According to a study that took over six years to complete, many of the chemicals used can raise your dog’s chances of getting CML, or canine malignant lymphoma.  The study too place at the Foster Hospital for Small Animals at Tuft’s University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, and studied all of the main stream, professionally administered chemicals in use today.

The dogs that find themselves at the top of the risk pool for CML are often dogs over 50 pounds, and were living in homes where pesticides and herbicides are used.  The study also took into account for lawn care products with insect growth regulators, which are also known as chemical killing agents.

The other type of cancer that has been linked to these chemicals is bladder cancer.  The dogs were often found to have high levels of the toxins in their urine, which has to pass through the bladder eventually.  Combine the fact that many dogs spend a good deal of time laying on the grass in the family yard all summer, with the fact that many of these toxins can be carried on the wind and into the lives of dogs whose family doesn’t use these chemicals.

The studies conducted here were only one over a six year period, which normally isn’t long enough to get a good grasp of everything that is going on.  However, all of the dogs studied had alarming amounts of toxins and chemicals in their systems.  All of this, just or a weed free lawn during the summer.  It’s something to seriously consider, because if it’s bad for them, it’s probably bad for us too.

The post The Chemicals You Use on Your Lawn Have Been Linked to Cancer in Dogs appeared first on ILoveDogsAndPuppies.

When Anna was rescued by animal control officers in Union County, South Carolina, she was completely emaciated and tethered to a tree with a neck tie.  She was only 28 pounds, heartworm positive, and had been abandoned after she was used up from having many litters.

Heidi Schermerhorn-Wagner found her at the shelter and fell in love

She spent the next five years getting Anna healthy and helping her overcome the traumas of her past.  The bond between them grew so strong, it even inspired Heidi to found the rescue group Boxer Butts & Other Mutts.

“Because of her, over 3,000 dogs’ lives have been changed,” Heidi explained.

Sadly, Anna was diagnosed with bone cancer in her right front leg, which then spread to her lungs.  She was given three to six months to live.

But they couldn’t know how much perseverance she had.  Her diagnosis was a year and a half ago, and Anna is still hanging on.  Heidi says she still welcomes every foster dog who enters their home.

“Most of them are on death’s door and she will not leave their side.  Even on her bad days she continues to try to take care of others.”

Recently, she was feeling pretty bad, and lie on the front porch, feeling lethargic.  Izzy walked over to her and gingerly licked her face for over half an hour.

“Anna had also helped take care of Izzy when she suddenly got really sick a couple of years ago,” Heidi said.  “It seemed Izzy remembered and did her best to comfort Anna.”

No matter how much time Anna has left on this planet, she can rest comfortably knowing she is surrounded by love.

The post Cat Won’t Stop Giving Kisses to Terminally Ill Dog Sister appeared first on ILoveDogsAndPuppies.

This plea comes from his mom:

My name is Danielle and I created this GoFundMe page on behalf of my second furry kid, Vlad. We adopted him when he was two years old from Hillside S.P.C.A in Schuylkill County, nearly a two-hour drive from our home. He was known as “Chance” while he was there. We adopted him to keep our wild first furry kid (Zoey) in check – she is an alpha dominant female, the funny thing is Vlad wound up being our alpha dominant male. They had a rough patch the first couple of weeks, but have become inseparable.

When Vlad was five years old, my husband and I decided to have our first human kid. We initially expected Zoey to become our son’s protector, being the female, but to our surprise Vlad filled that role as if our son was his own. When we brought our son home from the hospital Vlad honestly tried to carry him off and claim him as his own. Vlad barely slept for three days straight those first few nights. If our son made a peep, Vlad was right there to check on him. Vlad would not let anyone near our son, not even my parents. To this day, Vlad watches over our oldest son who is now six years old. He is now a “big brother” to our second human son who is 20 months old. Vlad is known as “Bubba” to our sons, which is also each of their first words.

Near the end of December 2015, we noticed a change in Vlad’s eating behavior. He started to slow down eating and Zoey was actually beating him out of the kitchen. This was unlike him because he will gobble food up like it is going out of style. We took him to the vet thinking maybe there was something wrong with his teeth. Our vet had noticed a growth about the size of a nickel hanging down from his upper right side of his mouth. We never noticed it ourselves because Vlad would not let us get that close. The vet said it looked suspicious. He suggested we do a dental cleaning and he would remove the growth to be biopsied. Vlad’s blood work came back great the evening before his dental cleaning, so I thought we were in the clear of it being anything serious.

A week after his dental cleaning the biopsy was found as “probable cancer” because of the amount of cells that were seen. I was devastated and heartbroken to say the least as I’m sure many of you would have been, too.

We took Vlad to an oncologist at VSEC in Levittown. She said the cancerous cells were low meaning it is a low grade cancer and does not appear to be an aggressive kind. She took chest x-rays and, thankfully, his lungs were clear. However, he has restricted airflow in his right nasal passage and she is concerned there is a blockage in his nose or quite possibly a tumor growing inside. The only way to check in his nasal passage is via a CT scan.

I swore to Vlad that I would fight as much as I could financially. This is what led me to creating a GoFundMe page for Vlad. We only need approximately $1,200-$1,500 for the CT scan. Then depending on those results we may or may not do radiation therapy and that is approximately $3,000 – one treatment a week for four weeks. I absolutely would like to have the CT scan done but with our budget we can use help, so I am reaching out to my family and friends as well as others who may be or have been in my position. GoFundMe is the means to help raise money for Vlad, so intend to try my best to do so.

I am hoping to raise at least $1,200 to start so we can get the CT scan done as soon as possible this way we have more answers and can develop a more solid game plan to help Vlad.

The CT scan has been scheduled on 3/14/16 @ 10am with VSEC.

Vlad is an important part of our family, not only to my husband and me, but he is a huge part of our children’s lives. He is the greatest furry family member that we could have ever asked to be in our lives. We saved him from uncertainty in the shelter and he grew into an amazing pup. I’m so proud to have him in our family and I plan to fight for him as long as I’m able to. I owe it to him because he will be turning 11 years old on 3/21/2016 and I feel in my gut that he has many years ahead of him as long as we are able to help him along. I am hoping that many of you can open your hearts and help our Vlad.

If you are able to donate anything to our cause, we would be absolutely grateful. If you can even share our cause on our behalf to your family, friends, and Facebook groups within the furry kid community that would be amazing.

The post Vlad the…. Beloved Babysitter? appeared first on ILoveDogsAndPuppies.

Though Jeanette was initially diagnosed with fibroids, the UK woman’s doctors struggled to diagnose her correctly after 58 appointments.

“Jeanette was going backwards and forwards to different medical appointments,” husband David explained to the Daily Mail. “Jeanette would scream so loud she sounded like a fan at a football match. It was awful. She would say, ‘I know it’s not fibroids. David, please help me.’”

She found herself in an ambulance because of one episode, and was sent home with painkillers. Their Collie-Alsatian mix Jerry knew it was serious. He would always sniff at Jeanette’s abdomen, where she felt excruciating pain. Since 2012, she also suffered from rectal bleeding and back, hip, and thigh pain.

“She was in so much pain that she would be physically sick when she went to the toilet. She would fall on the floor and I would pick her up. It broke my heart.”

In May of 2015, David took her to a walk-in clinic, and at the sight of Jeanette, a nurse broke down in tears.  The next day she went to a hospital, where a CT dye scan revealed that she had a tumor that started in her uterus and spread throughout her abdomen.  But by then it was too late for anything to be done.

“By the time we knew about the cancer it was too late. The cancer was at a stage where they couldn’t do anything to save her or prolong her life. All of her insides were fused together.

“Jeanette never wanted to know how long she had left. She was hoping she would have another year.

The post Dog Has Cried Every Night for Six Months Since Mom Died appeared first on ILoveDogsAndPuppies.

In September 2015, while petting him after a walk, Jalk’s mom, Angela Valencis, noticed a small lump on his head. They visited a vet, received antibiotics, but nothing helped, and the lump only grew.

A week later, Jalk was diagnosed with stage-2 soft tissue sarcoma, a malignant tumor.

Jalk began treatment, starting with the removal of the tumor, which by that point had grown to the size of a baseball.

Unfortunately, the size of the tumor meant Jalk lost his left ear. Also, he had to wear this very embarrassing cone.

After his surgeries, Jalk began radiation treatment. His family drove 140 miles from their home in Farmington, Connecticut, five days a week, for a 45-minute appointment.

Thankfully, the treatment was a success, and to celebrate, Alicia posted this photo of Jalk, which has now been shared across the internet thousands of times.

Valencis told BuzzFeed News that the decision to put Jalk through the treatment was made after serious amounts of research and consideration.

“His eyesight was not affected at all, and he still hears the UPS and FedEx trucks coming down the street before I do,” she said. “He is truly our wonder pup, and in the center of the heart of our family, a beloved and adored member of our pack.”

The post The Story Behind How This Dog Lost His Ear Is Heartbreaking And Inspiring appeared first on ILoveDogsAndPuppies.

A month after her owner deployed Kermie was taken to the vet because of her bad breath. The diagnosis wasn’t good, Kermie had cancer. She was only given two or three months to live, but Kermie had plans of her own. She refused to die until her owner returned home from his nine month deployment.

Last March Eric Ralston, a chief hospital corpsman in the US Navy, was deployed. A month after he deployed his wife took their dog Kermie, an 11-year-old Lab-Beagle-Chow Chow mix for a checkup when she noticed Kermie’s breath had become very foul.

After being examined it was discovered that Kermie had oral melanoma and the vets believes he had at most two or three months left to live. “We were devastated to say the least,” said Jennifer Ralston. “Kermie was our first child, and we did not think Eric would ever get to see her again.” Kermie wasn’t ready to say goodbye without seeing Eric though.

Three months passed and Kermie was still around and soon it was reaching towards the end of Eric’s employment and the family began to hope that maybe Kermie would get to see him again and welcome him home. They became determined themselves to help her see Eric one last time. When eating became difficult Jennifer prepared special meals and hand fed Kermie.

Then 12 days before Eric was supposed to return home his deployment was extended. The holidays were approaching and the Ralstons feared Kermie wouldn’t make it to Christmas when Eric would finally come home. Kermie continued to defy the odds though. A few days before Christmas Eric returned home and Kermie was there to welcome him. She sported a red bow and was caught on video sprinting from the house and into Eric’s arms.

Eric’s return brought new life into Kermie, before she had seem to be on her last leg but with him home she had new life. “His return was some sort of magic pill for her,” said Jennifer. “She began eating and drinking again, without struggle.” Kermie soon was celebrating her 12^th birthday in January, but by February she made a turn for the worse. “When good days became good hours we knew it was time,” said Jennifer. On February 22^nd Kermie lost her battle with cancer. Eric and the rest of her family were by her side.

The post Dog Defies Cancer To See Her Owner Again appeared first on ILoveDogsAndPuppies.

Byron Taylor was at his wit’s end, and couldn’t bear to go on.  He had resolved to end his life, but was prevented from doing so by his bullmastiff, Geo, who stole his noose and chewed it up.

The 23-year-old UK man says had it not been for Geo, he wouldn’t be alive today.  Taylor had hit an incredibly low point in his life, and wanted it to be over.  Geo had other plans.

“He saved my life a few years ago. I was in a very bad place and I attempted suicide,” Taylor explained to the Daily Mail.

“My ex-partner left me. It was very horrible. She turned all the electric and gas on full pelt and took the keys to turn it off.

“She stole all the money and stuff. I lost everything. I couldn’t afford the rent.

Taylor had been drinking heavily when he made the decision to kill himself.  He fashioned a rope into a noose and then went downstairs to pen a farewell letter to his family.

“I came back upstairs and he had the noose in his mouth. At first, I thought he wanted to play,” Taylor explained.  “’I said ‘give it here,’ and he started growling at me.”

“He chewed up the noose. He never growls, but each time I tried to take it off him, he would snarl. I wouldn’t be here now if it wasn’t for him.

“In a way, I think Geo knew what I was going to do. They have a sixth sense about this kind of thing. He knew something was up.”

Taylor’s life was saved that day by his dearest companion, and that is part of the reason why the man is fighting so hard to save Geo.  A month ago the rare Welsh Bullmastiff was diagnosed with a fatal form of cancer.

“Vets found a really aggressive tumor on his head and it is spreading to his muscles and his bones,” Taylor said.  “The vet is happy for him to carry on as long as he is happy and playing, but it’s only going to be a matter of weeks.  We going day by day. It’s a daily battle with the decision to put him down.”

He recently lost his job as an emergency line dispatcher, but Taylor is doing whatever he can to take care of Geo.  In the past he has raised thousands of dollars for animal charities, and is hopeful that people will help him now save Geo, or at the very least give him the best last days.

Taylor is doing a fundraiser walk for the Teckels Animal Sanctuaries (in Gloucester) to raise money for the shelter, and hopes that Geo will make it long enough to accompany him.  To sponsor him, click here.

He began a personal fundraiser page for Geo’s care.  If you would like to donate to it, please click here.

The post Intuitive Dog Stops Owner from Committing Suicide appeared first on ILoveDogsAndPuppies.

Zhenia Bulawka, a photographer from Baltimore, Maryland, wanted to do something to honor her 11-year-old American Staffordshire Terrier’s last days. So she assembled a heartwarming photo series about her family, documenting their final trip together before Dyuki, or Mr. Dukes, passed away from grade III mast cell cancer.
The family took a three hour road trip to the beach so that Mr. Dukes could swim in the ocean for the first time.

Here’s Bulawka’s boyfriend, Christian, snuggling with two of their three pups.

Who needs fine dining when you have sandwiches and a whole beach to yourself?

They all watched the sunset from their hotel balcony…

Followed by an evening walk on the beach…

And a little TV before bed.

Violet, Mr. Dukes’ sister, was the first to get up for the second day at the beach.

Here’s the whole furfamily together, with Mr. Dukes on the left.

Sadly, Dyuki passed a month after the family’s trip. It’s clear that his parents gave him a full, happy life. This is what Bulawka had to say about her late companion:

“Dukes was my best friend. He was also my muse, as his passion for life served as a constant source of inspiration to me. I could never tire of photographing him. Since his passing, I’ve been told numerous times ‘how lucky Dukes was to have me.’ But in fact, it was me who was so lucky to have him. He was the smartest, funniest, most loyal, incredibly strong, yet equally sensitive dog all wrapped into one perfect pittie package. He changed my life and I will miss him forever.”

The post This Looks Like A Normal Beach Vacation, But The Truth Will Put Tears In Your Eyes appeared first on ILoveDogsAndPuppies.

So he shared the story of his journey to the end with his pup, and it’s the saddest, most heart-wrenching thing to watch. It’s also incredibly touching to see such a strong bond between man and canine.

It’s so sad, but Oden was very sick and in a lot of pain. He lived a full life with his loving owner, and I’m happy to have known their story.

The post Watching A Human Say Goodbye To His Best Friend Will Leave You In A Lake Of Tears appeared first on ILoveDogsAndPuppies.

Daisy is no ordinary dog. Daisy spends her time sniffing out cancer and she’s very good at it. To this day she’s saved over 500 lives and she’s finally getting recognized with her own award.

The post Daisy The Cancer Detection Dog Has Saved Over 550 Lives appeared first on ILoveDogsAndPuppies.