14 Months in Remission Recap

May’s update is short and sweet!

Monthly Wellness Check with Primary Veterinarian

Margarita’s mammary mass has been changing increasing and decreasing in size, and also producing a clear discharge. This has been watched closely both daily by me, and monthly at her primary veterinarian and oncology visits. Due to the continued changes, our primary veterinarian, Dr. Campbell wanted to check Rita’s estrogen levels. An estrogen level blood test would indicate if perhaps during her spay, something was missed, causing her to have partial cycles. On May 4th we received the results. Rita’s estrogen level was 64.3, which is within the normal range for a female with no cycling. Although this provided a sigh of relief, it also does not provide an answer to why that mammary mass is acting the way it is. We do not want to put Margarita through any other stressful procedures, so we will be monitoring the mass and its changes along with continued communication with Dr. Campbell. Rita had blood work done as well. Dr. Campbell reported that the results showed that Margarita’s liver values continue to improve.

Monthly Activities

This month Rita continued to increase her activity and has been more vibrant than ever!

Agility

Rita enjoyed the homemade Agility course in our yard:

5K Races

Coronavirus Relief 5k

Those of you that have known Rita from the start know that she used to run 5k races prior to her Lymphoma diagnosis. For the first time since her diagnosis, Margarita completed a 5k! Rita participated in the Coronavirus Relief virtual race hosted by Virtual Strides . We walked this 5k, but it was just as fun as all the others we’ve completed together!

Run of the Pets

Margarita participated in “Run of the Pets” which was hosted by Virtual Strides .



A portion of the entry fee was donated to Best Friends Animal Society. The mission of Best Friends Animal Society is to bring about a time when there are No More Homeless Pets. They do this by helping end the killing in America’s animal shelters through building community programs and partnerships all across the nation. 

Monthly Treat

This month we had to once again skip our monthly-treat dues to Covid-19. Although some restaurants are now offering take-out, Brian and I have decided to not do anything outside our home to be extra safe.

Anna: Pointer Rescue, Org Foster

We hosted a little gal named Anna for 1 day and 1 night as she made a pitstop here on her way from Georgia to her her foster home in PA!

Anna was found as a stray along a back road in Georgia which is unfortunately known as a “popular” road for people dumping dogs. She had just recently had puppies and had pyometra – which if left untreated could have taken her life. She is lucky she was found in time. A good samaritan found her, took her in, and paid to have her pyometra and spay completed.

She loved the lake and even took a swim!

She is a beautiful girl who is full of spunk!

We wish Anna the best in her foster home and pray that she finds her forever family soon! Welcome to your new life, Anna!

Run of the Pets 5k

Margarita participated in “Run of the Pets” which was hosted by Virtual Strides.


A portion of the entry fee was donated to Best Friends Animal Society. The mission of Best Friends Animal Society is to bring about a time when there are No More Homeless Pets. They do this by helping end the killing in America’s animal shelters through building community programs and partnerships all across the nation. ✌🏼❤️🐾.



Virtual Strides hosted this event is in memory of Cooper, Virtual Strides’ very first shipping assistant, and an all around good boy. ❤️🌈🐾.

Cooper

Nutritional Consultation with Veterinary Specialty Hospital of the Carolinas

VSH of the Carolinas (**Now BluePearl Pet Hospital) offers nutritional services that may benefit dogs with epilepsy. We decided to try a dietary change in hopes that this would reduce the severity and frequency of Porter’s seizures. VSH provided us with a diet and nutrition support plan that was recommended based on Porter’s medical records, diagnostic results, and dietary history. Consultations can be done online or by making an in-person visit.

We are not sharing the dietary suggestions that we received for Porter, as we truly believe that every dog’s dietary needs are unique and should be discussed with your dog’s medical team.

Nutrition Services Offered by VSH of the Carolinas:

  • Courtesy pDVM/ colleague commercial recommendations: Based on patients’ clinical problems and diagnostic results, a list of appropriate commercial options is provided via phone or email.
  • Voluntary commercial consultations: A list of appropriate commercial options are provided to the client with specific feeding guidelines and monitoring parameters.
  • Weight loss consultation: Individualized weight loss plan provided to the client. Includes bi-monthly weights and check-ins to monitor progress, in addition to addressing any nutrition-related concerns or questions.
  • Assisted feeding consultation (any type of feeding tube/ port): Based on patients’ disease processes, appropriate liquid diets/ liquid diet blends (for nasoenteric or jejunostomy tubes) or slurried diet blends (esophagostomy or gastrostomy tubes), feeding guidelines, and monitoring parameters are provided. Additionally, commercial options for volitional intake will also be provided (if applicable). If/ when the patient goes home, at-home guidelines will be provided to the client. Direct follow up with the client for any nutrition-related concerns or questions it available.
  • Homemade diet consultation: Two patient-specific homemade diet recipes are formulated and provided to the client based on the patient’s individual disease states. Specific cooking directions, feeding guidelines, and monitoring parameters are provided. Use of human supplements.
  • Combination Homemade diet + commercial
  • Homemade diet analysis: Technical analysis of client’s homemade diet using recipe/ information supplied by the client. Often needed to demonstrate nutritional deficiencies/ excesses in online recipes. Does not include “fixing” the diet to make it appropriate.
  • Combination homemade diet analysis and reformulation of up to 2 recipes: See option 5+7.
  • Homemade diet reformulation: In the event that an existing patient with a VSH homemade diet develops new medical problems and a reformulation is required. Ex. Renal disease and then develops pancreatitis; use of human supplements.
  • Supplement/ nutraceutical evaluation: Using existing medical records and product information, recommendations are made regarding dosing, continuation, and/or discontinuation of supplements.
  • Commercial diet evaluation: Based on the patient’s medical problems and diagnostic results, evaluation of the appropriateness of current / potential diet is provided.
  • In person appointment: Discussion of client concerns and goals, nutritional physical exam, etc.

Recommended Commercial Kibble:

  • Purina Canine NC NeuroCare
  • Purina Canine Bright Mind Adult 7+ Large Breed
  • Royal Canin Canine Mobility Support JS Large Breed

Recommended Commercial Wet Foods:

  • Purina Canine Bright Minds Adult 7+ Turkey and Brown Rice Entrée

Although we learned invaluable information with this nutrition consult, unfortunately, just like many other options we tried, this did not change Porter’s seizure frequency or severity. He was also not a fan of the food. He was transitioned back to his normal diet in October 2020.

Coronavirus Relief 5K

Those of you that have known Rita from the start know that she used to run 5k races prior to her Lymphoma diagnosis. For the first time since her diagnosis, Margarita completed a 5k! Rita participated in the Coronavirus Relief virtual race hosted by Virtual Strides . We walked this 5k, but it was just as fun as all the others we’ve completed together!

Rita earned herself a 3D coronavirus molecule medal, featuring a toilet paper patterned ribbon

And I get to use the attached hand sanitizer keychain and a forehead thermometer !

A portion of the race entry fee was donated to Direct Relief – a charity that is responding to the coronavirus pandemic by providing PPE to health workers, bolstering critical care capacity, and strengthening general medical support.

8 Years Old

🎂Happy 8th Birthday to the bounciest, happiest, most vibrant and insane-in-the-membrane dog we know! At 8 years old, he’s still tons of fun and keeps us laughing each and every day! We love you buddy! 🎈

8 Years Old



Lager was born in The Netherlands, so Brian made him traditional meals from that region:


Breakfast: Pannenkoek (a style of pancake with origins in the Netherlands. They are usually larger and much thinner than their American or Scotch pancake counterparts, but not as thin as crêpes. They may incorporate slices of bacon, apples, cheese, or raisins).

Pannenkoek


Dinner: Slavinken (a meat dish consisting of ground meat, wrapped in bacon)… with a side of green beans and potatoes

Slavinken


Dessert: Dutch Apple Cake

Dutch Apple Cake

Lager’s birthday was the first birthday celebration during our quarantine at home due to the Covid-19 Pandemic.

Financial Support for Veterinary Care

If you have a fur-kid there may come a time when you will need to pay for a pretty hefty veterinary medical bill. If you have insurance for your 4-legged child, it can help cover some of the costs. But there may come a time when a a fur-child’s medical emergency or illness will exceed your financial resources. When this type of situation arises, often PAWrents are faced with a difficult choice. If you find yourself in a tough financial predicament, here are some resources you can reach out to for help.

  1. Boo tiki fund : Aims to keep animals in their forever homes by providing  crisis medical care when owners are unable to pay
  2. Credit Cards for Veterinary Care: Many veterinary hospitals do not take payment plans. One of these cards may be a solution if you are not able to afford the whole cost of treatment. Please note that your veterinarian must offer the service of accepting this type of payment.
  3. RedRover.org : provides support to help care for animals in life-threatening situations . They also provide assistance to victims of domestic violence to help them escape abusive environments with their pets. Additionally, they have a program that helps with disaster relief, criminal seizures, and hoarding cases.
  4. The Pet Fund : a national nonprofit dedicated to funding veterinary care for those who could not afford it.
  5. Harley’s Hope Foundation : Financial assistance is offered to assist with major or emergency veterinary care and behavioral or specialty training.
  6. Brown Dog Foundation : This organization is dedicated to helping families who find themselves in a temporary financial crisis at the same time their pet requires life-saving treatment or life-sustaining medications. They work with the clinic and the family to find the best, most affordable path to saving the animal and help bridge the gap of the veterinary bill.
  7. Shakespeare Animal Fund : helps elderly, disabled and those whose total income does not exceed the current poverty guidelines to obtain emergency pet care.
  8. The Onyx & Breezy Foundation : privately run nonprofit that started in memory of the founder’s dogs.  This foundation helps to provide emergency medical care to animals whose owners have fallen on hard times.
  9. Handicapped Pets Foundation : a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation dedicated to the health and well-being of elderly, disabled, and injured pets. They also donate mobility equipment to pets in need.
  10. Dog-Breed Specific Support : There are many associations that support specific dog breeds. Reach out to your local breed clubs for information on local, state and national groups involved in dog breed-specific veterinary care assistance programs. Below are a couple of examples:
  11. Disease Specific Support : There are groups that help with specific canine diseases. Below are just a few examples:
  12. Working Dogs / Service Dog Support : Some programs and organizations provide veterinary care assistance for service animals, such as:
  13. Dogs and Other Unsolicited Advice Foundation : a non-profit that was created to support and guide qualified applicants through emotional times with financial relief in the form of partial or complete payment of covered services.

Keep in mind the groups listed in this post are just suggested starting points to help PAWrents who find themselves in an emergency medical situation. There are many other local and national groups or organizations that may be able to assist, or who may be able to point you in the right direction. Even if the group or organization you contact cannot help, they may know of a low-cost vet clinic and/or possible solutions for financial assistance.

If you are looking for low-cost general veterinary care, Veterinary associations, veterinary schools, rescue organizations, and local animal shelters may be able to help you locate facilities and groups who offer low cost-spay/neuter and vaccinations.

Mother’s Day 2020

🐶The Snuggle is Real! 🐶

Being a mother doesn’t mean being related to someone by blood. It means loving someone unconditionally and with all of your heart.
🐾💛💚❤️💖💜💙🐾
To all the dog moms out there who traded beauty sleep for dark circles, salon cuts for ponytails, long showers for quick clean-ups, late night parties for late night potty walks, sleeping-in for early morning face-licking-wake-ups, pedicures for PAWdicures, and designer bags for poop bags …

Happy Mother’s Day!

Happy Mothers Day to all the Mamas out there!