2011

January 
Foster puppy Ribbon (now Leeloo) was adopted.

We were supposed to have a blizzard  We didn't really, just regular Missouri snow and we attended a CE conference at a lake resort.  Which is not that much fun in January.  And was only marginally educational.

February
Zodiac turned 10!

Legend began her quest to qualify for AKC nationals (I won't count the less than 10 points she got in December).

March
Icy got sick and cost us a small fortune at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital but fully recovered and has probably forgotten all about it.  My credit card took a little longer to forget.

Kennedy turned two

Legend finished her Open Chances title

April
Foster puppy Po (now Clancy) got adopted

Legend earned her 10th QQ
We changed species for a bit and fostered kittens

Legend finished her Open Weavers title
Lyric finished her Novice Tunnelers and Open Regular titles

May
Previous foster puppy Trip debuts in agility
A horrible tornado hit nearby Joplin

Lyric finished her AX and her Novice Weavers titles

June
We took an ill fated agility trip to Tulsa
I ran my first 5K in years with limited training
Lyric finished her MXJ after only 11 months of trialing

July
Jerry and I celebrated 10 years of marriage by going back to Hawaii

It had been two years since we lost Oreo

Legend earned her 15th QQ
Lyric earned her Open Jumpers and Elite Regular titles

August
Foster dog Stormy got adopted

We changed it up again and fostered Eva (for the second time)

I ran the 5K portion of a triathlon relay (again without enough training)

I decided to seriously take up running again
A hurricane hit the east coast, Legend had a seizure and I cancelled my long awaited trip to New England

September
Eva got adopted
Lyric picked up QQ #1
I ran 5K #3 of the year and actually earned a sort of respectable time

October
Lyric turned 5

Legend went to NADAC championships-a first national competition for both of us

Barney got a urethral obstruction and used up another life
Legend had a second seizure
I ran 5K #4 after taking a few weeks off with a bad knee but still did ok
Legend qualified for AKC nationals

November
Legend had a 3rd seizure and was officially diagnosed with epilepsy and started medication
Days later she earned QQ #19 and got the chance to run for MACh but will hold at 19 until at least March
Zodiac was sick for a couple weeks but happily recovered without incident
Legend turned 6

Holli came to be fostered

I ran 5K #5

December
Legend earned her Outstanding Elite Jumpers title
Lyric earned her Novice Touch and Go title
Holli is still here
I ran 7 miles for the first time since high school

It has been an eventful year but 2012 is shaping up to be equally as exciting-hopefully only in good ways!  So far we are planning Legend getting her MACh (barring any unexpected tragedy) a trip to AKC nationals, running a half-marathon, a cruise to Alaska and who knows what else!

Snuggle Patterns

Legend has never been a snuggly dog.  She figured if you had time to pet her, you had time to play with her.  She also doesn't like to be brushed, bathed, groomed, or really handled much.  In the past, she would sometimes sleep on the foot of the bed in the corner.  But if you touched her too much or bothered her she would grumble and fling herself to the floor in disgust.

Some of that has not changed.  But some has.  Over the last year she has become a bit more loveable.  She doesn't mind to sit in my lap at trials for long periods of time.  And she virtually always sleeps with me now.  And not just in the corner.  She squeezes herself right up next to me, as close as she can get without actually sleeping on me.  And she is not about to move over!  I don't know what brought about the change but I think I like my new snuggly girl!

Speaking of Legend, she has not had a seizure since starting on medication (granted its only been 6 weeks) and her bloodwork and phenobarbtital levels were all normal when I checked them.  And, we got our confirmation for AKC nationals last week-see you in Reno!

The Unusual: Part 5

A belated holiday gift from Borderblog...

1.  Client presented with a cat in a carrier for a skin condition or wound (can't remember).  I guess they thought we would not be getting the cat out of the carrier because they suggested we get a flashlight to shine in so we could see it better.

2.  A client walked into the veterinary clinic to ask some questions about fleas and her pet.  She asked if an RN was available to talk with her.  When advised that there were none present but that she could speak with the veterinarian she replied with "well, I guess that will have to do."  Really?  What did she expect?

3.  Client described to me in great detail all about the gay sex her dogs have and could that be a cause of the pet's current issue.  In the lobby.  In front of other clients.  It was like a train wreck where you just can't look away.

4. Random person walks in requesting to buy Ivermectin because the feed store is closed (it was a non-holiday Thursday morning-hmmm).  Upon further questioning he said he needed it because his cat had a bladder worm.  He knows this because he saw her pee it out on the carpet and he picked it up in his hand and it was still wiggling.  He also went on to explain that bladder worms are very rare and usually need to be removed by surgery.  He acknowledged that although he know the Ivermetin would not cure his cat it would at least help.  Given that absolutely none of that is true (including the existence of bladder worms) we did not sell him any ivermectin.  I don't know if this person was really off his rocker or had concocted a very elaborate scheme to procure ivermectin for some unknown reason.

All of these were answers in the "breed" section of new patient forms.  No editing has been performed.
1.  pom, puddle, dotsun, sitsu (yes, all for one dog, exactly as written)
2.  taco bell dog
3.  pocket beagle
4.  cat
5.  southern husky (this one was actually over the phone)

And as a special treat, this episode of "the unusual" has a choose your own adventure section.  In my list of ideas for this post I had a note about "alien control" but for the life of me can't remember the story that goes with that.  But, I'm sure it's a good one so use your own imagination!

As a side note, how disturbing is it that my career is so strange I can't remember a story about aliens?

The lucky one

Holli was on the euthanasia list at the shelter.  She was just days away from going on "the truck." But she was lucky, she came home with us to wait for her forever home.

She's lucky she doesn't know she has to leave here eventually, because she seems quite content with her big yard, three playmates, and plenty of toys and bones.

And she's lucky she doesn't know about all the "breeders" who continue to produce puppies for no good reason.   This, in a world where there are far more dogs than homes already.  Where millions of dogs exist in shelters, and foster homes or worse yet, on euthanasia lists.  And yet they feel the need to purposefully bring more puppies into the world.

And she's luckier still she doesn't know about all the families out there buying those puppies.  People who want a younger puppy, one with "papers" or  fancy pedigree or one that comes from a certain kennel or has a certain dog in it's heritage.  People who don't think she's good enough, or frown upon a dog from a shelter because there must be something wrong with her.

Lucky for her we don't think any of those people are good enough.  She can stay here with us until the perfect family comes along, the one who thinks she's the greatest dog in the world.  The ones who can't believe how lucky they are to get to adopt her.


Meanwhile all those fancy, pedigreed puppies are getting to be less cute and more trouble.  Some of them are ending up in the very same shelters dogs like Holli come from because their "breeders" didn't care enough to make sure they went to good homes and were taken care of and well-loved.  They just wanted to collect their check.

So now, the little stray dog that nobody wanted really is the lucky one.  Too bad they won't all be so lucky.

Us

A few months ago we had some "family" photos taken but since they were a surprise for our parents and grandparents I couldn't post any of them.  But here are a few now that I don't need to keep it a secret.  We thought D Coleman Photography did a great job and would recommend them to anyone.

Merry Christmas from Borderblog

Too cute not to share

This is my friend's foster puppy.  She and her three littermates are available through MOKAN BC Rescue.  Might be mixed with terrier but super adorable!

The shelter pet project

I was recently asked to write about the Shelter Pet Project which is an organization/ad campaign that encourages people to adopt their next pet.  Since there is not much I feel more strongly about I agreed!

So why get a pet from a shelter or rescue?  Better yet, why not?

Essentially, there really isn't anything an adopted dog or cat can't do that a "purchased" pet can.  If you are looking for a companion why spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on a dog that you essentially just want to pet and take for walks?  If you want an agility or other performance dog I think it has been shown again and again a rescue dog can do just as well a high dollar dog.  I've seen plenty of MACh and NATCH dogs with no papers or pedigrees.  If you want a purebred dog you can find those too-there are plenty in shelters and breed rescues.  If you want a particular color, coat, size, etc they are all out there if you spend a bit of time looking.  And if you consider an adult dog you will know exactly what size it will be, what kind of coat it has, what it's temperament is like and more.  If it has been in a foster home it may be house-broken, crate-trained, etc.  And for less than the price of most "purchased" pets it will probably already have some or all of the following done:  spayed/neutered, vaccinated, dewormed, heartworm tested, and microchipped.

If you simply look long enough you will find what you want, or maybe even a kind of dog you would not have considered.  Some people spend lots of time looking for the right dog from the right breeder, why not spend that time looking for the right dog from a shelter?  And if you are doing the impulse buy or getting a dog from a newspaper ad, pet store, parking lot sale or breeder you haven't researched then you are really just supporting the puppy mills and backyard breeders.  Why not save a life instead?  Be a part of the solution, not the problem.

We had someone look at one of our very sweet, healthy, social rescue puppies this weekend at the trial.  She has the personality and play drive and fearlessness to make a great agility prospect.  The person's companion said why would you want that dog when you don't know anything about it's genetics and bloodlines?  Really? So a perfectly wonderful puppy should be denied a home and be allowed to die in a shelter because we don't know who its parents are?  There are plenty of dogs that come papers that also come with problems.  And plenty of homeless pets whose only problem is irresponsible breeders and owners who allowed them to end up on death row.  Don't be that person.  Have an open mind.  Look at all the great rescue dogs around you.

And I know there are plenty of people reading this who are thinking yeah, that's nice, I hope those dogs all get homes, what a great story, yadda, yadda yadda.  But some of you will still go on and get your next dog from a breeder.  As if a rescue dog is good enough for someone else but not good enough for you.  Well, you would be wrong.  Take a look around you.  It's not just old, ugly, mean dogs in shelters.  Don't ignore the problem.  Don't shop.  Adopt.  It won't just be the dog's life that you change.

Trial Report

As you can see we had a pretty good weekend at the Christmas NADAC trial.  Friday and Saturday I worked on Legend's A-frame issue.  All of the runs with contacts (except chances) I used as a training run.  I took her out to the middle of the ring, did one obstacle to the a-frame and then one obstacle on our way out of the ring.  She definitely thought this was strange but it was a pretty successful venture.  I did let her run jumpers, weavers, and chances though.  We got a  Q in jumpers for her O-EJC (like an MXJ for our AKC friends). She had a little bobble in weavers which put us over time.  And although we didn't Q in chances it was pretty close!  I feel like our training is paying off we just need more proofing and adding more complexity and distance.

Sunday I let her run everything like normal.  She got another jumpers Q and tunneler Q.  Her first regular course she took an off course at the discrimination.  Her second run though was awesome.  Huge test right off the bat-the A-frame was the second obstacle and she did it!  That's the first time in months she has taken the a-frame first attempt when it has been that early in the course.  Then she went on to get her fastest regular time ever, 10 seconds under 20 inch proficient course time.  And first place!  I was so happy with her.  Her tunnelers and jumpers Q's were a little faster than normal too.  Chances was a bit of a let down though.  I felt it was very doable and she really didn't even try, plus she took two attempts at the a-frame which was again the second obstacle.

So, lessons learned....she is still getting faster!  And she showed more excitement and drive in chances Saturday than I usually see in the ring.  So maybe she really likes the distance game and if I back off a little she will relax and maybe do the contacts more reliably.  My being right there doesn't seem to help, she's going to do it or she isn't so maybe the key is to hang back and not worry.  Her excitement over working the distance reminded me of when we went back and reworked weave poles.  She loved weave poles and started wanting to do them in the ring and was much faster at them too.

Lyric started off awesome.  She Q'd in all of her first four runs picking up her novice touch and go title and two open weavers legs.  I think she even made elite time in her touch and go runs. She had two great jumpers runs but was just over time on Saturday.  Sunday she picked up her first elite weavers Q with a few seconds to spare.  And she has a great tunnelers run with an off course but I think if she was clean she would have made elite time.  She put forth a good effort in chances on Saturday but kind of pooped out on me sunday.  I let Cheri try to run her in one of her regular runs but she turned out to be a true mama's girl and only did a few obstacles before leaving to find me.  We didn't get any regular Q's this weekend-having a little trouble with discriminations despite having been working on that.  But I'm proud of her for doing 12 runs this weekend and getting such good speed out of her!

Holli is glad to have Legend back to play with, she was getting pretty bored!

Here a few videos.  I don't have a good one of Lyric, she got most of her Q's before we got the camera out and the video of her jumpers Q isn't very good.

Let sleeping dogs (and cats) lie

Look at these sweet babies.  You would think they are the ones training for the 10k!

Weekend over already?

We had a good and productive weekend.  We have the vast majority of the Christmas shopping done.  And per our usual tradition we were able to purchase a tree on clearance.  It's a nice tree for those who are sceptical of this  method.  It is however, still waiting to be decorated as we did not get to that yet.  As is the rest of house, minus the one new reindeer decoration I put out.

Today the girls actually got in an agility workout.  They haven't been worked in 2 weeks.  I intended to take a week off after the last trial but with the weather and feeling like I had a cold coming on it stretched into two weeks.  Lyric was having a bit of trouble with discriminations but Legend looked great for the most part. Which is good because we have a NADAC trial next weekend.  Last trial until March!  I think that's the longest break we have had in quite some time.  She's running so well it will be hard to give up some of our runs as training runs, especially since she only had one a-frame "incident" in the last two trials.  But I think the long term investment might be worth it.  After all I just put my AKC nationals entries in the mail yesterday!

Holli is doing well.  After a string of house-training accidents she is now doing much better.  I think we are working on 5 days accident free now.  At first she started out doing so well that I was just trusting her to go out  with the other dogs and take care of business.  But then I think she started doing more playing than pottying and the accidents started.  So now she is getting more frequent supervised trips outside.  She is doing much better.  She pretty much hates her crate though.  She's good overnight or if I come home from work and take a nap or work quietly in another room.  But if she knows she's missing out on something it leads to incessant whining and fussing.  And for the most part she's good in the house, doesn't get into much or chew stuff up but since she's not totally house broken we can't let her out unless some attention can be devoted to watching her.  I'm sure her confinement after her spay will be super fun.   To make things more complicated she frequently wanders the house sniffing the floor but this is not necessarily a sign of needing to pee, just something she does.  On a side note, why do dogs seem to catch on to pooping outside faster than peeing?  Rarely do I have trouble getting new fosters to poop outside, even the smallest of puppies.

Holli does have a Kleenex fetish.  She can't resist them and will pull them out of the trash, out of the box, or anywhere else she can reach them.  Where does a stray dog learn about Kleenex?

Oh, and I have now worked two days at the shelter.  It went really well and I enjoyed it.  I did 13 surgeries on Friday, most of them spays.  I was starting to get tired at the end but not too bad.  One time at work I did 16 surgeries in a morning but about half of them were cat neuters so that doesn't really count.  I hesitated to apply for the job at the local spay/neuter clinic when it opened because I wasn't sure I would like just doing surgery all day every day.  Now, I think I could have managed but it's nice to have some variety in my work still.  Although there is something to be said for showing up at 9, working 3-4 hours, never talking to a client, not doing any paperwork and then leaving!

I finally got in a run today.  I felt guilty not running all week but I was too tired and thought it might make my wannabe cold worse so I ended up taking most of the week off.  Now pretty much everyone in the house feels like this.




Except Holli-she's still playing.  Ahhh, puppies.

Tuesday

I was unaware that it was supposed to snow overnight on Monday.  But that's ok because there was really not that much.  Should be no trouble at all.  Which was good, because I had a full day planned.  First, I was supposed to take Holli to be spayed before work.  I know it seems like I should just be doing that myself but for convenience and consistency we try to keep all the records for the local foster dogs at one place.  When I was working full time at All Creatures I did do all the work.  But when I quit we started using the clinic our other volunteer works at and have just kept up with that since I'm kind of all over.

Anyway.  Jerry left before me and said to take the main road out since people were getting stuck on the hill on the back way.  So I did that and everything was fine for a few miles but then there were people getting stuck on those hills.  I sat and watched and waited and decided this was going to take too long, there were traffic jams everywhere.  So I turned around, took Holli back home and headed to work.  I went the back way-couldn't be any worse and I have four wheel drive.

Well I got stuck twice with four wheel drive.  Once going up a hill and once around a corner.  Seriously how are people in regular cars making it?  I'm totally disillusioned with four wheel drive right now.  Anyway I was at the top of a hill watching a line of cars wait their turn slipping and sliding trying to get up the next hill.  I contemplated my options.  I could turn around and hope I made it back home.  I could wait my turn and give the next hill a try.  I could park where I was (happened to be next to a nice flat field where my truck would be safe from other sliding vehicles) and walk to work.  I chose option 3. Seemed the safest at the time and it wasn't that much farther and since the day already sucked I could at least get paid.

After work I was supposed to go to the shelter where Holli came from and evaluate a litter of puppies.  Then Zodiac was supposed to go to pet therapy tonight.  I canceled both of those.  Even if the roads were better I was pretty much done with this mess.  I worked my half day and my boss took me back to my car and I drove home uneventfully.  Fortunately we should have another volunteer to look at the puppies later this week when they can actually be released from the shelter.  And Holli can be spayed another day.

Stupid snow.  What a mess.

PS-I would have posted this on Tuesday but I had pre-written Tuesday's post over the weekend thinking I would be busy all day Tuesday.  Figures.  Again, Hawaii looks really good today!

Also I found that downloading the free Google Chrome web browser fixed all my problems leaving comments on certain blogs.  I think google just wants to control the world.

A Christmas Message

Nebraska Border Collie Rescue has this posted on their home page right now.  I thought I would share it.

Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house,

not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

in hopes that Saint Nicholas soon would be there.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,

with nary a thought of the dog in their heads.

And Mama in her kerchief and I in my cap,

knew he was cold, but who cared about that?

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,

I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter.

Away to the window I flew like a flash,

the dog must be loose; he's into the trash!

The moon on the breast of the new fallen snow,

gave the luster of mid-day to objects below.

When what to my wondering eyes should appear,

but Santa Claus with eyes full of tears.

He unchained the dog, once so lively and quick,

last year's Christmas gift, now thin and sick.

More rapid than eagles, he called the dog's name,

and the dog went right to him, despite all his pain.

Now DASHER, now DANCER, now, PRANCER and VIXEN!

On COMET on CUPID on DONNER and BLITZEN!

To the top of the porch! To the top of the wall!!

Let's find him a home where he'll be loved by all!!

I knew in an instant there were not gifts this year.

For Santa had made our mistake very clear.

The gift of a dog is not just for the season,

we had gotten a pup for all the wrong reasons.

In our haste to think of a gift for the kids,

there was something important that we had missed.

A dog should be family, and cared for the same.

You don't give a gift, then put it on a chain.

And I heard him exclaim as he flew out of sight,

"YOU WERE GIVEN A GIFT!! YOU WERE GIVEN A LIFE."

Author Unknown

Cancer Part 6: Histiocytoma

Not all tumors are bad!  I thought it was time for a good one. 

Histiocytomas are also sometimes called "button tumors" because of their appearance.  The classic appearance is of a small, pink, hairless mass on the face, frequently of a young dog.  They can, however, appear anywhere on the body in a dog of any age. 



Histiocytomas can frequently be diagnosed with cytology and surgical biopsy is rarely necessary.  Also, these tumors will generally regress on their own over a period of a few weeks to up to 3 months.  While you could just monitor these suspected masses for regression I do like to at least do cytology to differentiate from a mast cell tumor as those require more aggressive treatment.  But if the cytology is consistent with histiocytoma I usually just recommend waiting for regression.  If the owner is concerned, the cytology is questionable, the mass is not regressing as expected, or the mass is bothering the dog such that they are always breaking open and bleeding or being scratched at, then surgery is recommended.  Sometimes an ulcerated or pruritic tumor can be managed with topical medications until regression. 

Cytology of histiocytoma

Personally, I think this is a great use of cytology.  These are the cases where cytology can save a pet and owner the stress and expense of a surgery which is usually appreciated!

This condition is rare in cats. 

Cancer Part 5: Mast cell tumors

Mast cells are normally occurring cells in the body which help fight parasites, viral and bacterial infections and play a part in allergic reactions.  When mast cells mutate and reproduce out of control you can get a mast cell tumor (MCT).  Mast cell tumors come in 3 types and which type you get makes a big difference in the treatment and prognosis.

MCTs are most common on the skin and can have a varied appearance.  They may get larger and smaller as histamines are released and swelling results-like a bee sting for example), be ulcerated, itchy, or hairless.  It is important to have all skin or subcutaneous masses checked as MCTs can mimic other, more benign masses. 

MCTs are often easily diagnosed via cytology.  It is important to know you are dealing with a mast cell tumor prior to surgery because sometimes the doctor will want to pre-treat your pet with anti-histamines.  Also they will know what kind of surgical margin they should try to obtain.  Once your pet has been diagnosed with a MCT the next step is surgery and histopathology (biopsy) to determine the grade (which cannot be determined by cytology).

Cytology of mast cells

Grade 1 tumors are good news.  These are typically benign and complete surgical excision is considered curative.  Grade 3 tumors are the bad ones.  These tumors are more likely to recur, metastasize or present as multiple tumors.  Surgical removal of Grade 3 tumors followed by chemotherapy is the recommended course of treatment.  Grade 2 tumors are in-between.  Complete excision with no findings of lymph node involvement or other metastatic disease is frequently curative.  Incomplete excision can be followed with radiation and/or chemo for more complete tumor control. 

Surgery alone provides a 1500 day survival of 6% for grade 3 tumors, 44% for grade 2 and 83% for grade 1 tumors. Chemotherapy protocol of Vinblastine and prednisone provided a 57% two year disease free interval post-surgery for all grades of tumors and a 45% two year survival rate for grade 3 tumors.  Keep in mind most dogs in this study were grade 2 and 3 as the grade 1 dogs generally do not receive additional therapy.   This protocol is relatively simple and well-tolerated.  I have treated a few dogs with it and found they did very well. 

Because mast cells release histamine, dogs with MCT may develop GI ulceration and may need to be treated with acid blockers for the duration of their treatment. 

Cats
Mast cell tumors are uncommon in cats and most common in the skin  These are usually benign and cured with surgery.

Since you asked

And because I was going to mention it anyway, Zodiac is much better now.  He's acting 100% normal and his appetite is almost back to normal.  He has been eating all of his food, without any canned for a few days now but he's not quite got all his enthusiasm for food back yet.  See, normally Zodiac does not think about, chew, or look at his food.  He just dives in and gulps it down.  While he did finish before Legend for the first time all week this morning, he did still stop the chew a little.  But, we are almost there.  Right now I have him just on sucralfate and prilosec.  The tricky part is to give the sucralfate three times a day on an empty stomach and feed him twice a day.  But we are doing an ok job I guess since he seems better. 

So the good news is-probably NOT a tumor.  And as a colleague pointed out, an ulcer would be more likely and make more sense.  Which I know, but it's nice to have an objective voice remind me.  Of course we don't know for sure if it was an ulcer nor will we know for sure if it was caused by long term Rimadyl use.  So, to be on the safe side we are just going to switch to Tramadol.  I was never sure how much the Rimadyl helped anyway, but as long as it didn't seem to bother him it was ok.  Well now, maybe it bothered him.

And he's been a real angel about taking the sucralfate. See, it works better if you dissolve it and give as a slurry and he's been a real trooper.  Never fighting me or refusing to swallow.  So I guess if we ever need to syringe feed him that won't be an issue. But hopefully we would never have to do that!

Meanwhile the weather here is cold, wet, and nasty.  That Hawaii thing looks better all the time!  The girls are enjoying a week off of training but that may turn into a little longer if the weather stays like this.

Well that figures

So we were watching "How the states got their shapes" on TV the other day and this particular episode was discussing how climate and natural disasters move population centers.  At the end of the program they promised to announce the "safest" state.  Apparently some magazine crunched then numbers based on climate and fewest natural disasters and figured this out.  I have always wondered this myself, and thought great, maybe if we ever decide to move we can go wherever that is (assuming it's not too cold).  Anyway, the answer is..............get this.............

Hawaii.

Figures.  As much as I love Hawaii, we will probably not be moving there.  Probably.  

Happy Holli-days

Yeah.  You knew that was coming right?

Here are some better pics of Holli now that she is more settled in and playing.  The vet check on her app was not acceptable so she is still available!

And here is the face of insane cuteness

And two pretty dogs

Tomorrow is my first day helping out doing spays and neuters at a semi-local shelter/low cost spay/neuter clinic.  I guess I'm not technically volunteering since they are paying me but I am giving up what would be otherwise free time to help out (which they very much need) and service the community and the pet overpopulation.  So it seems to benefit everyone.  Can't beat that can you?