Hello, My Name is Tuffee!

I’m a cute scruffy six-year-old, medium-sized goofy, blackish-tan dog, with a love of floppy toys. I have big feelings, so my yellow duckie goes with me everywhere since I was fostered as a pup. I have loved my life!

Recently, fur-ever mum talked about me having osteosarcoma in my rear leg, which is a type of cancer hurting my bones, bad. Especially, when we’re on long weekend hikes next to the wash. I used to run freely on the sand, but that got too hard. I didn’t quite understand what it was at first, but I did know that my leg hurt. My family hurts too, so I try hard to be brave, to not show it! But I know my mum is sad.

Loving me and wanting the best for me, they’re searching for the gentlest and kindest ways to help me get better and live longer. They’ve already been through losing my sister last year, to Valley Fever, and it wasn’t pretty! We’re all really scared. Especially today, they found out my cancer came from the same fungus coccidioidomycosis. It also settled in my leg, months ago, but no one caught it or knew to put me on a preventive program when Moxie got so sick.

Why? Well, being young I ‘looked’ so strong and healthy! Unfortunately, we just didn’t realize. Mum & Pops hadn’t known any better and weren’t sure if what the internet said was valid.

Cancer cells happen when they take a walk on the wild side, start to grow out of control and multiply faster than we can keep up. Usually, our bodies work hard to keep everything ‘in balance,’ working optimally. When my body maintains this balance, it easily avoids ‘dis-ease.’ Even before symptoms showed up! When cancer cells show, triggered by an attack (Valley Fever fungus) on our immune system, it makes it tricky for us to stay as healthy and happy as we want.

I overheard they might be able to remove my cancerous leg – before it spreads to my body –

keep me hopping around – as the front legs do a better job holding us up. I don’t want to be a tripod and I’m scared of suffering like Moxie. The drugs became too much for her liver and kidneys, important organs to fight dis-ease from overcoming her immune system, and couldn’t handle the side-effects! This led to an unbearable toll. I watched her suffer with no energy, joy or appetite. How could she ever be expected to live?! Despite all the care and support, Moxie soon passed away because of this drug toxicity, which left all of us with heavy hearts. Although, I feel I now have a chance. While our stories can be sad, there’s hope in looking for alternative, holistic approaches we see many pet parents are turning to. More families are realizing Nature’s gifts and how things like a healthy, balanced diet and holistic therapies, especially herbs and homeopathy can be effective in treating dis-ease; even preventing cancer and Valley Fever. Decades of veterinary studies have shown that a significant number of pet parents will choose alternative, natural treatments over sometimes the more harmful allopathic treatments. Clinically proven remedies are becoming more available, as more veterinary clinics begin offering various types of natural treatments rather than using them to manage the drug side-effects.

For me, after talking with my family, we opted to go with a mixture of approaches. Feeling more hopeful now. While they decided to follow through with amputating my sore leg, as it was too badly damaged, they’ve also engaged in holistic lifestyle practices to strengthen the rest of my body through detoxification, proper diet and supplementation, helping give me every opportunity to pull through, beat this, then stay well. I trust them! And whenever I see a gentle, compassionate caregiver who makes me calm and relaxed, I can feel the love and the positive energy needed to help motivate me to heal. My family has also explored options like incorporating superfoods into my diet and taking herbs known to kill cancerous cells, plus using homeopathy to keep my immune system strong.

We learned about the power of lifestyle choices. Having daily playtime in fresh air with sunshine, acupressure/massage to keep my pain down and eating nourishing food are all part of living our best lives that helps keep ‘dis-ease,’ from becoming something like cancer, at bay. Along with fresh foods, there are natural supplements like omega-3 fatty acids (NO SALMON OIL!) turmeric, plus therapeutic dosing of vitamins A, B, C and E, known for their anti-inflammatory properties and benefits in boosting my immune strength. My paw’rents also avoid FADS (False Advice Delivers Sorrow) like brewer’s yeast or hydrogen peroxide “cures” and internet formulas from fly-by-night companies, only researching long standing companies, known for actual results rather than simply short-term reviews. Ask questions and always seek the details. Beware of those combining herbs with homeopathy, in the same formula. Neither will be as effective.

Research has proven how beneficial these steps can be, as it was for us. I immediately felt stronger within days and by the time my scheduled surgery came around, my family had, under the guidance of an experienced herbal and nutritional expert, decided to give it a few more months. Today, six weeks later, we came back from our Sunday hike, and I ran through the wash… for two whole minutes. It was glorious!

Tomorrow, I’ll be even stronger. Especially, if we keep this up.

So happy we learned to live healthier with a mix of alternative care, proper food, and supplements providing our beloved companions the best chance at avoiding fatal dis-eases, like Valley Fever, and cancer from popping up.

Walking this path with love, science, and nature, we hold on to hope knowing that we’re doing all we can to shine bright. As more stories like mine and Moxie’s are shared, the path for other animals grows richer with knowledge, compassion, and self-healing possibilities when given the proper tools. Always listen to your heart and paws; you’ll be guided well. Right back to a long, happy, and most importantly, healthy life.

For more information, email Hello@HolisticAnimalCareShoppes.com

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