Apr 29, 2011

Treating Rosy's Melanoma Naturally

By Cathy Scott

Rosy, my 11-year-old basset/heeler mix, has a new mole-like growth just above her right eye. My heart sunk when I discovered it. It's just below her right eyebrow (if dogs have eyebrows) and just above her eyelid. I didn't notice it because of her fur, and that area above her left eye is raised too. But the right side is larger. Pulling the fur back, it looks black, which was the color of the fast-growing malignant mole she had removed from her muzzle three-and-a-half years ago. That's when she was diagnosed with dermal melanoma. She's done exceptionally well considering a diagnosis that the survival rate on the high end is just two years. After her diagnosis, I immediately began giving Rosy supplements to boost her immune system so she could fight the cancer.

After having a second and third mole removed a year after the first one and those tests coming back benign, not malignant like the original, I'm not going to make an attempt with this growth (it doesn't appear to be painful). It's too close to her eye, and I can't imagine the discomfort it would cause her if it were removed. It's black, like the original malignant mole, so it does scare me. But, instead of pursuing surgery, I'm stepping up her supplements. She had some skin issues a few months ago, which told me her immune system was challenged. So, I upped her probiotic intake and started giving her the enzyme Astaxanthin, and it worked. I've been giving it to my shih tzu Joey for chronic eye inflammation in one eye, and it's helped Joey a lot too (besides attacking radical cells, Astaxanthin protects the eyes and lessens inflammation).

As of today, because of this seemingly fasr-growing mole, I'm giving her Astaxanthin twice a day instead of once. I'm also now regularly giving her Omega 3 and Coenzyme Q10, as well as a barley tablet. I'll report back the status of the growth after she's on this regimen for a few weeks. Fingers -- and paws -- crossed that I see the size of this new growth decrease.