Archive for the ‘Pet and Vet News’ Category

Blogathon 2010 donation badge and info is in the sidebar!→

While preparing for Blogathon 2010, I reached out to other About.com Guides and glass friends to add in some new perspectives. My friends stepped up and offered guest posts, for which I am very grateful. An hour between posts seems generous. I was even thinking I could do a couple an hour. What was I thinking? I underestimated all of the behind-the-scenes stuff to get done. So … thank you friends!

This post is from Linda Larsen, the About.com Guide to Busy Cooks.
She shares a story about savoring life and a meat loaf recipe for your dogs to savor!

I love all animals. I grew up with a German Shepherd, Schafee, who was beautiful and smart. But now I have cats. And I’ve had cats for 27 years. Unlike the stereotype, when they are loved and given a secure home, their personalities blossom and they become as affectionate and cuddly as the happiest dog. It’s fascinating to watch them turn from little balls of fluff who won’t look you in the eye to beautiful sleek cats who respond to your voice and gaze into your eyes.

The only thing I don’t like about having pets is their short lifespan. It’s just not fair that animals only live a dozen or so years. It’s very hard to forget that fact, and as they age, the specter could hang over me every day. But I don’t let it. Because the only way to live with animals is to appreciate them every single second. When my first cat, Muffin, was 14 she developed breast cancer. Yes, a cat can get that disease. We were lucky – she had a surgical cure. But from that point on, I made a concerted effort to be in the moment with her. I really watched her play, I listened to her purr, I memorized her face and the feel of her soft fur. I concentrated on how she felt in my arms and how beautiful she was trotting down the hallway when I called her, her eyes bright and her tail flying straight up in the air.

And these actions made a difference when she died three years later. I had rich memories. Memories can seem like cold comfort in the first ravages of grief, but they really do help. Knowing that you cherished every second with your pet will help. I’ve been through it six times now. So learn this lesson and apply it to your pets, your family, your friends, your colleagues. Life is precious. Savor every second. No matter what.

Don’t miss the meat loaf recipe

Thank you Linda for this post!

So… eight of us are blogging for charity this weekend, including me. I will be blogging along with DrV and 6 other bloggers in a one-post-an-hour-for-24-hour blogging marathon to raise money for animal charities! My charity is to raise money for a seizure alert dog for a 4 year old epileptic boy. You can read more about Bradyn here.

Now, I am checking out Twitter and the participant’s blogs and whoa – lots of prizes going on. I must have missed a memo. I have some bead prizes, but sadly lacking on sponsor prizes or guest posts. But that is OK. I plan to be here, I plan to post. We’ll have fun.

BUT… a few of you have asked about beads, so I had a thought. If you are the blogging type, and would like to do a guest post, let’s talk. If you have pet products that would be cool sponsor prizes, let’s talk.

The post can be on anything really – something about animals. Or something artsy and… that you love animals. Pet products – we love them all. Game? Email!

The Blogathon is Saturday, November 13th, starting at 11 am PST!

Quincy, my keep-me-up-at-night kitty.

Barnie my quiet kitty, assesses the goods.

Related blogathon info and history from Pawcurious:

• 2010 Blogathon details and a little Blogathon history
• Blogathon 2010 – start your engines!
• Blogathon 2010 – The 8 Blogateers

It’s that time again… Blogathon! It’s this weekend! → Here is the 2010 Blogathon overview from DrV.

The Blogathon is Saturday, November 13th, starting at 11 am PST!

I feel like I am behind and we haven’t even started yet.

Last year I was out of town for the DrV Blogathon, but donated beads and helped behind the scenes. This year, I am here. The family is busy doing stuff, and I have no excuses. I will be blogging along with DrV and 6 other bloggers in a one-post-an-hour-for-24-hour blogging marathon to raise money for animal charities!

This will definitely be a lot more action than this little blog usually sees ….

Here are the beads:

I will be wiring them up with sterling silver, and adding fancy stuff to them. I will be blogging about a bunch of topics, with lots of photos and some video clips.

For the beads…. I will have quiz questions. The answers will be found on my other site: Veterinary Medicine at About.com.

Related blogathon info and history from Pawcurious:

• 2010 Blogathon details and a little Blogathon history
• Blogathon 2010 – start your engines!
• Blogathon 2010 – The 8 Blogateers

Quincy is now about the same size and weight as 19-year old Greta, which isn’t a good thing when he is feeling naughty. (Which is often these last few days.) Greta is deaf and cranky, and doesn’t want to be in the same room as the feisty whippersnaper. This has earned young Quincy some timeouts until he gives up his quest to annoy poor Greta.

Of course, every time I went in the bathroom to check on him, he was a bundle of purr-y love. Almost seemed to overdo it, if you know what I mean. (So darn cute!)

On the other hand, Quincy adores Barnie. The two of them thunder through the house, playing, chasing, making as much noise as the dogs. Down the hall, up the climbing post, diving under beds. They keep busy. They also cuddle up together, but not usually too close, just “near” each other.

Barnie loves his chair and cushion. Notsomuch when there just isn’t much room to have extra personal space.

Oops another long gap between posts. Sometimes that happens. I blog 5x a week at About.com, also blog weekly at K9Cuisine, so sometimes I just… run out of words. heh Thank goodness for photos, though. I have lots of those here.

This fall has been extra busy with 3 huge events, one after the other.

1. First up was the 20th year vet school reunion that I helped plan. I had never been to a reunion – vet school, high school or otherwise – ever. I was nervous, but ended up having a blast. I did a behind-the-scenes vet school tour, which had many of my classmates wondering just why I was taking so. many. photos.
2. Next up was Blogpaws West. I helped organize the first ever Vet Track with my friend Heather. Even though everything was planned and “set” months ago, it was nervewracking… hoping everything went off as planned. I will be writing more on this later, but happy to report no glitches. Whew. People seemed to like it too; a nice bonus.
3. Coming up, it’s Race for the Cure with my friend Cindy. I leave again this Friday for the September 19 Portland, Oregon race. To join 40,000+ other people in this important cause.

For now, a less serious Blogpaws recap. The pets and family missed me while I was in Denver and I missed them. It was great to come home to open arms, play bows, and purrs. Here are some photos of the pets enjoying the always amazing and beyond bountiful Blogpaws swag!

Here is Argos and the Kyjen alligator toy.

Argos and his new Kyjen toy

Thanks to Dorian of YourDailyCute, I brought home a second Alligator toy.

Barnie sets aside his envy.

whoo hooooooooo! I love toys!

I love-love-love you, alligator.

Nap time for Argos.

Then Argos discovered the Hartz DuraPlay squeaky football, not a toy that I pictured him enjoying, really. It is a great toy, but… he isn’t a Retriever, and to date he hasn’t shown any interest in chasing balls or fetching. But we found out that he looooves this toy, too. My daughter had put all of the toys in a cardboard box (not sure why) and I found Argos standing over by this box for the longest time. I wondered what was up, then I realized he was scoping things out.

Nothing to see here. Move along...

He kept at it until the box fell on the floor and he got what he was after. New toy!

Why do these things need tags, anyway?

Here are some new photos of the beads (and the reason I made them) that I talked about in this post, which also includes “ordering” info.

Thank you everyone who has helped by sending good thoughts, spreading the word, and donating for this important cause.

It’s almost race time. The annual Race for the Cure and my annual self-flogging for not running and training all summer like I should have. But it’s all for a good cause. The Komen Race for the Cure is a great cause all by itself, but I have a reason much closer to home.

Cindy at the finish in 2009!

Why I Run

No question that breast cancer is a horrible disease. Until recently, it was a disease that Other People got. But you know… cancer can strike anyone. And it did. My best friend Cindy (aka Peach) is a veterinarian, a specialist in internal medicine, and currently a surgical resident, too. Pretty impressive. She is also a cancer survivor.

I interviewed her on About.com and despite the gravity of the subject, she writes about her cancer with the same wit and humor she always has.

It’s hard being on the sidelines. I want to DO something. Fix something. Help my friend kick this $%&# thing called cancer. That is how I got involved in the Race for the Cure. We made a video, formed a race team, and created a team web site. Although not in that order. We did everything at once!

What Does a Donation Really Do?

Cindy recently sent this out to our team:

“Ever wonder where the money goes?  I sure do.  The majority of the money raised in Oregon stays to help patients in Oregon – 75% of it to be exact.  The other 25% goes to the national Komen organization.  This year four major research grants from that national fund came back to Oregon  – 3 of the 4 grants went to OHSU and 1 went to Providence.  So the majority of the money we raise here stays here to help the people we know.

I was diagnosed with “Triple Negative” breast cancer 3 years ago now.  This form of breast cancer carries one of the worst prognoses with the highest incidence of resistant, aggressive recurrence, usually within the first 5 years after diagnosis.  Luckily only 15% of breast cancers are of this type.  Part of the problem is that up to this point there have been no real effective treatments identified for triple negative disease.  However, in the last year PARP inhibitors have surfaced as a potential treatment to slow metastatic triple negative cancer.  Research funding, largely from Komen, allowed for this discovery. Let’s help the researchers find something to prevent metastatic spread next….:

Saying Thank You

There are so many causes now, it is easy to become overwhelmed by the many valid and necessary pleas to help animals and humans. But this is my annual “Blog The Change” for humans. In this case, a human that does a LOT to help animals.

Bones and Beads!

Each year, I do something new as a thank you for donations to our Race for the Cure team. This year, it is exclusive black and pink dog bones, pictured below. I am not using this color combo anywhere else. The color combo was requested inspired by my best friend Heather and her Tail Wagging Muse. These bones are available, wired up with sterling and Swarovski crystals, for donations of $50 or more on my behalf to our Race for the Cure team. I also have other Race for the Cure handmade beads available.

Note: The donations go directly to Komen. I do not handle the money at all, and I contribute the shipping costs. All bones will be wired up with sterling silver, Swarovski crystals, and made as a pendant for humans or with a larger clip for your favorite anipal’s collar.

It took me a few times to get the colors “just right” – pink can be a fickle color when working with glass. What it looks like pre-melting isn’t necessarily what comes out of the kiln. Pictured below are some of the other candidates. The first attempts are more purple-y blue than pink. Very nice, but not the pink pop! I was going for. If you would like those colors, though, just let me know. And… if you have a super special color request, maybe we can work something out. 

I also have other Race for the Cure handmade beads available.

August 25, 2010 update: new bone and bead photos

Learn more: Team Web site | Facebook | Flickr