I will be giving a presentation on Wednesday, October 2nd, from 6:30 – 8:00 pm on “Hospice Assisted Natural Dying” as part of The AHELP Project’s Module 300 Courses on End of Life Caregiving.  The seminar will be held at Seattle Veterinary Specialists located at 11814 115^th Ave NE, Kirkland 98034.

The session is part of The AHELP Project’s Certification program.  If you are interested in learning more about that program, please contact Michelle Nichols at michelle@ahelpproject.org or 425-223-5722.

Cost is free to those who are Support Team Volunteers or Pro Network Members and $15 for all others.

Hope you can join us!

I will be doing a 30-minute presentation followed by Q&A and a book signing at SoulFoodBooks in Redmond, WA on Saturday, September 21, beginning at 2 pm.

Details on the SoulFood Books website here.

Books will be offered at a discounted price and signed as you wish!  Hope to see you there!

There is a wonderful review of my book in this month’s Pet Connection Magazine (both the North — Page 8 — and South Sound — page 15 — Editions).  Ms. Halina Kiljanczyk did a great job of calling out the points about my book that I think are most unique and provide the most value add to pet parents who are interested in using hospice care at home.  I’ve bolded some of my favorite quotes from the review below:

“This well organized compassionate book is one that all dog owners should read even if their dog hasn’t been diagnosed with cancer. The first chapters of Lola’s book include diagnosis and testing, types of cancer and treatment plans. Then, the real treasure of the book begins with what I consider the “nursing” parts of the book, hands on things an owner can do to care for their dog as they fight cancer. Preparing delicious and easy home cooked meals, like quiche, scrambled eggs, creamy salmon, or doggy meatloaf to nourish your dog when their appetite is poor. Learning the use of cancer-fighting herbs and supplements provides you with more options, along with ways to effectively manage pain, and deal with nausea, vomiting and diarrhea (often side effects from the drugs used to treat cancer). Even extended petting sessions are suggested as part of caring for your ailing pet. It has been my experience that the more I do for, and with my dog one-on-one, using my own hands (to massage, to prepare meals, to groom and to hand feed) the more actively I have been able to participate in my dog’s care. This gives me greater ease I have letting go when the time comes. The bonding is two-way, and it can be intense and satisfying.

Chapters on the natural dying process as well as another on embracing grief and honoring memories are unique to most books on canine cancer and are handled in a gentle, instructive manner. Three other treasures: A fill-in-the-blank End (of Life) Plan, an excellent 8 page Whitepaper on Nutrition and Canine Cancer by Shelly Fuller Pet Nutritionist and owner of Paws Café in Redmond, and Photo-Illustrated Massage Plans are also part of this book. Not all dogs that get cancer die from it of course, and Lola includes a long chapter on true cases that include some surprising survival stories!

Lola will be reading from her book and answering questions on Sept 21st at Soul Food Books in Redmond. Come with your questions or just listen to a fellow pet lover who has “been there.” http://soulfoodbooks.com/portal/“

I’ll be writing a post soon with details on my book event in Redmond this Saturday.

Please pick up a FREE copy of Pet Connection Magazine at any of these many locations.

Gail Heller of Chance’s Spot hosted a lovely event on Sunday, September 8th in Louisville, KY.  I had the privilege of sharing my story of why I wrote my book at all — I did not want any other pet parent to go through what I went through.  I figured I learned the hard way — through experience — and I could help others by capturing what I had learned, putting it all in one place and making it accessible.  I was so touched by all the people at the event who shared their stories with me.

My heart goes out to each and every one of you who have experienced canine cancer with one of their beloved dogs.  It can be such an overwhelming experience.  But know that if you are currently dealing with such a diagnosis, there are great resources out there for you, not only in Louisville, but here in Seattle, in Boston, and many other cities across the country.  Check out my Resources page for more information on organizations that I know and trust.

(Pictures coming soon!)

I am in Louisville, Kentucky right now, preparing for tonight’s “Honoring the Animals Candlelight Vigil” today, sponsored by Chance’s Spot.  The event also includes an Animal Blessing, and all attendees are encouraged to bring their animals, or remembrances of their animals.

I am really looking forward to meeting folks later today at the event.  I have been so impressed with Gail Heller, the founder and director of Chance’s Spot.  This is the 7th year that she has organized the candlelight vigil and over 100 people are expected to attend.

We were featured early this morning on the Wave 3 Sunrise program.  Hopefully, they will add a link to our segment soon!

Later this week, I will give an update on the event and post some pictures as well.

If you’ve checked out my Upcoming Events page, you may have noticed that I will be the guest speaker for a non-profit organization called Chance’s Spot on National Pet Loss Memorial Day, September 8, 2013.  Chance’s Spot is a non-profit organization located in Louisville, Kentucky that helps pet parents and professionals understand and cope with the pain of pet loss and grief.

In preparation for the event, they are creating a book to memorialize pets who have passed away.  For a nominal $10 donation, please consider adding the names of your pets.  You can find out more information about how to do this here.  I added both Porter and Jasper’s names to the book.  More information can be found here about National Pet Loss Memorial Day.  Regardless of where you are on that day, I encourage you to take a moment to remember the furry companions who have helped make your life fuller and your days brighter.

If you happen to live in the Louisville area, I will be selling and signing books at the event and would love to meet you and learn about your stories.  I want to help however I can.  Bring your questions!

After a brief hiatus for the summer, I am lining up some more events and book signings.  The next opportunity will be at the Mutt March in McCollum Park in Bothell, WA on Saturday, August 3, beginning at 10 am.  I will be onsite until 1 pm.  Please stop by the AHELP Project Booth and say hello!  I’d be happy to sign a book and answer any questions you might have.

More on the Mutt March can be found here.  Hope to see you then!

While at the Pet Fair Extravaganza in Edmonds, I met Amy Swartz, who is the purveyor of a new line of animal supplements.  Her company is called Epic Pet Health.  As she was telling me about her products, she told me the real-life stories of al the animals she has helped with her supplements — over a dozen are available and cover everything from boosting the body’s immune response to providing pain relief to increasing energy and speeding the body’s recovery process.

Amy’s products are odorless and tasteless, and are either administered via a spray bottle directly onto your pet or added to your pet’s water bowl.  The supplements are made from diluted vitamins and minerals in a base of alkaline water with added electrolytes — no alcohol here, which is great news, since most dogs and cats do not like the taste of supplements based in an alcohol solution.

Amy’s products are available on Amazon.  Please let me know if you try any of these supplements and how they worked for your pet.  Amy will comment on this post to let us know which supplements she recommends for pets with cancer.

I will be selling and signing books at the Pet Fair Extravaganza in Edmonds this Saturday, June 16th, from 10 am – 3 pm.  If you are interested in learning more about my book, please stop by — I am happy to chat and answer any questions that you have.

I’ll be giving away a few copies of the book, too, so be sure to stop by to have a chance to win!

As I was doing the research or my book, I had the opportunity to speak with David, whose dog, Jack, was diagnosed with lymphoma of the stomach, specifically T-cell lymphoma, which is a more aggressive cancer than the more common B-cell lymphoma.  David and Helen had adopted Jack from the Humane Society when he was about six months old.  At about age 2-3 years, Jack started a habit of eating grass and then would throw it up inside.  When the vomiting became more frequent, David took Jack to their veterinarian, and began to research nutrition himself.  For several months, he tried a variety of different diets to see if that would have any effect, and nothing did.

So, the veterinarian recommended that they do an ultrasound of Jack’s stomach; this revealed that there was a thickening of the stomach wall.  Follow-up included a biopsy, which provided the diagnosis of cancer.  The next stop was the veterinary oncologist, who recommended chemotherapy, specifically the Madison Wisconsin protocol.  This protocol has a high success rate, and is quite commonly used to treat lymphomas.  A second opinion was sought and helped to determine that the cancer was in an early stage.  The chemotherapy treatment was begun in mid-March 2011 and Jack was in remission a short month later.

Once Jack completed the full protocol, they began monthly visits to the veterinarian for blood work and vitals and visits to the oncologist every two months for an ultrasound.  He had a clean bill of health and went back to his normal self.  By December, Jack started vomiting again, and David was diligent about monitoring Jack’s behavior and diet.  Unfortunately, the cancer had returned and Jack started a second round of chemotherapy treatment, which he completed in September 2012.  Since then, Jack has been doing great!  He continues to visit both his veterinarian and the veterinary oncologist for follow-ups, and he remains cancer free.

I had the honor of meeting Jack, Helen and David at my book signing in March of 2013 — it was so great to meet the families who shared their stories with me.  Here we are at the March 2013 book signing at Northwest Cellars in Kirkland, WA.