Max Diving in the HBOT

So.. when a patient goes into a HyperBaric Oxygen Therapy Chamber (HBOT)  They refer to it as a dive.  Probably because it looks like they are going down in a submarine!

Here are some photos of Max and the HBOT at Southpaws!

HyperBaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) Chamber

HBOT

Portal!

Getting ready for Mr. Max

Max getting ready to Dive

Getting comfy

Super Max the submarine dog!

Getting all snuggled in to his HBOT!

Ready for a nap during his treatments!

BELOW IS A VIDEO SHOWING HOW IT ALL WORKS

And another video



Click here to learn more about HBOT Treatment at SouthPaws

Where can you find HBOT for animals?

There are a number of places.. this is by NO stretch a complete list.  There are many HBOT facilities available for horses that may also work with other animals, and there are some human facilities that have HBOT and will work with local veterinarians for animal treatments.

In the United States
Southpaws in Fairfax / Falls Church VA
Holistic Veterinary Care in Oakland CA
Animal Emergency & Referral Center in Ft. Pierce FL
Ravenwood Veterinary Clinic in Port Orange FL
University of Florida, School of Veterinary Medicine in Gainesville FL
Saint Francis Animal Hospital in Jacksonville, FL
Peace Love Pets in Commack NY
Veterinary Associates of Cape Cod in Yarmouth MA
Mars Hill Animal Hospital in Bogart GA
 SPCA Florida in Lakeland FL

Around the World
Town & Country Vet in Richmond New Zealand

Chinese Herbs, Alternatives & Diet

Max at Vet getting acupuncture 10-13-11

I didn't get into much detail earlier on about the chinese herbs that Max has been on and is continuing to be on, but for those interested in alternatives, including Traditional Chinese Medicine, Acupuncture, Homeopathy, etc. I thought I'd include a little more detail for you.

After Max was first diagnosed, we went to our holistic vets (Veterinary Holistic Care in Bethesda MD where we see Dr. Kitty Raichura, and Dr. Tracy Lord, who practices in Richmond and Williamsburg VA. ) Here's what we did (It's important to note that I didn't give him all of this stuff every day - only when I felt like he needed it. He did get items 2-7 daily)

1. Weekly Acupuncture to help strengthen his energy and immune system 
2. MilkThistle 2-3 capules daily to help support his liver and kidneys while on Prednisone
3. Astragalus (we used both capsules and Chinese Flower brand formula depending on what he'd eat) to help strengthen his immune system
4. Stasis of the Mansion of the Mind (Chinese Herb prescribed to help move energy / chi  in his mind and help clear any dieing tumor cells
5. Wei Chi Booster - to help increase his energy
6. CAS suppliements for Dogs - to help boost his immune system
7. Tumeric sprinkled on his food to help his immune system and reduce swelling (Tumeric is a natural killer (NK) agent)
8. IP6
9. Poly MVA
10. Homeopathic mixture that was custom made for him by Dr. Lord to help with his specific symptoms

 I stopped everything except for the Milk Thistle and Astragalus when he went in to the hospital.  We started him back up on Stasis of the Mansion of the Mind and Wei Chi Booster 2 weeks after his last CK therapy.

We also started to use a Natural Hydrocortisone pill that we weaned him on to to replace the prednisone he was on.  The Natural Hydrocortisone is soy-based and I do not feel it is nearly as strong as the prednisone. For every 10mg of prednisone he was on, he took 20mg of the natural hydrocortisone.  Sometimes I felt like he needed more.  We did get him down to 5mg of prednosone every 4 days and 20mg of natural hydrocortisone ever other day before he went down hill after chasing that squirrel. I've heard different doctors thinking different things about it so if this is something you are considering weigh all the options and facts with your vet. The positive is that the soy-based natural hydrocortisone won't mess with liver and kidney functions as much as the prednisone does, in my opinion through, and I have no medical background, I think the prednisone is more effective, but that doesn't mean you can't use them together or that the natural hydrocortisone may not work better for another patient who isn't as advanced as Max was.  I think it's very important to remember that every patient is unique and I am just letting you know what we did and what worked for us as well as what options you may have and may want to discuss with your vet.

We have had a lot of success treating our pets with homeopathic methods, Chinese Medicine, Acupuncture and alternative therapies including ozone therapy for other kinds of cancers.

Max has been on an anti-cancer diet most of his life which is probably why he doesn't have any sign of cancer anywhere in his body. Meningiomas are benign masses.

His typical meals include:

1. Grilled Chicken usually - sometimes steak (1x every other week)
2. Fresh Veggies or a 1/2 cup of Honest Kitchen Brand Freeze Dried Veggies (Preference)
3. Scoop of organic canned pumpkin

He has been completely grain free since he came to live with us when he was 11.

He loves to eat frozen broccoli as treats, or cantaloupe, blueberries, apples, carrots, cucumbers, or other veggies. The dogs also get frozen raw bones with the marrow inside. I usually keep them frozen because they last longer, are less messy, and keep them cool in the summer. I'll also refill the raw bones with organic salt free, sugar free peanut butter and freeze them too.  The dogs also love roasted turkey, and salmon which they occassionally get.  We have very rarely ever bought and fed our dogs commercial dog food and when we have it's been either The Honest Kitchen or B.G. (Before Grain) products.