Ginger's Story
NCD Animal Health Talk
Share your story here
Ginger Supplements and Diet

NCD Animal Health Talk - Hosted by Terri Taylor and Conleth Golob.

August 21, 2007: with Regen Golob and Rosemary Levesque
August 28, 2007: with Regen Golob and Mercedes Colburn
September 04, 2007: with Regan Golob and Erin Zamzow, D.V.M.
September 11, 2007: with Rosemary Levesque and Joyce Jackson
September 25, 2007: with Shannon Sutherland, D.V.M.
October 02, 2007: with Copper Thomas
October 16, 2007: with Rik Deitsch

Hosts

Terri Taylor
Environmental Journalist specializing in Environmental Toxicity 

Conleth Golob, Owner of Issaquah Montessori
Conleth is an advocate for animal well-being and the remarkable people who care for them.

Speakers

Joyce Jackson - Equine / Companion Animal Acuscope Instructor
Ms. Jackson is the founder of Animal Therapy Systems and Progressive Therapy Systems. 

Regan Golob, D.C.
Dr. Golob has 30 years experience in alternative medicine and developed bio-energy analysis. 

Rosemary Levesque; Reiki Master, Biology Teacher and Wellness Coordinator
Rosemary has been creating wellness in her home and for families since 2001. 

Erin Zamzow, D.V.M.
Dr. Zamzow specializes in Equine dental health and nutrition and is associated with the Washington Toxic Coalition. 

Mercedes Colburn, PhD, N.D.
Dr. Colburn is the owner and co-creator of Equine Iridology, Grid Reaserch, and 35 years experience in natural health care and alternative medicine. 

Shannon Sutherland, D.V.M.
Dr. Sutherland has 15 years experience in veterinary medicine and has been using Natural Cellular Defense in her practice since 2006. 

Copper Thomas, Certified Equine Sports Massage Therapist
Certified Equine Iridology Technician and Certified Iridologist 

Rik Deitsch, Pharmaceutical Biochemist and Nutritional Biochemist
Rik is the CEO and President of Nutra Pharma Corporation and is on the scientific advisory board for Waiora.

The NCD Animal recorded calls are for informational purposes only. They are not intended to diagnose illnesses or make treatment claims, and are not intended as a substitute for Veterinary advice.

Ginger's Story

Though Ginger's story below began in October 2006 with her collapse from hemangiosarcoma (blood cancer), there is much more to tell. Ginger is certainly a wonderful and unique girl, and we look forward to sharing our upcoming book and relating the rest of the story.

Click to see Ginger's photo gallery.

Update, September 20, 2007

Today we celebrate Ginger's one year anniversary from her initial diagnosis and surgery. Hurray! Though an anniversary can be a victory, we see every day as a victory and a gift. Ginger is an old girl and in good health. How wonderful to be able to say that! We walk three or four times a day and appreciate Ginger's ability and desire to be active.

Our goal is to share Ginger's story and her success in overcoming critical and life threatening health challenges, living a life with quality AND quantity. We also have a passion to make a difference in people's lives, not only through Ginger's story, but through the success stories created as a result of sharing this message with you.

If your life has been touched by Ginger's story and liquid zeolite, I invite you to submit your own story. By reaching out to others you could help another million lives… animals AND people. If you share this passion, which has become a sort of mission for me and so many other people, we have more to talk about. Your future and the future of many may be in the message. I know mine is. I look forward to hearing from you.

October 21, 2006

Ginger is my 12½ year old yellow lab who has been an insulin dependant diabetic for 5 years. Because of this development we gave her a raw food diet and supplemented her with wonderful nutritional supplements that allowed her pretty good control over her blood sugar levels.

On September 20, 2006 Ginger collapsed at 4:15 a.m. I immediately thought it was low blood sugar and rushed to give her karo syrup. When she didn't respond to that I checked her blood sugar with a glucometer and discovered that her blood sugar was high, not low. Ginger couldn't stand and we brought her to our local emergency hospital.

Through ultrasound the doctors detected a mass on her spleen. She had emergency surgery to remove the mass and the spleen. Internal bleeding and a drop in blood pressure was the cause of her collapse and Ginger was diagnosed with Hemangiosarcoma, a blood cancer. Hemangiosarcoma manifests in highly vascular organs like the spleen or the heart. Internal bleeding allows for the abnormal cells to seed themselves throughout the body. There was certainly plenty of bleeding during the surgery as the spleen ruptured.

Ginger was quite weak after that and spent 4 days at Dove Lewis Emergency hospital. She received a blood transfusion to boost her energy and her red blood cell count. At the time before the transfusion her count was 17. After that it was about 21 or so. Normal is 35 and we were told we probably wouldn't see that. We were also told that dogs with this type of surgery rarely live more than 2 months following surgery and not to worry too much about controlling her blood sugar. It would probably be high and remain that way. The picture they painted was pretty grim.

We were introduced to liquid zeolite last May and decided we all needed to be taking it for prevention. Ginger had the benefit of taking a “detox” dose right along with us for 30 days. We were seeing some interesting signs back then but didn't really know what we they meant. I remember her passing a purple slimy stool and thought that that was her way of detoxing. She had a cough that disappeared, too. She seemed to have a little more energy during that time, but it was hard to say what was really happening. We cut back on the drops she was receiving to a minimum and skipped quite a few doses during the time of July through September.

During her stay at the hospital we asked the staff to give her drops whenever they checked on her. That was quite often as she was in ICU. Since she has been home she has been getting 10 drops of liquid zeolite per hour. It may sound like a lot but I understand that zeolite has GRAS status with the FDA and is safe. I also understand that hemangiosarcoma is probably the most severe form of cancer a dog can have. We needed to be aggressive with her healing.

Here's what we're seeing as of today, 4 weeks since her return home from ICU. Two weeks after the surgery her red blood count was up to 37 (normal is 35.) Her appetite is good and her strength is increasing daily. She wants to go for longer walks and is jumping up as we boost her into the car. Her blood sugar is managing well and we've had to reduce her insulin a bit. Today we took her to the river where we watched our daughter in a crew race. It was nice to have Ginger with us enjoying the time outside and socializing. We find that she is sleeping less and is back to being underfoot, something we had not seen for a long, long time.

I believe we can look forward to more quality time with Ginger. At 12 ½ she may not have years ahead, but we're planning to enjoy her company for some time still.

Update, Nov 6, 06

Ginger continues to do well. We see that the pads of her feet are soft and there doesn't appear to be any more scarring under her skin where she has had insulin injections for the last 5 years.

Update, Jan 12, 07

Ginger is still with us and doing well. It has been 113 days since her surgery. I am now giving her less insulin because her blood sugar is lower. She continues to have good energy and strength. Her vet says that these are signs of a healthy dog. Both of Ginger's vets have joined me in sharing liquid zeolite as a complement to their services.

Update, April 9, 2007

It has been nearly 7 months since Ginger's collapse. We've had a few challenges along the way, but not with cancer. In March, Ginger contracted pneumonia. Her lungs were filled and through ultrasound and x-ray we could see fluid on her heart as well. Ginger spent the night in emergency getting IV fluids and antibiotics. I instructed the staff to give her 10 drops of liquid zeolite every hour as they monitored her through the night. Again the doctor painted a grim picture. With Ginger's age, now 13, and complex nature as a diabetic they were not hopeful. Ginger was home with us the next evening. We continued with oral antibiotics and liquid zeolite every hour during the day, about 60-100 drops per day. Within one week her lungs showed to be about 80% clear, no fluid around the heart and absolutely no visible sign of cancer. It was nice to have the confirmation.

Last weekend we had another challenge, this time with a bacterial infection in her gut, Clostridium. We are well aware that older dogs with a compromised immune system will have these challenges. Again we were aggressive with the liquid zeolite and oral antibiotics. The next day Ginger seemed just about normal. I am continually amazed at her quick recoveries.

Update, April 28, 2007

It is just over 7 months since Ginger's surgery. We understand her immune system to be shining bright, sparkling, in fact. These are the words of Karen Anderson, Animal Communicator whom we met in Portland recently. This morning Bob heard a little shuffling downstairs at the normal time for us to get up. I guess we weren't quick enough for Ginger. She was stepping up the first step to come upstairs, something she hasn't attempted since way before her surgery. How delightful to see her enthusiasm for the start of the day. Though she didn't need to come up to wake us, we are seeing more fluidity in her movements and ease in her joints. Her energy is good and we are delighted with her in every way.

Update, the next day

Ginger climbed the stairs to wake us up at 6 a.m. I was so overwhelmed by my joy at her accomplishment that I hugged her and had a good cry.

Update, May 23, 2007

More good news. We had a follow-up vet appointment yesterday with Dr. Goodman. Ginger was unusually active and showing more energy during her visit. The clostridium infection that has bothered her for a month is dramatically coming under control and her improvement is four-fold from only one week ago. I am attributing the improvement to a slight change in her diet. We added coconut oil and whole leaf aloe vera concentrate along with another probiotic that we give her several times per day. I really like how a grocery store had the ingredients I needed as a solution for Ginger… not more meds. Dr. Goodman is wonderful to admit that he and veterinary medicine do not have all the answers and works with me to help Ginger be better.

Even better, Ginger needs less insulin now than last month and even the month before. I've been tracking Ginger's blood sugar and the amount of insulin I give her. In my analysis Ginger needs 2 units less insulin than she did in April. April had also shown an improvement of a reduction in insulin by 2 units. That means compared to 2 months ago, Ginger needs 4 units LESS INSULIN now. So are these signs of a healthy dog? YES!

Update, June 9, 2007

More good times. Last week my husband and I along with our daughter took Ginger to Cannon Beach, parking close to the sand so Ginger wouldn’t have to walk too far to get to the water. We had a fabulous day with the sun shining. During lunch at a restaurant with outdoor seating Ginger slept in the shade by our table. It was definitely a day to remember. Last September, who would have thought that we would ever have this opportunity again.

Re: Ginger’s health, we took Ginger off antibiotics about one week ago, after almost six weeks in trying to eradicate the Clostridium infection. We are continuing with the zeolite drops which are a boost to her immune system. In addition we are giving her colloidal silver, 250 ppm, 20 drops two times per day with her meals. So far so good! The antibiotics, though seeming to help initially, may have just contributed more to the problem and upset the balance in her system. Any probiotics I gave her may have been killed by the antibiotics… a vicious circle. Her energy is good and we are not seeing a recurrence of diarrhea. Time to cut back on the insulin again, in fact. Yippee!

Update, June 21, 2007

Nine months after Ginger’s initial collapse and subsequent splenectomy we are celebrating her continued improved health and mourning the loss of sweet T.J., our neighbor’s Golden Retriever who just 3 weeks ago was diagnosed with hemangiosarcoma of his heart and last night succumbed to its devastation. It has been a very rough time with T.J. and I’m in tears as I write. The tears are for T.J. and for all the dearly loved animals who become entwined in our lives. We ask ourselves why this horrible thing has happened. We’re sad and we’re angry at the disease that is much too common.

Cancer doesn’t touch people’s lives. It gives us a punch that requires our attention and our action. That action is really more of a re-action for many people. What are the choices? When it comes to cancer our choices often depend on the information we gather and our financial budget. Spending more doesn’t guarantee a win. Nothing does. But we do try and we do everything we believe to be right. That’s why I strongly believe our message needs to be one of Prevention, for our family and friends and for our animals.

So, as I came downstairs this morning Ginger greeted me in her spunky, wiggly way, maybe knowing how much I needed her love and how hard it was to let T.J. go last night. I cried and hugged her in gratitude for the joy she brings to me every day and for the deep loss felt by T.J.’s passing.

Update, July 21, 2007

As our family celebrates the ten month anniversary of Ginger's surgery and crisis with hemangiosarcoma, I appreciate the seemingly ordinary days that are really brimming with magic.

The magic manifests itself in my daily perceptions- Ginger pushes me constantly to do and learn more. Through her I've also developed many relationships with amazing people who otherwise would have remained undiscovered sources of love and support.

This weekend we enjoy a warm afternoon in the speckled shade of birch trees, reading or playing cards in the hammock while Ginger naps comfortably close by. She sniffs the air and is drawn to the sweet aroma of wild strawberries that encircle our backyard. We join her to pick the fruit, reaching for fat, ripe blueberries while Ginger discovers the delicious strawberries, so abundant that we accidentally crush them beneath our sandals. Ginger pulls the glistening strawberries off with a snap of the stem. I don't worry about her blood sugar- just grateful that she is here one more summer to enjoy the time and tastes as she has for so many years. It is an ordinary day, but magical because we are able to experience time that was almost taken from us.

How has Ginger's crisis with hemangiosarcoma affected me? What has changed in my life? The word that comes to mind is MORE.

I am more grateful and appreciative, more observant and careful, more aware and knowledgeable, more compassionate and nurturing.

I have more people in my life, more connections to my neighbors, and offer service to more people.

I trust myself more and have learned to access Universal Life Force Energy to offer Reiki. Ginger loves this and soaks up Reiki every day.

I reach out to others more through my website, my newsletter and sharing Ginger's story. What comes to mind is the most recent story of an eleven year old girl whose life is already compromised by cancer. Because I shared Ginger's story of HOPE with a friend, who shared it with a friend, who shared it with her parents, she has surpassed her expected “expiration date”. At last report her skin has good color again, she has an appetite, has been up and walking, and went to the store with her mom. That's what I call MAGIC.

The question now is “Who won't know if you don't tell them?” It's amazing to think that someone who cared enough to share their story with me resulted in LIFE for Ginger and so many others today and yet more to come. I feel a great responsibility to share this knowledge and encourage others to do so too.

Rosemary Levesque
Portland, OR