The Importance of Hope

A Ridgeback friend reached out for some guidance when she found out her dog had prostate cancer.  I was hopeful that she would achieve the same results I've had with Logan.  She was hopeful as well.  And yet, it's not how things worked out.  Her poor dog's situation was too far advanced and too aggressive and within a week he was gone. 


I was heartbroken for her.  I felt so guilty that I had encouraged her to have hope.  Yet being the super sweet lady that she is, she responded to me, "Stephanie, there is nothing to feel sorry about.  It was good to have hope."  Not only did these words bring tears to my eyes, but it was an example of human nature at it's kindest.  This woman, while hurting immensely over her loss, had the presence of mind, and strength of heart, to mend the pieces of my heart back together. 


Of course, since then I ask myself, "how did I get so lucky with Logan?"  We are now 7 and 1/2 months past diagnosis and he is with us.  He is still engaged, albeit weaker.  Time takes its toll on the body.  And the path of dealing with his cancer has not been smooth.  There have been ups and downs.

Logan in his favorite chair

This past month, we had a setback.  We weren't sure the cause, but he had GI upset.  Was it the peach cider donuts from Carter's Mountain?  He had eaten them before without issue.  Was it the astragalus we had just started giving him 5 days prior?  We weren't certain.  So we stopped all supplements and fed a bland diet for 2 weeks.  He became very weak during this time.  We weren't sure we'd get him back.  However, we got lucky that when we reinstated his normal diet and supplements, he bounced back.  We were even able to enjoy pet night at the Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens (albeit a very warm evening so we kept our visit short.)

Yet, before giving the next liver formula treatment, it is recommended that he take astragalus for 14 days to build the immune system.  Sure enough, at exactly 5 days after starting the astrasgalus, just as before, he showed GI upset again.  This time we were certain this supplement is the cause and we stopped it immediately.

What I am reminded of is that while there is a host of information available on cancer diets, cancer supplements, and cancer stories in general, it is important to remember that no two cancers are the same and each dog and situation is different.  Certainly, we can learn from one another, and we should keep learning.  I saw a quote I think is extremely relevant here.  It says that illiteracy of the 21st century will not be the inability to read and write, but rather the inability to learn, unlearn, and relearn.  For Logan, I am willing to keep learning and relearning, even if it means challenging facts I used to think were true.  And I hope this allows us to have many more swims together (see below).