My Songs

Purchasing my songs helps to pay for veterinarian bills. Thank you!

What It Costs To Love Special Needs Dogs

For anyone who has ever loved and cared for a special needs animal companion, you know what an emotional and financial burden this can be. Vet visits, tests, wheelchairs, orthopedic braces, amputations, multiple surgeries, holistic and western medical care for cancer are what people who are devoted to their pets face time and time again.
To give you an idea of what these costs are, I will describe the costs for my two beautiful dogs who died from cancer.

Prior to their cancer (osteosarcoma), between the two of them:

3 TPLOs (tibial plateau leveling osteotomies) for torn ACLs (about $2100.00 for each one....$6,300.00)
2 implant removals (about $400.00 each... $800.00)
cancer care for both of them including amputation, MRIs, ultrasounds, chiropractic care, acupuncture, herbal supplements, pain meds, biopsies, needle aspirations, chemotherapy, radiation, blood tests, etc, etc... $10,000.00.

This is not to mention the time off from work to care for these special needs family members and the gasoline and food expenses from traveling out of state to receive the treatments.

So for two of my beloved animal companions, Fly and Trouble, whom I lost within a year of each other, $10,000.00 was spent on cancer care alone. I am not a financially wealthy person..... my wealth comes from the abundance of unconditional love I receive from my canine pack. All of these expenses were charged on charge cards. I try not to think about the pain, suffering and deaths this cancer caused, but my monthly statements are a reminder of what I'm paying for, and will continue to pay for (providing I'm able to make the minimum charge card payments) for the next 23 years.

I sought legal advice but was told dogs are only "property" here in PA. You are only entitled to the "value of the dog" and because they are "property" you cannot collect damages due to "property".... only the value of the dog. Of course to someone who loves their animals as I do, THEY ARE PRICELESS! I am very familiar with this out of date and ridiculous law, because my very first German Shepherd dog was killed while being boarded with a veterinarian. They let her get hit by a car the day I went away, and didn't try to save her life until the day after she was hit. She had a punctured lung, broken ribs, ruptured bladder, and more. When the vet finally did surgery, she had three cardiac arrests coming out of the anesthesia and died. She was only 13 months old. Legally, I was entitled to $20.00 because that's what I paid for her.

Something is just not right with this picture. I have to believe in Karma (for those responsible for the suffering and deaths of my dogs) to help me get through this.

KIMBER MAKES A COMPLETE RECOVERY WITHOUT SURGERY FROM A TORN ACL!!!

Today is July 6, 2010. It's been over a year (May 18, 2009) since Kimber, my 100 lb. Shiloh Shepherd tore her anterior cruciate ligament. We did conservative management to enable her to heal successfully without surgery. Her protocol consisted of proper nutrition, supplements, physical therapy, gentle range of motion stretches, water therapy, massage, chiropractic care and using a stifle brace. Kimber now runs around without the need for any brace. When viewing videos of her, you cannot tell which knee was injured. It is amazing to see that a large dog was able to heal from a torn ACL when we were told this could not happen without surgery. I am so grateful I found a wonderful online support group last year for people searching for knowledge on conservative management. For more information, go to www.yahoogroups.com and type in Conservative Management. You'll be glad you did.

Update on Kimber

Today is Feb. 8th, 2010 and Kimber is currently 8 1/2 months post torn ACL. She has made a full recuperation WITHOUT SURGERY!!!! It pleases me to see how my very special girl has recuperated without the invasive surgeries my Trouble and Fly had for their torn ACLs.

This month's (Feb) edition of Whole Dog Journal features an article on Conservative Management that includes Kimber as well as other success stories. It's nice to know there's an option other than surgery that may help your canine companion heal from a torn ACL. Of course, every situation is different and not all dogs may be candidates for CM, but you won't know unless you try it.

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Kimber is doing REMARKABLY well! The scar tissue is forming. Kimber shows no sign of lameness, she's bearing full weight on her leg, and when she's outside with the brace on, she can run off leash. I am so pleased with her progress. I wish to God I would have known about stifle braces when Trouble and Fly had torn ACLs.... they would still be alive!!!!
Please scroll down to "older posts" so you can read Trouble's story concerning his "plate related cancer" and Sheba's story with degenerative myelopathy.

Conservative Management for Torn ACL

My beautiful girl, Kimber, also known as"Beauty Jr." (Fly's nickname was "Beauty"), tore her cruciate ligament a month after I had to let my beautiful Fly go. Because Trouble and Fly had developed osteosarcoma after having knee surgeries, I looked into conservative management to avoid surgery. I learned so much from a wonderful support group, the Conservative Management group at http://www.yahoo.groups.com/ and had a custom made stifle brace for Kimber. The brace supports the knee externally, just as surgery supports it internally. Kimber went from walking on three legs, to walking on four, bearing weight on her leg, and now swimming.

It is with extreme pain, sadness, and DISGUST that I announce the passing of my beautiful, innocent, Angel, Fly. Fly had developed osteosarcoma, the same cancer that took my beautiful Trouble's life after developing it from the the non medical grade metal implant that corroded in his body. Fly had the same implant in her.... her implant was corroded just like Trouble's. When Trouble was finally diagnosed correctly after having been misdiagnosed, I believed that chemo would end his life sooner, so I opted for alternative treatments in the hopes of stopping the cancer and enabling him to live a longer, quality life. Sadly, he died four months into his treatments. Because of dealing with this type of cancer and seeing its consequences, I listened to the medical doctors with Fly, who assured me chemo and radiation would give her at least 4-6 months to live, maybe 8 if we were lucky. After spending over $3,000.00 at the facility who made this assurance with my beloved Fly, she had died 35 days into her treatments. I am devastated, disgusted, and heartbroken. The pain with losing my beloved Fly, Trouble, and Jerry Lee within 12 months of each other is immeasurable.

What disgusts me the most, is I told the veterinarians that I believed Fly had osteosarcoma like Trouble.... I recognized the symptoms and she had the same implant Trouble had. (By the way... the specialist told me he quit using those implants when they found out they were associated with osteosarcoma.... not soon enough for Fly or Trouble.) The doctors and specialists kept telling me that Fly did not have cancer... she had arthritis only. Fly had been in pain.... it took a fifth doctor to admit to me that Fly had osteosarcoma.... as he could see the tumor on the original x-ray. Sounds like the others didn't want me to know the truth...what were they afraid of if they had done nothing wrong? I think we know the answer to this. I guess they figured if they kept telling me that Fly had arthritis (knowing I didn't know how to read an x-ray), I'd end up believing them.

Please, I can't stress this enough..... if your dog had a TPLO surgery and a few years later begins to become lame or is lame already, and your doctor tells you that your dog's source of lameness is arthritis, keep searching until you can find a doctor who knows how to read an x-ray properly. YOUR DOG'S LIFE DEPENDS ON IT!!!!!

My Shep/Malamute, Fly, has osteosarcoma!!!!! Please Help!!!!

My beautiful shep/malamute, Fly, was just diagnosed with osteosarcoma, bone cancer... the same cancer that took my Trouble's life. Treatments for this are very expensive but I will give her the best care she needs. You can help by scrolling down and purchasing any of the three songs on this site. All money made goes to Fly's care. You can listen to the songs by clicking on the little button to the left of each song. We appreciate your help.
UPDATE: Fly has had four treatments of radiation and two treatments of chemotherapy at Ohio State University. Because the tumor is in her L7 vertebrae and pushing into her spinal cord, it is inoperable. With treatments, they are giving her 4-6 months to live. I believe that with treatments, love, and perserverance, Fly can live longer with quality and happiness. You can help by visiting the fundraising site I have set up for her and by forwarding it to all you know who may be able to help her. We graciously appreciate all help. Thank you!

Thank You In Memory of Jerry Lee and Trouble 2008

I just want to thank all of you who sent condolences, prayers and support during this difficult time in losing my precious canine children. Trouble lost his battle with canine osteosarcoma (bone cancer related to non-medical grade metal implants in his bone) in April of this year. You may scroll down to "older posts" to read his story. And Jerry Lee was such a trooper in living with the paralyzing disease degenerative myelopathy. They are sorely missed. The support so many of you provided me with is priceless. I appreciate your kindness more than you know. Thank you.