The Original Member of the Canine Crew - Raja 7/26/1996 - 3/25/2010

For most people September 11th was not a memorable day until the attacks in 2001.  For me, it became a memorable day 5 years prior when my roommate dragged me to a pet store. 


I was 25 and had decided I wanted a dog.  My best friend had happened into a pet store that rescued animals and she took me there the next day.  They had just received a litter of 5 Border Collie/Rottweiler mixes.   As I walked to the right side of the container, one of the puppies from the left launched over his litter mates and planted a kiss on my cheek.  I knew right then and there that the black and tan puppy was coming home with me.  He was named Raja after the Tiger in Aladdin.

He was smart, energetic and as I was about to find out, spiteful.  It was our third morning together and I had gone out for a couple hours two nights in a row and apparently that was not OK with Raja.  The next morning as I was getting ready for work, I watched as he jumped onto the couch, looked me in the eye and lifted his leg.  In his younger days, his favorite toy was the tennis ball.  He would fetch it for hours if you let him.  If you didn’t throw it fast enough he would jump towards you.  If you didn’t want to play he would simply throw it in the air himself or climb up the stairs and drop it and chase it.  As he got older I found the flying squirrel…it flew through the air and so would he as he snatched it out of the air.

He moved with me from Arizona to California, was with me when I met my husband and was there for me through many more important life changes.  He was my best friend and I always said, "Not only does he know where I buried the bodies, he helped me dig".

On his 13^th birthday in July 2009, we noticed him limping.  By the time we took him to the vet, it had stopped.  We figured that he simply landed wrong when catching the flying squirrel and we would keep our eye on it.  It was September when he started limping again.  A trip to the vet’s office and after an x-ray there was a spot that looked suspicious but again we thought that he had just strained it, so we got some tramadol and took him home.  His limp worsened over the next couple days and we took him to see the oncologist.  The oncologist confirmed the worst; he had osteosarcoma (bone cancer) in the left shoulder.  I have to admit that I never thought one of my dogs would have cancer.  I had always said I would not put him through an amp or chemo…and when it came time to make a decision, I wasn’t ready to let him go either.  So we decided to go for 4 rounds of radiation.   He still had a limp and we figured he would always have it.  My husband built a ramp off the deck to make it easier for him to get around.  About two months after the last treatment he went in for a follow-up and x-ray.  During that x-ray, the oncologist said he was quite surprised and that Raja was a tough dog.  Apparently Raja had fractured the shoulder sometime after treatment but had figured out a way to still get around.   Six months after his diagnosis, the day came when I looked into his eyes and saw just how tired he was, so we made the difficult decision to say goodbye.  

We have his ashes in a beautiful wood urn, which sits atop a memory box.  Around my neck I wear a handmade green glass pendant that was made with some of his ashes so he is with me every minute of every day.  We have decided that just like the great athletes who have their jersey’s retired when they leave the game, Raja’s name will be retired in our family as there will only ever be one.

Come back tomorrow to meet Crew Member #2 - an adorable lab named Mopar

Do you have Mushrooms in your Backyard?

Today I was in the yard picking up after the dogs.  Having 3 large dogs, if this goes more than a few days, the landmines pile up.  I have to admit this ONE responsibility of having dogs has made me second guess my choice to not have a human child.  I mean child labor is cheap or so my friends tell me.

While walking through the yard, I came across a brown mushroom and it reminded me that as the weather becomes wetter that I must be more diligent on clearing the yard of mushrooms.  Last year I had seen an article online of a young healthy Bernese Mountain Dog who ingested a death cap mushroom and died from mushroom toxicity.  Here is a link to the flyer which shows what the death cap mushroom looks like.  http://bernese.biz/MushroomFlyer.pdf

In general all backyard wild mushrooms should be treated as poisonous.  Symptoms of mushroom poisoning include: Vomiting, Diarrhea, Abdominal Pain, Lethargy, Jaundice, Seizures, Coma, Excess Salivation.  So what should you do?

If your dog has eaten poisonous mushrooms and you catch him in the act (this is where the "Drop it" and "Leave it" commands come in handy):

• Remove any pieces from the dog's mouth and...
• Induce vomiting
• Call your veterinarian

If your dog has eaten poisonous mushrooms, but there is a short delay in realizing what has happened:

• Save the specimens for identification
• Call your veterinarian or take your dog to the emergency veterinary hospital immediately.

If your dog has eaten poisonous mushrooms and any of the above symptoms appear

• Take your dog to the emergency veterinary hospital immediately.

Always keep your eyes open for mushrooms in your yard as well as the neighborhood when you take your dog for a walk or to the dog park.  If you find them in your yard, dig them up.  Smashing them or kicking them will only spread the pores allowing more to grow.

What you can expect from this Blog

Starting on Monday October 31st and over the next 5 days I will be introducing you to the Canine Crew, both past and present, who are responsible for making me the Doggie Momma that I am today.  That is one dog per day.  Once we get the introductions out of the way this is what you can expect:

Mondays are all about canine health.  I will be discussing any one of the following topics: Canine Cancer and my experience, preventative health, pet insurance, nutritional information to look for in dog food, people food to avoid and other health related topics.


Wednesdays will be New Photo Wednesdays & Antics of the Canine Crew (both past and present)

Fridays will include training tips, product reviews, dog approved recipes and/or traveling with your pet


I of course reserve the right to post "breaking news" on any given day such as pet food recalls and other "hot topics".

Come back Monday for the introduction of the dog who started it all - Raja (7/23/1996 - 3/25/2010).  RIP sweet angel.

I've Become one of "those" Dog Mom's

I am 40 years old and have a wonderful husband and 3 beautiful fur kids.   Buddy is a 9 year old Labrador/Pit mix or as I refer to him my Pitador that we inherited from my brother-in-law when he passed.  Samson is a 6 year old Rottweiler/Australian Shepherd mix, who is very quirky.  Finally, our newest edition is Rocket, a 6 month old Border Collie. 

Prior to Buddy and Rocket joining our family, we had Raja our 13 year old Border Collie/Rottweiler mix and Mopar our 10 year old Labrador.  We lost both of them within 15 months of each other to Bone Cancer.  It was during this time that I started cooking for the dogs.  I still fed them kibble but began buying better quality food and started baking homemade dog treats.

I spent time with the boys, but looking back, I didn’t take enough time to smell the roses (or whatever it was they were smelling) with them.  I started spending more time with Samson and Buddy but I didn’t truly become “one of those” dog mommas, until Rocket joined the crew.

I’ve spent even more time outside this summer playing with them.  So much so, I think I actually had a tan.  I take Rocket with me every chance I get.  Whether it’s to the pet store, dog park, the wineries or just for a ride in the car.  I have Rocket in training working towards his Canine Good Citizen test, and he will be walking with me in the next Canine Cancer Walk in Elk Grove CA.  When parents of human children start telling antics of their children or extracurricular activities they are participating in, I listen patiently and then tell the latest story of Rocket or antics of his brothers.  Some look at me like I am absolutely nuts, and others just understand.

While I am in no way an expert in canine cancer or canine nutrition, I do feel I am an expert in receiving and understanding the unconditional love that my boys provide me.  And through that love I can share my experiences of living with and trying to treat canine cancer, research on all things dogs, recipes for dog treats that have them sitting patiently at the oven door, and the daily/weekly antics that bring a smile to my face and have me looking forward to coming home.