Melissa here,
 
Thought I'd post an update on Friday.  I have gone head-first into debt
buying goofy homeopathic remedies to mix-n-match in a diet for her; if none
help at least I can console myself by thinking I'll be the most new-age
chick on the block when it's over.  I'm having the most problem with dosages
(Bob Church: I bet you can help!  Mail me!  *poke*), but have found a few
guidelines for supplements that I'll continue to work with.
 
She's currently getting fed a whole hodge-podge of homemade mushes - for
those of you who make Duck Soup, I can only heartily recommend the Earth's
Own (or Earth's Best or Earth MotherShip Superior, whatever) organic baby
food (probably available in your local natural foods store).  The meat foods
are usually vegetable plus turkey/beef/chicken - you can find the one with
the most meat content - but Friday and Noodle LOVE the taste.  Neither will
touch Gerber's.  I got the chicken n stars and the turkey n veggies.  Also,
being the insane nut that I am, I taste everything I make for my furts, and
this stuff is pretty mild but quite tasty.  Friday will eat it straight, but
since she's hooked on Ensure I also add a bit of that.
 
Anyway, I've got a witch's brew of anti-carcinogen homeopathic remedies and
vitamin supplements that I'm cautiously experimenting with, and now that
I've found a soup base Friday likes we'll see what things help.
 
Vets: I've been told herbal licorice root extract is being used by some
homeopathic vets as an adrenal hormone replacement.  Would one of the
doctors mind looking into this?  It also has laxative and expectorant
properties (supposed claims) so I'm not prepared to use it in any sort of
heavy dose.
 
Well.  Let's actually get to Friday's condition: She's on .1cc of pred a
day; I'm not likely to take her off that soon.  Her front neck and armpit
lymph glands are swollen visibly, but she's bright-eyed, fluffy-coated, and
walking better than before (she was having front end problems).  One of her
front feet is kinda floppy, but she is playful and punchy and enjoys biting
me and my SO whenever we let her.  I'm feeding her two cubes of soup mix a
day (with voodoo additives) but she still eats plenty of her Iam's.  All
around good for now.  The pred causes her stomach upset, however.
 
IMPORTANT NOTE for those with cancer patients: Put the patient on distilled
water and as much of a non-processed diet as you can manage.  Things in tap
water are unpredictable and often bad, and besides - distilled water for
your pet's use is really cheap.  While I don't know that preservatives and
chemicals in Iam's or TF or any other food are aggravating her system, I'd
like to control what chemicals go into her so her body can concentrate not
on filtering out toxins but on staying as healthy as possible.  I *swear*
the distilled water made an immediate difference.  All of my pets like it
better too.  I was originally going to make a chicken/vegetable soup - easy,
very very easy to make, as in 30 minutes a week preparation - but she didn't
like that as much as the baby food, which has chicken, pasta, garlic,
carrots, yams, and no salt and no processed sugar.  Oh well.
 
Musteloshaman Melissa and her subjects, signing out
 
 ___ Melissa Litwicki __ [log in to unmask] ___
 By the whole newsgroup devoted tennis showing
     it after scarfing fork and laughters
[Posted in FML issue 1899]