CP's foster Alize and the dreaded 'C' word

Contributed by Alize's foster mom

It's one of those things that at just the thought of it,  you want to push to the back of your mind. You don't even want to say it - it's more evil than any cuss word. Cancer. And it came to terrorize us right in the excitement of whelping Carolina's puppies. Foster Alize had her spay/dental/updates the day that Carolina started showing beginning signs of labor. And when I'd dropped her off that morning, I'd mentioned to them that while they had her out, there was a funny bump on her back/left hip that I'd like for them to take a look at just in case. It was about the size of a lima bean and grey. I'd kind of blown it off thinking it was probably a reaction to a tick bite or something, and it had a scabby spot like Alize would scratch it or bite it occasionally. But when I picked her up that evening, she had a shaved spot about the size of a softball, with a puckered, ugly incision about 2.5" long in the middle of that bare area.

 It took me by surprise because of how crooked and sunken yet puckered and just so nasty looking it was - it made me hurt and my heart sank. My vet had thought it looked suspicious, had removed it and plenty of tissue surrounding it, and it was being sent in for biopsy. I wept for her when we got home and just kept telling myself it COULDN'T be - she's not even THREE years old! So we waited. Alize couldn't leave the stitches alone and had to wear the cone of shame for 2 weeks until the stitches could come out. A week after her surgery, my vet called to tell me the results had come back - it was a mast cell tumor and cancerous. She'd talk to me more when she took out her stitches. There are 3 grades - grade one being the lowest, and they are usually contained and nothing further is needed. I was told grade two can go either way - it might be a one time deal, or it could re-occur or be an indication there may be cancerous cells elsewhere.

 Grade three requires aggressive treatment of chemo as the cancer is almost always in multiple places in the body, effecting major organs, the lifespan of most shortened to a few years at best. Alize was a "high" grade two, with a high mitoses rate(how fast the cancer cells can split - a 4 on a scale of 1-5). But she's not even THREE YEARS OLD! WHY?!!! My vet's office referred me to an Oncologist. Another wait for almost a week.. Wonderful office - wonderful staff - wonderful veterinarian. The walls have framed "scrapbooked" pages/pics of dogs and cats that have been patients there, with thank you's for their help in caring for them. The counters had framed pics w/word of praise. What a show of the caring nature of this office - it was a reassuring display that we were in the right place.

 Alize was on her best behavior, and she had them all wrapped around her cute, short little carrot-shaped tail . The Dr. did a full exam, especially slowly feeling all over her body for any signs of any new tumors. She was worried about a knot at the end of the incision, so she wanted to draw some it out via needle to check for cancerous cells as Alize's type can rapidly re-appear at the same site, but also all over her body. Her plan of action was to do an ultrasound of her belly to look at her groin lymph nodes, liver, and spleen. If any of those looked abnormal, she'd do a needle aspiration of tissue to see if there were cancer cells. She needed a platelet count in case of needing to do the aspiration, so blood was drawn first. I approved her plan, and she left with little Alize trotting down the hall beside her, tail wagging. The 30-45 minute wait started. Thankfully my last Auntie left had gone with me, and we tried to find other things to talk about while we sat. A tech came out with Alize trotting right along side of her - told me she'd been giving kisses to them all in back, and she'd been a great patient. They'd given her a couple of treats because of her excellent behavior (I gave her a couple more I'd stuck in my pocket since she'd had nothing to eat/drink since midnight.) The Dr. would be out shortly.

 She came out with great news - the sample drawn from the knot at her incision was only blood/fluid still not absorbed from her initial surgery - no cancerous cells. And the ultrasound showed her liver, spleen, and lymph nodes normal! She was worried about the "clear margin" taken when the tumor was initially removed, and she was going to contact the pathologist in that lab and ask for actual measurements to make sure there had been enough tissue removed around the tumor to ensure that all it's "feelers" it sends out from the mass had been removed. So she might have to have another surgery to take more tissue from the site.

 But she said for right now she felt it safe to say that Alize was cancer free and ready for adoption. Her new family will have to be vigilant about feeling/checking for any signs of new growth, and if any lumps are found, they'll need to be biopsied immediately as she's at a pretty high risk for a re-occurrence. And it's such a blessing this girl wasn't pregnant as first thought, or all this probably wouldn't have been done for a couple of months until the puppies would have been weaned and she was ready for a spay. It probably would have spread to other places by that time, and we'd be looking at a very sad prognosis for this girl. I got a call from her this afternoon letting me know she'd spoken with the pathologist, and the margins my vet took around the tumor were HUGE, well beyond the measurements needing to be safe. So Alize, for now, is a healthy girl, ready for her Forever family to find her and adopt her. We can now celebrate a HAPPY birthday for her on the 19th! Next time I see my Dr. Stuart, she's getting a big hug.   I've got to torture - I mean groom her - and get some good pics of this cute little thing.  She has the best little shaped 14# body, great coat, and the best, short little naturally carrot-shaped tail of any Cairn I've ever had here. I've attached the best pic I've got of her so far.

 She's let it be known that she's an alpha  and would do best in a home with previous terrier experience. Probably easiest in a home as an only dog or with a mellow male that will let her be the boss. When she first met our pack almost 2 weeks after being here (because she wasn't vetted/she was supposed to be pregnant), it was one of the wildest introductions we'd ever had. Some of the kids she'd knock to the ground in a split second and be on top of them giving them her rules. Some fought back and we'd have to end the conversation by taking her out of it. Little mill momma Sitka waltzed right up to her face, must have told her something, took another step back and smelled her, and walked off.  We had to watch/listen to her constantly the first week or so, and at her first nasty word, she'd get time out. Harnesses sure make a great handle for taking a dog right up/off their feet! She's been a little scrapper, for sure. She has found her niche in the pack now and is getting along much better in our pack, but she has her moments that someone looks at her wrong and she explodes and gets a time out. At the vet's offices, she's wanted to take on every dog in sight, no matter how small or LARGE!

 I've had looks thrown at us because of her outbreaks of wild behavior - it's all that big dog attitude in a little dog's body, and she's got a sailor's mouth that rivals the best of them! LOL She loves to play with the 2 yr. old Norrie brothers, chasing and wrestling, and she also loves her foster daddy, spending hours in his lap in the evening if she's allowed. With more everyday lessons on how to be a good dog, she'll learn to be a great little girl for someone, despite having a bit of a 'ttude. And you can't NOT think about how this would have turned out had Col. Potter not rescued this girl. This cancer would have progressed quickly, turning into a grade 3, and she wouldn't have had a chance at seeing her fourth birthday, as dogs with a grade 3 have a 10% chance at living another year. Fate and Destiny knew where she needed to be. Please visit our website to learn more about her. She is being fostered in Missouri.

CP's foster puppy Fili's thank you for the toys

Dictated by Fili to his foster mom

Can you find me in da toys?


Did you ever see so many toyz?

Hi dere, Anteez an Unkels! Dis is Fili, da little man in da Hunt howse! I gotz on heer to tell Antee Damyell and all yuu CEEPEE peepulz fank yuu fer da TOYZ!!!! Fosser mom hepped me getz a pitchur obs me checken dem out anna gotz it hucked tuu dis note dat I'm righten so yuu cen see all da guudies. Foer mom sez dat I getz to pway wif dem all while dear nuu!!!! My momma tuuk da piggie toy dat waz my frend anna chuweded his eer off da udder day - I waz sad when fosser mom sed he habz to go inna da fixit basket and be gonz for awhile cuz hiz brains waz cummin out anna all ober da pwace - he waz jes my size anna wresled wif me! OK - maybe I waz duin all da wreslin, anna he jes frowed me off when I gotz on top ub him, butz fosser momma sez now dat she nose dat my momma is a destruckto ob toyz, she's gonna make sure dat she's only gotz da hebbie duutee onez arown da pen fur her tu pway wif! Fosser momma sed she finkz I'll eben be pwayin in da box when I'm in da kitchen, tuu. In da passed fuw dayz, day letz me an momma out wif da rest ob da kidz here fur sum bizitz anna butt smellin, anna I surrprized dem by doin da stepz rite up to da cowch where fosser dad waz sittin! Anna I been zoomin across da ruum, so I been takin sum GOOD naps cuz I getz all worn out runnin az fast az my leg will go! But fosser mom sez dis taste of freedum makez me fink I'm a big boy 'cuz now I complainz eben MORE when I getz stuck back in won ob dem pwaypens - but I ain't no baby no morez!

We been gettin lotz better! Ain't no bugz on me or momma ennie more! We gotz wun more dose ob dat nasty stuff to take next weke, but we feel guud! Anna yuu shuud see my momma - she'z jes about BEE-U-TEE-FULL! I eben pwayed wif my Norrie cuzzins Ollie an Sebastian tunite - day gotz in da playpen wif me! Ollie tole me he's sad I ain't got no bruver 'cause he LUBS his bruver, so he sed I cuud be his preetend little bruver anna he'll shair Sebas wif me, an I sed OKEE DOKEE, itz a deel! Deze boyz don't gotz no talez - day gotz a funnee wittle stubbee fing dat wigglez, anna I grabz it anna holez on while day chasez me rown an rown! Fosser momma sed she will send sum pitchurs ob us twogever when I'm dun righten.

OK - gotz to go tuu bed now, butz I wonted to tell yuu FANK YUU fer da new toyz! An FANK YUU fer heppin' me an momma - FREEDUM IS WUNNERFULL!

Lubs -

Fili in Mizzurree

Fili is being fostered in Missouri with his mother Suudella. They are not yet ready for adoption but if you would like to know more about them or the other cairns available for adoption, please click here.

Cypress has got TALENT!

Written by Cypress' foster mom

Dear Cuzins,

Everybody's got talents, but I think we found mine today. I have been DISCOVERED! I gotz talent!

You see at my house, Mama has a toybox in the famblyroom. It's a GREAT BIGtoybox like Uncle Brian makes. In fact it's JUST like the ones Uncle Brianmakes! Yesterday I found it and climbed right in, head first. Down inside it I found this CUTE pink bunny. She's bigger than my head! but I'm a strong littlecairn girl, so I held my head REALLY high and brought it over to show Mary. ThenI had to go find a whole bunch of other toys to show Mary. I was very busy digging in the toybox for quite a while!

This morning, after I went potty, I got to go in the famblyroom again (this isthe DISCOVERED part). I found a fun toy and brought it to Mary and she tossed itaway from her. I went and got it for her and she tossed it again! I kept picking up her toys and bringing them back to her and she kept throwing them. She said Iwas playing fetch and she said I was the BEST fetcher she'd ever seen! We played for FIFTEEN minutes straight and every time she threw it, I'd bring it back to her.

This is a fun game. You guys should try it at your house!

xoxo Cypress -

Da Monster slowly turning into a princess.

She is being fostered in Missouri so you can go to our website to see her and all of our wonderful cairns who are available for adoption.

Two Furkids Join The CP Family

Intakes was contacted by a lady that had found a local internet ad for three Cairn Terriers. One of the females was already gone, but today, a male and female found their way into the loving arms of Col. Potter.

They both are pretty friendly and socialized for PM kids, especially the female, and get along well with other dogs. The female is missing the tip of her left ear and the male has a tumor type growth on his head.

These two have special names that have been donated to our Name a PM Kid Program to help support our efforts in rescuing PM kids. If you would like to donate to the Name a PM Kid Program, please visit our website. It is truly a very special gift or loving tribute that gives in more than one way.

Tuckerboy: Donated by Tracey B. in honor of Tucker, her first cairn, her best boy who went to the Rainbow Bridge in 2004 after 15 years together. Tuckerboy was born 8/29/02.

Beeny: Donated by Angela T. in honor of Susan’s efforts in the successful search and return of Tinman. Beeny was born 5/24/03.

They are being boarded and vetted in Missouri. We are sorely lacking foster homes in the midwest right now, and can use them across the entire CP foster home system. If you are interested in fostering, check out the Foster FAQs.

My thanks to Kathy and Barney H. for picking up Tuckerboy and Beeny from their rescue angel and transporting them to the vet. Please help me welcome Tuckerboy and Beeny to the CP family. They already have a great head start on their happily ever after with the special names they carry and guardian angels to watch over them!