“A house is not a home until it has a dog.” — Gerald Durrell
In This Issue: It’s Time For the 2021 Puppy Up Calendar Contest!; Sit. Stay Home. And Become a Virtual Volunteer; Lumps and Bumps Handy Graphic; Coronavirus and Your Dog — What You Need To Know; Pup of the Month — Scout; Walk for Puppy Up; Social Distancing Guide For Dog Owners.
Is it already that time again? You bet it is! And we’re excited to announce the beginning of this year’s Puppy Up Calendar Contest.
If you’ve been along for the ride since we started, you know our “Cancer Can’t Keep A Good Dog Down” calendar is one of our signature events. Even before our PuppyUp Walks, we started our one-of-a-kind calendars, featuring stories and photos of canine (and occasionally feline) cancer heroes. If this is the first you’ve heard about our calendars, well … now’s the chance to share your companion animal cancer heroes with us.
We thought we’d get an early start this year, and we hope you will join us in celebrating our companions and their heroic fights against cancer.
So, here’s how it works:
Who Can Enter?
Our contest is open to anyone with a dog (or other pet, living or passed) who currently has or has had cancer.
How To Enter?
Go to www.puppyupwalk.org/calendar/
Register your pet in the contest.
Entry fee is $25.00.
Now What?
Once you have registered, you will receive instructions via email on how to send us your favorite high resolution digital photo of your dog, as well as his or her story too for the calendar. Stories should be about 150 words or less.
When Does Voting Begin and End?
Voting begins as soon as you register. Your $25.00 entry fee counts as 25 votes for your pet.
Voting ends at midnight EDT on July 31, 2020. The top 13 entries with the highest number of votes win prominent places in the 2021 calendar with their photo and story.
Entries that have raised $50.00 or more will be included in the calendar gallery.
Where Do My Voting Dollars Go?
Your dollars go to fund cutting-edge research in comparative oncology (which benefits both pets and people), as well as canine cancer awareness, and education for pet parents.
Make sure to tell all your family and friends about the contest, and to vote for their favorite companions! Share the contest on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram!
Questions? Email us at calendar@puppyup.org
Sit. Stay home. #SaveLives
The Puppy Up Foundation appreciates your doing your part in saving others from the pandemic that affects us all.
But, even while you are staying in place, you can still step up and become a Virtual Volunteer for the Foundation.
In between episodes of your favorite binge-worthy show, if you’ll hop on our Facebook page, like us, and simply share the posts with your circle of friends, and ask them to do the same.
Even though we are not able to congregate in person for our Spring walks, we want to continue to educate pet parents on how to recognize all the early warning signs of canine cancer and keep up with the latest research information.
An impromptu “Lumps & Bumps” Clinic with your pets could seem like a massage to them… they will probably love it! (See the helpful graphic below.)
But it’s not all boring statistics. We are continually adding humorous posts to keep our spirits up!
If you can spare a few minutes to help us, please let us know by replying to this email. By providing your name and email address, we will be able to reach out to you when we have news that we really need to get out to the public.
Our community of supporters never lets us down. And while you are keeping yourself and your family safe, we know you will share a few minutes of your time to help others stay informed.
We appreciate all of you, and thanks for your offers to help.
Ginger Morgan
Executive Director
Lumps and Bumps Handy Graphic
While you’re doing your monthly check for lumps and bumps on your furry friends, here’s a handy graphic you can copy and print just in case you find something you need to keep your eye on. We hope you will never need this, but it’s good to have on hand.
Don’t forget tails, paws, between the toes, inside the mouth, ears, etc.
Coronavirus and Your Dog — What You Need To Know
Dr. Nancy Reese’s Guide to Coronavirus for Dog Lovers
From Dog Cancer Blog
Dogs are incredibly important in our lives. Their love for us, and our love for them, is a big emotional support, especially during this coronavirus pandemic. That’s why so many dog lovers are worried about dogs and coronavirus.
There is so much information and misinformation out there. And now that we are all in isolation, many of us have a lot more time on our hands. The rate of spread of misinformation seems faster than usual in this digital age. We hear new “facts” every day, and often there are reversals of some of those “facts” as we get more information about this pandemic.
based on what we know today, here is the main message for us dog lovers:
· Dogs are not getting ill from this virus.
· Dogs do not appear to be a source of transmission to people.
· You can keep loving your pet as you always have, unless you get sick, in which case, you should be careful. (See below)
So, keep on getting all the benefits and love that your dog has been giving you — those things are more important than ever in the stressful times under which we are living.
The Big Question: Can My Dog Get COVID-19?
At this point, the answer to this question is NO. Dogs are not getting COVID-19, at least we haven’t seen any develop the disease. A few, however, ARE getting the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19. To be clear, a few dogs have the virus, but they aren’t getting sick.
Now, you may have heard the opposite, that dogs in Hong Kong got sick and died from coronavirus. That’s not true.
Here’s what is true: there are two dogs in Hong Kong that tested “weak positive” for the novel coronavirus. That means that the dogs seemed to have the virus because they got a weak positive response. However, they were not SICK, even though they tested a weak positive.
So they had the novel coronavirus, but they did not have COVID-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus.
These dogs came from different households, and both had infected owners. One of those owners also had another dog, and that dog never tested positive at all.
Now, one of those Hong Kong dogs died, but the cause of death did not appear to be from the virus. It was a 17-year-old Pomeranian, and it died after being released from quarantine without ever having shown symptoms. (Some speculate the stress of quarantine caused the elderly dog to pass.)
As more dogs get exposed to the coronavirus over time, it is possible some could develop symptoms of COVID-19 and get sick … however, as of now, there are no reported cases.
To read the full article, please follow this link.
Other points covered in this article:
- What you need to know NOW about coronavirus and your dog.
- Can my dog get COVID-19?
- Testing dogs for coronavirus.
- Can dogs get coronavirus from humans?
- Can I get coronavirus from my dog?
- Can dogs spread coronavirus with their fur?
- Cats and coronavirus.
- How to clean up around my dog.
- If I’m healthy, can I pet my dog?
- If I’m sick, can I pet my dog?
- What if my dog gets sick?
- Personal protective equipment shortages and how they will affect your veterinarian.
- Dog cancer treatments during the pandemic.
- How to be in quarantine with your dog.
- Myth: Animal vaccines can cure COVID-19.
- What NOT to do with your dog during the quarantine.
- About coronaviruses in general, including common dog viruses, and how animal viruses cross-over to humans.
- About this pandemic’s coronavirus, how it compares to the flu and common cold, and whether it is mutating.
- What’s next for coronavirus and COVID-19
Pup of the Month — Canine Cancer Hero Scout
One of our Chattanooga Canine Cancer Heroes
Scout, also known as Scruffer McScruffball, may be 14 years old but she trots around the house
like she is still a puppy.
She has been the best little dog and has so much personality packed into a ball of fluff. She loves food and when she stopped eating last year, I immediately became concerned. She unfortunately was diagnosed with Stage 4 Multicentric Lymphoma in August 2019, and she was started on the LCHOP chemotherapy protocol the following week.
By October 2019 she was in complete remission based on her physical exam, blood work and repeat abdominal ultrasound. She continued with her chemotherapy into 2020, and I can proudly say she completed her final chemotherapy treatment last month.
Deciding to go forward with chemotherapy treatment was the best decision I have ever made for her. She immediately started feeling better, her appetite returned, and I started calling her my little butterball with the amount of healthy weight she gained.
Scout’s journey through cancer has been nothing but positive and I am so grateful for the additional time my family and I get to have with her.
Even though I want her to live forever, I know that a time will come when she physically will no longer be with us, but her wonderful memory and spirit will never be forgotten.
Melissa Mays, DVM
Chief of Emergency
Internship Director
VCA RIVER Chattanooga, TN
Would you like to see your canine cancer hero featured as Pup of the Month? We’d love to share your pup’s heroic journey. Each story is an inspiration to others. Please email erich@puppyup.org with your dog’s story and photo.
Recurring Donations Help Puppy Up
Please help those touched by cancer see a brighter future by donating $20.20 each month to fund cancer awareness, education and research.
Your monthly support will not only help fund canine cancer research but also help us develop new educational programs for pet parents, showing them how to check their pets for lumps and bumps. Do you know how many people do not check between their dog’s toes regularly? Or in their mouth? Most people don’t think to check less common areas.
Help us educate the general public about lumps and bumps and the many ways to treat cancer.
Early detection is a key component in having multiple treatment options…and ultimately, better results.
Your recurring monthly gift is an easy, powerful way for you to provide funds for much needed cancer research that benefits both pets and people. In addition, you would be giving us the chance to develop and distribute additional educational materials throughout the year.
Donate here. Thank you.
Walk For Puppy Up!
To learn more about WoofPack, please follow this link. and tell them The Puppy Up Foundation sent you!
Many of us are doing a lot of on-line shopping these days. (And a heartfelt thank you to all those who work the stores and make the deliveries!) So, while you’re hunting for toilet paper and hand sanitizer, and buying dog cookies and food, we hope you’ll keep Puppy Up in mind. Here’s how you can shop and help us at the same time:
Help Puppy Up each time you shop on Amazon. Sign in to smile.amazon.com, go to your account and search for The Puppy Up Foundation by name or use our EIN number 47-2319212, then hit select. It’s an easy way to support the Foundation every time you shop at Amazon.
Login to your Kroger account online and click on community rewards. Search for The Puppy Up Foundation either by name or IQ193 and click enroll. Every time you shop at Kroger and use your rewards plus card, you can help us earn money.
There Are Other Ways To Help Us
Just like there are many different breeds of dogs, The Puppy Up Foundation needs many different volunteers to help the organization. No matter where you live or how much time you have to offer, there is a role for you.
Are you detailed-oriented, creative and artistic, great at internet research or making phone calls? Would you like to volunteer at fun, educational events? Share your interests and talents and help raise awareness and funding for canine cancer and comparative oncology.
Donate to the Cause
It’s estimated that between 4 and 6 million dogs die from cancer each year and recently it was announced that 36 children a day are diagnosed with cancer. Our pets and our children are being attacked by this deadly disease. Your donation to The Puppy Up Foundation will help further our mission of discovering the causes of cancers and their common link in both pets and people.
Your gift is very much appreciated and fully deductible as a charitable contribution. The Puppy Up Foundation is a 501 C(3) organization and our tax ID number is 47-2319212. All transactions conducted on our Web site are encrypted using a secure server to protect your privacy. All donations are final. All transactions are happening in the United States.
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
