Satchmo had surgery!

Well, after a week on an emotional roller-coaster ride and daily trips to various veterinarians, we finally diagnosed the baby boy with a liver mass the size of a man's fist.  He had a CT scan done Wednesday and surgery was a viable option, so this morning, he went back to the vet's and had his surgery at noon. 

The vet and I had a very long talk yesterday about prognosis and treatment.  He felt that since the mass seemed to be encapsulated and he could only find tumor in one lobe of his liver, the option of surgery was a good one.  He then proceeded to show me the dangers of this particular surgery and he was very upfront and honest about the fact that I could just as easily lose my boy during the surgery as not.   That being said, he described the option of doing nothing and watching Satchmo simply succumb to the tumor and waste away.

I felt strongly that Satch deserved a chance to live and agreed to the surgery.  I spent a very horrible day today waiting to hear from the vet how he did.  When he called, I was afraid he would say that he lost him, but instead he said that everything went even better than we expected.  Now that I have spent every dime I could get my hands on (this is not a cheap or easy option), Satch has made it through the surgery and has been outside to the bathroom.   I just called to check on him and he is sleeping now but they plan to try to get him to eat something later tonight. 

I plan to go see him tomorrow to let him know that I love him and am waiting for him to recover and come home.  I am so relieved, but the vet warned me that he still can suffer complications from the surgery so he is not out of the woods yet.  I appreciate this vet's honesty and forthrightness.  He has earned my trust completely.  He has told me everything he planned to do and even how he would deal with unexpected events during surgery.  He was empathetic and provided me with support that I really needed.  I feel that he is looking out for my boy.

I'll try to update tomorrow after I get to visit my Satchmo.  I'll probably call the clinic through the night to check on him, though.

Satchmo is sick!!!!!!!!

I'm just in a dither here.  I can hardly think.  My Satchmo has been losing weight and recently he almost got out of his harness because it was too loose.  I took him to the vet yesterday and had labs done.  The vet called me and said she had never seen liver function tests with such high results in her entire career and neither had any of the other vets in the practice.  His GGT was 20,000 times normal!    I really don't understand.  He eats and drinks well, he pees and poops normally, he plays with Austen and chases the cats.  He was just losing weight.

So, today he went back for an abdominal ultrasound to see what the deal is.  She just called me to say that Satchmo has a very large mass on his liver and she wanted to do an xray to rule out metastatic lesions to his lungs.  I, of course, said yes. 

She called back to say there is a spot on his xray but she doesn't think it is a lesion.  So I got him home now, but tomorrow he and I will be going to a specialist to see if he is a candidate for surgery.  I'm a basket case!
This is my little man!  I cannot seem to get my head around this. 

I'll try to remember to update tomorrow after speaking with the specialist----if I can.

Continuation of the Saga of the Kittens!

Thought I'd update you on my kitten fiasco.  As I have said before, the two little black kittens that I adopted and feed are grown now.  They are brother and sister and I named them K.T. (boy) and Ditto (girl).  They live quite happily on my porch because they started out feral and are just learning over time to trust me.  I feed them daily and K.T. goes walking with me and the dogs in the mornings.

I was able to trap K.T. and so he got carted to the hospital and neutered.  Got him a complete physical and all his shots, too.  Since then, he has become quite loveable and allows me to pet him and even pick him up sometimes.  He has also begun following the dogs in the front door when we come in from our walks.  He doesn't want to stay inside, though, and begins to howl if I don't let him out right away.

Ditto got pregnant before I could trap her.  She had a litter of two little ones.  The children in this apartment complex caught the smallest and I guess they dropped it because it's front leg was broken.  So I took both to the vet and had the little one put to sleep while getting the other one shots.  This baby was inside my house from about 5 weeks of age to 3months of age, but she never got friendly or trusting and she bit and hissed and scratched if you got anywhere near her.  I finally had to catch her and take her to the animal shelter because she was biting me all the time.  I am sorry that I had to do that, but I really didn't know what else to do. 

Anyway, all this time I never could catch Ditto and she got pregnant again!  I was so upset.  This time, she had her babies close by and when I put a box outside the door, she brought them to live in the box.  Three little kittens now living in a box in my doorway.  When the kittens were about 4 weeks old, someone took them.  They were there in the morning and gone in the afternoon.  Ditto was frantic!  They finally were returned after a couple of days and they were thin and frightened.  I brought them in the house for safety and Ditto came inside to care for them.  She is very skittish and frightened, but she was so happy to see her babies again that she forgot to be afraid. 

Once the kittens were eating on their own and getting more independent, I finally got to take Ditto to be spayed.  No more kittens for us!  I found good homes for all three of these delightful babies who were well socialized from being in the house.

I was so happy to think that my cat issues were now over.  Or so I thought!  About the time I got the last kitten placed, I noticed another feral black cat hanging around.  She looked like she was nursing and she came to see if my two left any food.  The next day, I went out to feed my cats and guess what I found!

Four kittens were waiting to be fed.  No mother cat in sight.  Great. 

These are truly feral kittens, but they were starving and they fought my cats off the food.  Now, if I want my cats to be able to eat, I have to feed the kittens too.  I am not thrilled.  I really don't want to be the cat lady on the block.  So, my plan is to take the TNR class at the Humane Society so I can trap these four kittens and to release them away from my home after they are fixed.    I'll let you know how that goes.

It really is a shame that people in apartments just leave their pet cats when they move.  I have always seen colonies of feral cats at every apartment complex I have ever lived in.  Seems a shame. 

Related articles

• Dora The Explorer Kitten ~ The Feral Cat Rescue Project (feral-kitten-rescue.blogspot.com)
• Behavior of a Feral Cat (brighthub.com)
• Think Globally, Spay Locally (animals.change.org)

Cover via Amazon I'm currently reading the book, The Lost Dogs, about the Michael Vick fighting dogs and the efforts that went into saving them from destruction.  I had previously watched all the news about the fighting dog bust and I saw the DogTown special about the arrival and treatment of these dogs on television.

This book is difficult to read, especially the part where they describe the destruction of those dogs that either lost fights or wouldn't fight by the Bad News crew.  Michael Vick did personally participate in the torture and killing of many of those dogs, despite what his PR reps say. 

I like pit bulls.  I have had opportunities to be around them on and off all of my life.  I knew these dogs before they were given such a viscious reputation.  I used to watch the Little Rascals, whose dog was a pit bull.  I believe that some of what is said about these dogs is true, but I also believe that breeding and training are what have given us the really "bad" examples we often hear about.  The bottom line is that this breed of dog is just that, a dog.  They share the same tendencies and needs of every other breed of dog.  It's a shame that we humans have decided to "demonize" the breed by treating them badly and by encouraging them to bastardize their normal instincts.

Below is a follow up video about the Vick dogs.  I hope they have not been forgotten by the fickle public, especially with Michael Vick back in football.  He is not a nice person and does not ever need to have any contact with dogs for the rest of his life, unless we can treat him just as he treated these dogs.

Watch the full episode. See more Need To Know.

Watch the full episode. See more Need To Know.

Related articles

• Pit Bulls: Vicious Killers or Much-Maligned Breed? (blogcritics.org)
• What Kind Of Dog Will Michael Vick Get? [Nfl] (deadspin.com)

Don't forget the furry babies at Christmas!

I know that Christmas is next week.  I know that most of us are all tapped out from buying presents.  I also know that I don't want to forget to do something "special" for my boy at this time of year.  I found the perfect tutorial for making a cozy and comfy doggie bed in an afternoon and I want to share it with you here.  The original is posted on ApartmentTherapy.com and I suggest you check it out for other wonderful ideas.

Here is the doggie bed tutorial.  I'm off to the thrift stores to find sweaters!

How To: Make a Patchwork Pet Bed

We've got a new puppy named Dizzy calling our apartment home, and were in need of a snuggly, pet-specific place for her to hang out and snooze. We're also on a budget (and obedience school wasn't cheap), so we didn't want to spend a lot of money. So we hit the thrift stores for some wool sweaters, dug an old pillow out of the linen closet, and stitched together a colorful patchwork bed for her. If you've got basic sewings skills and an afternoon to spare, you too can make your four-legged friend the happiest dog or cat on the block.

read below for full instructions

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YOU WILL NEED:
• an assortment of old sweaters (at least 50% animal fiber such as wool, alpaca, cashmere, etc.)
• an old pillow
• scrap paper and tape
• ruler
• scissors and/or rotary cutter
• pins
• access to a washer, dryer, and sewing machine
Note: Seam allowance is 1/4".
1. Start off by "felting" (or "fulling") the wool sweaters. Everyone has done this at least once, often by accident! Simply place a few sweaters in a hot washing machine with a bit of soap. Agitation plus water plus animal fibers equals felt! Throw the sweaters in the dryer afterwards to help shrink the fibers even more, and you will be left with a sturdy, fray-free material to craft with. Try to group like colors with like so there are no color-bleeding issues. It's also helpful to cut the sweater up before washing and drying (separate the arms from the body, and cut apart the front and back).

2. Create a pattern template by taping together scrap paper to approximate the size of your pillow. It doesn't have to be exact, just as close as you can manage.

3. Use a ruler and rotary cutter (or scissors) to cut strips and squares of sweater fabric. You're basically trying to create an assortment of pieces to choose from that all have straight edges. You can cut a bunch of pieces out and then skip to Step 4, or you can work steps 3 and 4 in tandem and cut out pieces to fit the size of your as you go.

4. Lay the paper pattern template down and start covering it in sweater pieces until you get them arranged just the way you like them. We wanted a patchwork effect, so we varied the size of the sweater pieces used—but you can make this in any style you like. Use larger, monochromatic sweater pieces or go for the hyper-patterned look, it's up to you. The pieces we used at each end were long, single strips, while the center area was created by joining together smaller squares. Any arrangement you come up with will work as long as the "puzzle pieces" fit within the paper template and you've got straight edges to sew together.

5. Once you've found an arrangement you like, it's time to start sewing. You'll want to pin the sweater pieces with right sides together, then sew along the pinned edge. Sew the pieces together section by section until it's done. If your sweaters are wrinkly or could benefit from loosening up a bit fiber-wise, feel free to iron your seams as you go with an iron set on the wool setting.

6. When you've finished sewing together the top of the bed, you will probably notice a bit of wonkiness—things likely won't be perfectly straight anymore. Using a ruler and rotary cutter to square up any uneven edges can be really helpful. Felted sweaters are very forgiving though, so don't worry about it looking perfect.

7. Set aside the top of the bed and get to work on the bottom piece. You'll use the same paper pattern template, but since the bottom edge won't really show you can be less fanciful here. We used just four pieces of sweater fabric to create two panels for the bottom of the bed: two skinny strips at each edge, sewn to two larger pieces (one pink and one blue). Overlapping these panels in the middle will give the pet bed an "envelope" style opening once it's all sewn together, allowing you to slip the cover on and off for easy cleaning. We made our bottom panels large enough to overlap by 5".  We used the fronts of two sweaters for back panels and recommend you do the same. Since the edges of these sweater segments already have ribbing on them, there's no need to finish those edges.

8. Place the top of the bed right-side up on your work table, then place the two bottom panels right-side down, with center edges overlapping. Pin through all the fabric layers, about 1" in from the edge all the way around.

9. Sew around the entire rectangle, backstitching in areas like the corners for extra strength. Once you've all the edges of the bed closed, turn it inside-out from the envelope-style bottom opening and insert the pillow. Now present it to your dog or cat and hope they love it like ours did!






Jenny Ryan is the recent author of Sew Darn Cute: 30 Sweet & Simple Projects to Sew & Embellish and also and is also co-owner of the Home Ec. Department at Reform School.

Therapy dog brings patients joy

Here's another wonderful article about the benefit of therapy dogs on patients.  Please read and enjoy!  The original can be found at Thousand Oaks Acorn.

2010-12-02 / Health & Wellness

By Stephanie Bertholdo

bertholdo@theacorn.com

PUPPY LOVE—Freda Marsh, a patient at Westlake Health Care Center, enjoys a visit from Sophie, a 1-year-old yellow Lab who is being trained as a therapy dog. SANDY PEDEFLOUS/Special to the Acorn Sophie is a pooch with a mission, as is her owner, Sandy Pedeflous.
Sophie is a yellow Labrador retriever on the small side for her pedigree whose training as a therapy dog has made her a giant with bedridden patients, senior citizens and just about anybody who needs a little companionship and compassion.
Pedeflous said she purchased the puppy for two reasons. At the age of 15, her beloved border collie/ German shepherd mix Phoenix was slowing down. Pedeflous thought a spunky pup eager to learn might have the ability to invigorate her older dog.
She also wanted to train a therapy dog. Since Labradors are highly trainable, Sophie was a perfect candidate for the job.
Pedeflous saw firsthand the power dogs have to heal and bring happiness to patients when her sister, Robin Rodgers, was hospitalized with encephalitis and meningitis.
“I got to know patients and saw not only how they responded to (therapy dogs) but how entire families responded,” Pedeflous said.
Pedeflous got Sophie at the beginning of the year and started training her to be a therapy dog when she was 10 weeks old.
The first lesson for therapy dogs is to learn how to listen to their owners. Sophie learned the command “leave it,” which means that even if a treat is right in front of her nose, she cannot take the food. When Pedeflous tells Sophie, “Okay, take it,” the dog is rewarded with the treat.

At a year old, Sophie has a repertoire of skills and tricks that please patients young and old. When Pedeflous commands her dog to place her paws up, Sophie puts her front paws on the walker or wheelchair of a patient who is ready to pet the dog and receive a little love. The dog has been taught not to touch the body of an elderly person because their thin skin is prone to bruising or cuts.
Pedeflous learned how to train Sophie through Love On a Leash trainer Linda Voller. Love on a Leash is a nonprofit organization established in 1984 in San Diego.
Pedeflous is also training Sophie to work with children with disabilities. The dog has been poked in the eyes, had her ears pulled and her belly prodded in order to help her learn not to react negatively to a child.
“We pulled her around the house by her tail,” Pedeflous said.
The most important aspect of training is to expose therapy dogs to every conceivable experience so they do not bark or react, she said.
Pedeflous said that the first time she brought Sophie to a healthcare center in Westlake Village the dog showed fear at the sight of a wheelchair and barked at person using a walker. She was also afraid of the elevator.
“After that she was okay,” Pedeflous said. “She just needed exposure from the beginning.”
Freda Marsh, a patient at Westlake Health Care Center, said, “Sophie brightens my day and makes me smile.”
Sam Sacks of Oak Park said therapy dogs were helpful to him when he was fighting cancer.
“When I was in the (intensive care unit) for cancer and the dogs came in, it was just so uplifting,” Sacks said. “They made me smile and laugh and temporarily forget my problems.”
Pedeflous routinely brings Sophie to the home of her neighbor Jack Hague, who is dealing with several health issues.
“I love it when (Sophie) comes,” Hague said. “She kisses me and really connects with me. She makes me feel so good.”
Pedeflous said that Sophie elicited belly laughs from a 35-yearold woman with permanent brain damage.
“She was like a 4-year-old walking into a candy store,” Pedeflous said of the woman’s delight at seeing Sophie.
Sophie is learning how to entertain people. She knows how to roll over, perform the army crawl and accept a treat without touching a person’s hand.
Pedeflous is teaching Sophie how to salute with a paw and fall down at the sound of “bang, bang.” Pedeflous said the new tricks are expected to be a crowd pleaser at the Veterans Hospital.

Related articles

• Therapy Service Dogs (drdeborahserani.blogspot.com)
• Dentistry Practice Thrives with Addition of Dental Therapy Dog (prweb.com)
• Pit Bulls: America's Dogs Help Wounded Warriors (animals.change.org)
• Happy Ending For Three Special Dogs: Home For Life Animal Sanctuary Welcomes International Dogs To New Lives And Perhaps A Future As Therapy Dogs (prweb.com)
• You: Veterans with PTSD train dogs to help comrades with physical disabilities (washingtonpost.com)

Here is a great way to teach children about empathy for our animal friends!

Every pet we save at Bideawee deserves these basics. So does Bettie.

This poor sweet girl clearly has had a difficult life. Left to die on the cold streets of New York, Bettie was found starving, dehydrated and so horribly injured that her right back leg needed to be amputated. As if these terrible conditions weren't enough, her left hip was dislocated and she had terrible skin lesions where some of her skin was actually peeling off.

But Bettie now has reason to hope. She has the hope to be healed by the excellent care of Bideawee's veterinarians that have been charged with her care.

She has hope for a family, a forever home and hope for never feeling the excruciating pangs of hunger and loneliness that she felt just a short time ago.

Bettie's Holiday Wish List will be filled thanks to caring people like you.

Please make your Year-End Gift TODAY to help Bideawee continue our lifesaving mission for all of those sweet innocent pets like Bettie whose holiday wish list includes the basics that every pet deserves.

To ensure that you receive a 2010 tax credit be sure that your envelope is postmarked by December 31, 2010.
To contact us, please send us an email: Bideawee@bideawee.org.

Bideawee is funded 100% by private contributions. To help us continue our vital work to help animals, please donate today.