Woof!

Sunshine, wagging, at home this summer.

Sunshine was doing her happy dance.

It was a Sunday in 2010, one of those hot muggy August days when Sunshine, my shepherd mix, and I were outside playing ball.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Sunshine screamed and ran into the house crying and shaking. I put her into the car and went to the Norwalk VCA Veterinary referral and Emergency Center. When we arrived at the hospital, Sunshine, then 10 years old, was so scared that she would not even let the doctor touch her at all. The doctors thought it was a seizure. They recommended the Animal Specialty Center in Yonkers, N.Y.

A few days later I spoke with my veterinarian, Dr. Evan Kanouse, of Brook Farm Veterinary Center in Patterson N.Y. He knew one of the doctors at the Animal Specialty Center. At first he didn’t think she had a tumor, but during the conversation decided to have her go to the Animal Specialty Center to have an MRI. The next day, we went back for the procedure.

After the MRI, Dr. Jason Berg showed me Sunshine’s tumor and diagnosed it as a glioma brain mass (the kind that isn’t curable.) He suggested radiation or chemo-therapy. All I wanted was to heal Sunshine, not make her sicker.

I went home. I wandered into my den, where I remembered a book I had meant to read, “The Nature of Animal Healing” by Dr. Martin Goldstein. I sat down and started to read. Dr. Goldstein had cured many cancers, the book said, even brain cancers.

“Can he heal a brain tumor?” I wondered. Goldstein said in his book perhaps he could. The next day, Sunshine and I were heading for Smith Ridge Veterinary Center in South Salem, N.Y. Dr. Goldstein’s fee was very, very high, so I chose one of his associates, Dr. Jacqueline Ruskin, instead.

I made a wonderful choice. Using only alternative healing methods, including meditation, homeopathic medicine, diet and massage, Ruskin helped bring Sunshine back to her old self again in less than a year. Ruskin herself marveled at the recovery, calling Sunshine “a miracle girl.”

Sunshine waits for her therapy.

And what an amazing place Smith Ridge Veterinary Center office was: A soft leather couch for Sunshine to lie on in the waiting room. Everyone was so nice and welcoming. But when Sunshine met Ruskin, she dove right under the bench.

Ruskin could understand a dog under a bench. After all, she graduated from the Cornell University School of Veterinary Medicine. And even better, she is taking courses in traditional Chinese veterinary medicine from the Chi Institute to complete certification in veterinary acupuncture for herbology therapy and tui na, a Chinese medical massage.

Sunshine's favorite place to go.

In the examining room, I told Ruskin about that hot, muggy day that started it all. Sunshine had small seizures, she was lethargic and moaning a lot. I wasn’t sure if she was able to see since she could not see her water bowl. She was drinking excessively and urinating a lot. Ruskin told me that her condition was not good. I told her I would not pursue chemo/radiation, and that I wanted her to do her happy dance again.

“On physical exam she had very dull mental activity and was tired, although when I touched she became very anxious,” Ruskin wrote later in her log. “She had decreased ability to blink her eyes due to the brain tumor and decreased vision. Her coat was dull.”

After taking some blood and an examination, Ruskin suggested a three-day therapy. On Aug. 23, we started her on intravenous vitamin C therapy.

Ruskin suggested raw food for Sunshine. Sunshine is a foodie. She will eat anything. She lapped up the raw chicken with all the supplements that Ruskin prescribed.

Sunshine watches Dr. Ruskin begin the therapy.

Sunshine grew better and better every week with each therapy. Ruskin did reiki and qigong energy work one week and Dr. Mike Bartholomew did tui na, a Chinese medical massage, the next week. (Sunshine loved it.)

Tui na is a Chinese therapy for preventing and treating disease. Tui means push and na means pull or lift.

Bartholomew was my second doctor at Smith Ridge Veterinarian. He is a student of traditional Chinese veterinary medicine. He is a certified veterinary food therapist, a veterinary herbologist and veterinary acupuncturist.

Dr. Mike does tui na, a Chinese medical massage for Sunshine. She loves it.

For a while I didn’t really understand the reiki/ qigong therapy. Ruskin explained it to me.

Qigong is meditative and intuitive, and you don’t have to be near the patient. Ruskin starts with the qigong because “you can do it across the room to get Sunshine relaxed,” she said. “With qigong, because you are in a meditative mode, you can intuit what is going on with a patient.”

Ruskin can feel what is wrong with Sunshine. If Sunshine has a headache, Ruskin gets one too. “Sunshine will hurt and then I know that she needs extra attention and then use the reiki,” she said. “In reiki, you place your hand at a certain acupuncture point or a sore place.”

Through the weeks, Sunshine grew better and better. She soon no longer had seizures, and within a month she started doing her happy dance again.

Now every night when I come home, I see my happy Sunshine dancing, and there is nothing better than that.

Below: Watch a video of Sunshine during one of her reiki/qigong sessions.

Ruskin was kind enough to give us her log:

“On the first day she received intravenous vit C, Glioma suis (a homeopathic for glioma brain cancer), and an adrenal extract injection.

“Day two she received IV C, Glioma suis, adrenal extract inj, acupuncture, and an energy healing with reiki and Qigong. After the energy healing we noted Sunshine was more relaxed, no longer shaking/cowering and was more social.

“Day 3 (8/25) she received IV C, glioma suis, adrenal extract inj, acupuncture and energy healing with reiki/qigong. By the third day her coat was already starting to look brighter. “

Dr. Mike giving a massage to Sunshine.

Ruskin continued, “She was discharged on Di Tan Tang (an herbal remedy for seizures), Immustim complex (to strengthen her immune system to fight the cancer), neurotrophin (a glandular treatment to heal neurologic tissue), vetzymes to strengthen her digestion and help her get the most nutrition from her food), Rx biotics (to improve digestion as well by boosting the gut flora that aids digestion), poly mva (a nutritional supplement for fighting cancer by boosting immune function and giving cells the nutrition they need to repair themselves). We also submitted her blood work to Animal Nutrition Technologies (ANT) for the Nutritional Blood Test (NBT).”

Sunshine returned for a recheck appt on 9/3. “At that time you reported she was much improved except still a little tired. You had started her on the raw diet and she was loving it. She had acupuncture and energy work that day.”

On 9/10 recheck she had acupuncture and energy work. She had a small focal head seizure that week. Otherwise was still getting much better with energy etc.

9/17 she had no seizures that week but was starting to get more aggressive so we started her on Liver Happy herbal for liver imbalances that produce aggressive behavior. She had acupuncture and energy work,

9/24 Energy work only. You report she is doing great. Mentation much brighter, coat beautiful, no more issues with vision and finally doing her “happy dance” again. No seizures still.

10/1 AP (acupuncture). Doing great. No seizures, I believe you had started the custom NBT powder by this time.

10/8 energy work. Lots of Happy dancing. No seizures. Still having aggression toward other dogs. Due to no seizures and pet very energetic we decided to start decreasing the Dexamethasone medication to every other day and then stop it in two weeks.

Dr. Ruskin works on Sunshine.

10/22 Tui Na treatment. Doing great

Sunshine loves the massage. Dr. Mike says that Sunshine tells him what she wanted rubbed. She gives him his foot or under her leg.

Dr. Mike goes into a corner because Sunshine likes it there.

10/29 Energy work. Doing great. Had a very small partial facial twitch seizure. Off dexamethasone completely at this point.

11/12 Doing great. Much better with other dogs. Not barking at people and other dogs across the street as much. No seizures, Lots of energy.
11/26 Tui Na Doing great. No issues

12/3 energy work. Doing great. No seizures. Great energy.

12/17 Tui Na. Doing great.

12/31 Energy work. Doing great. Lots of energy. She doesn’t like the new puppy

1/7 Tui Na. Doing great

1/14 energy work. Still no seizures

1/21 Tui Na

2/4 Energy work. Still doing happy dance and no seizures. We recommended decreasing Tui Na and energy work to monthly because she was doing so well and no recurrence of her symptoms..

Pretty much all good reports throughout next several months where she continued receiving Tui Na and Qigong/Reiki until 6/13/2011 presented for being more lethargic, no seizures but not doing happy dance. Physical exam was normal except extreme back pain felt when I did qigong and once that area palpated Sunshine was obviously painful in her lower back (Bladder 23 point in Chinese medicine). Sent her home with Metacam and a homeopathic mixture for back pain and inflammation.

6/20 (10 months from original Vitamin C treatment) presented for still not doing well. Possible partial seizure, howling at owner, panting a lot but eating very well. Her physical exam was normal except still some back pain in same area but it was much improved from prior. Considered repeat MRI due to suspect issues related to the brain cancer recurring and possible cancer now in spine due to ongoing pain there. Decided to try repeat Intravenous vit C, glioma injection and adrenal injection as a one day therapy instead of full 3 days and assess response. Also, did energy work.

7/1 Tui Na. Was doing well since IV C treatment. Issues resolved.

8/12 Tui Na. Still doing well

“That’s it. Almost a year later!” Dr. Ruskin wrote. “Typically brain cancer cases are given weeks to a couple months prognosis so she has beat the odds with flying colors as far as life expectancy and she has done it with excellent quality of life. She is a miracle girl.”

Dr. Ruskin always gives Sunshine a cookie after therapy.