Archive for March, 2009

Mast Cell Tumors and You

// March 30th, 2009 // No Comments » // Pets

Last Thursday we found out that Hugo has a Mast Cell Tumor. I took him to the vet for an eye infection and asked the vet to check a fatty lump while I was there. Ends up that the “fatty lump” is a cancerous tumor. The vet advised that Hugo is in otherwise good health for his age and size and that his lymph nodes are fine. So, we are optimistic that this is Stage 1.

Hugo is scheduled for surgery on Wednesday in which they will remove the tumor. It will then be sent off to a pathologist where they will give it a “stage”. Stage 1 means that they hopefully removed all of the cancerous cells and we will need to keep an eye out for additional tumors. Stage 2 means that the cancer has spread but is treatable and we will look at treatments like radiation. Stage 3 is the most aggressive, but is the most uncommon. This stage generally occurs when the tumor is attached internally (like to a spleen or nasal cavity). Because the tumor is so deep, it is almost impossible for it all to be removed and has already spread.

The good news is that MCT is actually fairly common and is usually Stage 1, so our fingers crossed. The bad news is that we lost another dog to a tumor back in December so this has been particularly tough.

Please keep Hugo in your thoughts and I’ll keep you posted on his progress.

In the meantime, here are a few articles that I found helpful.

Your Bad Dog’s Secrets Can Help Homeless Dogs Have a Feast!

// March 25th, 2009 // No Comments » // Pets

I was hanging out in my own little Twitterverse today when @dogster sent out a little tweet announcing the great things that the people of Dogfessions are doing for Shelter Dogs! Knowing that Wet Nose Willy’s fans might have a dogfession or two up their sleeves themselves I thought I’d pay it forward and let our fans know what a great program they have going on!

First off, Willy wants to make sure that we’re all on the same page about what a “Dogfession” really is. From the Dogfessions web site:

Dogfessions is a “pet project” for dog lovers who have a secret, a weird fact, or a funny story to share about their best furry friend. From dog training fiascos to letting your dog hog the bed, we all have secrets about our dogs — it’s a relationship like any other. We keep secrets from our dogs and we tell them our secrets — the dogs aren’t going to tell anyone (we hope). We think and feel things about our dogs that we wouldn’t want anyone to know, and often, that we wouldn’t even want our dogs to know!

Anyone wishing to share a dogfession is instructed to create a 4×6 postcard illustrating your particular “dog secret” and send the postcard via snail mail to:

Dogfessions
676A Ninth Ave., #321
New York, NY 10036

But wait!! There’s more!! Rachael Ray has teamed up with Dogfessions to make this an altruistic opportunity! Rachael Ray’s Nutrish dog food has pledged to send 1 pound of dog for each Dogfession post card received. Dogfessions has selected Best Friends Animal Sanctuary and Sabbath Memorial Dog Rescue as recipients of the food raised through this effort. Their goal is to be able to donate 3 TONS of food to each shelter — which equates to 6,000 postcards that they need to receive! Currently, Dogfessions has almost reached the 20% mark.

I know that Willy’s pals must have some secrets to share! Let’s all get out there and help our bad dog pals fashion those postcards and get them out to the people at Dogfessions so they can help some needy pooches!

 

Visit Dogfessions.com to learn more!

Visit Dogfessions.com to learn more!

Hugo – One Misunderstood Mastiff

// March 22nd, 2009 // No Comments » // Doggie Mayhem, Pets

Hugo - So Misunderstood

Hugo - So Misunderstood

Hugo, Willy’s mastiff brother, got to take a field trip to a large pet-friendly retailer show in Dulles, VA. It seemed like a good idea…until we got there.

We should have been tipped off when we couldn’t find a place to park that this was a bad idea.

To make a long story short…we didn’t even make it into the show. There were SO many people and dogs that it was just too much for Hugo (and me for that matter). Hugo likes to bark at every dog he sees and wants to play. The problem? Hugo is 130lbs and not all dogs want to play with him. And because he is a mastiff, many times his “play” is mistaken for aggressiveness. Which was the case here.

It really bothered me that people walked by and said “Look at the mean dog”. Or parents would tell their kids to stay away from Hugo because he was a “bad dog”.  What do they know about my dog? It was like someone insulting your child. Don’t get me wrong. There were a few GREAT folks who said hello to Hugo and asked about him. Truth is, although he is huge – he is a big baby. His brother George can be 130lbs of crankiness, but Hugo is a lazy, affectionate couch potato.

The moral of my story. Hugo and I will only be hanging out with cool people who understand that not all big dogs are bad and can appreciate Hugo for who he is.