Jake's bladder cancer was diagnosed and successfully operated upon before this blog was started. The surgery to remove the tumor (along with 80% of his bladder — :O that is what was needed to get it all) was in February and his recovery went quite well. His only remaining problem is post-surgical urinary incontinence.
Congratulations to Lynda, Cyn, Debbie, Rickie, Thori and Chris who all made it through 24 hours of blogging and raised a total of almost $1,900 for their respective charities.
And thanks to all six for giving me an opportunity to support a variety of organizations in search of cures for diseases that have affected my own circle of family and friends; to support Asian culture in the US; and finally to support a main theme of this blog, animal welfare.
The deadline for registering to actually blog in the Blogathon 2002 has passed, but it's not too late to sponsor a blogger and a good cause.
And if you need some help choosing... pick a Luffable Nut, ex-O21G'er, Scriptygoddess or some combination thereof :)
Sponsor Lynda who is blogging for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society
Sponsor Cyn who is blogging for the World Cancer Research Fund
Sponsor Debbie who is blogging for the American Diabetes Association
Sponsor Rickie who is blogging for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS
Sponsor Thori who is blogging for International Animal Rescue
Sponsor Chris who is blogging for the Chinatown Community Development Center (SF, CA)
Over the last week or so, I've been getting more e-mail than usual from an older page on my website. It is the story of Jake's accident and subsequent amputation... it's hard to believe that more than four years have passed by since that page went up!
At the time, there were a few people who expressed their concerns that Jake would not adjust well to life as an amputee because he would not be able to live the active sport centered life he was accustomed to. Four years later, I am glad to say that was not the case. He is every bit as happy and well adjusted as many of our correspondents tell us he appears to be in the photos. We didn't get to compete in our sport together, but we have had a blast just getting through everyday life in the big city :D
More on Jake soon. Many of you know that his more recent challenge was bladder cancer. His diagnosis and surgery happened before this blog was born, so I haven't written much about it yet. We are still trying to get his post-surgical incontinence under control (about 80% of his bladder was removed in order to get the whole tumor out) so we'll write about that as well.
Here in Chicago, we are expecting at least a full week of temperatures from the high 80s to the mid 90s (Fahrenheit). It's a good time for all of us to take a minute to think about how we and our pets can stay safe and comfortable despite the high temperatures.
Probably most important: pets (or children!! there have already been heat related deaths of children this summer in parked cars here in the midwest and even one is way too many) should not be left in your parked vehicle... "cracking" the windows is NOT enough. The temperature inside a parked car can climb to over 100 degrees Fahrenheit in a matter of 15 minutes or less. Even on a relatively comfortable 80 degree day, the interior of a closed up car parked in the sun can hit 120 degrees in a fairly short time. Think twice as to whether your pet really needs to accompany you on a trip to a place that will not allow you to bring him in with you. He would probably rather stay home in the air conditioned comfort of your house anyway!!
Whether your pet stays indoors or outdoors, make sure he has access to shaded areas and a source of cool, clean water. Use good sense in limiting exercise time and intensity in hot weather.
If your pet starts to show signs of heat exhaustion or heat stroke... it is an EMERGENCY. You need to start cooling your pet down as quickly as possible. Move him to a cool shaded area and submerge him in cool (not ice cold) water if possible, or hose him down with cool water. Concentrate on the groin and "armpit" areas where there are many blood vessels. Get him to a vet as soon as possible as heat stroke can adversely affect many of the body's systems and can cause permanent damage if not attended to quickly.
It's not getting any cooler out there here in our world. Guess we'll have to find some nice indoor games to play today :) .
