Walking to raise awareness

Thanks to a post at At Home with Herbie, I just started reading about 2 Dog 2,000 Miles. Luke sold his truck, put his belongings in storage, and set off on foot with his two dogs, Hudson and Murphy. They are walking from Austin to Boston to raise awareness of canine cancer. Please visit their site, or you can follow them on Twitter. It's inspiring!

New blogs to read, fake links, wonky leg

It's been a while since I've checked in.... shame on me as I can give you a hundred excuses (work, home, summer vacation, etc.) but I really should be better about updating the blog.

This past Sunday was the second anniversary of Watson's passing. I still think about him often and we reminisce about his time with us. Time does heal, but time is also funny that an event can feel distant and close all at the same time.

Little Waldo is not so little anymore. He turned 3 in June. Still healthy, although he will go for leg surgery in December. His left leg is overly basset (i.e. crooked) and he needs some corrective surgery to hopefully give him a better quality of life as he ages. The leg is affecting his gait and his shoulder.

I've been keeping up on canine lymphoma news via Google alerts and have noticed a disturbing trend. Many of the canine cancer or canine lymphoma tags that Google picks up are actually URLs that direct you to a spam site when you click on them. It's been very frustrating to sort the wheat from the chaff.

That being said, I've found two new blogs worth a read. The first is simply titled "Canine Lymphoma" and offers facts about the disease and treatment. The second is a blog by pet nutritionist Susan Blake Davis called "Ask Ariel". Specifically, her post in response to supplements for a golden retriever with lymphoma caught my attention.

Updated Vetinfo.com pages

Hi All,

It's been a while since I've updated the blog. I am happy to report that no news means good news. Waldo is doing well and is enjoying the spring weather in New England.

I wanted to post a link to some helpful information from Vetinfo.com's pages, including How to Recognize Canine Lymphoma and 5 Subtle Canine Cancer Symptoms. There are links on these pages that lead to other informative articles too.

New canine cancer research from North Carolina State (USA)

NC State Researchers Find Soy May Aid in Treating Canine Cancers

Researchers at North Carolina State University are looking to soy as a way to make traditional canine cancer therapy more effective, less stressful for the dog and less costly for the owners.

Dr. Steven Suter, assistant professor of oncology, and NC State colleagues studied genistein - a molecule found in soy that has been shown to be toxic to a wide variety of cancer cells in humans - to determine whether it would also inhibit the growth of canine lymphoma cells.

The researchers found that a commercially available form of genistein called GCP was effective in killing canine lymphoid cells in a laboratory setting, and that GCP is “bioavailable” in canines - meaning it is absorbed into the bloodstream where it can affect cancer cells in the body. The researchers hope that their findings will lead to the use of GCP for their canine patients in conjunction with traditional cancer treatments like chemotherapy.

The researchers’ findings were published in Clinical Cancer Research.

“Humans have been using soy in conjunction with traditional chemotherapy for some time as a chemo potentiator,” Suter says. “This means that the GCP makes the chemotherapy work more efficiently and faster, which translates to less stress on the patient and less money spent on chemotherapy.”

Since dogs absorb GCP in much the same way that humans do, Suter hopes that veterinarians will be able to offer this therapy to canine patients in the near future.

“Since GCP is a dietary supplement, it is harmless to patients,” he adds. “Plus it’s inexpensive and easy to administer in a pill form. There’s really no downside here.”

Source: http://v3.news.ncsu.edu/releases/nc-state-researchers-find-soy-may-aid-in-treating-canine-cancers/

National Canine Cancer Foundation blog

I recently found the National Canine Cancer Foundation blog and thought this post "Notes by Dr Kent’s on his canine Lymphoma Cancer research with Nanoparticles. Research funded by a grant from NCCF" was interesting. Sadly, it notes that only about 5% of lymphoma dogs will be alive at two years. On the bright side, there is a new chemo trial happening specifically for relapsed lymphoma dogs.

Read more at the link above.

Meet Jack

Hi, All! Apologies to those who get the blog feed. I accidentally published a blog post for my AV blog on this one. I guess I haven't had enough coffee today. ;)

As the title to this post suggests, I'd like you to meet Jack, a 6-year-old Mini Schnauzer from Australia who was recently diagnosed with canine lymphoma. Please go visit Jack and his mum at their blog and offer your support as they undertake a huge fight against this horrible disease.

Would you clone your dog?

I saw this story today about a couple in Florida who paid $155,000 USD to have their dog cloned! Their dog had died of cancer and, since he held such a special place in their hearts, they had him cloned. It got me thinking as to whether I would have done that for/to Watson, and I am unsure of the answer.

This couple had their dog's DNA frozen prior to his illness. But doesn't that mean that Cloned Dog would have the same genetic disposition to cancer as Original Dog? It would be heartbreaking to have the new dog die in the same horrible way.

So, would you have your dog cloned? Thoughts?

Q&A video about canine cancer

Here is a video by the Morris Animal Foundation featuring three veterinary oncologists from Colorado State University discussing canine cancer prevention and treatment. According to the video, cancer is the number one killer of dogs over two years old. Take a moment and find out more.

More news about canine cancer treatment

I am so pleased to see movement in the areas of canine cancer diagnosis and treatment. I read this announcement from PharmaCom BioVet that they will use PetScreen, LTD's Lymphoma Blood Testing at their companion animal treatment centers.

As with any chronic, life-threatening conditions, early detection is just as important as the right course of treatment. I hope to see an acceleration of collaborations such as this one - and soon!

Meet Jenna

Jenna's mom, Cheryl, recently found this blog through her search for canine lymphoma sources. Jenna was diagnosed with lymphoma a few months ago and is on Week 9 of her chemo. Please visit Jenna's blog and show your support for her fight.

Did you know...?

November marks the fourth annual Pet Cancer Awareness Month sponsored by VPI Pet Insurance. I just got their e-newsletter and it is loaded with canine cancer information, including the article called "Pets Fighting Cancer - An In-Depth Look with Dr. Ingrid Pyka" As many of you know, we decided to insure Waldo with VPI after the ordeal we had with Watson.

I am so glad to see more and more information out in the public about canine cancer, and especially about canine lymphoma. This truly gives me hope for more awareness and more research dollars to help heal future canine cancer patients.

And now, a cute look from Waldo:

More developments in the canine cancer field

I am pleased to see the rush of news lately about new treatments and new treatment centers for canine cancer, and particularly for canine lymphoma. This news release just came across my desk announcing two company's plans to explore "direct injection of liquid brachytherapy radioisotopes into tumors".

As Lesley said in a comment on a previous post, it's too late to save our little loved ones like Watson and Prince, but the recent flurry of news means that there is hope for future canine lymphoma patients.

News: new canine bone marrow transplant center

PharmaCom BioVet, Inc. has announced they are actively formalizing an academic/industry collaboration with the Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine at Washington State University to form the world's first dedicated veterinary canine bone marrow transplant center. Read the press release here.

365

One year ago today, I held your head in my hands and watched you slip away. The look on your face said you were worried to leave me, but I was relieved that your suffering was over.
People tell me that I am crazy for missing you. Maybe I am, but I miss you anyway.

Thinking of you, Bubbe.

Sometimes I am glad I write things down...

I am not good at keeping a diary. I never have and probably never will. Blogging is the closest I have ever come to keeping a diary of some sort. But sometimes I am glad I write things down (as in, paper and pen). I am cleaning my office today and came across my old day planner pages from 2007. I had taken them out of the binder and tucked them away on a bookshelf.

I was just leafing through the pages to make sure there wasn't anything important tucked into the pile when I opened it to July 2007, the height of Watson's sickness. I don't remember much from that time except faint impressions of panic and sadness, of hope and praying for a miracle. But looking at those pages reminded me that I somehow went on living despite the horror that was happening to his body.

I saw a movie (Bourne Identity), I went to the farmer's market, I made phone calls to people... yet I must have been sleepwalking because I can't remember any of it. Those pages remind me that I still put on my normal face and interacted with people, that most had no idea how sad or mad or distraught I was over Watson's cancer.

I am not sure what is the point of this post. Maybe you do. Maybe I am sleepwalking again.... but the well of emotion is open again. Just by looking at some calendar pages that had been forgotten.

Uh, oh..... a bump.

Sorry to have been away from the blog. Spring is turning into summer here, and the garden chores have taken precedence over blogging when I have spare time from work.

As I had posted a few weeks ago, Waldo got a clean bill of health from his new vet. Since then, we've noticed a small bump on his lower back (above his haunches) grow bigger. It's clearly bothering him as we recently noticed he often tries to chew on it. I first noticed it a few days ago since it is now big enough now to make his fur stick up.

The bump is about the size of a pencil eraser and is firm. We're calling on Monday to bring him back to the vet. I don't want to seem overly-neurotic.... but I can't helping thinking of the "C" word.

Fingers crossed....

Please give Fiona a (virtual) hug

Yogi's mom, Fiona, is having a hard time with his passing. Please visit her blog and send her some comfort. We've all lost someone in our lives - be it a pet, a relative, a friend.... please reach out and let Fiona know that the dark time doesn't last forever (even though it may feel like it does).

Goodbye, Yogi.

I am sad to tell you all that Yogi-bear of Yogi's Journey has succumbed to his lymphoma. Yogi and his mom Fiona fought a very brave, very difficult fight.

As someone who knows that it's like to say goodbye to a good friend, there are no words.

Rest in peace, little guy.

Petscreen newsletter

As you may remember from this previous post, I had signed onto the email list for Petscreen, a company based in the U.K. that is working on a canine lymphoma blood test. I just received my first newsletter with some interesting info (in bold). Here it is below (note: I did not edit the newsletter except to embed URLs):

Some time ago you registered on the PetScreen website and asked to be kept up to date with our progress. This e-mail message is therefore the first of periodic updates that we will be sending to you.

It has already been a very busy year for us. We have recently returned from the North American Veterinary Conference (NAVC) where we met up with many friends and collaborators in addition to meeting new potential partners to help us develop our range of tests and to supply them around the world.

Notably, we had a very enjoyable meeting with Dr Patty Olsen, President of the Morris Animal Foundation – an exceptional person who is making great strides in the fight against cancer in dogs. If you have not already seen the MAF Canine Cancer Campaign website, take a look here.

We discussed the progress on the research projects into osteosarcoma and hemangiosarcoma to which our Chairman, Graeme Radcliffe has provided donations. We have attached the Morris Animal Foundation’s press release to give you more information.

Straight after NAVC, Dr Kevin Slater (our Chief Executive) travelled to The Veterinary School at Columbia Missouri for meetings to discuss the collaborative work we are doing with Dr Carolyn Henry. Some exciting new ideas emerged which should help in the application of our DCA test to the treatment of lymphoma in dogs.

Later in February Kevin will be going to Copenhagen where he will give a paper describing the latest results from our lymphoma blood test to leading canine oncologists at the First World Veterinary Cancer Meeting. Dr Henry will also be giving a key note address on the subject of cancer screening in veterinary medicine. You can find out more about this meeting here.

Straight after the Copenhagen meeting it will be Crufts. We have a stand in Hall 5 number 132. If you are planning to attend Crufts this year, please come to see us. It would be good to meet you and to tell you in person more about our work.

Recruiting blood samples to enable us to develop new screening tests for cancer in dogs and cats continues to be a major focus for us. If your dog or cat has been diagnosed with cancer and you would be willing to donate a small sample of their blood, it would go a long way to helping us fight this disease. You could either let us know directly by replying to this e-mail or by going to the donation section of our website.

Finally, we thought you might be interested in the attached article from the Australian Shepherd Club of America which talks about fighting cancer in their breed and also makes specific reference to our lymphoma blood test in this capacity.

We hope to see you at Crufts, but if you cannot make it, we will be sending you another e-mail update in the coming months.

Kind regards
Renu Tuli

Operations Manager

Petscreen Ltd

I had no idea that they were asking for blood samples!! I'm not sure what I would do, even if I had known of this when Watson was sick. What do you think? Would you ever donate some of your dog's blood? Why or why not?

We can't feel our feet!

It's been super cold here this past week. On Thursday, the high temp was 13 degrees F. Yikes! Waldo has very thin fur, so when it is cold and windy he has a very tough time. I've been in search of a coat or sweater for him, but his big chest and small neck/head make it difficult to fit him. Being the creative craftsperson that I am, I've begun to knit him a sweater. Considering how slow I am, it will be finished just in time for the Spring Thaw. ;)

In the meantime, we are all spending alot of time indoors due to nasty weather. He went to daycare on Friday and was able to run and go crazy. Gibson Kennels seems to be a good fit for him. There are 6 caretakers there during the day who play with the dogs and keep them stimulated. When one of us arrives to bring him home, he usually doesn't want to leave. We are boring, I guess. =(

All in all, I completed the clean-out of the treat cabinet. It good to see that you guys do check your treat labels. We had gotten rid of the bad pet food, but for some reason just hadn't paid attention to the treats. I had started giving Waldo the dried chicken breast treats but wasn't going overboard because they are relatively expensive ($6-$7 for a small bag). But I like the ingredients list of chicken and not much else.

Peanut likes the dried chicken too, and is quite aggressive about it. If she could, she would rip my fingers off to get them. Instead, she muscles her way in front of Waldo and stands in my lap to make sure she gets the first bite... and the second bite.... and the third bite. Obnoxious girl....