A Scottish dog has been given a new lease of life after his owners were encouraged to try a honey-based product.

Anita Myatt has been treating her 10-year-old English Bull Terrier, called Chubby, with Iminohoney for the past 12 months after he was diagnosed with cancer.

Anita, a medical herbalist, who lives on a croft on the Isle of Skye with her husband Simon Larson, a photographer, said: “Chubby was diagnosed with cancer after he started developing tumours on his body.

“I’ve lost count of how many operations he had but, this time last year, we were told there was nothing else that could be done to help him.

“We knew he was getting upset too because he had started to get quite aggressive and was afraid of going to the vets.

“As a medical herbalist I champion natural medicines so when I heard about Iminohoney I wanted to try it.

“Within four weeks of taking the honey every three days in his food I could see a difference.

“The tumours stopped growing, his coat regained its shine and his skin returned to a healthy colour. Chubby suddenly had more bounce to him.

“I’ve kept in touch with his oncologist and he is surprised that he is still with us. In fact, it’s arthritis – and not cancer – that is his issue today and I’m treating that with a cucumber extract.

“Everyone thinks Chubby is a wonder dog. I’m just so happy that something as simple and natural as honey has given my lovely dog a new life.”

Welsh scientist, Dr Robert Nash, a global leader in the field of phytochemistry, created Iminohoney after discovering a special honey rich in a small and unusual molecule with very specific activity that appears to boost immunity and activate natural anti-tumour responses in the laboratory.

The honey compound, or iminosugar, is sourced from a variety of a Mediterranean plant that only grows in the mild wet conditions of west Wales and Ireland. The compound has been fully identified and extensively studied with worldwide patents.

Dr Nash’s company Sugars for Health Ltd, based in Aberystwyth, uses science to discover new health promoting natural ingredients and compounds from herbal medicines and food plants.

His work focuses on the development of new and better pharmaceutical medicines based on natural iminosugars for inflammatory disorders, diabetes and cancer.

Sugars for Health has been selected by the Welsh Government for its Accelerated Growth Programme aimed at businesses with significant growth potential.

Iminosugars are a widespread group of plant and microbial compounds that are attracting interest as therapeutic agents. They have many activities beneficial to health but due to difficulties with their identification and isolation most have remained uninvestigated.

Sugars for Health has been providing the Iminohoney to dog owners to maintain or improve the quality of life. A number of vets have trialled the product, which costs £59.99 for a pack of ten sachets, with impressive results.

The next stage is to begin using the confidence in efficacy and other information obtained to plan the development of new medicines for humans.

Dr Nash said: “Science is the key to our product range. Sugars or carbohydrates are vital to health in many ways and faults in sugar biochemistry occur in most diseases and in ageing.

“As animals age they typically have weaker immune responses which makes them more prone to various infections and diseases and for cancerous cells to take hold.

“We’re seeing that iminosugars have the remarkable ability to correct many of these errors and to restore a youthful balance.”

Dr Nash is producing a range of products derived from his iminosugar research including a product launching in America for osteo-arthritis and a European product for diabetes.

Holistic cancer vet Dr Birgit Ahlemeyer from Sussex has been using Iminohoney in combination with her other treatments. She said: “I am passionate about treating animals with the most appropriate therapy or combination of therapies in order to improve their health and quality of life.

“I love that this honey is a natural product and I really believe that it can give an immunity boost to a sick animal.”

www.drnashglycohealth.co.uk

Main picture: Anita with Chubby (photo credit Simon Larson).

Inset: Dr Robert Nash.