Hi Dianne. Last night I managed to post my reply to my profile by mistake - I didn't realise until I saw an email from Ning this morning saying "Rebecca left a comment for Rebecca"!! Doh! So here it is in full. Sorry it didn't get to you earlier.x
****
I know exactly how you and Shelby feel about vets visits - Luna was a mess. So upsetting. I certainly don't mind you asking about Luna and checkups. We decided, after very careful thought and discussion with our vet, not to get check ups for Luna, simply because we didn't feel we could put her through anything else. Chemotherapy was discussed, but it was a long distance away for her to go for the drugs, and our vet said some dogs don't tolerate it well. We also didn't feel it was a good idea to have more surgery to remove lymph nodes.... so other than occasional blood tests when she started to drink and pee a lot (caused by hypercalcemia), and minor surgery on serbaceous cysts (no general anesetetic as she had raised liver enzymes), we didn't have any scans or exams. The vet would feel along her spine when he saw her though (checking lymph nodes) and he would check her gums for signs of anemia. He would also look at her anal gland (or rather the area where the gland was removed), but not religiously (and I also kept an eye on her anal area, although I think Luna would've told me if anything was wrong with her bottom!). We called the vet to the house rather than going to the surgery for the last year or so. She didn't like getting in the car and wasn't so steady on her feet (arthritis).
So I guess the question is what intervention you would want for Shelby if they do find something. The CT scan will be looking for lymph nodes that are inflammed, whereas the rectal exam will be looking for a recurrence in that area or in the other gland.
There is no right or wrong answer, of course. Every dog is different and I guess any progression will be too. I would talk over the options with your vet if you have doubts - I know it's difficult to know what to do for the best, and I remember the anger, fear and uncertainty when Luna was diagnosed and we thought we were going to lose her... and yet she went on for all those years, and was still gambling around in the fields two weeks before she passed :-).
Wishing you the very best for tomorrow. Will be thinking of you. xxx
Hi Dianne. Not surprised you cancelled the scan with all of that going on!!
I found the photo of Shelby and Flame on your deck. Lovely dirty nose!! Does Shelby like to snuffle, as we call it?! Luna spent a lot of time with her nose in the dirt - she particularly loved to snuffle out mice in the stubble, but any hole would do! We would also throw treats for her and she always found them, no matter how difficult we made it! It was actually rather useful to be able to get her snuffling on command, as you could use it to distract her from other unwanted behaviours, like chasing after rabbits... instead she would snuffle where the rabbit had been! Success! Murphy, well, rabbit = chase. We've been working hard on his recall over the last few weeks and it's sooo much improved, but I don't think we will ever stop him from running after a rabbit.
You have the most beautiful setting there. Lovely pastures. I am very envious!
Keep up your positive thinking. It's so important, and I think it's part of the reason that dogs often get on better than humans - they aren't aware of their illness, just of how they feel at that specific time. They don't read the information on the internet either!!
Glad you have pet insurance. We made the decision to cancel ours a couple of years before Luna became ill, but it wouldn't have made any difference as the insurance company excluded all warts, growths, lumps and masses, whether cancerous or otherwise, all because she had a non-cancerous serbaceous cyst removed. As the vet said, it's rendered your policy almost worthless, except for third party claims and broken bones. But it wouldn't make any difference, as you said - we paid for whatever she needed. Murphy, our rescue Irish, has his own bank account and we make a montly payment - he's quite a rich boy now!! However, we have decided to take out a pucker inurance policy for our new Gordon Setter puppy, due to be collected on 19 December - you are the first person outwith family I have told about her! :-)
Dear Diane, Did you say you have a setter that has cancer? I had 3 that had cancer one lived to 12 and 2 lived to only 9 yrs old this was very hard my Radley lived to be 14 an a half. They are always hard to let go but you will know when it is time. your right you will see it in their eyes.I pray for you when that day comes.
love thru our setters
terrie stauffer
At 12:25pm on December 16, 2013, Debra Wiesner said…
Hi, Diane! Thank you for being the first friend request I've received. I graciously accept your friendship. It's nice to have a friend in a far away place I'd like to see one day; if only it wasn't so far away )-: Let's stay in touch!
Hi Diane, Thanks for accepting my request. How big are your girls? Gunners dad is from the Big Red Kennels. The breeder thinks he should weigh about 95 lbs, or 43 kg. My preference is larger dogs rather than smaller. That was a reason for choosing the IS, 95 lbs is a little bigger than I expected!
Hi Diane, Part of your last message was not visible and I missed part of it. When I was trying to learn about IS, I read a lot about them being pullers. That's part of the reason I was glad they were only 70 lbs/31kg. It was weeks later that the breeder gave me the great news of how big he would get! He is supposed to be about the same size as your Flame. Forty kg is a big dog! Gunner is really good about walking on a loose lead, at this point.
Some of the other breeds that I have had were Doberman, German Shepard, Collie, Saint Bernard, Golden Retriever, German Shorthaired Pointer, Labrador Retriever, and Weimaraner.
Your welcome, I felt like I had to say something. No one, or their dogs; should have to go through that. Just knowing that someone will not loose their dogs is wonderful! The Police Officer said that they thought that they animals were being taken for animal testing? Just makes me nauseous still to think about it.
I am a true dog lover, I have always loved all of my dogs. Being able to stay home with Gunner, has made me close to him already. Probably my favorite past dog, was a red Doberman male; he was as close to perfect as you could ask a dog to be.
All of the dogs I have had were a pleasure to own. Think the Weimaraners' energy was closest to what Gunner has. Fortunately, I learned this when searching for a breed, so I prepared myself for him and all of his energy! So far, the only thing he has destroyed have been his toys! But they are his to enjoy. It's better to replace a ball than a new couch!
When he was younger, he did pull some while walking. When he was 10 weeks we started a puppy obedience class. That was the first time I ever took a training class, I have always done all of my training at home. The best thing I got from the class was the instructor said IS are pullers, and to use a "Halti" whenever you walk him. Never having used one before, not wanting to start using one; reluctantly I listened to the "professional". What an ingenious invention! That thing really works. He doesn't pull at at all. We do go for 2 long walks each day, so he has lots of time to practice his loose lead walking.
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Hi Dianne. Last night I managed to post my reply to my profile by mistake - I didn't realise until I saw an email from Ning this morning saying "Rebecca left a comment for Rebecca"!! Doh! So here it is in full. Sorry it didn't get to you earlier.x
****
I know exactly how you and Shelby feel about vets visits - Luna was a mess. So upsetting. I certainly don't mind you asking about Luna and checkups. We decided, after very careful thought and discussion with our vet, not to get check ups for Luna, simply because we didn't feel we could put her through anything else. Chemotherapy was discussed, but it was a long distance away for her to go for the drugs, and our vet said some dogs don't tolerate it well. We also didn't feel it was a good idea to have more surgery to remove lymph nodes.... so other than occasional blood tests when she started to drink and pee a lot (caused by hypercalcemia), and minor surgery on serbaceous cysts (no general anesetetic as she had raised liver enzymes), we didn't have any scans or exams. The vet would feel along her spine when he saw her though (checking lymph nodes) and he would check her gums for signs of anemia. He would also look at her anal gland (or rather the area where the gland was removed), but not religiously (and I also kept an eye on her anal area, although I think Luna would've told me if anything was wrong with her bottom!). We called the vet to the house rather than going to the surgery for the last year or so. She didn't like getting in the car and wasn't so steady on her feet (arthritis).
So I guess the question is what intervention you would want for Shelby if they do find something. The CT scan will be looking for lymph nodes that are inflammed, whereas the rectal exam will be looking for a recurrence in that area or in the other gland.
There is no right or wrong answer, of course. Every dog is different and I guess any progression will be too. I would talk over the options with your vet if you have doubts - I know it's difficult to know what to do for the best, and I remember the anger, fear and uncertainty when Luna was diagnosed and we thought we were going to lose her... and yet she went on for all those years, and was still gambling around in the fields two weeks before she passed :-).
Wishing you the very best for tomorrow. Will be thinking of you. xxx
Hi Dianne. Not surprised you cancelled the scan with all of that going on!!
I found the photo of Shelby and Flame on your deck. Lovely dirty nose!! Does Shelby like to snuffle, as we call it?! Luna spent a lot of time with her nose in the dirt - she particularly loved to snuffle out mice in the stubble, but any hole would do! We would also throw treats for her and she always found them, no matter how difficult we made it! It was actually rather useful to be able to get her snuffling on command, as you could use it to distract her from other unwanted behaviours, like chasing after rabbits... instead she would snuffle where the rabbit had been! Success! Murphy, well, rabbit = chase. We've been working hard on his recall over the last few weeks and it's sooo much improved, but I don't think we will ever stop him from running after a rabbit.
You have the most beautiful setting there. Lovely pastures. I am very envious!
Keep up your positive thinking. It's so important, and I think it's part of the reason that dogs often get on better than humans - they aren't aware of their illness, just of how they feel at that specific time. They don't read the information on the internet either!!
Glad you have pet insurance. We made the decision to cancel ours a couple of years before Luna became ill, but it wouldn't have made any difference as the insurance company excluded all warts, growths, lumps and masses, whether cancerous or otherwise, all because she had a non-cancerous serbaceous cyst removed. As the vet said, it's rendered your policy almost worthless, except for third party claims and broken bones. But it wouldn't make any difference, as you said - we paid for whatever she needed. Murphy, our rescue Irish, has his own bank account and we make a montly payment - he's quite a rich boy now!! However, we have decided to take out a pucker inurance policy for our new Gordon Setter puppy, due to be collected on 19 December - you are the first person outwith family I have told about her! :-)
Let me know how you get on next Wednesday.x
Dear Diane, Did you say you have a setter that has cancer? I had 3 that had cancer one lived to 12 and 2 lived to only 9 yrs old this was very hard my Radley lived to be 14 an a half. They are always hard to let go but you will know when it is time. your right you will see it in their eyes.I pray for you when that day comes.
love thru our setters
terrie stauffer
Hi, Diane! Thank you for being the first friend request I've received. I graciously accept your friendship. It's nice to have a friend in a far away place I'd like to see one day; if only it wasn't so far away )-: Let's stay in touch!
Dear Dianne,
Thank you so much for accepting my friend request! I wish you and your beautiful dogs a wonderful Christmas time and all the very best for 2014!
Take care,
Eileen, Lucas, Molly, Fiona & Jason xxx
Hi Diane, Thanks for accepting my request. How big are your girls? Gunners dad is from the Big Red Kennels. The breeder thinks he should weigh about 95 lbs, or 43 kg. My preference is larger dogs rather than smaller. That was a reason for choosing the IS, 95 lbs is a little bigger than I expected!
Hi Diane, Part of your last message was not visible and I missed part of it. When I was trying to learn about IS, I read a lot about them being pullers. That's part of the reason I was glad they were only 70 lbs/31kg. It was weeks later that the breeder gave me the great news of how big he would get! He is supposed to be about the same size as your Flame. Forty kg is a big dog! Gunner is really good about walking on a loose lead, at this point.
Some of the other breeds that I have had were Doberman, German Shepard, Collie, Saint Bernard, Golden Retriever, German Shorthaired Pointer, Labrador Retriever, and Weimaraner.
Your welcome, I felt like I had to say something. No one, or their dogs; should have to go through that. Just knowing that someone will not loose their dogs is wonderful! The Police Officer said that they thought that they animals were being taken for animal testing? Just makes me nauseous still to think about it.
I am a true dog lover, I have always loved all of my dogs. Being able to stay home with Gunner, has made me close to him already. Probably my favorite past dog, was a red Doberman male; he was as close to perfect as you could ask a dog to be.
Hi DIane,
All of the dogs I have had were a pleasure to own. Think the Weimaraners' energy was closest to what Gunner has. Fortunately, I learned this when searching for a breed, so I prepared myself for him and all of his energy! So far, the only thing he has destroyed have been his toys! But they are his to enjoy. It's better to replace a ball than a new couch!
When he was younger, he did pull some while walking. When he was 10 weeks we started a puppy obedience class. That was the first time I ever took a training class, I have always done all of my training at home. The best thing I got from the class was the instructor said IS are pullers, and to use a "Halti" whenever you walk him. Never having used one before, not wanting to start using one; reluctantly I listened to the "professional". What an ingenious invention! That thing really works. He doesn't pull at at all. We do go for 2 long walks each day, so he has lots of time to practice his loose lead walking.
Sorry for being long winded!
Mike
Hi Diane, Thank you. He slept like that for the first few months. Guess he was comfortable?
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