In This Issue: November is National Pet Cancer Awareness Month; Clean Up at Hollywood Feed — Pet Cancer Awareness Dog Wash; Promising Research — MedVet Columbus Successfully Completes Their 7th Bone Marrow Transplant in a Dog with Lymphoma; Upcoming Walks and Events in November; Maverick — Pup of the Month. Please follow us on Facebook to keep up with all the current news.
November is National Pet Cancer Awareness Month
Pictured is Stella. She’s smiling because “No lumps or bumps found here!”
November is National Pet Cancer Awareness Month — Check Your Pet For These Signs
Cancer. Sadly, it can effect anyone, anytime. Even our pets. In fact, cancer accounts for almost 50 percent of all disease-related deaths in dogs and cats every year.
But early detection can be the key to a successful outcome. And YOU are the key to that early detection. Take the time every month to give your best friend(s) a thorough examination, looking for anything unusual, like the signs below. If you find something, don’t wait. Visit your vet right away. Early detection, just like in people, can be the answer to successful treatment and a positive outcome.
The symptoms of pet cancer are not always obvious so watch for these signs and symptoms, as the sooner disease is detected, the better.
Pet Cancer Detection Tips:
Pale gums: Your pet’s gums should be just as pink as your own. Sudden blood loss can cause pale gums. Observe your healthy pet so you can determine a visual baseline of color.
Distended belly: Gradual weight gain with age is common, however, you should not suddenly notice your dog has a large belly. Ruptured or growing tumors can cause a pet’s abdomen to suddenly appear enlarged.
Sudden lethargy or collapse: While many dogs and cats slow down with age, sudden changes should not occur. Tumors can have side effects which make pets very sluggish. Sudden collapse is an emergency and can be caused by ruptured tumors. Seek veterinary attention immediately.
Bleeding: If you see blood dripping from your pet’s nose or genital area, he or she needs to be evaluated for bleeding tumors or problems with making normal blood clots.
Lumps and bumps: New lumps and bumps need to be evaluated to determine if they are benign or cancerous. Areas of particular concern are the lymph nodes, as they can grow larger from lymphoma or infection.
Foul breath or bleeding from mouth: Aging pets can have unpleasant breath, however, their breath should not be horrible. Tumors growing in the mouth can trap food and bacteria, resulting in secondary infections and foul breath. Watch for difficulty eating (prolonged chewing, unwillingness to chew, or food falling from the mouth) as well as bleeding after eating, drinking or chewing toys.
Difficulty urinating: While simple urinary tract infections can cause increased urgency of urination in small amounts, bladder tumors or stones can interfere with the ability to urinate. Urinary problems are urgent.
Anorexia: Cats and dogs that stop eating usually have a health problem. There are many reasons for decreased appetite, however, cancer is one of them, particularly in elderly pets.
Insatiable thirst: Dogs should consume the same amount of water each day, with exceptions of hot days or after exercise.
Vomiting: Similar to anorexia, vomiting occurs for many reasons at any age. Frequent vomiting is a problem not to be ignored at any age.
Limping: Many pets get stiff with age and can limp shortly after vigorous activity. Limping that persists for more than a week must be medically evaluated to determine if it is from bone cancer, infection, arthritis or other health problem.
Nasal discharge: Vaccinated adult pets do not usually get frequent sinus/nasal infections. Tumors in the sinuses can result in repeated sinus infections.White, green or yellow discharge from the nose is not normal.
Make checking your pet for lumps, bumps, and any unusual signs a part of your monthly routine. Your best friend will love the added attention and you can be a proactive partner in your pet’s best health!
Clean Up At Hollywood Feed — Pet Cancer Awareness Dog Wash
Have a stinky dog? Did someone get a little too excited about that huge mud puddle at the dog park? Well then, head on over to Hollywood Feed. On November 12 and 13, Hollywood Feed is donating all proceeds from their Self Dog Wash in Memphis and Dallas to the PuppyUp Foundation in order to help fund canine cancer research programs. Click here to find a location nearest you that has a Self Dog Wash. If you can’t get to one of their locations, you can donate directly to the PuppyUp Foundation.
THANKS, Hollywood Feed!
MedVet Columbus Successfully Completes Their 7th Bone Marrow Transplant
MedVet Facility in Columbus, Ohio
Bone marrow transplantation may offer the best chance of a cure for lymphoma in dogs. MedVet Medical & Cancer Centers for Pets is one of the few veterinary centers in the world offering this cutting edge therapy — an exciting frontier in veterinary oncology.
Columbus, Ohio (PRWEB) October 28, 2016
Lymphoma is one of the most common malignant tumors in dogs representing 7-24% of all canine tumors. These tumors most commonly arise from lymph nodes, spleen, or bone marrow and are estimated to affect 13 to 24 out of every 100,000 dogs at risk annually.
Although usually seen in middle age to older dogs, lymphoma has been diagnosed in dogs less than 1-year-old. All breeds are susceptible to developing the disease but Boxers, Golden Retrievers, Bulldogs, Mastiffs, Bassett Hounds, and Scottish Terriers are associated with greater risk. Symptoms associated with lymphoma include swollen lymph nodes, decreased appetite, weight loss, lethargy and vomiting/diarrhea.
The treatment of choice for dogs with lymphoma is systemic chemotherapy. Despite the development of aggressive, multi-agent chemotherapy protocols, the median survival time remains only 10-14 months with a 2-year survival rate of 25% and a cure rate of less than 5%.
“Remission failure and tumor progression is usually caused by the development of drug resistance in residual tumor cells,” says Dr. Lisa Fulton, a veterinary oncologist and leader of the bone marrow transplant team at MedVet Columbus. “With bone marrow transplantation, it is possible to cure dogs with lymphoma. In humans, the cure rate for patients treated with systemic chemotherapy followed by bone marrow transplantation is 40 – 60%.”
In the 1960s-70s, bone marrow transplants were performed on dogs in a research setting prior to utilizing the techniques in human patients. The information from these studies, combined with advancements in technology, has allowed canine bone marrow transplantation procedures to move from the laboratory to clinical practice.
Bone marrow transplantation involves the collection of hematopoietic stem cells from either the patient, after the cancer has been controlled with chemotherapy, or from a healthy, related donor dog. After total body irradiation to destroy residual microscopic tumor cells, the patient receives an intravenous infusion of stem cells to replace destroyed or diseased bone marrow cells.
“We have shown that we can successfully mobilize and collect the required hematopoietic stem cells, administer total body irradiation, re-infuse the stem cells, and successfully support the patient until stem cell engraftment occurs. We anticipate that the introduction of bone marrow transplantation will increase the cure rate of our dogs with lymphoma.”
MedVet is one of the few centers in the world offering this cutting edge therapy to clients and their dogs battling lymphoma. To date, MedVet has performed seven bone marrow transplants with all patients tolerating the procedure well. For more detailed information about MedVet’s bone marrow transplantation program, please contact Dr. Fulton and her team at the Cancer Center in Columbus at (614) 431-4401.
For the complete article, please follow this link.
Upcoming Events In November
By the end of 2017, we will have funded over one million dollars towards cancer research, awareness, and education that benefit both pets and people. Most donations come from the many PuppyUp Walks we have had in the past 6 years. Those walks, our calendar contest, and other outreach programs and events would not have been possible without the many volunteers, supporters, and sponsors who make up the PuppyUp Family. We hope you’ll join us.
November 13 (Sunday) PuppyUp! Hollywood, FL. 09:00 AM – 01:00 PM Ty Park, 3300 N. Park Road, Hollywood, FL. Info and registration here.
Pup of the Month — Maverick
Maverick – The Dog Who Beat Cancer TWICE — Inspires Us All
Maverick
(From 103.3 KLOU online radio.)
Listen to Maverick’s story here.
The story of Maverick the Golden Retriever is one of 2016’s most inspirational stories. For the last two weeks, Maverick’s story has gone viral, gaining attention from media outlets all over the world – from ABC, NBC, and even ESPN in the states, to the BBC and news organizations in Australia, Norway, and the Netherlands. Maverick’s story has Western North Carolina at the heart of it. Asheville natives Joey and Allison Maxwell adopted Maverick years ago from a shelter in Mitchell County. While Maverick was beginning his second bout with cancer, the doctors stopped his treatment and warned the Florida couple that his last days were here. That’s when Joey and Allison decided to give Maverick one last big day on the town.
They went to a local Lowe’s Home Improvement store in search of a garden cart to wheel their friend around town. It was just days after Hurricane Matthew hit their area and no carts were to be found. Upon hearing why they wanted the cart, a store manager worked the phones and found one at another store. Maverick’s big day included a hamburger lunch, ice cream, plenty of dog treats, and a whole lot of love. Pictures and video of that day hit social media and the rest is history.
Joey Maxwell says those trips have now become a near-daily occurrence and it is helping Maverick in ways no one could have expected. He says on top of the dog’s mood improving, doctors now say his cancer is in remission. There is hope now where there was none. Joey says they have restarted chemotherapy treatments, Maverick has been getting stronger by the day, and the dog has even started to regain some feeling in his legs, which were immobilized by a spinal condition separate from the cancer.
The lesson here can only be one thing… love can cure.
Do you have a dog who inspires you? We’ d love to read their story and see their picture. Please share them with us. Post them on our Puppy Up Foundation Facebook Page.
Additional Ways To Help
Shop our PuppyUp Store! You can find all sorts of neat gear here.
You can find just about anything on Amazon.com. When you shop there, please help The PuppyUp Foundation. If you follow this link every time you shop on Amazon, they will donate a percentage of your order to The PuppyUp Foundation. Thank you.
Disclaimer
The PuppyUp Foundation does not endorse nor recommend any particular product, service, or treatment. We offer information strictly for educational and/or informational purposes. We believe it is the pet owner’s responsibility to do the research and draw his or her own conclusions.
We can always use your help. If you’re interested, send me an mail at ginger@puppyup.org.
Sincerely,
Ginger Morgan
