Category: Health

Feeding the correct wolf!

A very heart-touching guest post

Yesterday I used as a sub-heading “I will never, ever tire of the wonderful connections made by this blog!”

I wrote that before Sydney sent in a guest post which reached out to me, to Jeannie and, undoubtedly, will reach out to many others. Sydney further validated the power of the wonderful connections that blogging brings.

Here’s how it came about.

Not that long ago, there was a new follower to this place. As is so frequently the case that new follower was also a blogger. Their blog is called very beautifully: Recovery For All Of My Heart. As I always try to do, I went across to leave a ‘thank you’ note. I also read the About page that I want to republish here by way of my introduction to Sydney.

Hello, I am in recovery from an eating disorder, depression and anxiety. The way I got to the best place in my mind is by changing my perspective.

In this blog, I use my new open-mindedness to show the world the beauty I see in hopes that others will then see the beauty in themselves. For me, all it took was to see the beauty in myself, but I needed someone to help me see it first. My hope is to be that person for others.

There is a way to see the good in every piece of you. You can get your mindset to see what others love about you. The proof of everyone’s beauty lies in changing your perspective and this blog hopes to put into light the beauty in everyone that ever existed.

So now to Sydney’s post. (And if you want to understand why I chose the title to this post, then please read right down to the end.)

ooOOoo

Mindfulness and a dog named Bailey

By Sydney R. February 23rd., 2017

When I was 21 years old, I got a hound boxer puppy named Bailey. Previously, I had a dog my mom and I raised when I was seven; she was named Rachel.

I only speak of Bailey in this post because of a certain situation I want to talk about, but I also wanted to mention how amazing Rachel was too.

Anyway, I raised Bailey to be the sweet almost two-year-old he is today. He is not a normal dog to me. This is because I believe him to be extraordinary (so original for dog owners, I know), and also because I have struggled with my mental health.

I have struggled with depression and he has changed my life for the better. One day last year I was having a very hard time with my depression. I wanted to just lay in bed and quit my job and begin isolating again. I wanted to just sleep and not fight the thoughts and just let them rattle on inside of my mind while I lay there.

I grabbed my dog as he was lying next to me and held onto him ready to remain in my negative thoughts for all eternity. Then something changed: I felt his fur. I felt my cheek against his fur. I heard his sweet little breathing that used to put me to sleep when he laid on my chest when he was a puppy. I was being mindful without even realizing it.

I was aware of everything I was feeling when holding this thing that is so dear to my heart.

Suddenly, all the pain went away. I was reminded of this feeling I can have while holding my dog. I can fight this depression and I can have a wonderful life. If you ever are feeling extremely sad or have any type of negative urges, and this can be about anything, grab your furry little one and just stay in the moment until they pass.

And why is this?

Research has shown that if you look into your dogs eyes, the hormonal response is activated just like the one that is activated when you look at infants. Scientists took blood samples of dogs and their owners before and during time spent petting. The results were that the levels of oxytocin went up in humans during a petting session of a dog and it was at very similar levels of new mothers and their infants.

Even more amazing, dogs had the same levels in their blood as well, showing how happy they are around their owners. During my depression that night, holding onto my dog was not just helping me overcome my sadness, he was having a nice time as well.

Now what I am guessing is that if you are sitting down, petting your dog, but not really paying much attention, your dog will be happy, but your oxytocin levels will not be as high as they could be. When you are mindful and staying in the moment whilst petting your dog, you could be seriously happy, to the point where your oxytocin levels from your dog stops you from ruminating on your negative thoughts.

Don’t just pet your dog when you are upset…make sure you are completely in the moment.

Notice your body and notice what your hands and arms are feeling as you wrap your arms around your dog. Let your hands and all of your arms feel the fur. Use all of your senses. Make sure you hear your dog and do not let your thoughts block out being in the moment. Regular petting of the dog is enjoyable. Mindful petting of a dog could change your life, like it did mine.

Now I will always know that I have something to go to when I feel depressed. This is extremely important because one huge part of depression is hopelessness. This is the feeling that you will always feel depressed.

With a dog, you have hope to get out of those feelings. I know that I have my dog to go to and I will never fear being sad forever again. I always have the mindful petting of Bailey or Rachel that will make the negative thoughts drain away.

ooOOoo

Good people, I am genuinely humbled by both Sydney’s desire to share this with you, and by the magic of having a dog in our life.

So let me close like this.

BBC Television in the UK currently have on their iPlayer site a drama series called Death in Paradise: The programme website is here.

Detective drama series set on a Caribbean island.

In a recent episode there was this profoundly wise observation made by the detective, Jack Mooney, played by Ardal O’Hanlon.

There are always two wolves deep inside us.

One is a hateful, angry, selfish wolf that doesn’t hesitate to try and do you harm.

The other wolf is a soft, gentle creature that responds to love and always wants to love you back.

So which wolf is in charge?

The wolf we feed!

Footnote:

This came to my ‘inbox’ a short time ago (as of 09:30 Sunday morning):

unnamed2

Roads to recovery.

For Casey and Yours Truly!

At 1pm yesterday, I had an appointment with the medical assistant at the Department of Urology, Three Rivers Hospital, in Grants Pass, following my ten days of ‘wearing’ a catheter. The good news was that the catheter was removed (and I must now remember I can’t pee anytime I like!).

The more sobering news was that for at least until the end of March, I must not engage in any lifting, pulling or pushing, or any exercise that would run the risk of another bleeding episode. I have an appointment with Dr. Mayer, the urologist, at the end of March and really want to be signed off as fully fit at that time.

So far: so good!

For dear, sweet Casey he is facing a very long haul. Dr. Jim, our vet neighbour and close friend, recommended that Casey start taking a steroid and he is now on Prednisone.

This has the effect of making Casey very lethargic. No bad thing because the only chance of his spinal disc and pad healing up is that he takes very little exercise. In the picture above you can see Casey avoids lifting his head up when he looks at you.

Jean has also paced Casey’s food bowl on a small stool because Casey found it painful to lower his mouth down to floor level.

Dr. Jim says that there is a very good chance that Casey will heal himself but that we are all looking at quite a few weeks.

So for Casey and me we sincerely hope that the end of March has us both firmly down that road to full recovery.

Yet another recall

This time concerning Against the Grain Pet Foods

Against the Grain Dog Food Recall of February 2017

February 14, 2017 — Against the Grain Pet Food is voluntarily recalling one lot of Against the Grain Pulled Beef with Gravy Dinner for Dogs because it may be contaminated with pentobarbital.

What’s Recalled?

Against the Grain Pulled Beef with Gravy Dinner for Dogs
12 ounce can
Lot Number: 2415E01ATB12
UPC Code (second half): 80001
Expiration Date: December 2019

About Pentobarbital

Oral exposure to pentobarbital can cause side effects such as drowsiness, dizziness, excitement, loss of balance, nausea nystagmus (eyes moving back and forth in a jerky manner), inability to stand and coma.

To date, no complaints have been reported to Against the Grain for this single lot number nor any of Against the Grain’s pet foods.

Where Was It Distributed?

The recalled product was distributed (in 2015) to independent pet retail stores in the following states:

Maryland
Washington

The company has verified that the affected lot is no longer on any store shelves.

What to Do?

Consumers may return any can with the relevant lot number to their place of purchase and receive a full case of Against the Grain food for the inconvenience.

Customers with questions may contact the company at 800-288-6796 between 11 AM and 4 PM Central Time, Monday through Friday.

U.S. citizens can report complaints about FDA-regulated pet food products by calling the consumer complaint coordinator in your area.

Or go to http://www.fda.gov/petfoodcomplaints.

Canadians can report any health or safety incidents related to the use of this product by filling out the Consumer Product Incident Report Form.

Get Dog Food Recall Alerts by Email

Get free dog food recall alerts sent to you by email. Subscribe to The Dog Food Advisor’s emergency recall notification system.

ooOOoo

As ever, do share this important alert.

Having a head for heights!

Sorry, folks but still a few days away from being back to normal service.

We awoke yesterday morning with Casey sufficiently unwell that Jim Goodbrod recommended taking him to Southern Oregon Veterinary Services (SOVC) down in Medford. There SOVC said that it does look as though Casey has a failure in one of the spinal discs in his neck. First, we have been advised to up the pain medicine before embarking on an MRI and then, possibly, surgery.

In the middle of all this the tube from my catheter into my drainage bag became blocked, evidenced by pee running down my leg!!

SOVC offered me their very comfortable bathroom where I then unblocked the tube using a syringe and sterile water; luckily all brought with me.

Then it was up to Grants Pass to find a solution to my ‘leaking’ catheter only to find that Southern Oregon Medical Equipment, who we thought were in Grants Pass, had moved a year ago from Grants Pass to …… guess?? ……. yes: Medford!

Plus it was raining for most of the day!

Yes, it was one of those days!!

One of those days where one needs a head for the heights that life can throw at one.

No better demonstrated by the following video sent to me by my loving son: Alex!

So will just close by saying that until my catheter is taken out next Tuesday (fingers crossed) I may be ‘distracted’ from Learning from Dogs at times!

Blue Buffalo Dog Food

Yet another dog food recall alert!

February 13, 2017 — Blue Buffalo Company has issued a voluntary recall for specific lots of Blue Buffalo Homestyle Recipe Healthy Weight due to possible aluminum metal contamination.

What’s Recalled?

The recalled product includes:

Blue Buffalo Homestyle Recipe Healthy Weight, Chicken Dinner with Garden Vegetables
12.5 ounce can
UPC: 8-40243-10017-0
Codes: Best By 08/03/2019

The “Best By” date is on the bottom of the can.

No other Blue Buffalo products are involved. The company has not received any reports of illness or injury as a result of the problems giving rise to this recall.

What to Do?

Customers are invited to return the impacted product to your local retailer for a full refund. For additional information, call 866-800-2917.

U.S. citizens can report complaints about FDA-regulated pet food products by calling the consumer complaint coordinator in your area.

Or go to http://www.fda.gov/petfoodcomplaints.

Canadians can report any health or safety incidents related to the use of this product by filling out the Consumer Product Incident Report Form.

This is a bloody nuisance!

May be out of commission for a few days?

Last December 21st I underwent an outpatient operation for the removal of growth around my prostate. A fairly normal operation for a gent of my age (72).

l was told that it would take about 8 weeks for everything to heal.

Anyway, this morning I noticed a significant amount of blood in my urine and Jean and I went to our local Three Rivers hospital in Grants Pass. I was admitted to ER.

I was sorted out and nothing serious immediately found although the cause of the bleeding was not identified. However a blood test did not find any infection or anything scary. I was recommended to go home.

The blood in urine is called Hematuria and the doctor inserted a Foley catheter to drain the blood & urine from my bladder.

The catheter and the drainage bag will remain attached to me until I have an appointment with the Urologist early next week. I have to keep pretty still until then plus sitting on a normal chair is painful at the moment. I’m laying back on the bed using my tablet to write this.

Sorry, dear people, but that’s how it is just now.

oooo

Update as at 10:30 PST Sunday, 12th

Around 10:30PM last night I awoke with quite a severe pain in my bladder. My body was telling me to hot-foot it back to the Emergency Ward at Three Rivers in Grants Pass. This was where we had gone earlier in the day.

Jean doesn’t drive at night but it was a straightforward journey and I was seen very quickly by the ER staff (Micha, Ann and Trevor: you were all brilliant!) I was told that my decision to drive into ER was spot on. (Trevor at a later point said that listening to our body is so important and that they saw far too many individuals who had let whatever the problem was run on far too long before seeking medical help.)

Micha quickly determined that a blood clot had blocked the catheter hence my inability to pass urine/blood and the rapid build up of pain. Gently syringing the catheter with a saline solution released a huge number of clots; to my obvious relief.

Apparently, the urologist on call was telephoned and he recommended the removal of the existing catheter to then be replaced with a larger catheter (ouch!) that would handle blood clots more efficiently.

Then for approximately an hour I was irrigated so as to completely flush out the remaining clots.

It was 50:50 as to whether I was to be admitted to a ward but again the advice of the on-call urologist was that so long as my body continued to drain blood/urine into the catheter drainage bag then it was OK for me to return home.

I arrived home at 4:30am!

So here we are approximately six hours later and I am still bleeding but, touch wood, no sign of clots and the draining into the bag is still running.

P.S. I have offered these details just in case someone else finds them helpful!

UPDATE 14:15 Tuesday, 14th.

On the afternoon of the 11th I took an afternoon nap having had practically no sleep the previous night.

Around 2pm I awoke with a pain that told me I probably had another blood clot and again said to Jean that I was going to take myself back into the ER department.

Once admitted to ER they made the decision that my bleeding was such that I should be admitted to the General Ward in the hospital. I ended up on Floor E, room 361.

I was then hooked up to a saline drip and stayed that way until 4am this morning, Tuesday 14th! For it took that long for the blood clots to finally stop surfacing and my urine to start looking a normal yellow colour.

From 4am I was then just draining via the Foley catheter and, thank goodness, I continued draining reliably, with no further bleeding or clotting, right through to 11:30 when Dr. Newcomb, the duty doctor, announced that I was fit to return home!

I will write more as soon as I catch up with stuff.

Dogs bring out so much love in us!

One can never have too many examples of love in a life!

These are interesting times. If we took even a small percentage of what we read about or see in the news media to heart we would think that life is hardly worth living for. So stuff the bad news out of sight!

Now read this that was recently published on the Care2 website.

ooOOoo

Schoolchildren Raise Over $7,200 to Help Dog Hit by Car

By: Laura Goldman, February 9, 2017
About Laura

Over 80 percent of the students who attend Los Amigos Elementary School in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., are from socioeconomically disadvantaged families, but that didn’t stop them from doing everything they could to raise money to save an animal in need.

It began in early December, when a school employee found an injured black Lab mix hiding in bushes near the parking lot.

“There’s this really hurt dog,” Vice Principal Sharon Linville heard over a walkie-talkie, according to the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. “I’m sure this dog is going to die, he’s in so much pain.” She and other employees brought the dog blankets and water, and contacted the Rancho Cucamonga Animal Care and Adoption Center.

The center’s staff veterinarian, Cynthia Servantez, visited the school a few days later to give the students a not-so-good update on the dog they’d named “Black Bart.” He’d been hit by a car and would probably survive, but he needed surgery that would cost about $3,000.

An X-ray had revealed that both of Bart’s hips were dislocated. As Dr. Servantez told the students, Bart’s “puzzle pieces had come undone.”

The schoolchildren immediately took action to help put those pieces back together. The school launched a “Pennies for Paws” campaign to collect spare change for Bart’s surgery.

Every single student made a donation. “They looked through sofa cushions, they gave up their allowance, some of them gave us IOUs,” Linville told KABC. “We have a bunch of Chuck E. Cheese coins that we got.”

One week later, the school gave the animal care center a check in the amount of $471.37.

Servantez told the Daily Bulletin it was the first time ever that anyone had offered to pay for the medical care of an injured stray dog.

The Los Amigos students continued their Pennies for Paws campaign and the momentum continued to build. Yvonne and Art Alvarez, owners of Doggie Couture in Rancho Cucamonga, were so impressed by the students’ efforts that they matched the funds that had been raised.

“We wanted them to know if they do something nice, it can make other people do it and then it becomes something big,” Yvonne Alvarez told the Daily Bulletin.

Several weeks after he’d been discovered at the school, “Who Let the Dogs Out” played over the speakers as Bart returned for a special guest appearance at a Jan. 23 rally in his honor.

Linville announced that the Los Amigos students had surpassed their $3,000 goal – by over $4,200. The extra money would be donated to the animal shelter to help other pets in need.

Veterinarian Victoria Impett, who accompanied Bart, told the schoolchildren to give themselves a pat on the back. Most of them complied. “It might not have seemed like big deal to go home and dig in the couch for a few pennies, but each and every one of you made a huge difference in someone’s life,” she told them.

Bart had no ID tag or microchip, and no one has come forward to claim him. He still needs surgery on his right hip. Once he recovers, he’ll be ready for adoption. “He’s starting to kind of blossom into a fabulous dog,” Impett said.

As Linville told the students, “This has been an incredible journey, and it’s really cool to be kind.”

Photo credit: YouTube

ooOOoo

I easily found this short video on YouTube.

Enjoy!

Two New Dog Food Recalls

Both of these came in an hour ago.

(And please note my ‘excuse-me’ at the end of this post!)

The first:

PetSmart Grreat Choice Dog Food Recall of February 2017

February 8, 2017 — PetSmart has issued a voluntary recall of one production lot of Grreat Choice Adult Dog Food with Chicken and Rice Classic Ground due to possible metal contamination.¹

What’s Recalled?

The recalled product includes:

Grreat Choice Adult Dog Food with Chicken and Rice Classic Ground
Size: 13.2 ounce cans
UPC: 7-3725726116-7
Best By Date: 8/5/19
Lot Code: 1759338

The Best By date is found on the bottom of the can.

What to Do?

The company writes:

Please stop feeding this product to your pet and bring any remaining cans affected by this recall to your nearest PetSmart for a full refund. We recommend the other varieties of Grreat Choice canned dog foods as alternate options until this product is once again available.

For more information, please contact PetSmart Customer Service at 1-888-839-9638.

U.S. citizens can report complaints about FDA-regulated pet food products by calling the consumer complaint coordinator in your area.

Or go to http://www.fda.gov/petfoodcomplaints.

Canadians can report any health or safety incidents related to the use of this product by filling out the Consumer Product Incident Report Form.

Get Dog Food Recall Alerts by Email

Get free dog food recall alerts sent to you by email. Subscribe to The Dog Food Advisor’s emergency recall notification system.

Verified by PetSmart customer service rep via phone on 2/9/2017

oooo

The second:

Companion Dog Food Recall of February 2017

February 8, 2017 — Giant Food Stores has issued a voluntary recall for specific lots of Companion Canned Dog Food due to possible metal contamination.

What’s Recalled?

Recalled products include:

Companion Dog Food with Chicken and Rice
13.2 ounce can
UPC: 68826707501
Codes: Best By 08/05/2019

Companion Dog Food with Chicken, Lamb and Rice
13.2 ounce can
UPC: 68826700360
Codes: Best By 08/05/2019

Companion Dog Food with Turkey and Bacon
13.2 ounce
UPC: 68826700356
Codes: Best By 08/05/2019

What to Do?

Customers are invited to return the impacted product for a full refund. For additional information, call 479-935-6145.

U.S. citizens can report complaints about FDA-regulated pet food products by calling the consumer complaint coordinator in your area.

Or go to http://www.fda.gov/petfoodcomplaints.

Canadians can report any health or safety incidents related to the use of this product by filling out the Consumer Product Incident Report Form.

Get Dog Food Recall Alerts by Email

Get free dog food recall alerts sent to you by email. Subscribe to The Dog Food Advisor’s emergency recall notification system.

ooOOoo

Please share these two recall notices as much as you can.

Finally, don’t know why but I seem weighted down by a bundle of things just today. Will you excuse me if I duck publishing a new post for tomorrow!

Our best friend is really here to help

The most incredibly relationship we humans have ever had with an animal.

Tomorrow, I am going to repeat a post that first appeared on Learning from Dogs seven years ago. A beautiful documentary explaining in clear, scientific ways how important has been the relationship between the dog and humans.

But for today, as a ‘warm up’ to tomorrow’s post, I wanted to share an essay that appeared on The Conversation blogsite a little over a week ago and is republished within the terms of The Conversation site.

ooOOoo

How man’s best friend is helping cancer treatment

By Nicole Ehrhart Professor of Veterinary Medicine, Colorado State University

February 2, 2017

The author, center, and Dr. Anna Conti, left, and student Kelsey Parrish with Conti’s Basset hound, Picasso, who had surgery for cancer. Via Colorado State University. William Cotton/CSU Photography, Author provided

“A person can learn a lot from a dog, even a loopy one like ours. Marley taught me about living each day with unbridled exuberance and joy, about seizing the moment and following your heart… Mostly, he taught me about friendship and selflessness and, above all else, unwavering loyalty.”

― John Grogan, “Marley and Me: Life and Love With the World’s Worst Dog.”

Isn’t it true? We learn so much from our dogs. But beyond what man’s best friend can teach us about enjoying life, they share something else with us. Cancer diagnoses in dogs are on the rise, as are cancer diagnoses in people. In fact, canine cancer is the leading cause of death in pets over the age of 10 years.

This confluence, it turns out, can be beneficial to cancer research. A field of study known as “comparative oncology” has recently emerged as a promising means to help cure cancer. Comparative oncology researchers study the similarities between naturally occurring cancers in pets and cancers in people in order to provide clues to treat cancer more effectively.

In fact, phase 1 and 2 clinical trials in comparative oncology are underway at 22 sites across the country, including Colorado State University, where I conduct research and am a surgical oncologist for animals.

Research in this field, involving veterinarians, physicians, cancer specialists and basic scientists, is leading to improved human health and more rapid access to effective cancer treatment than has been previously possible through traditional cancer research approaches.

More like your dog than you know

Man and his best friend. From http://www.shutterstock.com

As a species, dogs have strong physiologic and genetic similarities to people, much more so than mice, who do not typically live long enough for us to know whether they naturally get cancer. We do know that some rodent species, such as pet rats, can get cancer, but predators typically end a field mouse’s life while it is still young. The laboratory mice typically used by scientists are injected with cancer rather than it occurring naturally in their bodies.

Just as scientists officially mapped the human genome, or the complete set of genetic instructions, in 2003, scientists decoded the canine genome. They discovered that dogs have greater than 80 percent genetic similarity to humans, versus only 67 percent for mice.

In addition, cancers such as bone cancer, lymphoma and bladder cancer that spontaneously arise in pet dogs are microscopically and molecularly identical to cancers in people. Many of the genetic mutations that drive cells to become cancerous in people are the same mutations that cause cancer in dogs. In fact, when viewed under a microscope, it is impossible to distinguish between a tumor from a human and a dog.

In addition, dogs provide a large and varied population to study, important in the study of medicine. Individual dogs who develop cancer are as different from one another as are humans. Whereas laboratory mice are essentially identical twins to each other and live in a highly regulated environment, the variation among different dog breeds, home environments, diet and overall lifestyle translate into a population diversity very similar to that in humans.

Today, most pet dogs receive high-quality health care into old age and dog owners are highly motivated to seek out improved options for the management of cancer in their companions, and are also motivated to minimize side effects.

Similarities in response to treatment, too

Picasso at the James L. Voss Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Colorado State University. Author provided., Author provided.

This genetic diversity and sharing of similar DNA, physiology, microscopic structure and molecular features between dogs and humans has presented cancer researchers with a key opportunity. Dogs not only develop similar types of cancers as humans, but their cancer responds to treatments in similar ways.

This means that new cancer treatments first shown to be effective in canine cancers can frequently be predicted to have a similar benefit in human cancer patients. As a result, researchers now recognize that new drug trials in dogs with cancer will result in therapeutic discoveries that are highly “translatable”; that is, more likely to predict “real-life” medical responses in human cancer patients.

By studying how cancer responds in dogs, scientists are gaining a better understanding of how new cancer drugs not only treat the cancer but also influence the patient’s overall quality of life during treatment. This benefits dog owners, by providing access to promising new cancer treatments for their pets with cancer, and benefits human cancer patients by providing a rapid way to collect crucial data needed for FDA approval.

Dogs with cancer are helping kids

For example, a bone cancer known as osteosarcoma is so similar between dogs and people that

The author performing surgery on a dog. Author provided. Colorado State University., Author provided.

intensive research in canine osteosarcoma has led to several breakthroughs in treating osteosarcoma in children. Limb-saving surgical techniques for safe and effective reconstruction following bone tumor surgery in dogs are now the standard of care in children following bone tumor surgery.

More recently, a form of immunotherapy was shown to drastically improve survival in dogs with bone cancer by delaying or altogether preventing spread of the cancer to the lungs. As a result of the success in dogs, the FDA granted fast-track status to the same treatment for use in humans last April.

Fast-tracking was developed by the FDA to support accelerated approval for promising treatments, especially for serious and life-threatening conditions. A clinical trial in children with osteosarcoma is scheduled to begin this year at multiple pediatric cancer centers throughout the United States.

These types of discoveries demonstrate that our furry companions have a crucial role in teaching us new ways to help all victims in the war against cancer – with two legs or four.

ooOOoo

As I said in my introduction, more on this theme tomorrow.

What a fabulous relationship!

A beautiful boxer named Sophie

The third goodbye!

Last week, I wrote up the beautiful and touching memory of Buddy from Jim and Janet Goodbrod, and the memories of Diego by Laura Bruzzese.

Over on the We Shall Not Forget Them page there had been a tribute from Susan Leighton for the loss of her Sophie back in 2014.

Here is Susan’s tribute as a separate blog post that will be linked to as with the others.

ooOOoo

A Beautiful Boxer Named Sophie

by Susan Leighton
Once upon a time, there lived a beautiful Boxer named Sophie. My husband fell in love with her at first sight. He had to talk me into taking her home. It didn’t take long for me to see the light. The next thing I know I was carrying her in my arms.

She grew and filled our lives with joy. We loved her Boxer curl and the way that she would sit on the couch with us and just lean against our sides. Then around her 7th year, we noticed that she lost her appetite. Concerned like any parents, we took her to the vet. We received the worst news possible.

She had cancer that had metastasized in her liver. Her last few months with us were precious.

The vet had her on steroids and there for a time she returned to her happy-go-lucky Boxer self. We were fortunate to give her one last Christmas.

Our darling passed away in the early morning hours on January 31, 2014.

It has been two years but the pain is still there. Every time we see a beautiful Boxer, we see our Sophie in his or her eyes.

Thank you for allowing us to remember those companions that have crossed over the Rainbow Bridge. They will always be in our hearts.

ooOOoo

They will always be in our hearts!

Mindfulness and a dog named Bailey

Share this:

Share this:

Against the Grain Dog Food Recall of February 2017

What’s Recalled?

About Pentobarbital

Where Was It Distributed?

What to Do?

Get Dog Food Recall Alerts by Email

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Schoolchildren Raise Over $7,200 to Help Dog Hit by Car

Share this:

PetSmart Grreat Choice Dog Food Recall of February 2017

What to Do?

Get Dog Food Recall Alerts by Email

Companion Dog Food Recall of February 2017

What’s Recalled?

What to Do?

Get Dog Food Recall Alerts by Email

Share this:

Share this:

A Beautiful Boxer Named Sophie

Share this: