Budwig

    I think I came out of my mother's womb a skeptic. I have been very skeptical of modern pharmaceutical medicine for the last 25 years, but I was equally skeptical with the holistic view that cancer can be cured by nutrition. Such simplicity is pretty hard to fathom for most of us nurtured within our modern science oriented universities. I've heard and read about the German Budwig Protocol for years without becoming overly enchanted with its concept. Even though I love cottage cheese, how could mere cheese and a seed oil possibly overcome cancer? This proposition had seemed inconceivable to me for years. Personal discovery is always made by those individuals who can reassess their assumptions. I am no different. One must never have a closed mind.

     The weekend of July 4th, 2016 was quite illuminating to me, jolting me into exactly such a reassessment! I saw a health recovery miracle with my own eyes that I still can't quite believe!   My experience with the Budwig protocol may give hope to dog owners that may encounter the same problems. I am not trying to sell anything, but only point to the fact that there is always hope in the most dire of conditions. As my herbalist mentor, Dr. John Christopher was fond of saying: "nothing is incurable". I know, more times than not, this will bring a scoff but in a certain sense, it is quite true. Never underestimate the power of the body to heal itself under optimum conditions!   There are other ways to treat cancer other than following the dogma of our health professionals. If you have your own testimonies in response to this page, please write me both the good or the bad at dahart@centurytel.net. There is no reason why the Budwig protocol cannot be adapted for equine use and do wonders for a number of equine problems even outside of cancers.

     Back story:       I was given a 7 year old greyhound bitch from a breeder in Kansas Dec. 24, 2015. This was my first experience with greyhounds and I am impressed. Wonderful dogs! I soon noticed that whenever I took her out, she seemed to be stepping short in her left front leg for some reason. It was more of a "swinging-leg" type of lameness as opposed to "standing-leg" which would suggest it was some type of irritation in the joint area while in motion and not so much when she was simply standing putting weight on that leg. I examined her paws, pads, nails carefully with nothing discovered. I palpated carefully all joints and tissue in that leg with no pain-pressure responses. For the rest of the winter to early spring that slight short-stepping stride was always with her--becoming more pronounced after every month. I hoped time would eventually cure this matter. I treated her with Frontline flea & tick topical on May 25th and soon after, her symptoms started to cascade, becoming worse-and-worse in days. In the 2.5 weeks after application, she was what I would describe as dead lame and getting worse every day. Hopping around, seldom running, in obvious pain. She would no longer do the greyhound "bow" or stretch as many are apt to do. It caused pain for her to stretch her front legs. Still nothing obviously wrong with that leg and she still exhibited no pain when one would flex each joint or press tissues from paw up to shoulder blade. Perplexing!

     I finally decided to go to the Internet to see if I could gain some insight. I did and it was not good! Most canine sites agreed with a page that wrote this: "I wish I was wrong. After twenty years of caring for greyhounds, it appears that there are few exceptions to the rule. When an adopter calls us or comes to our clinic with a limping greyhound over the age of eight years old, that greyhound is almost always diagnosed with the same. Osteosarcoma. We can walk through the steps of diagnosis, but the outcome is almost always the same." In short, by the time a greyhound gets to the lameness stage that my dog was now exhibiting, the cancer has spread to other parts of the body (particularly the lungs) with any hope of a cure being very, very remote. Vets say if you catch the cancer soon enough, one can amputate the affected leg, start the dog on chemo and maybe, it might have a chance? Come to think of it, I did notice my dog beginning to exhibit coughs which she never had before during this latter period.

     After reading that excerpt, my gut told me she had osteosarcoma. Of course, the naysayers will say, NO, she did not have cancer, because cancer can't be cured nutritionally! That is partially a legitimate criticism because I had no lab tests completed! I didn't want to contact a vet as I have never had much luck with vets throughout my life---plus I don't have a lot of money to burn. Past experiences proved I always ended up with a dead animal and a big bill from any of them in my 50+ years of dealing with that profession. I cannot think of one gravely ill animal of mine from cats to horses that ever came back alive from a veterinary office or University Vet Clinic in my life experience. Moreover, if she did have cancer, nothing they could do any way this late in the game. But lets presume she didn't have bone cancer. I do know she was seriously ill from a seemingly systemic condition. This was no simple muscle, bone or ligament injury. I really would be hard pressed to logically diagnose her symptoms with anything else but cancer, but you be your own judge. The Budwig formula seemed to have stopped her serious condition in its tracks. That in itself is worth notice and of value in treatment of many metabolic diseases. Budwig is said to have a wide application to many types of pathology.

     With her conditions worsening, progressing to a standing-leg lameness with paw raised from the floor, she started to exhibit pain from touch to her humerus bone area (arrow in the above photo) for the very first time. The humerus is the long bone right below the shoulder blade ending in a dog's elbow. This is a common site for osteosarcoma. Osteosarcoma seems to prefer sites of rapid cell development like the growth plates of long bones. She was also starting to sporadically cough, perhaps suggesting lung involvement?

     The previous week, I had started her on what I had thought at the time was field bindweed from which I had made an extract. Field Bindweed has known anti-tumor properties and has been credited with saving late stage cancer cases. I was wrong! In my haste, I had mis-identified another vine for field bindweed. I wasted about 5 days giving her this wrong extract and at a crucial time! I soon discovered my error and I happened to find a good fresh stand of true field bindweed in my nephew's winter wheat field. I immediately harvested some to make a new herbal extract for her. I did a web-page on bindweed for those that might be interested. Click on the right button.

     At the same time, I also put her on the inner-bark tincture extract of a locally growing tree on my farm, osage orangeOsage Orange, known for its anti-cancer properties. Still, she kept getting worse day-after-day but in all fairness, I only had her on the herbs for about a week. She was deteriorating so fast, I was tempted to put her down about a week later, but didn't for various reasons. Then Friday night, she was atypically restless all night, moving from one place in the house to another with me occasionally hearing her painfully yelp in the dark. The next morning, July 2nd, in the daylight, she looked really bad. Panting hard on a cool day with the highs were only in the 60s! She was whining, very uncomfortable, refusing to want to move much. I figured today was the day to take her out of her misery. I hate seeing animals needlessly suffer. What a terrible weather day, too! It was a constant all-day rain; cool and none of my brothers were around to help out as a back-up. I had planned to use helium gas for pet euthanasia and needed some one around to help, since I am in a wheelchair. After trying to find a brother in the rain to no avail, I gave up. I would wait the next day while dreading enduring the night to come with her.

     Since I had ordered a bottle of Flax-seed oil just that past week, receiving it on Friday, as well as only obtaining the necessary cottage cheese the following day on Saturday, I thought why not try it on the dog even though I knew it was probably very hopeless? I have been around dying animals as a farm boy all of my life long enough to know that the end was near with my dog. Nevertheless, I took a hand immersion blender mixing a tablespoon of oil in two tablespoons of cottage cheese, the so-called Budwig protocol. I gave her a dose around 1:00 pm, Saturday--dosed her a second time about 4 hours later at 5:00 pm. By mid-evening, she seemed like a different dog! Amazing! I dare say morphine could not act so quickly! I was dumbfounded! She was breathing normally, resting on the rug with some comfort, etc, etc. Saturday night she slept normally. Sunday morning, the 3rd, she was moving fairly pain-free compared to the previous days, even showing a little speed, but still very lame. She actually chased a rabbit for a short distance that morning, which she had not done for many weeks. She continued to improve in the next 30 days. Of course that limp remains, but if her humerus was cancer riddled, that is to be expected to be a slow healing process. Healing such a bone will take time. I am painting her humerus with a comfrey/DMSO paint, putting a cup of comfrey tea once a day in her feed made from the fresh plant, plus feeding her 4 tablespoons of the flax seed oil every day, including bindweed and Osage orange doses. So far so good, but it was the Budwig's flax-seed/cottage cheese that seemed to turn her around within hours! Whether it was the Flaxseed oil or a combination of everything I did, I am not sure. All I know are the startling results.

     Naturally, I said "Whoa"!   I better re-read Johanna Budwig's book! Can it really work that fast in hours? I begin going over her book with a fine tooth comb, and I quickly found this passage she wrote: "I (Johanna Budwig) often take the very sick cancer patients away from the hospital where they are said to have only a few days left to live or perhaps only a few hours. This is mostly accompanied by very good results. " So, I guess it can indeed work in hours! It certainly is not unheard of! If I hadn't seen how quickly my dog responded with my own eyes, I would never have believed that statement, stacking it up to pure hyperbole! She also writes: "It is very interesting to ask how this sudden change is possible. It has to do with the reaction patterns with the character of electrons." My interpretation of this treatment's speed can be described this way, lets distill life down to the very basics. What is the one thing that the living body cannot do without in minutes? It isn't food, it isn't water or much of anything else, but it is air! Respiration is a vital complex cycle in the body's physiology from breathing oxygen into the lungs all the way down to individual cellular respiration, but in its totality, if the body cannot absorb enough oxygen any where along the way, it has minutes to live. Restore the healthy respiration function and one can bring the body back from the brink of death in minutes. It is that sudden and vital! I think this is the answer to how Budwig can so suddenly affect the body, only it is working from the less obvious cellular respiration level.

     I will see how things go with my dog in the next few weeks and months, but I now see a dog that was close to death, coming back into her own. Now, everyday there is improvement. Most impressive! One of the few health miracles, I have witnessed in my life! I will continue to update her status in the following weeks on this page and hopefully have video as well. Take note and this is important, because she was only 8, she had a few more good years left. Had she been pushing 12, the outer reaches of a greyhound's life, then chances are, she would not have successfully recovered. Everything I recount here would be for naught. It is very important to have a younger animal with a robust mitochondrial and immune system as a foundation for success. Do not expect miracles from an older animal close to their expiration date! It is well known that mitochondria cell health is affected by age. Mitochondrial DNA mutations accumulate, the older one gets! Remember, cancer is probably a mitochondrial dysfunction as Otto Warburg theorized. I did an indepth webpage study of the science behind the Budwig protocol which I will not go into on this page, but for those of you interested if this protocol is backed up by science, I offer you the background history on it and its founder, Johanna Budwig on my webpage:     Budwig Protocol Science.

     As a side note, the basic principle of the mechanics behind the Budwig protocol as postulated by Johanna Budwig in the 1950s was that cancer often forms or is stimulated because an animal is not getting the necessary polyunsaturated fats that are rich in the type of electrons we all need for cellular health and which have a matching resonance with the sun's photon rays. She contended that in our modern industrial society, fats are processed to preserve for long periods of storage and that requires destroying the reactive electrons in fats that we need to prevent rancidity during storage. Thus, we are often very deficient from eating such processed foods! Budwig's theory is based on the protein/fat complexes found in all living cells and cellular respiration mechanics, which requires unsaturated fats. This brings up the idea that perhaps my Frontline flea treatment may have precipitated a worsening of her cancer? Perhaps it was a coincidence, but I can't help feel it may have been a trigger in the worsening of her previous slow moving cancer. Frontline contains fipronil, which can be stored in her fatty tissues and could easily disrupt the protein/fat complexes--at any rate; this is something to contemplate in the future. I doubt I will administer any more Frontline. I always had my doubts about the safety of Frontline to a dog. Dr. Budwig writes in her book: "All the poisons which harm the living organism narcotically or toxically, including the benzopyrin in cigarettes, are stored in the fat and divide the fat and protein association process." This is why I suspect Frontline may have been a stimulating agent. Disruption of the protein/fat complex in an animal with cancer must only worsen conditions.

Canine Osteosarcoma

First, lets talk about canine osteosarcoma. It is one of the most common bone cancers found in the large canine breeds (75-85% of cases). Typically, it destroys the bone from the inside out, becoming increasingly more painful as time goes by. Lameness may start suddenly or progress over months. Eventually, swelling may be observed from the affected bone, but most of the time, signs are pretty subtle. It is a very deadly, aggressive form of cancer. By the time obvious lameness is seen, metastasis has occurred with spread to other organs, primarily the lungs. Its causes are not known, but it is suspected, diet may have an important influence on risk. Also, studies have shown viruses (polyomavirus and SV-40) and RNA viruses (type C retroviruses) may stimulate osteosarcoma. Fluoride in drinking water has been linked to this cancer. Finally, quoting one web site: "A sister chemical to lufenuron, which is a popular insect growth regulator used orally for flea control in dogs and cats, is diflubenzuron. Two metabolites of diflubenzuron, para-chloroaniline (PCA) and 4-clorophenylurea (CPU), increased the incidence of hemangiosarcoma and osteosarcoma in animal studies. Lufenuron accumulates in fatty tissue." Perhaps my use of Frontline was indeed a precipitating factor!

Common Symptoms:

1) Non-specific to specific lameness in one of the limbs with or without painful swellings is this cancer's hallmark. It can also occur in the skull and pelvic regions. Pain can be intermittent in the beginning, but increases as the disease progresses, weakening the bone structure. Approximately 75% of this type of cancer occurs on the long bones of the legs, many near the growth plates. In the back leg, the most common sites are around the stifle and hock joints. In the front leg, the shoulder area (humerus) and the distal radius (forearm) are the most common sites.

2) Discomfort increases over the duration, stimulating other signs such as irritability, aggression, loss of appetite, weight loss, sleeplessness, or reluctance to exercise. Eventual fracture of the affected bone is common in many cases.

3) Average survival times range from 4-6 months. The Greyhound is the 3rd likely large breed to be afflicted with osteosarcoma.

Diagnosis:

1) Rule out all possible causes of lameness via physical exam and x-rays. Be aware that x-rays often come up negative during the early stages of osteosarcoma.

2) Biopsy of affected bone or tumor. Accurate biopsies are difficult to obtain due to the large tissue samples needed for positive tests. It is quite common for biopsies to come back negative which demands a re-testing. It is also a painful procedure for dogs to endure and can spread the cancer.

3) Bone scan.

Conventional Treatment Strategy:

1) The basic medical and veterinary dogma is that malignant Osteosarcoma cannot be cured. Palliative care is the only option--putting the dog on anti-inflammatories and pain medications. Amputating the leg is one way to control this pain. I personally find this dubious reasoning. How on earth will major surgery not cause increased pain for weeks or months likewise?

2) The second part of palliative care is to catch the cancer as early as possible, amputate the affected tumorous bone, initiate chemotherapy and/or radiation for tumor control.

3) Published percentages of survival: Amputation only- 10% alive after one year, amputation with chemo- 30-60% alive after one year, chemotherapy only- 60% alive after one year, radiation + chemo without amputation- 50% alive after one year. The degree of metastases is is very critical to survival out-comes. Seems to me, that amputation doesn't do much from these statistics!

My Personal Treatment Strategy:

     As I mentioned above, because I didn't obtain a positive cancer diagnosis from a Vet Clinic, my observations will be largely discredited here. This is understandable, though I am not sure how legitimately? In hind-sight, I wish I had spent the money for the tests, but I have always had bad luck with veterinarians. If she is ever put-down, I will do a post-mortem for clarification. In the meantime, I would like to list here why I am pretty sure she had osteosarcoma. Judge for yourself:

1) A long standing lameness in the left fore that continually became worse over 6 months. As an old racehorse trainer, I have had a lot of experience coping with lameness. I have honed my skills in detecting subtle soreness in isolated bone, muscle and ligaments up-and-down legs my entire professional life. I routinely intensively evaluated my dog from nails to shoulder blade coming up empty until on June 19th, I finally was receiving a pain-response from her on finger pressure on her humerus region. This is another clue that my cancer diagnosis was probably correct! The humerus bone is not that easily injured in everyday life and usually only has pathological problems from serious metabolic conditions such as cancer. A fracture or simple muscle/ligament injury simply would not have this 6 month profile. I know of no malady that would mimic this high end lameness other than cancer, particularly given the documented experiences of many clinics specializing in greyhounds.

2) She was additionally beginning to show infrequent respiratory coughing toward late June into July. This was a first for her and would suggest metastasis to the lungs.

3) Standing back, it was obvious she had a systemic problem involving multiple organs in late June and July. It was no simple muscle, bone or ligament problem of her left fore leg. Her lameness evolved from a swinging-leg lameness to a standing-leg lameness with on the morning of July 2nd when she refused to put weight on that leg at all for any length of time along with the other serious symptoms I previously recounted.

I have long felt that healing is more of an art form than a science. There are hundreds of alternative medical/veterinary directions which one can follow and combine together to create a unique protocol for an individual. Nothing works all the time on every individual. Nor does the sick ever necessarily encounter exactly the same pathogen or condition as the next individual. We are all different as are all dogs and all pathogens. All pathology is unique despite commonly given names. Gut instinct, close observation, and plain old luck are never to be underestimated in fighting disease. It is important to always be observant and think and be innovative! When dealing with a serious illness, time is always of an essence, and one must see a response no matter how subtle in days or try something else! One must be sensitive to the slightest daily change. Never become so hide-bound to not see the truth of what is happening! If you don't receive a successful response, try something new!

     I also have studied cancer therapies for over 20 years and I am just plain intrigued by certain protocols over others for whatever reasons. I guess, this is an example of my gut instinct at work! In the case of my dog on this page, Field Bindweed was one of the first herbs that came to my mind early in the treatment. This plant was brought out of obscurity by the Riordan Clinic of Wichita, Kansas. I have it growing wild on my farm, and I have been fascinated with it for years. I am also intrigued with the Osage Orange tree. Another plant that grows profusely on my farm and has anti-cancer properties. Comfrey is yet another favorite herb of mine, and I do have it growing on the farm, too. It is one of the most powerful bone healing herbs anywhere and is said to have anti-cancer properties. You may have noticed that I prefer locally grown, fresh medicinal herbs to anything that I can buy at the herb supply houses. I consider the fresh harvested locally wild herb to be the most potent and economically viable solution to all therapies! One needs to become a student of the plants growing around you!

     Finally, I am not sure why, but later in the game of treating my dog, I decided to purchase a bottle of flax-seed oil for the Budwig Protocol. I had tried it on myself last winter with no remarkable responses, but then, I was not sick as far as I knew. The Budwig protocol was not a stranger to me, just forgotten. That is when my miracle happened! Since I went to all the trouble to buy the Flax-seed oil earlier in that week and finally had gotten a cannister of cottage cheese a few days later, I went ahead giving her some without absolutely any hope of real success. She was really bad that morning of the 2nd, and I was planning on putting her down shortly. Within hours, she was a different dog! How could that possibly be? This is where luck comes in! We all need to be lucky in life once and a while! I hit the right combination and the dog is alive today. Whether it was just the Flax-seed oil or a combination of my herbs in conjunction with the oil, I do not know. It suited her needs.

My Modified Budwig Protocol:

First & Second weeks: Total of four tablespoons of Jarrow organic, cold-pressed Flax-seed oil in 8 tablespoons of 4% regular cottage cheese. I fed her 1 tablespoon of oil + 2 tablespoons of cottage cheese approximately every four hours during her waking day. In this single dose, I would add 10 cc of my infused bindweed tea, along with 2 ml of my osage orange inner-bark tincture. I would use a hand immersion blender to mix the oil in cottage cheese, then add the 10cc of bindweed and 2ml of osage orange, spooning it in until I got a good uniform mixture. She ate it right down. I did not change her diet, but did add 1 cup of an infused fresh comfrey tea letting it soak into her dry feed along with 10cc of bindweed and 2ml of osage orange once a day before feeding. I would also paint her shoulder at least once a day with a DMSO comfrey topical paint. I could see daily progress for the next 30 days.

She had been showing this daily progress for the first month with my using the Jarrow brand of Flaxseed oil. Jarrow's had a nice light, almost tasteless flavor. Exactly what they say fresh flax-seed oil should have! Day-after-day, I could see improvement. I emptied my first bottle of Jarrow's the last week in July and could not obtain a replacement. I was on back-order. The Barlean's brand of Flaxseed oil is widely known, but is is so expensive! I decided to purchase a 32 ounce bottle of Vitacost Flaxseed oil, also advertised as organic for about the same amount of money as Jarrow. Granted, some of the buyers' reviews were not very favorable for Vitacost, criticizing this product for being fishy tasting, perhaps with some degree of rancidity, but I went ahead ordering some anyway. When I finally needed a new bottle, I opened the new Vitacost bottle up and it had a slightly harsh taste unlike Jarrow's. I was rather concerned, but had no choice but to use it. Within about a week of using this new brand, my dog suffered a major set-back on August 3rd showing uncharacteristic lameness in her shoulder, occasionally yelping in pain, and limping even at the walk. Just the day before, she was moving superbly! Such a sudden change over night! At the time, I didn't put two & two together but now in retrospect, I am suspicious that perhaps the new Flaxseed oil may be the cause after continual non-improvement over the following two weeks (Aug 3-16) using this off-tasting brand! The flax-seed oil companies online tend to preach that rancidity of their oils are much more rare than most people believe. They say their oils can last for months in the unopened bottle, even not refrigerated. I tend to not believe them particularly after my latest experience. Perhaps all of the failures and disappointments from people who have tried the Budwig protocol unsuccessfully could be partially due to the use of bad oils! For buyers who have had little experience with flax-seed oil, it is hard to know what is fresh and what is not! If I had not lucked out in receiving a fresh bottle of Jarrow's that first time, I would have had no idea how bad the second bottle of Vitacost's oil was. Again, luck at play! It is easy to get away with a sub-standard oil in this business! I have decided to press my own oil from whole flaxseed using a Chinese-made seed oil expeller/press like the image to the right. I will see if this can produce a better, fresher oil and will let my readers know in the next few weeks how it all turns out and how the dog responds.

Breaking News: I tried out my Chinese Flax-seed Press last night and it did a very nice job! The resulting oil was very mild nutty tasting as it should be! I am sold on this being the only way to go! My first press job involved 2 pounds of whole organic dark brown flaxseed which produced 350 ml of oil or close to 11ounces. I estimate a 34% oil recovery rate on this batch. It seems to be just as good as any fresh premium oil which probably cannot be purchased for less than $17 per 16 ounces on a normal day. I have $4.00 in my two pounds of production not counting the cost of the machine. I will devote an entire webpage to DIY Flax-seed Extraction.

Later Notes on Dog's Progress:

It is hard to know why I stopped seeing a very successful steady improvement after the first 30 days while my dog was on the Jarrow flax oil until I run out of that bottle. Perhaps, me having to give what appears, now, to be a going-rancid oil afterwards stopped this progress and may have made things worse? Dr. Budwig warned against stopping this regime and I may have done that inadvertently by using a rancid oil? Certainly, it is known that the toxic substances from the rancidity of flax oil can be detrimental. I had her on this bad stuff for about another 30 days until I started making my own, fresh. Also during this time slot, she was doing a lot of full speed running bursts which may have injured an already damaged bone trying to heal? Animals are hard to control and if they feel well, could easily over-do and cause damage. They are their own worse enemy in such matters! I decided to stop giving her bindweed tea and osage orange extract around the end of august which may be another factor. Also, there has been some "hiccups" on my part in perfecting my do-it-yourself flax-seed oil. Heat is detrimental to the essential fatty acids in flax seeds though some is needed to efficiently extract the oil. In the beginning, I was unknowingly heating the seeds up to 160 degrees F or perhaps even higher? As of Sept 12th, I have decided no pre-heating at all is necessary and probably produces a much better oil. The mere mechanical action of the seed press is enough to generate more than enough heat for oil extraction. It appears that simply feeding room temperature flax seed into the hopper is the way to go with the oil exiting the cylinder coming out below 100 degrees F. I will do more temperature monitoring on this matter. The dog reached a low-point around Sept 9-12th, the worse I have seen her since the July 4th weekend with paw off the ground, hopping, bouts of periodic yelping when she moved the wrong way. I will double-up on dosage for a few days as Dr. Budwig suggests that her Flaxseed oil & cottage cheese is excellent for pain relief in cancer cases. Opiates are to be avoided as they interfere with the protein/fat complex in the body.

Progress durng November going into December seemed limited, but on the bright side, she doesnt seem in any discomfort while resting or sleeping. No yelping at night, etc. when she moves the wrong way. I was careful not to let her run loose in order to try to limit any trauma to her shoulder, but around mid-December because of bad snowy cold weather with me in a wheelchair, I allowed her to go outside on her own. She seems lamer on the whole, but so it goes. She is psychologically happier to have free rein. Hopefully, she will protect herself from tissue damage by limiting her running. It has been a year since she has come into my care as of Christmas Eve.

Summary Time-line of Symptoms and Treatments:

Timeline	Symptoms	Treatment
January - May, 2016	Typical summer tick infestation.	No treatments. A "swinging leg" lameness of the left fore. Nothing obvious.

May 25, 2016		Application of topical Frontline Tick & Flea

June 13, 2016	In the night, she yelped for the fiirst time, holding left paw up.	No Treatment.

June 17, 2016	Markedly daily worsening of her lameness pain. Now, exhibiting "standing leg" soreness.	Realization that her symptoms matches canine osteosarcoma (bone cancer).

June 19, 2016	Moving slower and lamer. Showing soreness to touch in humerus region for first time.	Started her on what I thought was Field bindweed, but wasn't + Osage Orange.

June 26, 2016	Progressively lamer. Vomited my mis-ID'd Bindweed extract after 5-days.	Realization that I harvested the wrong plant. I Harvested & processed the proper Bindweed.

July 1, 2016	A bad night, she was restless, couldn't find a comfortable position. Yelping in pain.	Thinking seriously of putting her down in morning light.

July 2, 2016 (first half)	In constant pain, whining, left leg off ground, little movement, panting in cool weather. Plan to put her down shortly.	Gave her initial dose of Jarrow brand Flaxseed oil in cottage cheese at 1:00pm & again at 4:00pm

July 2, 2016 (evening)	Amazing! Seems like her pain has subsided and resting comfortably.	Third Budwig dose before bedtime along with Bindweed and Osage Orange extracts.

July 3, 2016	Holding my breath as I get up and check her out. Seems much better!	Four doses of Budwig per day, dose- 1 tablespoon per 2 TBS of cottage cheese.

July 4-10, 2016	She shows improvement every day! Moving faster and putting more weight on the leg.	4 Tbs of flax oil every day, Bindweed extract, Osage Orange extract, Comfrey tea.

July 11-	Continued improvement, putting weight on left fore nicely. Even doing the "greyhound stretch" !	Reducing Flaxseed oil to 3 tbs per day this week + oage orange, Bindweed, comfrey.

July 15	For the first time, she is running for the sheer joy of running. That's been a long time!

July 18-24	She continues to improve, running more and more to simply run. Stepping short only at trot.	Cut her to 2 Tbs of oil a day with same dosages of Comfrey, Osage Orange, Bindweed.

July 21	She is again being infested with fleas and itching. I will not use Frontline again.	I mixed up coconut oil with a few drops of tea tree oil for topical application for fleas.

July 25-31	walking & running sound, slight limp at trot	2 Tbs of Vitacost flax-seed oil per day in cottage cheese + bindweed, comfrey, osage orange extracts.

August 3	She woke up very lame and in pain after a normal day before! I will go back to my initial dosage amounts.	Back to 4 tbls a day of oil + osage orange + bindweed

August 4	She seems back to normal, once I increased her oil dosage. Walking sound, running.

Aug 3-16	She has worse days & better days. The day-to-day progress seems to have stopped seen in the 1st month.	I suspect that perhaps my replacement brand of oil may be the cause. Perhaps rancid to some degree?

Aug. 16	I am pressing my own home-made Flax-seed oil with a Chinese seed press.	Started her on my DIY oil this evening. Total of 2 tbls today.

Aug 16-26	Improvement has stopped. In fact, showing lameness even at the walk despite new oil.	Pressing my own oil, 4 tablespoons a day.

Aug. 29	Starting to see some improvement again.	4 tblspoons of my DIY oil per day in cottage cheese. Stopped giving her Bindweed and Osage Orange.

Sept. 9-12	Worsening of left leg pain, avoiding weight contact--worse since the July 4th episode!	4 tblspoons of DIY flax oil, no osage orange or bindweed

Sept 12	I am still trying to perfect my DIY flax oil. I avoided all heat to the raw whole seed this afternoon.	Feeding flax oil without using pre-heated seeds + osage orange + bindweed + dosing every 2 hours.

Sept 13	Seems more comfortable with more weight bearing on Left fore.	Feeding oil and cottage cheese every 2-3 hours

Sept. 18-22	She seems in less pain, moving about the same. Noticeable lameness at the walk as always.	Back to a 4 tblspoon dosage with painting her shoulder with comfrey & bindweed paint.

Sept 23-27	Starting to seem to have left her cycles of good days and bad days. She is walking better.	I put her on a leash on the 23rd to limit her running exercise which seems to be exacerbating her shoulder.

Oct. 9-14	Maintaining health with soreness minimized when exercise can be limited via leash.	Reducing Flax-seed oil dosage to 3 tablespoons per day from 4.

Oct. 15-Nov. 18	She seems to be maintaining her pain thresholds. No apparent improvement in her gait.	Went back to 4 tbs a day as 3 seemed to result in a decline.

Nov. 19- Dec. 31	She is lamer, but maintaining & active.	4 tbs dosage per day, Painting shoulder 2x day.