Just months after I lost my father to lung cancer and several strokes, my beloved Bailey was diagnosed with prostate cancer. The doctors advised me that my Bailey had only three to four months to live, but with chemo we might be able to extend his life by six more months. For months prior to Bailey's diagnosis, I saw my father battle this disease, subsequently suffering one big and several small strokes. I watched helplessly as it took its effect on his body and spirit; a scenario I didn’t want to see repeated with my loving pet. As the voice for Bailey, I had the unfortunate and fortunate position of having to make all of his decisions. He couldn’t verbally tell me what he wanted, but I knew my old dog would never survive chemo and above all, I didn’t want to see him suffer. Since I am a strong believer in holistic remedies, I went online and studied alternative remedies to cancer. In addition to changing his diet and adding herbs/supplements to his diet, I began what I referred to as “healing sessions” with Bailey. This technique was taught to me by a dear friend who is a clinical massage therapist with training in the art of Reiki. Reiki is a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes healing. We all know the effects of positive energy and despite the lack of scientific data to back it, even the most skeptical people I know turn to some sort of spiritual-based thinking in times of need. I would begin by putting on soft, meditative music. I'd then place my hands on his body, particularly in the areas of his heart, lungs and prostate. I would breathe deeply into my body and then envision positive energy flowing through me to him. I would imagine the blood running freely through his veins, into his heart and lungs and picture all the organs in his body functioning properly. I would envision the tumor in his prostate shrinking until there was nothing of it left in his body. Performing this ritual, I could feel the energy running down my arms, out of my fingertips and into his body, like a flow of electricity. When feeling this sensation, I always knew when it reached his body as he would jolt just slightly and then lift his head and look directly at me. This happened each time, without exception. I would perform these sessions at least once a week, sometimes more often, if he was feeling particularly low on energy. After these sessions, he would be more alert and lively, often acting like a young dog again. I am completely convinced that his new diet and the healing sessions are the reason that, 21 months after Bailey was given four months to live, he was diagnosed as being prostate cancer free. Sadly, one month later, in the same way as my father, my old boy suffered a stroke and lost his eyesight and hearing on the left side of his body. And just like my father this seemed to be the last straw for him. He stopped taking food and getting excited when we came home. It seemed an effort for him to even raise his head but he always did. The night before he left us, he was no longer able to walk without assistance and I and my husband had to carry him outside to relieve himself. The next morning he looked at us with his loving tired eyes and we knew could not deny him his rest. When we took him to the vet for the last time, they assured me that Bailey had lived out his life as any normal 12+ year old golden retriever would have, even if he had never been diagnosed with cancer. And the fact that we were standing there, in that terrible moment, on that sad day and not on a day 22 months earlier, was purely remarkable. I am so grateful for nearly two extra years with my dog. I am grateful to my friend for teaching me about the power to heal ourselves, to the internet for being such a wealth of information, to the vets who supported me in my holistic approach and to Aimee Quemuel for creating this site as a tribute to her dog Cody and the love that we all have for our pets. Her book and this site will be a Godsend for those who are faced with the difficult challenge of fighting cancer.

POSITIVE and negative ENERGY are extremely powerful tools and should be used wisely. Surround your pets with the things they love, especially you. Make their environment CLEAN and HAPPY, feed them HEALTHY FOODS, EXERCISE them regularly and above all, let them know how much you LOVE them. Dogs just want to please you so the more pleased you are with them and the more positive attention you are giving them, the HAPPIER and HEALTHIER they will be. This proven method also works very well with children and husbands...lol. There are several good websites out there about holistic healing which I will list in later postings but for now, please see Cody's story for tips on feeding. We researched many of the same sites and used many of the same foods, herbs and dietary supplements. Veggies are great, especially tomatoes. NO RED MEAT AND A LOW FAT DIET! Cancer feeds off fat and the properties in red meats. Commercial dog foods are full of fillers an are NOT good for them, regardless of what the advertisers say. There are some very high end kibbles out there like "Blue Buffalo" & "Neutro" which I would use as a supplement when he wouldn't take the herbs. These kibbles do have a lot of the vitamins, herbs and nutrients they need. But if your dog will take anything you give him, then I would stick to what you make yourself, this way there is no doubt what you're feeding your pet. FLAX SEED is a wonderful cancer fighter (but don't use oil unless you won't be cooking it because it becomes toxic when heated). It has been known to stop and even reverse the effects of cancer, especially prostate cancer. It was interesting to find out that only dogs and humans are prone to prostate cancer. Therefore, EVERY MALE, dogs and human alike, SHOULD BE ADDING FLAX SEED in their daily diets.