“Dogs’ lives are too short. Their only fault, really.” ― Agnes Sligh Turnbull
In This Issue: How Can You Support Puppy Up?; Upcoming Walks In April; WoofTrax Challenge!; Can Pets Get Coronavirus? Here’s What You Need To Know; Recurring Donations Really Help!; Pup Of The Month — Charleigh Kovak.
How Can You Support Puppy Up — Without Sending Money!
How can you support Puppy Up without sending money? It’s easy!
Comment on our social media posts – even if it’s an emoji.
Share our social media posts. Instead of using a thumbs up emoji, use a heart emoji instead, as this helps the page get seen more and helps raise more awareness.
Use our hashtags when sharing:
#puppyup
#caninecancerawareness
#cancerfightingsuperhero
#companionsagainstcancer
Volunteer at one of our events.
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.
Upcoming PuppyUp Walks for April
April is surprisingly beautiful in Tennessee. Everything is a visually stunning variety of green, flowers and trees are blooming, the air is rich with the smells and sounds of the earth waking up after a long sleep. It’s truly a wonderful time of year to take a walk with your dog and enjoy the newness of another year.
What better way to welcome spring than taking a PuppyUp Walk with your dog. We have two Walks coming up in April, and we hope you’ll join us!
April 4 PuppyUp Chattanooga, Tennessee
Ross’s Landing, Chattanooga TN 37492
12 Noon to 3 PM
To register and for more information, please follow this link.
April 26 PuppyUp Memphis, Tennessee
Overton Park Rainbow Lake Pavilion, Memphis, TN 38112
12 Noon to 4 PM
To register and for more information, please follow this link.
The funds raised from these events are used to fund canine cancer and comparative oncology research, education, and awareness.
Join The ‘Spot On Walking’ Challenge
Won’t You Join The ‘Spot On Walking’ Challenge, brought to you by WoofTrax and Spot Pet Insurance!
Spot Pet Insurance is challenging WoofTrax pet parents to take a walk for a dog to raise money for organizations, like The Puppy Up Foundation, benefitting animals across the country. Doing so promotes health at both ends of the leash and the chance to have a winning walk earning a donation for Puppy Up.
Each week of the challenge WoofTrax pet parents will win donations for their selected animal charity.
The more WoofTrax users walking for Puppy Up, the greater the chance we will earn a donation.
Do you have the WoofTrax app? We love ours and use it every walk we take. You can get the app here.
Please join us. It’s great fun and an easy way to log those miles for Puppy Up!
To learn more about WoofTrax, follow this link.
To learn more about Spot Pet Insurance, please click here.
Can Pets Get Coronavirus? Here’s What You Need To Know.
(From Bustle.com)
As of March 11, the coronavirus has killed over 4,200 people, and infected more than 115,000 people around the world. Reading those numbers can be scary, and it’s easy to understand why people are so concerned for their health. With that said, though, there are plenty of things you don’t have to worry about, when it comes to the virus — and a fear of your pet getting this coronavirus is one of them.
The claim that household pets can spread this specific type of coronavirus, whether in the United States or in China, is a myth. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “there is no evidence that companion animals/pets such as dogs or cats can be infected with the new coronavirus.”
Can Dogs Test Positive For Coronavirus?
This might be kind of confusing, given the recent report that a dog in Hong Kong tested “weakly positive” for the same coronavirus that has been infecting humans across the world. CNN explains that dogs, cats, and other pets could “carry” a virus the same way a virus can live on a doorknob or office counter. However, as the Hong Kong SPCA said in a statement to CNN, this isn’t the same as “being infectious and capable of spreading the Covid-19 virus.”
Hong Kong’s Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department concluded that dogs and cats cannot spread coronavirus to humans, even if they test positive for it, the Associated Press reported on March 4. What’s more, there’s no evidence that the virus can make non-human species sick.
Still, WHO suggests you always wash your hands with soap and water after touching your pet to prevent the passage of common bacteria.
Can Cats Get Coronavirus?
There are no reports yet of any cats testing positive for the human coronavirus. Though feline coronavirus is a common viral infection for cats, it’s a totally separate strain unrelated to the one humans are catching. One of the most common symptoms of feline coronavirus is diarrhea, according to Cornell’s School of Veterinary Medicine.
Different Coronavirus Strains In Cats & Dogs
There’s more than one type of coronavirus, and yes, some can infect animals. “Almost every animal species has its own coronavirus, and in some cases more than one,” Dr. Niels Pedersen, Ph.D., a professor of Medicine and Epidemiology at the U.C. Davis Veterinary Medicine school, tells Bustle.
“Coronaviruses exist in most of the species that come in close contact with humans, such as dogs and cats,” Pedersen says. “The feline and dog coronaviruses, which people are most interested in, do not infect humans and vice versa.” Humans have their own genetically distinct types of coronaviruses and while cross species transfer does happen, it’s only over a vast period of time and after the virus has mutated significantly.
How To Protect Your Pet From Coronavirus
The only time you should consider quarantining your pet is if it lives in a household where someone has tested positive for the coronavirus, according to Hong Kong’s Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department. Since the dog that tested weakly positive for coronavirus is believed to have gotten the virus from a human, the best thing you can do for your pet is practice good hygiene and wash your hands frequently.
“CDC recommends that people traveling to China avoid animals both live and dead, but there is no reason to think that any animals or pets in the United States might be a source of infection with this new coronavirus,” the CDC’s site explains. It adds that the virus is now being spread from human-to-human as opposed to animal-to-human.
At the end of the day, taking all the necessary precautions to ensure you stay healthy is the best thing you can do for your pet. After all, you can only take care of your favorite fluffy friend if you first take care of yourself. You can also stay up to date on the latest news around the coronavirus by following the social media accounts of organizations like the WHO and CDC.
If you think you’re showing symptoms of coronavirus, which include fever, shortness of breath, and cough, call your doctor before going to get tested. If you’re anxious about the virus’s spread in your community, visit the CDC for up-to-date information and resources, or seek out mental health support. You can find all Bustle’s coverage of coronavirus here.
Experts:
Dr. Niels Pedersen, Ph.D., professor of Medicine and Epidemiology at the U.C. Davis School of Veterinary Medicine
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.
Pup of the Month — Charleigh Kovak
Charleigh Kovak — Canine Cancer Hero of the Month
Charleigh is a 10 ½ year old spayed female St. Bernard who lives in Little Rock, Arkansas. She is owned by Matthew and Amanda Kovak. Long before Amanda met Matthew, Charleigh traveled around the United States in old Jeep going from state to state. She has lived in California, North Dakota, New Mexico, Mississippi, Virginia, and now rests her paws in Arkansas. She is extremely loved and goes everywhere with her family. If she can’t go, then her parents seriously consider if they need to go. Vacations are even planned around her. Jekyll Island, GA and India Pass, FL are her two favorite places to vacation.
Charleigh started limping and grunting when laying down around May 2019. It was suspected that she had spinal arthritis and she started seeing a spinal specialist. She was started on Previcox, and gabapentin at that time by her local vet in Arkansas. In early December 2019, Charleigh slipped and started limping. The spinal arthritis was suspected as the cause of the lameness. On 12/12/19, Charleigh was taken to her regular veterinarian where radiographs of the left limb were taken. A lytic and proliferative lesion obstructing the cortex of the left distal radius were found. Tylenol with codeine was added for additional pain control. We were told by our local vet that she had Osteosarcoma and there was nothing they could do, but put her down. We were not going to even consider that as she was still such a happy girl. We knew a second opinion was needed. Charleigh seems to be relatively pain free. She still likes to go on walks and goes to the dog park every day after work.
On 12/18/19 she was taken to the LSU Oncology Group for further work up of a bony tumor of her left distal radius. It was diagnosed as Stage 1 Osteosarcoma. A thoracic radiograph was complete and no visible metastasis was present at that time. Her lameness was rated at a level 1. At that time, Charleigh was diagnosed with a bone cancer called Osteosarcoma. The tumor is locally aggressive and conservative surgical removal is not possible. It also has a high rate (>90%) of spreading or metastasis- usually to the lungs.
To read the rest of Charleigh’s story, please follow this link to our blog.
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.
There Are many 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
