfair, as he has been so brave and uncomplaining.
It's really important for people to hear about this treatment so they can understand that there is an alternative to chemotherapy/radiotherapy, as I cannot find anything positive on the internet about osteosarcoma. It seems that no one offers any hope with this sort of diagnosis.
Perhaps a yearly feature/update in the magazine would be a possibility, for both old and new readers alike?I have not yet found anyone else who has heard of CV247 - how sad.
Kathryn and Mark Smith, Maverick and Quiver, by email


Hi Beverley
Today is Maverick's 10th birthday - a birthday he was never expected to make! I have attached a photo of him enjoying the special organic birthday cake I made for him along with his friends;- Chloe, Gemma, Honey and Quiver. If you look closely you can just about see how his left shoulder (that has the tumour) compares with his good right one.

He had his third holiday this year over Bank Holiday. We went back to Ross Park caravan site in Devon (an ideal site for dog owners) where we had previously been in June. We could draw some interesting comparisons from this little holiday. In June we had a pitch much closer to the lovely dog walk & Maverick could just about get there, go to the toilet and then have to lie down before we could get him back, this time our pitch was further away & not only could he get there but he also had a mooch and a sniff around covering far more ground so although his limp is quite severe and has not changed, something must have for him to feel more like walking.


We did have quite a scare though! On the Friday we had planned to see the Red Arrows in Dartmouth so had planned the logistics quite carefully. We caught the ferry from Totnes into Dartmouth as this involved the least amount of walking for Maverick however due to his excitement to get on the ferry he banged his leg on something - his screams were awful - we really thought he had broken his leg & felt sick to the core, luckily after some soothing rubs from his dad he calmed down & as soon as we got onto dry land I quickly bought some Arnica and gave him those every couple of hours. No lasting damage seemed apparent - phew - that was really close!!


Further to Heidi's blogs I have bought some apricot kernels and have now started to give him those. The woman in the well known natural food shop said that she has a gentleman who comes in regularly for his to help with his cancer.


We went to the 'normal' unsupportive vets last week as Maverick has been intermittently passing dark urine with no other symptoms. Vet said there is blood in it and prescribed antibiotics, not sure if they are helping. So back on the rollercoaster of worrying what every day will bring, vet also said that she felt his limp was significantly worse. I disputed this as his limp is no worse than when she saw him in July and tried to explain that by comparison he is actually walking further now than July (Mav hates the vets so we leave him in the car for the consultation and only briefly get him out for a few steps so she only ever sees a snapshot of his walking whilst he growls at her). She still feels that this progression of his cancer is normal for him and its not the CV247 that's helping, I feel he would be long gone without it!


Kathryn