Linda Lyman’s dog Luna is a testament to the power of FECO and diet for extending life. Due to visual lumps and malaise, Linda took Luna to the vet, where she had surgery to remove a lymph node in her back right leg. She was treated with antibiotics and prednisone in case the cause of symptoms was Lyme disease. Testing determined that Luna had lymphoma, and she was given 2 weeks to live (although Lyman only found this out 10 days after the test, so at this point she really had 4 days). Lyman had previously saved her own life with FECO, and began giving Luna indica-type FECO along with changing her diet.
Luna began with three BB-sized FECO doses per day. The FECO was put in a ball of butter so Luna would eat it, as she did not like the taste. This also had the added benefit of combining the FECO with fat, which can help bioavailability. The doses were slowly worked up to 3 rice-grain sized amounts of FECO per day. Lyman encountered several challenges as the doses were worked up, the worst of which was incontinence. When this occurred, Lyman would decrease the dose.
Another side effect was lack of appetite and desire to drink. When this occurred, Lyman would give Luna frozen bone broth cubes, which Luna would lick to simultaneously absorb nutrients and get hydrated. Eventually, Luna settled into a routine where she would wake up, get her butterball with FECO, sleep, wake up, eat, walk, get another dose of FECO, and repeat the cycle.
In addition to FECO, Lyman changed Luna’s diet significantly. She stopped receiving standard kibble food, and started getting raw and cooked meat, 1 anchovy per day, and frozen bone broth as needed. While the exact doses of THC delivered by the FECO are not known, they can be somewhat estimated based on the typical concentrations of FECO (600-800mg/g THC) and the typical weight of a rice-grain size amount (0.05g). Assuming a FECO of 700mg/g THC and an amount of 0.05g, the THC per dose would be around 35mg, with a total daily dose of 105mg. It is reasonable to assume the total daily dose was probably between 70-130mg THC per day.
Although it took time to dial in the effective dose, Luna started to experience benefits from the FECO in just a few days. A couple weeks after FECO began, Luna was taken back to the veterinarian, who was surprised as he thought Luna would have passed away by then. 3 months later, Luna was still alive, and the vet was so impressed he even referred another dog with cancer to Lyman for advice.
6 months into treatment, Luna suddenly woke up blind, which can be a symptom of lymphoma. It was clear the FECO was suppressing the cancer to some extent, but clearly had not eliminated it. Her spleen had also become enlarged, apparently due to the filtration of dead cancer cells, and had to be removed by the vet. After this, Luna lived another year, at which point she got fleas and became sick and lethargic, possibly due to some kind of flea-associated infection. Whatever the cause, it was clear Luna was at the end, and she was put to sleep at the vet.
Although Luna did eventually pass away, she lived tremendously well beyond her expected prognosis, and had a high quality of life during this time. Lyman has started to help others in Luna’s honor, and hopes that cannabis will one day be integrated into mainstream veterinary care.