The Website has been moved, now it's *your* turn

Hey everyone, the website has now been moved, there is only a front
page there but I made it a priority to get the wiki page up too. If
you go to http://thesumnerfoundation.org and click on Information, it
will take you there.

For those not familiar with what a Wiki Style page is, this page lets
anyone come in and add useful information, edit information that is
already there, update information, create pages, etc. I know this
group is filled with amazing people who have so much information to
share with others regarding Hemangiosarcoma, and I hope that some of
you will take the time to go and add whatever information you have,
that might help others, to the Wiki page. Feel free to create a new
page, or add to a page that you have information about, if someone
has already created it. I am new to doing this too, so hopefully we
will all learn together.

Meanwhile, my husband and I end our jobs on Friday and after that it
will be packing and traveling down to Florida to find someplace to
rent while we get re-established down there. I fully plan on keeping
my laptop with me as much as possible and keeping an eye on the group
as much as I can. If anyone is willing to help out with assisting in
moderating, please let me know. It really just entails watching for
new members who post, and if their post is ligit and not spam, then
approving the message and changing their status to unmoderated. Due
to the nature of this cancer, I don't like to leave anyone hanging in
the wings too long. So any help for the next month or two would be
greatly appreciated. If anyone is so inclined or able, please email
me privately. Thanks!

Thanks everyone and hugs to all humans, furkids and angels at the
bridge.

Valerie
Sumner and Micky at the bridge

A Wonderfully Informative Blog

For general Canine Cancer information:

http://www.dogcancerblog.com/

Loving Ginger

I remember a saying that goes, "Love wasn't put in your heart to stay. Love isn't love 'til you give it away."
Little did we know that when Ginger came into my life she would change it forever. It wasn't just that Ginger needed walks, rain or shine, and that she needed to be watched, feed, trained and all the rest that goes along with having a new puppy in the house. How many of us think that we have something to teach our pets? Well, Ginger was MY teacher.

Though the journey was short while she was with me, just 14 years... a long time by some standards... the journey continues today. What did Ginger teach me? I'll just mention a few things here.

* How to take care of myself and my family. I had to learn a lot about health care and diet when Ginger became an insulin dependent diabetic. Her health needs required that we seek alternatives since what the vets recommended didn't work. We incorporated those alternatives into our own life style. With a history of cancer in our family, little did I know how important this education would become.

* How to move ahead with faith regardless of the odds. When Ginger was diagnosed with hemangiosarcoma the news was very bad. After her spleen was removed we could only expect a couple of weeks, or maybe as much as 2 months more with Ginger. Our firm belief that the vets were wrong stood firm and we had our Ginger for another 16 months without cancer and without chemo.

* How to open my heart to Ginger. This may seem like the easiest on the list. It was actually the hardest for me. As tightly connected as Ginger and I became, emotions for her ran high. Emotions also block the connection we have that is heart to heart. Because of Ginger I became a Reiki Master and an animal communicator. If I can remember my lessons from Ginger, the love for her won't stay in my heart... I'll give it away to every person and animal I meet as I share her story.
Blessings,
Rosemary Levesque
Portland, OR

Hemangiosarcoma Awareness Month

I wanted to alert everyone that in honor of HSA awareness month (August) I will be dedicating my half hour radio show to promoting awareness of HSA, sharing information and hopefully getting some more knowledge out there. It is a call in show, so I encourage any of you who are inclined to call in, share your stories, your knowledge, your experiences...and I think this is another way of reaching more people. The first show is at 6:30 pm but I've scheduled the others for 9:30pm (all eastern time) so that hopefully more people will be listening. I've only scheduled up til 8/21 because you can only schedule a month ahead but I will add the show for the last week of August next week. If anyone has any literature or good sites that I can mention on the air, please share them and I will be happy to announce them or read from the literature. Any suggestions and ideas are welcome!

Here is the URL for the radio show.
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Soulfully-Blonde

HSA Showcase-Dylan

By Marty, about my Dylan who died on June 17, 2008.

TEN THINGS I MISS ABOUT DYLAN

1. The morning kiss he demanded first thing after we got up.

2. His bark when I put my key in the door or opened the back door when
he was outside. He was announcing "I'm here!"

3. His goofy grin when he rolled over on his back for me to
scritch his belly.

4. The way he chased his ball with abandon, going full tilt after it,
but never bringing it back. He looked at me like "I'm a chaser, not a
retriever!"

5. How much he loved the ocean. He adored running in the surf, often
with all four feet off the ground. He loved to go in far enough that
the waves would wash over his back so that he'd be completely soaked.
He's stand there with his goofy smile loving the feeling of the water
rushing over him.

6. The silly flips and bouncing he did all the time. He did
everything with much gusto and enthusiasm. Coming up the three steps
from outside into the house, he impatiently jumped up and down them
doing flips. He was always excited to go in, day after day.
Likewise, while I was preparing his food, he bounced straight up and
down high in the air barking like this meal, tiny as it was, was the
most wonderful thing in the world!

7. The way he walked right next to me on walks only leaving my side to
chase his ball or jump in the creek in the park where we liked to
walk. I never needed a leash with Dylan as he didn't want me out of
his sight. I always had to walk him back to treatment rooms at the
Vet as he didn't want to go without me.

8. How much he loved to meet people. He was the first to greet anyone
who came in our house and had to give them a kiss and stay right with
them until they left. He was a wonderful host.

9. When around other dogs, he liked meeting them, but he always had a
macho attitude that put off some dogs. He was always ready to herd
them and chase them and could keep up with the fastest of them with
his agility and quick spurts of speed. He didn't like when dogs rough
housed and growled, though, as he was the 'fun police' and would race
around them, nipping them to get them in line. It was funny to watch.

10. I miss most seeing that sweet, happy dog when I come home. I
called him the most annoying dog in the world, but I figured out a
long time ago that those annoying habits were endearing. He was a
resource guarder with the old cats. He wanted to make sure they
didn't steal his chewies. He jumped around hysterically in the car
when he knew we were getting to one of his favorites places… home or
the park. How he barked with his ear splitting bark while I was
preparing his food and until I put it down for him to eat. How,
despite being neutered by six months, he had to mark everything,
including hundreds of horseshoe crabs on the beach… that was a major
task. How where he pooped was the most important thing in the world
and the length of time it took for him to find that perfect spot. How
he pushed Dixie out of the way and almost ran over her to get to me.
Now I'm beginning to think of all these things and smile. Boy, do I
miss that dog.

The Functions of the Spleen

Thanks again to Ilene, who is a wealth of information!

this site explains the functions of the spleen:
http://www.marvista vet.com/html/ body_splenic_ masses.html

Chemotherapy Information

Websites with Chemotherapy Information, thanks to Ilene!

http://www.southpaws.com/news/Newsletter-Fall%202001/page8.html

http://www.dogaware.com/specific.%20html#cancer

http://www.petplace.com/dogs/hemangiosarcoma-in-dogs/page1.aspx

http://www.blogger.com/hemangiosarcoma-in-dogs/page1.aspx

http://cancer.landofpuregold.com/chemo.htm

http://cancer.landofpuregold.com/supplements.htm

http://www.smilingblueskies.com/index.html

http://www.zzcat.com/TumorTidbits.htm