Lymphedema and our pets

Binney4

Several of us have been posting about our critters on another thread, and Hugz suggested a new thread specifically for this subject. So here goes!

First, most of the recent comments have been about how our pets have helped us cope with the stress that comes with LE management, so please do add your experiences here (pictures welcome!)

Second, in the past there have been questions on this board about some of the not-so-easy issues involving the pets we love and the LE we don't love at all. Like, first aid for cat scratches. Or what to do about nippy fur-babies like rabbits or ferrets. Or how to protect our garments when we're bathing the dog. All such questions welcome--somewhere in this wealth of pet-love we'll be able to come up with solutions!

And third, the online journal LiteraryMama just published my article on one of our family's service dogs. It's here:
http://www.literarymama.com/columns/seniormama/archives/2013/01/the-invisible-dog.html
I hope you enjoy it!

Looking forward to hearing your stories!
Binney

kira66715

Binney, my dog jumps on the bed and keeps me company when I wrap at night. She's a rescue mix: half shepherd/half aussie. She is aging and when I think about puppy nips, I think I'm not up for that.....

We just had our daughter's dog for the weekend, a little "sato dog" mix from Puerto Rico with attitude to spare. They're so different.

My beloved horse died 4 months before my diagnosis, and caring for him would have been a challenge, but he was so good, we would have figured it out.

Kira

carol57

Binney, My dog is an energetic clown, so his contribution to my LE life is to help keep the mood nice and light!  He's a standard poodle and quite perceptive to human emotion. He also loves to sit in the front seat of a two-person kayak, which means he goes on river adventures, in addition to nudging us to get out to a huge nearby game preserve where he can often run off-lead, because other visitors are generally few and far between. That is my favorite walking  and snow-shoeing destination, so he keeps me moving, too!

Great column, by the way!!!

Carol

Moderators

Binney, what a pleasure to read your article! Thank you for posting the link.

Lee7

Binney, you are an amazing writer. Thank you for sharing your personal stories.  You'll have to post a picture of Dude! 

I'm interested to hear more stories, and especially some thoughts on taking care of my LE with my pets, because not having them around is not an option. Like you said Kira about your horse, you would have figured it out.

Lee

kira66715

Lee, Not having them is NOT an option--I totally agree. Cats are tough, they have a special bacteria in their mouths that causes infection easily--treated with augmentin.

My dog jumps on me when we go for a walk--and I've learned to shield my bad arm so she won't scratch it, and I try and have her sit and wait while I put on the leash, but she gets so excited...We do play rough sometimes, but she has great "bite inhibition" and will never close her mouth on me, but she will swat me with her paws--I think it's an aussie thing.

Spookiesmom

Spookie is actually a 3yo, 7# Maltese. I'm just her servant.



Since her Gotcha Day, she has been a pihrannah puppy. I am her favorite chew toy. She will have to learn we can't do that anymore, but I don't give her rawhides so what to redirect with?



I'd post a pic, how to do??

hugz4u

So I am pet-less and the deal is I can't decide weather to go med size golden doodle or small poodle type dog. Either has to be non shedding.

With the goldendood, she could be kind of a service dog. I have terrible golfer and tennis elbows both arms so carrying groceries even without LE can be painful and start up a elbow flair that will usually last a year.  The Golden could carry items up the stairs for me, even if it was only one package at a time, it would make less trips for me. On the other hand if it was a bigger dog and pulled when it walked that wouldn't be good for my LE. Bigger dogs are more work for me to wash, cut, groom making LE a possible flare. Don't want to pay a groomer.

Regarding little dogs. They just are easier all the way around but they can jump up on your lap and scratch so that is a concern. They are great as you can take them anywhere saving kennel costs. It really can't be a service dog but it could be a  therapy dog that visits hospitals. What to do, What to do?

I have done both sizes and the small dog is smaller way less work. Smaller paws prints to clean up, Shorter time bathing,Grooming, etc. 

I dogsit my relatives Goldendoodle and what a good dog she is.  She just learned in 3 days how to open the door with her nose and shut it with her paws. She is either 7 or 9 years and is still learning. S M A R T! Just love those Doodles.

I am glad our pets can bring joy into our lives. If you are bummed about LE just pick up your pet and you will be soothed.

Binney, loved your writing. I have learned so much about service dogs and how the public reacts. Thank you.

Dejaboo

What a Wonderful story Binney.  I too want to see a picture of Dude.

I have Trixie a Goldendoodle that turns 2 in 8 days.  She is so much fun.  She makes me laugh & smile alot.

She was my 3 year cancerversary gift to myself (she helped me alot after loosing my last dog just weeks before I got her-My Avatar)

I do her grooming...I keep her fur long.  It is an arm workout...And can effect my chest sometimes.  I try to comb out a different area of her each day...To keep the matts away & also it is way easier on my arm.

Luckily she doesnt mind being combed & cooperates very well...well she Cooperates for everything : )

Id like her to be a Therapy dog someday

Kay_G

Great story Binney! Thank you for sharing. I have an 8 year old, 25 pound bichon that we've had since he was three months old. When I was going thru chemo, surgery and rads, he rarely left my side. Whenever I looked down, he was either at my feet or snuggled up beside me. He seemed to know I wasn't well. I have no idea how, but now he is back to his old self, I have to search him out. Even though he's a small dog, he is excellent with kids and would never snap or anything. He is work, and a hassle when we go on vacation, but he has made our lives so much richer, I can't imagine our lives without him. We also have a 7 pound, two year old poodle mix named Bella that we adopted in August from a family that she was too much for. She is a bundle of energy. I think she keeps us all young and excited. It's amazing to see the poppy behavior that she brought back to Buddy. She does ave extra sharp nails that I have to be careful of, but she is definitely worth the trouble. I didn't think I was a dog person either, but I guess I have become one.

Nitocris

Binney, beautiful story.  Thank you for sharing. I have two Lapish Finnish dogs (5 and 8) and they are an incredible  source of fun, energy and love for the whole family.  During bad chemo days, they would keep me company in my bedroom and just the simple fact of petting them was comforting.

We live close by from a Centre where they organize training courses for guide dogs and their new owners.  I can not help but admire the 2 "stoicity",calm and discipline of these dogs when they walk on the road in front of our house. Lapish dogs are known to bark a lot and mine are no exception to the rule.  It is not aggressive, it's just that they bark from excitment.     I think the people of the training Centre tell their trainees to stop in front of our house to test their dogs.  It's kind of "embarassing" to compare their so well-behaved dogs and mine.  A blow to my pride.... did I miss something in my dog's training?  The good side of it is that my not-so-well behaved dogs are contributing to the training of these exceptional guide dogs.

Binney4

I haven't been posting here the last couple of days, because one of our two Goldendoodle service dogs became suddenly ill on Wednesday. She died this morning. The vets, the staff, everybody was in tears--a fitting send off for a hard-working, cheerful little dog. Miss her so much already! For me, it's not just the loss of a well-loved dog, but she made me feel so much safer because she could alert to our daughter's dangerously low blood sugars. Definitely won't be sleeping through the night anymore.

Geesh, where would we be without our critters?!
Binney

Kay_G

Aww....Binney, I am so sorry.

carol57

Binney, You are such a caring person --which is obvious to all of us who benefit from your constant presence and wonderful help in this forum --that I just know your dog enjoyed life as a cherished, well loved member of the family. You've talked about training dogs in some of your posts, so I know that before long, you will be adopting another canine member of the family and immersing yourself in teaching him or her to help with your daughter's care.  I'm so sad for you, and send you, your daughter, and your whole family a truckload of virtual brownies to help as you bear the loss of your beloved pet and helper.

Hugs,

Carol

Lee7

Binney, I'm so sorry for you and your family's loss of a precious pet.

Spookiesmom

I'm so sorry for your loss. RIP sweet one. Know she is at the Bridge, happy, pain free, and waiting for you.

purple32

I just read your post, Binney.

How ironic that you created this thread.  Now the loss of your wonderful pet will always be memorialized here for all. I am so sorry.  I know our dogs are truly a part of the family, and service dogs are extraordinarily special.

Take Care.

hugz4u

We are here for you girl and feel your sorrow. I remember clipping a bit of fur off my dog and kept his favourite toy and picture and put it in a keepsake box. Every time my girl would grieve we would drag out the box and look at the things, talk a bit and then put it away. It really helped.

Nitocris

Binney,

I am very sorry for your loss.  May your whole family be comforted by the memories of your wonderful companion.

toomuch

Binney - Wonderful article about Dude and your family. I'm so sorry to learn about your daughter's service dog passing. I'm sure that your whole family is grieving her loss. Our family pug loved me every day throughout my treatment. He's a serious cuddle bug and I don't know what we'd do without the joy he brings our family. Yesterday he completed a 15 day course of radiation for a malignant mast cell tumor. It's his third time. It's not recurrent but new primaries!  He flies through treatment each time and he's a little wiggle butt. When pugs wag their tails their entire hind quarter wiggles! Thankfully, taking care of him has not impacted my LE so far.

Marple

Binney~I can't tell you how sorry I am for the loss of your beloved family member.  You must be devastated beyond words.  This is so so sad.  Even those of us with 'pets' who have no purpose other than to love us and to be loved by us are missed so much.  To also have lost that sense of security..........well, it's more than heartbreaking. 

Dejaboo

Binney, I am so sorry to read about the loss of your Special Fur Kid.  How terribly sad.

I am thinking about you & your Family

Binney4

Thanks, Dejaboo and all--your thoughtfulness is cheering for all of us. Doing better here, just having to be a lot more vigilant with the diabetes (which unfortunately includes nights!) Looking for a new "trainee" for the role of service dog, with a great nose, a sterling work ethic, and a perky disposition.

Can't live without 'em!
Binney

Spookiesmom

Binney

Have you considered a continuous glucose monitor for your daughter? May give you a bit more peace at night with her.



Dex and Medtronic are 2 that come to mind

NatsFan

Binny - I just checked this thread.  What a wonderful story, then how sad to read of your loss.  I am so sorry.  We never get enough time with our four-legged family members.

NatsFan

Wanted to share with you animal-lover LE gals - our 18 year old Chihuahua has found another use for my Tribute vest!

cowgal

Binney I am so sorry for  your loss.  Your article was great!  Animals are such wonderful creatures and help us in so many ways.  My yellow lab and my horses have been both comforters and motivation.  A while back someone asked me how I managed to force myself to walk every day.  I said that I had a personal trainer.  She responded that it would be nice to be able to afford such a thing.  I told her my personal trainer was my 108 pound yellow lab that would insist that I get up and take him for a walk every day.  He helps me feed our horses and the old mare takes about an hour to finish and my lab will start barking at me at the house when he thinks it is time to let them out.

Marple

NansFan~your picture is pretty darned cute!  Nicely padded beddie for your old timer. 

NatsFan

My dh took one look and said it was nice that Molly was enjoying the most expensive dog bed in the world! 

Binney4

Aw, Nats, that's too cute! You should send it to Solaris--a multi-use garment.

Cowgal, thank you--and I love your "personal trainer"! They're certainly motivating, that's for sure.

Spookie'sMom, thanks for the tip. Our daughter's blood glucose drops precipitously, and she can go from perfectly fine to unconscious in a matter of 15 minutes. Trained diabetes alert dogs can detect a falling blood sugar 15-20 minutes before the CGM alarms, and their accuracy rivals the monitor as well, so for us our Sally was a real life saver. (Besides, alert dogs are a whole lot cuter and cuddlier than a CGM--definitely a multi-purpose intervention.) Here's a link to an article you might be interested in, and below that an abstract for a 2012 preliminary study of alert-dog efficacy:

http://www.diabetesmine.com/2012/07/talking-hypo-alert-caninesin-the-dogs-days-of-summer.html

Hypoglycemia Alert Dogs—Innovative Assistance for People With Type 1 Diabetes

DANA S. HARDIN, DUSTIN HILLMAN, JENNIFER CATTET, Indianapolis, IN, West Lafayette, IN

Hypoglycemia (hypo) is the most common side effect of insulin therapy in people with type 1 diabetes (T1D). Despite education directed to prevent and treat it, hypo continues to cause disruption in lives of people with T1D. For the past 10 years, the Indiana Canine Assistance Network (ICAN) has trained dogs for mobility assistance for people with disabilities. This abstract chronicles results of training our first hypo alert dog. A 2-year-old mobility assistance Labrador/Golden Retriever dog was trained to recognize hypo. Perspiration samples were collected from patients during hypo (BG less than 65 mg/dL) and normoglycemia. Samples were blinded in containers placed on a Lazy Susan apparatus. The dog was rewarded for appropriate recognition of the hypo samples and trained to alert by nudging the trainer's arm. After the dog was introduced to the potential owner, the owner's perspiration samples were used to complete training before placement. A questionnaire consisting of validated and nonvalidated components was used to assess frequency and severity of hypo as well as emotional responses at 2 weeks pre- and 6 months post-dog placement. We demonstrated clear impact on hypo in a patient with T1D. These preliminary qualitative (n=1) findings support our continued training (10 additional dogs are currently in training) and monitoring. Additional studies are planned to try to elucidate the specific biomarkers scented by the dogs.

Once they're trained for day-time alerting you have to train them for night-time work, so it's a long process. We've been looking for a new pup to train and we've found a great little candidate in a 4-month-old corgi-spaniel mix, but of course we're looking at a loooong time before she'll be our fuzzy, 4-legged CGM! We shall see...

Hugs all around,
Binney

carol57

Nats, what a fabulous photo!  World's most expensive dog bed, no kidding!

Binney, when I was a kid, my parents absolutely forbade me from letting our dachshund get on or in the bed, which I always thought was a totally unfair rule.  Does the alert-trained dog have to be on the bed with your daughter...the thought of which makes me chuckle that even in the strictest of households, your daughter would have an iron-clad argument for letting her little buddy snuggle up with her under the covers?

This whole discussion also makes me think that I really should teach my dog to do something useful!  What a (totally loving and adorable) slacker of a canine we have at our house!