Kate
"OTCh Summit Farm's American Express UD (Kate) was just 7 years old when I found a lump in her throat last February. It was a Mast Cell tumor. It was removed along with a lymph gland and a branch of her jugular vein. The surgeon said she would probably have 4-8 months. My vet suggested we do what we could and see what happens...Mast Cell tumors are very unpredictable. We put her on Prednisone (the chemo drug of choice for Mast Cell tumors) every other day. I decided to put her on a homemade diet just so I would feel like I was doing something to help her survive and to boost her immune system as much as possible.

"Dr. Christine Zink directed me to Monica Segal who helped me come up with a diet designed for cancer patients...low carbs and higher protein/fat, and the supplements needed for a balanced diet that supported a weakened immune system. I use mostly beef as her protein, but do use chicken as well and twice a month she has a fish weekend. The veggies are put through a meat grinder and I combine greens (rotating collards, kale, spinach, mustards, etc), carrots, sweet potato (not much) and broccoli (lots). I use cheese and hard boiled eggs as crate and bedtime treats.

"We are now almost 6 months from the start of the diet and chemo...Kate looks great, she has beautiful coat and has maintained muscle tone (even with limited conditioning). She has also held her body weight and her liver/kidney functions are great. The yeast in her ears that has always been a fight is now gone...her very bad breath is gone! She feels very good, is eager to go, ready to train, chase bumpers, swim, whatever I offer...AND at this time, we have had no reoccurrence of the cancer. Her blood work is great and the vets working with us marvel at her condition.

"Do we have a cure?...it's too soon to know. Is the diet helping her thrive through this?...absolutely! The reality of this is...even if I eventually lose her to the cancer, the quality of her life after the surgery has been excellent and she has LOVED every meal!!!! And that is worth every second that I spend grinding veggies!!!!"
– Debbie, USA

Kayla
"We heard you on the radio this morning and thought "Hey! That's Kayla's Dietician." It seemed like a good time to tell you that Kayla's progress has been fantastic. Her prednisone has been cut back from 10mg per day to 2mg every third day. Our vet can't believe it and nor can we. Thanks for all your support."
– Jennifer and Greg, Aurora, Canada