Can Cleavers / Catchweed / Stickyweed / Gallium help my Shepherd Kali's Tumors?

Last week Monday I went to donate blood at the Stanford Blood Center - something I try to do every 8 weeks. I'd brought Kali along because she loves nothing more than riding around in a car. When I was done with the donation, we went for a walk around the park across the street.

About 5 minutes into the walk,all of a sudden my eyes got wide as I realized I was staring at a HUGE patch of cleavers along the edge of the sidewalk! But it was growing around a very thorny, sprawling rose bush! Great protection for the plant, but not such great protecton for my bare hands!

I ended up spending TWO HOURS pulling up those cleavers, so I could blend them up in my vitamix and put the juice into Kali's food. I did this last year when they were in season, and it really did seem to keep her tumors from getting to big... but I ran out. So I was determined to pull up as many of these cleavers as I could, from that thorny patch!

This is Kali, as she sat there watching different dogs go by while I weeded away : D.

 

Note to self: Keep leather gloves and clippers in the car from now on! 

Some information about Cleavers / Catchweed / Stickyweed:

 Before I attacked the patch...

After I was done.... I didn't have garden clippers, so I used the scissors that was in my car, to cut these pokey branches back a bit. 

 Damn, I feel like I shoulda gotten paid for this!

People must have been wondering what the heck I was doing, pulling up these weeds in the park. It must have been obvious I didn't work there. But eh, whatever. I don't know why the gardener for the park didn't already pull them up, but I imagine nobody would MIND that I took these weeds... unless someone else was growing them for medicinal purposes!

I should note that YES, I did wash these greens really well, beause I know the chance some dog may have peed on them at some point, could be fairly high. But I also know Kali won't know the difference!

I put the cleavers juice into the bowl I use to mix all the dog food together. None of the dogs seemed to mind it! They all got the rabies vaccinations at the same time (and 3 of my 4 dogs developed growths or an increase in growth size after). So I figured it can't hurt to give the stuff to all of them. 

Kali ate it up!

Benefits of Cleavers Plant | A Weed You Can Eat + Cleavers Recipe

CLEAVERS: Benefits and Uses of this Wonderful Weed!

Cleavers AKA Sticky Willy ID and Some Medicinal Uses Galium aparine

How Cleavers Can BENEFIT You |The Medicinal Benefits of Cleavers

Meet Gigi - A Super Sweet Senior German Shepherd - Loyal & Full of Love - SUPER Soft Fur!

*****UPDATE*****  

I found THE BEST home for Gigi!!! A woman from NextDoor (who is rarely on the site) just happened to be looking for a senior shepherd at that very moment in time. She had lost her senior shepherd a few years earlier, leaving one of her dogs feeling a bit lonely. I met her and her husband and was overjoyed.... I could not have found a more perfect pair to give Gigi a great life. I'm very grateful to them, as well as NextDoor. Gigi (now named Stormi) has a wonderful home. Me and her new Mom agree, it was kind of like a Universe / God thing.  I can't help thinking her previous Mama, Patty, was helping out from the other side. Thank you Patty, for giving your girl so much loyalty and devotion. It looks like shes gonna have a great rest of her life till you guys meet up again on the other side of the rainbow bridge : ) 

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For the last six months, my friend Rob has been telling me about nn old friend of his named Patty, who just moved back into town after a long hiatus out of the area. She was 70 years old, and she was from the Bay Area, like Rob, but moved out of state for a while. She had been living with her son in Texas, but when she was unable to make the rent, he kicked her out. 😞. 

Patty would have qualified for low-income, affordable housing in the bay area, if she was able to do just one thing... give up her dog, German (whom Rob calls Germie, and I call Gigi).  But Patty - who got Gigi as a puppy over a decade ago (her 11th birthday was a few days ago) - absolutely refused.  And I couldn't help admire her for it. I likely would have done the same thing. I have always viewed my pets as my own kids, and can't imagine giving a single one up if it meant they could end up getting euthanized in a shelter. 

I had wanted to meet Patty and her dog - especially after Rob mentioned that German reminds him of my foster girl Poppy, whom I swear is like my autistic child.  But they were located in San Jose and it's a bit of a drive for me. In the back of my head, I had been thinking of ways I could maybe offer her some kind of work or housing. But I've been going through serious hardships of my own, and am already pushing the limit for how many dogs I can help at a time. So I just kind of kept thinking about Patty in the back of my mind, but never got to actually meet her while she had been living out of her car in San Jose. 

Sadly, a few days ago, Rob texted me with the news that Patty had died very suddenly and unexpectedly. She had been saying for a while that she had really wanted to take a shower, so Rob helped her up the stairs to their mutual friend Rachelle's place, and Rachelle let her use her shower. Rob and Patty were chit chatting in the kitchen while Patty was in the shower, and after about 10 minutes went by, they realized it was unusually quiet. Rachelle went to go check on Patti, and found her slumped over and unconscious. Her lips were turning blue and she didn't have a pulse. They called 911 and paramedics were able to bring up a slight pulse, but they were unable to completely revive her. It's heartbreaking. 

Rob and Rachelle are waiting for the coroner to determine a cause of death, but my guess is that one of the factors will be heart failure.  She must have felt so overwhelmed and depressed, after she had been kicked out of a place by her only son, living in a car that smelled like ammonia, because she and her dog were both experiencing some levels of incontinence (I wasn't aware of this until she had passed). And she could barely walk (something I didn't know till the other day). I am feeling really guilty now, because I feel like I should have offered for her to stay at my place. I didn't realize how dire her situation was. Rob said Patty suffered from allergies and Asthma, and when he had commented on the strong ammonia smell coming from her car, she said she didn't notice it. I shudder to think of what those fumes had been doing to her (and her dog's) health for the last 6 months. She couldn't have been getting a good night's sleep in her car, especially with how it smelled, and it's been cold lately. Rob said he offered her an extra blanket but Patti refused, saying she was fine. 

I can only imagine how not having a place to live, besides your car, can definitely take a toll on your psyche and health and it sounds like it really led to Patty's downfall.  She absolutely refused to give her Shepherd Girl up, and that sacrifice just made me feel like I needed to step in and try to help her dog if I can.  I feel so bad for this woman. Excuse my French but it sounds like her son was a Grade-A  A**hole. Rob just told me he once pounded Gigi on her head when he lost his temper (I think this is when Patty decided to leave). 

This is a video still from when I first met Gigi... she's standing next to the car she lived in almost 24 hours a day. I wish I could explain to her, what happened to her Mama. Anyone who knows me knows that taking on another shepherd foster (likely to become a foster failure) is the VERY LAST thing I should even THINK ABOUT doing. But I found it impossible to just walk away from this situation. 

Patty had been parking her car on the street by Rachelle's place. Rachelle's Mom (who realizes her daughter gets easily stressed and overwhelmed) could see that Rachelle was extremely anxious and stressed about Patty's death (and experiencing some PTSD because she had found another friend dead after choking on a chicken bone while drinking vodka). Because she had let Patty take a shower at her place, she was terrified that this would somehow cause her to lose her affordable housing.  Rob has been trying to assure her that she was not in the wrong for letting her just take a shower at her place. If anything, you'd think it would have helped her lungs to clear out some of the fumes she'd been breathing in.  

Rachelle's Mom said she was going to call Animal Control and have the dog sent away. I couldn't bear to let that happen. This poor dog was already devastated and confused over the fact that her loyal owner and lifelong guardian was now gone, and we had no way to explain to her what happened. 

Since the car smelled like Ammonia (and so did Gigi), we took her to Pet Food Express, where we were able to give her a nice warm bath with lots of suds. 

Gigi gets tired very easily as Patty was injured and felt unable to take her for walks on a daily basis. You can see her in this pic, sitting on a lawn that's just a few houses away from our house. She felt like she needed to sit and rest after walking less than half a block.

 

I gave her a Bemer treatment and she did seem to perk up a little after it. If you've never heard of PEMF technology, you can learn more about it HERE. It's been given to racehorses to make them stronger, and it's helped to heal my other shepherds' injuries quickly. 

It didn't help that her nails were unusually long. I feel really bad for Patty, and don't want to blame her too much for not walking her or cutting her nails, because clearly she was in a dark and overwhelming place for a while. I wish I could have done more to help her, but I didn't realize just how dire the situation was until it was too late. 

Although it's not hard to get Gigi to smile, she definitely seems sad in general, trying to figure out what's going on. I feel terrible about the fact that there's no way to explain to her what happened to her Mom. I kinda wish they could have asked the cops to allow the dog to come inside and see her body, so she might understand that she wasn't being "abandoned."

Last night, she started howling in the middle of the night, and this went on for at least half an hour... it may have been an hour, You can hear some of it from our Furbo camera. I think she may have been doing this on the first night (when she was in the car all night because she refused to come out). My dogs started howling like crazy a few times nnd I'm thinking it was in response to her howling from the car. 

So I had to go out to the living room and sleep with her on the couch. Luckily, it did stop the howling. I think she just needs to be comforted for a while. 

Luckily, Rob was able to stop by and it really perked her up. It wasn't as comforting as if I had been able to bring her real owner back, but it was the closest thing to it, because Rob had seen her about 20 times before, and Patty was always there with Rob when they were hanging out. Gigi really needs some reassurance right now, that things are going to be ok, and it's helpful for her to have a familiar, friendly face around, after she just lost her owner AND her home (the car she was living in). I imagine she's been really scared and freaked out, not knowing what's going on or why. 

Dogs tend to LOVE Rob (who has helped me out tremendously with my own dogs). Look at that smile on Gigi's face, after Rob stopped by to check on her and assure her that everything was gonna be OK. It was so cute, the way she lit up. I had to send these pics to Rob. 

Sadly, Rob is not able to keep Gigi. So I'm hoping she will eventually come around and won't feel the need to howl in the middle of the night. This is her howling again when me, my boyfriend Sean and Rob all went out for lunch. We were just gone for a few hours, but when I checked the furbo from the restaurant, this is what I heard: 

 

  

Gigi is extremely sweet-natured and my dogs welcomed her immediately. I was actually kind of shocked about this, as they tend to be very reactive towards other dogs on the street. 

Titus immediately sniffed her out, and gave her a big grin of approval! Gigi reminds me a lot of Titus' old lady, Kali (in addition to Poppy). I wouldn't be surprised if both are part wolf. They both have those narrow jaws and bushy "wolf tails" that look like the end was dipped in ink. 

Shelby meeting Gigi and wagging her tail...

For anyone who has never fostered or adopted a senior pet, I can tell you it is one of the most heartwarming experiences you can imagine. 

She comes with a bag of dog food, and I also can donate a large dog crate and bedding. I am also happy to continue to give her (and her new owner) PEMF treatments, any time you want to stop by. You can learn more about the technology on this page: 

https://theshepherdpeople.blogspot.com/2024/03/the-centropix-mat-incredible-pemf.html

I am also happy to share Kangen water, with whoever adopts her (for both Gigi and her adopter).  If you don't already know what that is, you can learn more on this page: https://www.facebook.com/hydrationbreakthrough/?_rdr

AND I also have a machine that makes this amazing stuff that's in my opinion even better than Vetericyn - heals pet wounds really well. I can share as much of this stuff as you (her adopter) may ever need for Gigi. You can learn more about it here: https://theshepherdpeople.blogspot.com/2024/03/hypochlorous-acid-for-healing-and.html

If you or anyone you know might be interested in fostering or adopting Gigi, please get in touch with me via the contact form on the right side of this page. THANK YOU!!!

Laura

Meet Bramble - A Dog who lived to be 25 years old - And was on a VEGAN Diet!??

Many years ago, Monica told me about a vegan dog who lived to be old enough to make it into the Guiness Book of World's Records. I couldn't believe it! I thought there was NO way dogs could survive on a vegetarian diet. I looked it up, and what do you know? Bramble was a REAL DOG who really did live to be 25! I'm not saying anyone else should put their dogs on a vegetarian diet, but I think it's worth noting here because clearly this dog's owner was doing SOMETHING right!

(Click on this picture to the left to see the book on Amazon)

Bramble; The dog who wanted to live forever. The Somerset notes. Paperback – 24 April 2013

by Ms Anne Heritage Ma,Ba (Author)

4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars    62 ratings

There are so many health benefits in veggies - fiber, phytochemicals, probiotics. Even for those of us who don't necessarily want to give our dogs a strictly vegetarian or vegan diet, it might be worth figuring out how we can incorporate some more veggies into our dog's diets. 

It's also worth noting that Bramble only ate once a day. So many of us are taught that we should feed our dogs twice a day (which I have done with my shepherds since I got them), to the point where it seems like it would be cruel to only eat once a day. 

We live in a culture that has been trained to believe a slow metabolism is a BAD thing. But I truly believe a slow metabolism is a BLESSING. It's a good thing, that makes our bodies incredibly amazing and efficient!  How is it not a GOOD THING to be able to get by with eating less?  The more food we eat, the more we increase our carbon footprint, use more resources, and the more (less fortunate) animals have to be slaughtered to become food.  FAST metabolisms only became "good things" as we humans got more and more food all over the place, and we want to eat like gluttons : D. 

Bramble – 25 years 89 days

Breed	Border Collie
Age	25 Years 89 Days
Location	United Kingdom

Bramble was fed a vegan diet throughout its life. Its human parents claim that they offered their pooch a diet of lentils, rice, organic vegetables, and soy-based vegan foods. The dog also ate just once daily. Interestingly, there are vegan foods that were named after bramble. The Border Collie ended living for over 25 years which is way longer than its breed’s average lifespan of 14 to 17 years. He passed away in 2003.

Yes, a slow metabolism is associated with a longer lifespan: 

• Metabolic rate theory of aging

  This theory suggests that species with slower metabolic rates live longer, while species with faster metabolic rates die younger. The theory was first proposed by Max Rubner in 1908, and later supported by Raymond Pearl's experiments. 
• Primate study

  A study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that primates have long lives because of their slow metabolisms. Primates burn 50% fewer calories each day than other mammals, and have relatively long childhoods and don't reproduce as frequently. 
• Energy metabolism and aging

  Restricting energy intake and reducing metabolic rate can slow the rate of aging and extend longevity. However, increasing energy expenditure has also been associated with improved health and longer life. 

Please note, I am NOT saying you should starve your dog!! Please don't.  Especially if they get a lot of exercise, and shepherds DO need a lot of exercise!  If you're not sure if your shepherd is at a healthy weight, check with your vet. I also found this information online (click on the blue link to see more). 

In terms of weight, an adult male German Shepherd weighs anywhere from 75 to 90 pounds. A female German Shepherd weighs notably less at 55 to 70 pounds. Please keep in mind that these numbers are only estimates to give you an idea of how much bigger a German Shepherd puppy may get.

German Shepherd Growth & Weight Chart - Pawlicy Advisor

Pawlicy Advisor

https://www.pawlicy.com › blog › german-shepherd-gr...

I am just trying to point out that a slightly slower metabolism isn't necessarily the BAD thing that we've been thought to think it is. Just think about it. The animals that live the LONGEST are the ones that have SLOW metabolisms (and eating one meal a day - instead of splitting it into 2 meals - gives you a slower metabolism). 

Tortoises, elephants and sloths can live over 50 years in good living conditions. Greenland sharks can live to be 500 years old!  What do all these animals have in comon? They have slow metabolisms!

For those of us who wish our dogs could live forever, I thought you might want to know some of this information. I will continue to add some form of meat into my dog's diets, but I am also making an effort to add more healthy, detoxifying, energy-boosting veggies into my dog's food, in a way that we are all happy with!

My Dog Poppy CHOWING down her food with probiotic cabbage

Calorie Diets Could Extend Life Span And Delay Disease, Researchers Say | NBC Nightly News

The Inspiration of Bramble the Vegan Dog | Wild Earth Dog Food Founder's Story with Ryan Bethencourt

Why I Stopped Feeding This To My Dogs

Your Vegan Dog is HOW OLD?!

Meet My Vegan Dog | Vegan For 8 Years

How calorie restriction could improve lifespan | Peter Attia & Steven Austad

If you're still not convinced a vegetarian diet could be good for dogs, please click on this link. I am still feeding meat to my dogs, but am definitely adding more veggies to their diet because of their health benefits. 

https://justbekind.co.uk/blogs/news/oldest-living-dog-bobi-dies-aged-31

I'm pasting some of the iinformation from the page, below:

A balanced vegan diet is one of the best diets that you can feed to your elderly dog

I wish that I knew this 7 years ago. My biggest regret as a vet, is not feeding our previous family Labrador, 'Slick', a plant-based diet.

I now know that she would have lived so much longer. She would have not suffered from as much arthritic pain as she did in her latter years. I am so thankful that I can feed Ruff a balanced and healthy vegan diet.

He is turning 11 this year and needs all the support he can get with his little bent front legs and heart murmur so common in small elderly breeds. We all want our elderly dogs to stay as healthy, happy and as comfortable as possible so that they live as long as possible. None of us want our elderly pets to be in any form of discomfort or pain!

How does a plant-based diet benefit elderly dogs?

💚 1. Elderly dogs need high quality proteins that contain all 10 essential amino acids. The proteins must be readily available and pure plant-based proteins. Animal-based protein diets are high in Phosphorus which can hasten kidney disease if your dog is predisposed (read about how ALL my family dogs died of kidney failure here). Healthy older dogs can tolerate higher levels of plant-based protein which are naturally pure amino acids with none of the toxic build up found in fish and animal organ meats (as I exposed when speaking at the London Vet Show just how many toxins were in Royal Canin, Hills and Purina dog foods).

💚 2. Even more important than protein levels, plant-based diets contain anti-oxidants that protect the ageing cells in your dog's body. Beta-carotene is a natural anti-oxidant found in bright orange sweet potato, blueberries and fresh carrots for example. The highest level of antioxidant is found in the bright pink microalgae called Astaxanthin that quite literally delays the ageing process in dogs! We will be stocking this superfood very soon so watch this space!!!

💚 3. Vitamin B12 is a water soluble vitamin and an essential nutrient that helps to keep the body’s nerve and blood cells functioning. This MUST be supplemented in any age of dog on a vegan diet, but even more importantly in our elderly dogs to delay doggy dementia. Some dogs such as German Shepherds may begin to show signs of dragging of their hindlimbs with spinal nerve dysfunction. This vital vitamin is found in nutritional yeast (with added Vit B12 which is even better such as found here), as well as in beans, sweet potatoes, cauliflower and added to our JUST BE KIND supplement.

💚 4. A healthy gut is key to your dog’s overall health and longevity. 70% of the immune system is found in the intestines. Plant-based diets made with natural prebiotics and high in fibre are ideal. They provide all the elements to feed your elderly dog’s immune system and produce a functioning and balanced gut microbiome. Our 4 homemade recipes that you can make for your dog, contain 30 different colours and varieties of plant proteins to naturally feed your dog's good gut bacteria.

💚 5. Always supplement a home cooked diet for dogs of all ages. One important amino acid addition in the supplement - Methionine - is needed in our elderly dogs. It helps to acidify the digestive tract environment. Vegan diets tend to be alkaline promoting diets and with age, a dog’s digestive tract also becomes more alkaline. This can reduce the amount of important nutrients absorbed such as Iron, Zinc and Vitamins. Adding Methionine helps to neutralise this alkalinisation. Asparagus, peas, brown rice, lentils and bright pink natural cranberry powder added to any homemade food for your dog also help to acidify the intestinal environment.

💚 6. I advise that a homemade plant-based diet is fully mashed or blended. Peas, beans or seeds are completely softened and broken down to allow for maximum intestinal absorption. This is even more important in our elderly dogs who may not chew as well as they used to, due to loss of teeth. Give A Dog A Bean is an ideal food to feed elderly dogs due to its palatability and it is full of pure plant proteins without any soya or wheat that is usually genetically modified and may contain pesticides. ALL of the ingredients in Give A Dog A Bean are free of GMO's which means no extra toxins, just pure proteins to enhance the health of your elderly dog.

💚 7. You can select natural anti-inflammatories such as herbs like basil and oregano. Natural spices are also so beneficial such as boswellia (Boswellia is added to GOLD DUST Joint and Supplement)

The kindest plant-based anti-inflammatory is Algae oil Omega 3 oil. This is the purest form of Omega 3 with none of the heavy metals or high levels of Vit A as sometimes found in cod liver oil and salmon oil. Omega 3 is so beneficial for ailing joints and nerves. Our elderly pets also need the addition of the immune boosting pure Vit D3. This is also found in Omega 3 Daily or from UV radiated mushrooms (chop raw mushroom and leave in sun for 10 minutes before cooking). Older dogs may not get out for long walks as much as they used to and be exposed to as much natural sunlight as usual, so would need this extra Vit D3. This article shows how Omega 3 levels in the blood can extend the lifespan of our dogs just as it does with us.

💚 8.  A plant-based diet contains no hidden saturated fat that we find in high meat diets. These are detrimental in humans to heart health, and in dogs can predispose them to carrying extra weight or the very painful condition pancreatitis. Plant-based diets offer one of the best diets for heart health, especially if they are balanced with added pure Omega 3, Taurine and Vit B12 for heart muscle function. 

💚 9. Cataracts are a dull cloudiness that forms over our elderly pets’ eyes. It affects their sight and quality of life. Feeding a folate-rich diet such as bright green cooked kale, red cabbage, spirulina and beetroot, can actually reverse the onset of cataracts quite dramatically. The word folate actually comes from the word foliage (plants)!

💚 10. Carrying extra weight is common in elderly dogs. It puts extra strain on their already painful joints. It also affects their breathing, heart and energy levels and makes them more predisposed to cancer and diabetes. Plant-based diets are low in fats and high in fibre. You can  see the excess weight literally drop off and energy levels return when switching to a plant-based diet.

Studies show how a small amount of weight loss in elderly dogs amounts to a 6% reduction improvement in mobility and pain!

💚 11. Where your dog displays signs of cognitive dysfunction (doggy dementia), it is best to feed them a plant-based diet. They do better on a diet that is high in medium chain triglycerides. They use this as their energy source when older rather than glucose. Coconut oil has the highest source of medium chain triglycerides, so include desiccated coconut in your homemade cooking, or add coconut oil to their food (can be added into Gold Dust Joint Supplement instead of Algae oil, although as it is a saturated fat, it goes quite solid in the jar and can be difficult to mix to a paste compared to Omega 3 Algae oil). This means that your elderly dog can stay bonded to you and recognise you for longer by delaying the onset of any doggy dementia.

💚 12. Plant-based means no animal products. Many meats contain added hormones, growth promoters or zoonotic bacteria (as found on and in raw meat). These toxins would all need to be processed and excreted in your dog’s ageing liver and kidneys. A fresh plant-based diet contains nothing but goodness, and the results are remarkable. There is no need for their bodies to work hard to remove these toxins.

💚 13. Processed diets and treats filled with preservatives and food colourants can increase the chances of obesity and cancer in your pet. This is especially true if they are overweight.  A healthier diet filled with anti-oxidants lessens the chances of cancer and ensures that your loyal dog lives to a good old age. Read about darling brave Breta who survived cancer...and is still going strong!