Alivia was recently diagnosed with Cushing's - Alivia has passed

[Trish]

Hi Mary Beth

Love the pics, she looks very comfortable with Max already!! That's fantastic, funny how sometimes they just adapt immediately so it was meant to be so pleased Max has a little buddy to be with him when you return to work... you must be feeling better if you are thinking about that! xx
Big welcome to the family to OPAL!!

[MBK]

Thanks, everyone! I cannot believe how well the transition of adding Opal has gone. The first 2 nights I put her in the bathroom with a bed, food, etc. The 3rd night I couldn't find her when Max and I were going upstairs to bed. Got upstairs and she was all comfy in my bed like she owned the place! So, that is where she has slept since! She has to have some part of her body touching Max and he is totally okay with it. She is absolutely fearless and has even stuck her head in Max's food bowl while he was eating! Lucky for her he has been VERY patient. I just got her on Wednesday and already I am able to leave them home alone and not separated. I was out for a few hours today and came home to find them sleeping side by side. I think this will be really good for Max. He is already a little more active.

Addy, what do you mean Koko cannot even have a goldfish????

My new therapy is painful (they do a very deep massage to break scar tissue), but it is helping a lot. I have much less pain overall and my ROM is increasing. Definitely making progress in the right direction!! Such a relief!

[molly muffin]

My friend was just telling me yesterday that the PT to break down the scar tissue for him was one of the most painful things he remembers going through. He said however, that once you get through it and the ROM starts to come back that it isn't nearly as bad as the breaking down part.

You can do this Mary Beth!

That is so cute about how Opal and Max are with each other. She doesn't know there is anything to be scared of, and so just has a new bestie and Max obviously is going with the flow and must think this little creature isn't half bad.

hugs
Sharlene and molly muffin

[MBK]

Thanks, everyone!

I continue to be absolutely amazed at how well Max and Opal are doing together! Max is 14 years old and has never even seen a cat up close. He is being incredibly gentle and very patient. Opal will stick her tiny head right in Max's food dish and she still has her head!! Max will just back up and let her eat! She is good for Max. He is more active and sleeping less. I added some more pictures of the two of them.

This is very strange....Max was at the vet for dry eyes awhile ago. The vet prescribed Restasis, but Max acted like it burned and wouldn't let me use it. I used artificial tears several times a day which seemed to help for awhile, but then the green gunkies were coming back so I took him to the vet 2 weeks ago. His eyes were also very cloudy. The vet said he was not surprised about that, given his age. He prescribed a different eye drop. After using these drops for 2 weeks the green gunkies are gone and the strange thing is Max's eyes are noticeably clearer - almost like a young dog's eyes! Even a friend commented on it. Even stranger is at least some of his hearing has returned!!! Several people have commented on that. So weird, but definitely a good thing!

On another topic, has anyone ever tried using essential oils to help with Cushing's symptoms? I have recently started using them myself and love them. In fact, I became an independent doTerra consultant. There are four oils that are supposedly helpful with Cushing's when applied topically (Elevation, Lemon, Basil, OnGuard). Wish I'd known about them long ago, cause I'd certainly have tried them on Alivia! They are completely natural and pure, so definitely worth consideration.

[Squirt's Mom]

ooooo please be careful with EOs and animals. I know you are taught by your dealer they are safe for them, but they are not. There is a liver enzyme that is required in order to break down the highly concentrated EOs - cats do NOT have this enzyme period and dogs have a very small amount of that enzyme (whose name I cannot think of right now!). Because of the lack of or minute amount of this enzyme for cats and dogs, the EOs build up in their bodies, often resulting in organ failure. Do a bit of outside research - outside the EO industry - and use them sparingly even on yourself...and not at all on your pets.

One thing beside this toxicity probability with EOs that really, really bothers me personally is the astounding amount of Life taken for one single drop of EO. It takes 100's of pounds of plant life for a very tiny bit of oil. Many, many, many times using the whole herb as a tea, tincture, infusion or decoction will provide deeper healing throughout the body as opposed to the EOs....and 1-3 tbls of herb is all that is needed to achieve maximum benefit VS acres and acres of plant life.

[MBK]

Hi, Leslie!

Thanks for the info! That is scary. I know there are recommendations that the EOs be diluted. I will check into it further. I should have known everything has already been tried and/or researched here!

As far as the large amounts of plants harvested, I disagree. As long as they are farmed and harvested responsibly, it is like any other crop in my mind. EOs have been used for 100's of years. Most treatments do not survive that length of time unless there are benefits (think bloodletting). My physical therapist introduced me to them and he uses them in his clinic. I have had a lot more success there than any of the MANY other places I have tried. Alternative treatments are not always bad. I have also been having acupuncture (done by an MD). Essential oils cannot be patented by themselves. Hence, they are not nearly as big of a moneymaker as chemical mixtures contained in mainstream medications. Sometimes it really is all about the money.

[Squirt's Mom]

The amount of plants used cannot be disputed. No matter whether they are farmed or wildcrafted, many, many, many more are sacrificed for one single drop of EO vs other herbal preps...that often work better than the EOs.

I created a doc about EOs for one of my herbal groups on FB but that group was disbanded and I'm not sure I saved that doc on my system but I will check and if I still have it I'll post the links here for you to look into.

Don't get me wrong - EOs have their place in the herbal world but they do not live up to the hype and the toxicity of them is often denied by those who produce and sell them. I use EOs in all my herbal salves....but I use no more than 10 drops to 10 oz of salve.

[Squirt's Mom]

ooooo I'm better than I thought! I actually save that doc!

Here ya go!

EO info

http://www.granolaliving.com/2012/07...ssential-oils/

http://harebrainthoughts.blogspot.co...essential.html

http://realessentialoileducation.com/?p=1872

http://www.naha.org/explore-aromathe...afety/#general

http://gogreenct.wordpress.com/2014/...ds_of_thought/

http://gogreenct.wordpress.com/2014/...herapy_safety/

http://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/...tial-oils-safe

http://www.crunchybetty.com/21-thing...essential-oils

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/p.../patient/page2

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/ar...r-kidneys.html

http://www.naturesgift.com/warnings.htm

http://www.a-t-c.org.uk/safety-matte...al-oil-safety/

[MBK]

Thanks, Leslie. I will check out these links later...don't have time right now.

I know it takes a lot of plant life to make EOs, but again, if it harvested responsibly and replanted (and grown organically), what difference does it make? Plants are renewal resources.

A lot of problems associated with EOs stem from "EOs" that have been mixed with other chemicals or synthetics to reduce production costs. They are not pure EOs. When all of a company's EOs are the same price, there is definitely a problem with the purity. And, yes, even without further research I know there are absolutely some EOs that should never be used on pets. Also, most pure EOs when used on humans are best diluted in a carrier oil as you indicated. You won't convince me that (for example) a "lavender" chemically scented product, whether for skin care or cleaning, is safer than one that contains actual lavender.

As with most things in life, common sense and much research should be done before making any decisions on things to use on humans and pets.

[addy]

Hi Mary Beth,

I am hoping you stop in and say hi and give us an update on you and Maxwell. I hope your recovery is going well and Maxwell is enjoying his new best friend.

We want pictures!!!!