Palliative Care and Turmeric Paste

Relaxing after an evening walk, 8/10/15

Burke is doing well on 20mg of prednisone. Eating and drinking worries are a thing of the past. We have been spoiling him and have created a food monster. Burke used to not be allowed to eat from the table but that rule went out the window along with many other rules such as healing when we walk. Now he trots out in front of me on walks and I just smile.  I just love watching him move down the sidewalks and alleys, tail wagging, butt swaying, looking back every so often to make sure I'm keeping up with him - very sweet. Now when we go on walks, "Burke's in charge!"  

Stephanie and Lukas came home this weekend and Burke was showered with attention. We all feel cheated by the cancer and throughout the weekend I saw the kids cuddling up with Burke. "He looks so healthy, I can't believe he's dying!" "Yeah, I know." followed by petting, kisses, and hugs. "I love you Burkee Boy." 

Because Burke's appetite has returned I can feed him the anti-cancer diet and turmeric paste 3 time a day. Some studies have shown that curcumin (the bioactive compound in turmeric) can inhibit tumor growth and may even shrink existing tumors. This has to do with the spice’s ability to shut down blood vessels that feed tumors. I also scheduled a consult with a holistic vet for Thursday in the hopes that we might find some holistic treatments to improve and prolong Burke's life. 

We are at peace with our decision to stop chemotherapies at this point and to not pursue radiation therapy. We don't want him to suffer the side effects of the treatments and we've lost hope in the ability of traditional therapies to combat his cancer. Burke is happy now and he's learned how to (almost) enjoy riding in the car without being medicated! We have three walks a day, depending on the heat, and a couple of playful moments around lunch and in the evening. Tug-a-war and stealing socks and underwear are his favorite playtime activities. He also enjoys his rawhides; chewing on them for a bit and then burying them in the garden for safe keeping.

At night, Burke has taken to sleeping under our bed next to the register. He wakes up early to go outside and then jumps on the bed with dew-soaked paws for morning kisses. Everyday we have with him is a gift.