Never Shock a Puppy

No, not my title.  It's from Nevershockapuppy.com.  Check out their blog on POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT dog training as opposed to using shock collar.  Below is the Never Shock a Puppy Manifesto.  Check out their website for more of the great information they provide.  

Never Shock a Puppy Manifesto
http://nevershockapuppy.com/manifesto/

October 20, 2010

 

We believe dog training should be fun for both dogs and people, not a power struggle.

We believe dog training is far more about building relationships and trust than it is about instituting “control.”

We believe dogs learn our rules through efforts to bridges the communication gap between species.

We believe that we cannot (and should not) punish our dogs into behaving better — no matter their size, age, breed, or sex.

We believe in positive reinforcement dog training, where dogs primarily get rewarded for the behaviors we seek, not punished for the ones we don’t.

And, finally, we believe that any time someone hurts a dog, scares a dog, or intimidates a dog in the name of dog training, it damages the relationship and makes the dog afraid to do something “wrong,” rather than excited to do something “right.” Dogs who learn to love learning are far more likely to do as we ask.

I can't wait for their next campaign:  Never Choke a Puppy!

Trouble graduates chemotherapy

Trouble in his chemotherapy graduation bandana

"Congratulations!"  is  what our favorite nurse said to us when I picked up Trouble from his 16th and final chemotherapy treatment.  I'm not sure how I feel about this.  Yes, Trouble completed the full 16-treatment, nearly 6 month cancer treatment course.  Yes, he went into remission right away.  But now, we monitor.  We wait for something to go wrong and hope to wait a really, really long time for that to happen. 

Trouble sailed through the treatment.  Did we have "quality of life" versus just owner selfishness?  You bet we did.  Trouble still went to work to bark at my coworkers and collect sticks from the bushes near the parking lot, he had hikes and trips to the beach,  he wanted to play with his favorite toy all the time, he trained in agility, and he started taking Rally-O classes one evening a week.

Cancer survivor!

Did this cost a lot?  You bet it did.  Worth every cent every time Trouble wags his little (now fairly bald) nubby of a tail or touches the cookie jar for service or brings the favorite toy.

It's all been so surreal.  Here we are - six months after diagnosis and a dog who was fading fast.  Tonight, Trouble will eat his dinner and bring his favorite toy and wag his Trubbie Nubbie tail and we'll go out to play like it's any other day and nothing is out of the ordinary.  Dogs are like that - and we love them for it.

Overdue Trouble cancer update

Well, well.  So much for staying on top of blogging. 

It's been 5 months since Trouble was diagnosed with Lymphosarcoma and started chemotherapy. 

Trouble is on a rotating series of chemotherapy medications.  For the first 2 cycles, the treatments are weekly; for the second 2 cycles, the treatments are bi-weekly.  The first and third treatment of each 4-treatment cycle is Vincristine. 

Trouble's first Vincristine treatment was nothing short of horrible.  He was fine the evening of his treatment (he goes to the oncologist on Fridays) and the next morning.  On Saturday afternoon, after a morning on the beach and an afternoon hike, Trouble threw up.  From that point, his appetite stated to rapidly diminish to nothing and the vomiting increased.  By Sunday, Trouble was at our vet's for anti-nausea injections and subcutaneous fluids (the effects of subcutaneous fluids are nothing short of amazing).  I gave him more subcutaneous fluids at home on Sunday evening.  He looked awful.  He had lost about 7 pounds (he normally weighs 54 pounds), his eyes were sunken into his head, and he didn't want to get up.  Thank heavens, by Monday, he was eating and getting better.

After that horrible first treatment, Trouble was given an injection of Cerenia after every chemotherapy treatment and given Cerenia orally for up to 4 days after treatment.  In addition, the dosage of Vincristine was reduced.

So, here we are.  Fourteen treatments down and two treatments to go.  Trouble is doing great.  He has had no further vomiting, his weight is back, his energy is normal, his muscle tone back to normal.  Sometimes he seems mildly mentally foggy or seems to have a bit less stamina than I would expect him to have.  He has lost a tremendous amount of hair, but he's back to agility training and we started attending weekly Rally practices.

Trouble and Marley at the Run for the Seals at Rodeo Beach, the day before we found the lump in his throat.

Trouble and Marley in my front yard 8-14-10.  Notice the difference in Trouble's coat!

It feels like it's taken this long to exhale after Trouble's diagnosis.  Now, with two treatments to go, it seems really scary again.  We'll finish treatments and then monitor and hope for the best. 

Time to adopt the NIKE attitude

By this I mean "just do it." I have a running, hyperactive list of blog topics spiraling in and out of my mind, but never landing here!

The best way to learn about so many dog-related topics is networking. My blog is intended to be one more networking outlet.

So, I'm going to try to get something out of my head and into this blog a few times a week. The whole point is sharing information, ideas, and person trials and triumphs. Hopefully, this can introduce a few dog owners to some really great stuff that makes their life with their dog that much more fulfilling.

How about the blog title "Shut up and train your dog?" I feel this way often. Cool topics might include: "What's it worth" (regarding dog reward values), raw food, tricks, fun walks, fun dog-friendly events, reviews of dog-friendly restaurants, finding the right vet, get rid of that awful prong collar...

OK - now I need to make good on my intentions!

Unfortunately, I have first hand knowledge of another topic: Canine Lymphosarcoma. My 7 year old Aussie, Trouble, was diagnosed with Lymphosarcoma on March 15th.

We discovered a lymph node the size of a tangerine on the side of Trouble's throat on Sunday morning (it definitely was not enlarged on Saturday - I am certain of this). He wasn't as active as usual and, though he ate his meals, his appetite was diminished. He received a preliminary diagnosis at my vet's on Monday morning. At that time they took blood samples, biopsies from 3 enlarged lymph nodes, and did chest and abdominal x-rays.

Here is the rundown from the first Monday vet visit:

• Swollen lymph nodes all over Trouble's body - BAD
• Enlarged spleen - BAD
• No abnormalities in the x-rays - GOOD
• Healthy, fit dog - GOOD
• Likelihood of remission with treatment = 85% with an average remission length of 1 year - GOOD

By Tuesday, the biopsy results showed that Trouble had Lymphosarcoma and the results of his blood work had my vet concerned that Trouble's bone marrow was involved (BAD). I made an appointment with a veterinary oncologist at VMS in Campbell, CA for Wednesday. In the meantime, Trouble's energy was fading fast. I was worried he might not last more than a few days. Thank heavens for wonderful vets at Evergreen Pet Clinic in San Jose and my friend Michelle (a vet in Santa Cruz) - everyone was so helpful and supportive. It made decision-making pretty easy.

Wednesday, Trouble was really slowing down and acting like he didn't feel well. That afternoon, he saw the oncologist, Dr. Kiselow, and started treatment.  Additional biopsies were also taken.

• Most dogs handle the treatment very well with only mild vomiting and loss of appetite. They maintain an active, happy life during treatment - GOOD

The plan is 6 months of treatment and then monitoring from then on.

By Thursday night, about 28 hours after initial treatment and about 12 hours after his first dose of Prednisone, Trouble was about 99% himself.  He was barking, carrying favorite toy, and bumping the treat jar for service!

I'll catch up on the following weeks - but, so far, the news is mostly good! Trouble is in remission, eating normally, active and happy. Fingers crossed and hopes high!