“There are no bad days when you come home to a dog’s love.”
In This Issue: Spring Is Here and So Are Our PuppyUp Walks!; Access To Information About Drugs For Dogs Is Complex; April Is National Cancer Control Month; Studies Link Canine Cancers To Lawn Chemicals; Pup of the Month – Canine Cancer Hero of Memphis, Lily Morgan.
Spring Is Here, And So Are Our PuppyUp Walks!
Spring is officially here and there is a Puppy Up Walk just around the corner! Join the Puppy Up Foundation’s premier fundraising event, and help fight back by raising funds to fight cancer in pets and people. Your support is essential to finding better treatments and a cure. We have walks scheduled in Memphis, Nashville, and in Madison, WI.
Here’s how to get started:
· Visit www.puppyup.org and click on “Events/Walks.” You’ll be at a list of Upcoming Walks. Select your local event and you’ll be taken to that city’s Events’ Page. From there you can learn about the the Walk, find times and dates, and register or donate.
· Register online. We have a user-friendly fundraising website and you’ll create a new account with your email address.
· Spread the word and invite your friends, co-workers and family members to walk with you.
· Use our online tools to raise funds to help the Puppy Up Foundation find more innovative treatments and a cure.
Whether you’re a cancer warrior yourself or care about a person or pet who is, sign up and Walk or donate. Together, with your support, we can make a difference in the lives of more pets and people who are battling this life-threatening disease.
Every ONE can make a difference!
Puppy Up!
Ginger Morgan
Executive Director
Access To Information About Drugs For Dogs Is Complex
By Nancy Kerns
Published in the March 2019 issue of Whole Dog Journal was an article headlined, “Reporting Dogs’ Adverse Reactions is Your Duty.” In the article, longtime WDJ contributor Barbara Dobbins discussed the various reasons that dog owners and veterinarians should report any sort of adverse event or negative side effects they observe in their dogs or their clients’ dogs to the agency that provides oversight of whatever substance they think has caused harm.
Dobbins also provided instruction on and links for sending adverse event reports to the appropriate agencies; for example, animal drugs are regulated by the Food & Drug Administration’s Center for Veterinary Medicine (FDA CVM); topical pesticides are monitored by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); animal vaccines are regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Center for Veterinary Biologics (USDA CVB).
We complained about one thing in that article – that the CVM’s cumulative database of adverse drug event (ADE) summaries offers only reports that were collected by the agency from 1987 through April 30, 2013. More recent reports have been collected electronically – and ironically, these more technologically modern reports have not been made available to the interested public, except through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.
The problem, as it was explained on the CVM’s website, was that the project of collating the (old) paper reports with the newer, electronically submitted reports was not complete. A note on the CVM website stated, “We anticipate having updated adverse event information available in late 2017 or early 2018.” (But the note, and not the updated adverse event reports, was still present on the website in January 2019!)
On April 3, 2019, the FDA issued a press release, announcing that it is making the adverse event reports related to animal drugs and medical devices used in animals available online – including all the reports going back some 30 years. The reports “will be available electronically on openFDA.gov, an agency-run digital platform used by researchers, statisticians and other academics to access large, valuable public health datasets collected by the FDA.”
Please read the rest of the article here.
April Is National Cancer Control Month
What is Cancer Disease?
Cancer is not just one disease; it is a group of diseases that can appear anywhere in the body. There are over 100 types of Cancer, but they all start with some cells that begin to divide without stopping and they spread to surrounding tissues or organs. Many types of cancer can form growths, that are solid masses of tissue. Cancer is also referred to as malignant tumors.
Opposed to malignant tumors, there are benign tumors, they are not as dangerous as malignant tumors mainly because they can’t spread to other tissues or organs.
Causes of Cancer
Unlike many other animals, dogs are susceptible to the same types of cancers for which humans are at risk. Dogs, for example, are the only non-human species in which spontaneous prostate cancer occurs. Because there are many types of cancer, there are also many causes of this disease. Some of them are:
Genetics
Too much exposure to sun and UV radiation
Unhealthy nutrition
Lack of physical activity
Overweightness
Radiation
Exposure to some other carcinogens
The Most Common Canine Cancers
Bladder Cancer
Brain Tumors
Hemangiosarcoma
Lymphoma
Lung Cancer
Mammary Carcinoma
Mast Cell Tumors
Osteosarcoma (Bone Cancer)
Skin Cancer
Symptoms of Cancer
Our dogs’ bodies, like our own, are designed to send signals whenever something is wrong, but unfortunately, in most cases, dogs can’t tell us exactly what is bothering them. Just like a great number of causes, cancer can also have a great number of symptoms, which can depend on the type of cancer. Here are the 10 early warning signs of cancer in our dogs:
Bleeding or discharge from any place on the body, such as the mouth, eyes or nose, or in the urine
Change in urination or defecation habits
Sores that do not heal
Bad smell from the mouth or body
Difficulty chewing or swallowing
Loss of energy; reluctance to exercise
Loss of appetite
Weight loss
Swellings or lumps that enlarge
Lameness or stiffness
If you suspect any of these, please consult your veterinarian. Don’t wait. Early detection can often lead to better outcomes.
A more complete description of several of the more common cancers can be found here, at the National Veterinary Cancer Registry organization.
Sources:
Studies Link Canine Cancers To Lawn Chemicals
From Expand Your Consciousness
“Lawn chemicals, particularly ones containing 2,4-D, have been linked to at least two types of canine cancers. Studies found that lawn chemicals travel to neighboring yards and inside homes, and chemicals have been found in the urine of dogs whose owners did not spray their lawns.”
Sadly, the evidence that lawn chemicals are linked to cancers in dogs has been accumulating steadily over the past 20 years. Even if you don’t own a pet this should raise alarms for anyone who cares about children or just your own health.
As Prof. John Reiff of Colorado State University reminds us, “Animals may be sensitive indicators of environmental hazards and provide an early warning system for public health intervention, as exemplified by the iconic canary in the coal mine.” He shared the results of work at Purdue University’s School of Veterinary Medicine that found exposure to lawns or gardens treated with herbicides was associated with an increased risk of bladder cancer in dog breeds studied.
While there is current controversy in public health circles and the news about the use of Monsanto/Bayer’s Roundup (glyphosate), another herbicide, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), has a controversial history as well. It was banned in Sweden for use in the lumber industry because of concerns about cancer among lumberjacks in 1988 and banned for general use in 1990.
Please click this link for the rest of the article.
Pup of the Month — Canine Cancer Hero, Lily Morgan
Lily Morgan, Memphis PuppyUp Walk Canine Cancer Hero and Pup of the Month .
For each PuppyUp Walk, the Event Manager and Walk Team select both a Human Cancer Hero and a Canine Cancer Hero, to be honored during the Walk ceremonies.
These Heroes are chosen because of their exemplary attitude towards their particular type of cancer, showing bravery and hopefulness in their fight against this terrible disease.
The 2019 Canine Hero of Memphis is Miss Lilly Morgan. Her story is below.
(Ginger Morgan) “Our eyes met, she backed up and growled at me, I picked her up and laughed. Lily (Lil’ Bear) had been thrown over the fence at the Humane Society at approximately 10 weeks old. I worked with her to prepare her for the perfect home and she chose imperfect me.
Ten years later here we are… most days I still give her space, but there are days I just grab that fuzzy face and plant a big kiss on it. She tolerates me and at times even comes to me for a little love.
She was diagnosed with stomach cancer. We are going to fight this as only two feisty red heads can… with all our might. We would appreciate your prayers.”
We’d love to see you and your pups at one of our PuppyUp Walks. If there is not one in your area, please follow this link and learn how you can make one happen. And check back often to our upcoming walks, as we are booking walks around the country throughout the year. Puppy Up!
We can always use your help. If you’re interested, send me an mail at ginger@puppyup.org.
Sincerely,
Ginger Morgan, Executive Director
The Puppy Up Foundation
