The  statistics show  clearly that cancer “fights back”  at  an ever increasing rate and intensity.  It  appears that no matter how many times we  say “ No” to cancer;  cancer’s  reply is often “Screw  you!”

My life is far from being untouched by cancer.  Both of my grandmothers died of cancer, my brother passed away from a brain tumor and my father died from prostate cancer. To add to all this, my brother in law was diagnosed with a brain tumor  a few years ago. His  diagnosis was a  real shock to me. I wanted to cry out” Oh no, not again!  However, deep  inside I felt a shift. It was then  that I realized,  cancer can’t  be fought, it has to be understood.

Over the years in my veterinary practice,  I have always been puzzled  as to why there were clients who’s animals were  more prone to cancer than animals of others. There was no correlation with regards to  the breed or even species.  Gradually,  I started to see that while so much research has been  focusing on the development of new  drugs,  chemotherapy, surgical techniques, the effect of environment and our diet,   the most  important factor is commonly forgotten.   Our  lifestyle, our  state of mind  and the energetic  connection between  us and  our  pets.

During the past 100 plus years, the  discoveries in  genetics and DNA led us to believe that if we or our pets inherit a certain gene or disposition,  we and they will suffer from the  same conditions as ancestor. However, the more recent  findings confirm that genes  will remain dormant and unexpressed  unless they are  turned on by an impulse from the outside.  This impulse can be from a biochemical,  chemical, physical influence or even more subtle energy generated by our fears and  thoughts.

Despite the old  saying – “ healthy mind, healthy body”  many people  still believe that the “cure for cancer” comes from the outside and is dependent on the discovery of some sort of “miracle drug”  that will “fight  cancer.”  The reality is such that  despite the advance of medical science and technology,  we can extend  and prolong lives, but  have neither found the cure for cancer nor have paid sufficient attention to its  prevention.

What can you do?

Here are your 12 steps to cancer prevention…

#1 Face your fears

If you catch yourself  worrying about you or your loved one getting cancer, do not  push the thought aside.  Just stop for a moment, close your eyes and invite the fear to come closer to look at  it.  Face it ,  do not  run away.  Challenge it with kindness, firmness and compassion as if the fear was a troubled bully that you try to understand.

Explore the fear, imagine, that you turn the fear  around,  upside down and  look at  it as if it was an object,  a seashell, a rock, a leaf or a flower.

You will notice that if you do not “fight” your fears, they will become less  intense and less frightening. You will discover a newly  found freedom and plenty of  energy  to  shift from just worrying to planning or taking action on how to prevent  or treat cancer in the best possible and least harmful way.

#2 Do the emotional inventory check

Another important  step in  cancer prevention is not to forget but  forgive. No matter whether we like it or not,  suffering from  hurts and emotional pain is  part of the human condition. The event  could have happened a long time ago,  perhaps your best friend had an  affair  with your partner or your parents were neglectful or your spouse told your friend that  she married you only  for material gains.  Perhaps you have suffered  a loss of  a loved one or were  a victim of abuse.

No matter  what the injury was,  finding a  way of neutralizing this experience is absolutely essential in reducing your risk of physical disease and cancer. Constantly replaying what happened, carrying the heaviness within will have the opposite effect. Yes, it may take time to let go of these  patterns but  it  is definitely  worth the effort.  Forgiving will neutralize the pain much faster than feelings of hatred or revenge.  It is your cells that bath in the sea of stress hormones and you decide what “ bath you prepare”

#3 Be nice to yourself

When working with my clients and their  pets,  I often  see  people blaming themselves  for their pets’ disease.  They feel that  they didn’t  look  after  their  pets  well or they go into  the world of ‘should have’  and ‘would have’

We are our  own  worse enemies when it comes to being loving , compassionate and forgiving towards ourselves. This too generates a block of the healing energy.

Life is simply such that  it  brings  us  challenging times  and as painful as it may be, it is  a part of our learning on a journey to become better and more aware human beings.  Our animals have  their own journey and  we are not always responsible for their problems.  However, we can be their  source of positive energy if we put our life on the right track

#4  Surrender to mortality

Imagine  if  someone  gave you the gift of being immortal. I can’t prevent  myself from thinking that if I was 5000 years old,  I would get  bored with the same old friends,  the same  family , the same bad  habits.  As much as we may hate the thought of  mortality, it is exactly what makes being with our loved ones and definitely with our pets so special.

It is simply a part of the Universal plan of being human – experiencing the temporary nature of everything around us and  coming to terms with it.

It helps me to believe that the souls of our animals   come back  again in another body.   If you haven’t  read the story of my horse Alfa and Skai you can find it  here. Of  course ,  no one knows if it is the truth, however, I love the thought.

#5 Be aware of the possibility of your own sabotage.

It baffles me that so many  people miss out on the opportunity to take  simple and inexpensive steps  to living healthy lives and take chances that clearly lead  to disease, pain and  suffering.

Perhaps that is also part of the Universal plan of learning.  Many  people like to  play with  fire knowing that  their smoking ,  bad eating habits,  lack of   exercise or  a bad relationship are not healthy; however they  subconsciously maintain and are possibly addicted to these states.

It is an irony that  the biggest personal transformations happen as a result  of  very challenging and turbulent  times and falling  down right to the very bottom. All we can do is to be there for our friends but telling them what  to do often generates more resistance. This may be one of the most difficult  parts of being a care giver – watching others hurling to disaster while they stubbornly refuse to listen to our warnings.

#6 Eat healthy, feed your pet real and natural food

This one is a  real  no brainer.   Eating junk makes your cells get all clogged up,  intoxicated and ready to turn their division into chaos and anarchy – cancer.  If  we add the sleepy, intoxicated and weak immune  system into  the  equation, the  chances of cancer  are many times greater.

My favorite  book for people is called “Anti-Cancer   -  A New Way of Life”  by  Dr. Servan- Shreiber

When it comes to  your pet, I am in the final stages of finishing my upcoming book “ If Dogs Could Cook “  that will give you a simple and clear outline  on feeding your pet naturally.

In one sentence.  If you want to reduce the chances of cancer, do not  feed processed  food , no matter how  natural it is claimed to be.  There is nothing better  than whole food.

#7  Chemicals do not  belong  in our household or bodies.

Whenever I visit my friends or  family,  I find it so interesting that the degree of their  health  can often be measured  by the kind of cleaning products they buy for their household.

Most  chemical cleaning  products  do not  have all the ingredients  listed and buying them is a real crap shoot.  Many of them  are  carcinogenic or at least toxic and they  wreck  havoc  in the body.

The safest  way is to  simply avoid  any chemicals.  There are many natural and healthy alternatives  that  may be just  a few dollars more.  If you are on  a budget,  most  cleaning can be done with  vinegar, soda and natural castile soap.

I am sure your pets will also appreciate the absence of chemical odors and deodorants.

#8 Exercise

I  see physical activity,  fresh air or yoga as a form of flushing and purifying the body.  Every  cell  gets  more  blood and oxygen which increases cleansing.  Cells,  tissues and organs also love to be bathed in endorphins which our the “feel good “  mediators  released by  exercise.

The most difficult  part is to  get  used to the exercise and also stop listening to the voice in our head that tells us that we should not go because “everyone will be better than us, which you know is a big part of dodoo or an excuse to sit on the couch, watch TV and be miserable.  Remember that our ego thrives on the addiction to  suffering and will try to play game with us all the way.

Luckily, most dogs are always  in for a walk or a run.  We would do anything  to see  the happy  face and tongue  hanging out.  Cats  enjoy a regular outing  too and if it is cold or rainy, play with them indoors to make them move.

If you do not  exercise  regularly,  I  suggest you  stick it  out  for 2 – 3  weeks  until  a  good  habit  forms,  join a  yoga  or  gym class to get in the routine and don’t  forget to take your  best  friend out  for walks or  runs.

Pets can be the  best exercise plan you have  ever had.

#9 Do you do what you love to do?

I often wonder how  many people really love what they do.  Not that long  ago,  my nephew  came to me to share his  small business idea that  he and his  friends  came up with.   He was passionate about  his  plan and I could  see that he  loved the  idea.   Then he  paused  and said  something that  I will not  forget:  “ This business will be  a kind of  hobby that I don’t  intend  to make much money with.  I am also planning to get another job to earn a living.”

The crazy thing is that  there are many people who live their  lives  like this.  They have things  that  they  love to do  and then they have a job.

I urge you to not waste  one more day and start planning  your future work based on what you love to do… I know, it may not be as easy to get up and quit  the job that you don’t  like,  just  do not  wait too long and at least develop a plan.  I have seen many people who’s  work is their  hobby and they are the happiest and healthiest   folks  walking this  planet.

Sometimes, a radical  “job amputation”  is not really needed and a slight modification  to  your current  job does wonders.    In my case, I  have always loved working with people  and their  animals but  didn’t  like  managing my clinic and dealing with a high volume of  work  in order to  cover the high  clinic overhead.

All I needed to do was  to plan a gradual exit, sell my  clinic and  keep a small number of clients to carry me over while I started to work on  creating an  income flow  from  lectures,  writing and a natural animal supplement line that is presently  in the making.

As a result, the  weekends  and  weekdays merged  into  one  word  – life.

To summarize, do not waste your life with work that you do not like. Your hobby and your job should be one, if you go  against the flow of the river, your health will suffer.

#10  Let your gut  and your  heart guide you.

I am sure you know that voice in your head;  your ego, that constantly  tells you what you should or  should not  do,  how you should or  should not  behave while  deep inside,  you feel that this  voice doesn’t really know what is good for your soul. “

My favorite authors on this subject are Eckhart Tolle and Adya Shanti , who’s teachings provide such a great resource for living a simple life in alignment with your true self.

I often teach my clients,  how to recognize the right  answer  in  any decision making.  Just try to think of  a question and listen to the answer that comes before your mind starts interfering and editing it..

This  includes decisions about your  pets medical  care  and treatment.   Ask yourself if you are you trying to please someone or following your vet’s  suggestion  just  to please him or  not to  feel guilty.

Just listen to your gut and make decisions from your  heart.

#11 the connection between you and your pet

If you have ever seen a musician or a teacher using two  tuning forks,  you know that  if you hit  one , the  other will start resonating on the same  frequency.    If you have never seen this,  perhaps you have seen a married couple where both people start looking and acting the same after a certain  time.   They  simply start resonating  on the same frequency.

Your pet is not  any different.  It  absorbs your love and  joy  but also the  stress or unhappiness that you may feel.   If you want to have healthy pets,  make  sure that you look after your health first  and happiness first.  Their health and well being will follow.

#12  Law  of attraction

It is becoming clear that as much as we sometimes do not want to believe it,  we usually  get what we wish  for or  what  we fear.

I am  not  writing this blog post to make you suppress your fears  of  disease and  cancer in anyway.

Worrying about the health and safety of our  loved ones  is natural and all we  need to do is face our worry,  be kind to ourselves when it  happens,  explore the fears until they fade away  and replace them with our vision of the best possible outcome.

The truth  is that  cancer can happen to anyone – you, me or our  pets.  However,   if you live our  life doing what  you love, eat healthy food, exercise regularly and face  your fears instead of burying them , the likelihood that  we will hear the  C word  diagnosis is much, much less.

Remember, your pet is like a tuning fork. It resonates on the same frequency..

Before you start reading the following lines, I invite you to do a little test. Open your hands keeping your thumbs together. Place the thumbs at the base of the throat and the fingers surrounding the neck. Now, take a deep breath, squeeze and pull back with all your force keeping your thumbs connected.

If you have not fainted by now and are still reading these lines, I am sure the sensation was not comfortable. Perhaps you never thought of it but this is how many dogs feel when they are on the leash.

If you are still keen to continue with this experiment, put a choke chain around your neck and attach it to a leash. Ask a friend to grab the end of the leash and pull and jerk on it periodically. Welcome to the dog world! No, I will not make you go on with this experiment and ask you to test another torture device, the prong collar.I just want you to become more aware of what is happening out there. .

One day, Skai and me were on one of our favorite walks in the beautiful Capilano River Park in North Vancouver. The wild river carved a breathtaking canyon with moss-covered cliffs, white water rapids and old growth rainforest trees. .

As soon as I arrived at the parking lot and let Skai out of the car, I noticed a man with a young German shepherd on the leash. The poor little pup was struggling to say hi and the master had a different idea. He was determined to prevent his dog from coming closer to us by yanking and jerking harshly on the leash that was attached to a choke chain. With every yank, I caught myself closing my eyes, cringing and feeling sorry for the poor dog that was coughing and gagging with every jerk. .

Suddenly the voice in my head whispered: “Peter, you must say something, this poor dog can’t speak for himself, he is getting hurt,” the voice went on, “maybe the man is not even aware of what he is doing. .

“Excuse me,” I started with hesitation, “ You may not be aware of this but the choke chain you are using is causing your dog discomfort.“ I started. “Have you ever thought how it feels to have a collar on? Your dog’s neck may be put out of alignment and the trauma could lead to numerous other problems. .

Then I thought, “ Is he going to get angry? I hope not. Is he going to get it? I hope so,” .
“Thank you for telling me, I will keep it in mind,” the man replied.
With a sigh of relief I continued on my walk and I hoped that the man would indeed keep our brief interaction in mind. At least I tried. It was definitely worth the risk of being yelled at. .

Wondering where the collar originated from? .

Perhaps it is a remnant of slavery where people were chained, wearing collars and being roped. Maybe, it is the way the cave people restrained their wild dogs from running away. I hope that one day, such medieval torturing devices as choke chains and prong collars will be outlawed and seen only on display in museums. .

Why am I so against collars? .

Because one jerk can cause a problem for a lifetime.
If you have ever had a sore neck or back you may understand. Most people feel the effect throughout the whole body and chronic pain can easily make you feel like you are 10 – 20 year older. .

Why is that? The neck and cervical spine are one of the most important “energy channels” in the body. If the flow of energy between the head and the neck is interrupted or restricted, a whole array of problems may arise from lameness to skin problems, allergies and even cancer. .

Hypothyroidism (low thyroid gland hormone) may be related to collar related injuries.

For the longest time, I have been puzzled about why dogs that are known to pull on the leash, such as Labradors, Retrievers and German Shepherds, have such a high rates of thyroid gland issues. One day, it dawned on me that the collar actually pushes on the throat exactly in the area of the thyroid gland. This gland gets severely traumatized whenever a dog pulls on the leash. .

The thyroid gland gets inflamed and consequently “destroyed” by the body’s own immune system that tries to remove the inflamed thyroid cells. The destruction of the thyroid gland cells leads to the deficit of thyroid hormone – hypothyroidism.
The thyroid gland governs the metabolism of every cell and its absence can have very severe consequences. The symptoms may be low energy, weight gain, skin problems, hair loss tendency to ear infections and organ failure to name a few. .

Ear and eye issues.

May also be related to pulling on the leash. Why? My experience is that pulling decreases the energy and lymphatic flow, which leads to ear and eye conditions. My clients are often perplexed when all the ear and eye problems disappear after switching their dog from a collar to the right harness. I will tell you about the alternatives in a chapter ahead. .

Paw licking and foreleg lameness.

This too can be related to your dog’s collar. Leash pulling often causes an abnormal sensation ( pins and needles sensation)in the feet and dogs simply try to lick their feet not knowing what better to do. I have seen many so called “allergic dogs” or chronically lame dogs healing completely after they were put on special harness. .

Some dogs may get such severe whiplash like injuries from being “jerked around” that they may suffer severe neck misalignment. A neck injury can pretty much affect any part of the body and if the energy flow deficit is severe this can even predispose the individual to cancer. .

Most people do not know that leashes and collars can be the cause of so many problems. How would they? If you belong to the lucky people who live with dogs that do not pull, congratulations! If your dogs is one of those types that takes you for a walk flailing behind, make sure you are reading the following lines. .

The collar alternative. .

Over the years, I have searched for the best way of making dogs safe without the risk that a collar brings. A harness is the answer because it distributes the possible tugs and jerks throughout the whole body, some harnesses keep the neck and throat free. However, it may not be as easy as it looks to choose the right harness. .

5 points to ensure the selection of the right harness and correct use.
1. Ideally choose a harness that is attached to the leash in the front portion where the neck connects to the torso – the chest opening. Most harnesses on the market have the leash attached on the back. I have seen many of these harnesses restrict the front portion of the neck, which presses on major veins, arteries and the thyroid gland, which is what we try to avoid. .

2. Make sure that your dog’s harness is the right fit and follow the maker’s instructions carefully. .

3. Use the harness only when leash walking and take it off when your dog is off leash. .

4. Ensure that the harness is not pressing or rubbing anywhere and that it is washed or cared for regularly. .

5. If your dog is adequately trained, give him as much off leash time as possible. .

I have tested many and the best I have seen are those where the leash attaches at the chest below the lower neck. My favorites are “Sensation” and “Sense-ible” harnesses and for smaller dogs, a back attachment harness “Puppia” is a very good choice. .

If your dog is a “puller” and you think that he may be suffering back or neck injury I suggest you have him examined. Initially, you may want to get his thyroid level measured and the neck and back checked for any signs of injuries. Keep in mind that many veterinarians are not trained in checking spinal alignment and working with the right practitioner is essential. .

If you are looking for a treatment solution, I caution you about using painkillers or anti-inflammatory medication of the pharmaceutical kind. Despite being widely used, they suppress pain but do not really heal the injury. Their side effect, which is just a clever name for “their effects” are gastro-intestinal ulcers, indigestion and kidney damage, to name a few. .

If you are looking for gentle and effective treatment methods. I recommend using homeopathy, physiotherapy, intramuscular needle stimulation, chiropractics, acupuncture and massage. Perhaps, you are lucky and you may have an experienced and reputable practitioner nearby and if not, I am happy to discuss your dog’s condition and treatment with you. Just follow this link to the appointment reservation page.

Most of all, I would like to thank you for reading this article all the way through. .

I hope that you too will join our “gentle leash efforts” and will not hesitate to pass this information onto others. Instead of using collars to control your dog, use it for attaching a tag with your phone number and address in case Fido gets lost. And of course, each dogs collar is also an expression of “his personal style.” .

My dog Skai has 5 collars. 2 from Hawaii – blue with flowers, one contemporary with stripes of ocean blue, chocolate brown and white colors, another one with red flashing lights for safety in the dark winter months and the last one spring green with dots. Luckily he spends most of the time off leash and doesn’t pull. .

I have spent quite a few hours writing these lines on a sunny May day to call MAYDAY on behalf of the dogs and other animals of this world so they are treated with kindness and respect.

I hope that whenever you see a dog pulling and choking on the collar you will not be afraid to speak up for him and make his human more aware of how many things can go wrong. The worse thing that can happen is that you will be told off. Don’t be afraid to start now. You can make a huge difference in the lives of our best friends. .

Peter Dobias, DVM.
www.peterdobias.com.