Macbeth's Poison is Morty's Friend

Deadly Nightshade or Atropa Belladonna is a herbaceous perennial of many uses. It can be quite toxic as employed by Macbeth to kill the troops of Harold Harefoot King of England or Livia who did in Augustus, her Emperor husband in this way (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atropa_belladonna). As a recreational drug it apparently produces vivid hallucinations and delirium but in a diluted form it has healing properties and is effective in stopping acute pain. That's been my observation with Morty these past days. It has been a rough couple of weeks as Morty's cancer had a growth spurt around the beginning of January and actually broke through the gum in his jaw forming a fast growing tumor where the abscessed teeth he had pulled in November used to be.


Chondro Sarcoma: Warning Graphic Imagery

His anti-inflammatory medication (metacam) was no longer keeping him comfortable as exhibited by head shaking / rubbing and intense belabored panting, so tramadol, an opioid was prescribed in addition. It helps but is also not great for the liver especially in combination with the diuretic he already gets because of his enlarged heart.

Luckily i found The Healing Place http://www.healingplace.ca/ and Julie Anne Lee (with Morty in the photo below) who is allowing us to access her homeopathic clinic on a 'pay when you can' basis.
On our first visit, Julie and her team spent close to 2 hours with Morty and I: combed through his medical records of the past 11 and a half years and examined him from head to toe with the goal of developing a health plan that will a) keep him comfortable and pain free and b) put the cancer in remission i.e. shrink and stop the tumor from growing for as long as possible. The latter is a best case scenario, impossible to predict if it will work and if so how long it will last. I am hopeful but also aware as was pointed out that Morty's medical history indicates an auto-immune deficiency not uncommon in dogs who have experienced trauma and abuse at an early age. On top of that, according to our new friends' assessment of the biopsy report, the cancerous cells are multiplying rapidly with a high probability of metathesis. Looking at how fast the disease has progressed since diagnosis in mid-November that would give him about a month and a half before quality of life gives way to unbearable pain and suffering. Still i am hopeful and not ready to give up. Especially, since Morty's pain and discomfort have been significantly reduced thanks to the belladonna. It's wonderful to see him so calm and breathing with ease.

Taking it day by day we will try and reduce the meds that are hurting his kidney and liver as well as initiate homeopathic remedies to inhibit tumor growth. Remarkably, Morty does not appear heavily impacted by what is happening to his body. Apart from being somewhat more sensitive to noise and crowds he is his old self although he does seem most chilled at home. Yet when someone comes over he grabs his toys and invites the friend to play, wakes up eager for breakfast and is terribly excited when i prepare to leave the house and he knows he can come. And so i will follow suit and deal with his cancer in a way that does not take over every bit of space and time - we will keep having fun, visiting with old friends (Jeet Kei came by) and appreciating the beauty that surrounds us like today at Iona Beach.