Update on Venus
Posted on September 20th, 2018
We had a heart warming note from Venus’ owner. Venus is an older Rottweiler diagnosed with oral melanoma on her lip, requiring removing a sizable area of her mouth. Venus came through the major surgery like a trooper – even eliminating the “need for follow-up radiation.
After her family found the resources to cover the surgery, more funds were needed to help with the cost of ongoing twice-a-year vaccines. The Pie Fund was able to assist with these expenses. We recently received an email from Venus’ owner giving us an update on her status, and we wanted to share it:
“I just thought you would like to know Venus is still doing well. She has been getting her Melanoma vaccine every 6 months as recommended (at the clinic). They all love her there. She is so good for her blood work and chest X-rays and never needs sedation for them.
She is also seeing the Sports Doctor there now as well. She has developed some neuropathy in her limbs due to an area on her c4 and c5 that has been causing some trouble. The doctor did an ultrasound guided steroid injection into that area several weeks ago and it made about a 90% difference and she is doing great again.
The X-rays they took in January did show the disease had metastasized to her lungs. Follow up X-rays in March and then her next regular visit in July showed it was not just artifact. Despite it slowly growing she shows no sign of any effect on her. She does not cough, her appetite is great and she is her usual happy self. It’s all I can be thankful for.
I still have her this far out and she is doing better than was expected…Venus is so amazing. Nothing seems to stop her. She just keeps on going.
I wanted to update you and the Pie Fund because I know you took a chance on her. She was a 12-year old Rottweiler with CANCER, yuck! I have had 2 years of quality time that I know is borrowed…..we are still borrowing. I would do anything for her if it kept her happy.
I have to say thank you. Thank you for making the decision that day. I was reaching out to anywhere I could to help cover those expenses so I could give her the opportunity to live. I have had to continue reaching out and loading credit cards and working overtime, doing anything I can to be able to pay for her oncologist visits. Her last lab work 6/2018 was that of a dog half her age. the doctors can’t believe how she is still even here.
So Thank You!!! So much! I know the time will eventually run out, but your fund had a part in why she is still here with me today 2 years later. I will just continue to be hopeful and thankful.
I can only hope for more people to donate to your fund so more fur babies can have as much time as I have been given. I tell her every day how special she is. I truly can’t thank you enough!”
After reading Venus’ story, we hope you’ll make a donation to the Pie Fund. We want to help create more happy stories for pets with cancer and their families like this one!
Sadly Depleted, But Still Here and Still Needed
Posted on August 3rd, 2018
We’ve been silent for some time because the Pie Fund is out of funds.
But it hasn’t stopped the calls from coming – we’re getting requests for financial help regularly. Our founders continue to write checks when a special case appears qualified, but we hate turning anyone away, as all pets are special to their owners.
If you think our work in helping needy families whose dogs need life-saving cancer treatment is worthy, please help us continue our efforts. Every dollar counts!
Please make a donation now at https://www.piefund.org/make-a-donation/
Canine Communication Infographic
Posted on August 10th, 2016
Found this on Pinterest and wanted to share with other dog lovers:
Dogs Helping Humans Fight Aging
Posted on May 17th, 2016
Many serious diseases, like diabetes, cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s and stroke, have one thing in common – their appearance increases with age. The medical community is now studying a new way to fight off the risk of these diseases, not by curing them, but by delaying the aging process.
The drug rapamycin has already shown promise in improving heart health and delaying some diseases associated with aging when tested on mice. The next step in clinical studies is testing the drug on dogs. Dogs have been valuable “guinea pigs” in developing protocol treatments for cancer for many years. And since dogs age faster than humans (sadly!) and show similar symptoms from age, such as loose skin and stiff joints, they may be the key to learning more about how to stall the aging process.
If successful, it may be an important step in finding new ways to extend healthy human longevity. But if all it does is help extend the healthy lives of our furry friends, that would be a tremendous achievement on its own!
Here’s the full story in the New York Times: Dogs Test Drug Aimed at Humans’ Biggest Killer: Age
May is National Pet Month
Posted on May 17th, 2016
May is National Pet Month – give your furry loved one a big hug and celebrate the month together!
More Fun Products and Services for Fido
Posted on April 10th, 2016
The Wall Street Journal ran another article on some new products that are in or soon coming to market for our furry loved ones. Here they are:
Dog Parker offers a membership service allowing you to park Fido in a locked sidewalk crate while you shop. The crate has cooling fans for summer, is insulated against winter chills, and offer a plush cushion for napping comfort. Dog Parkers unlock crates with a membership card, and for enhanced security, they are monitored via video cameras for protection. Sanitation crews keep them spic and span ready for the next occupant.
Pet Plate is a gourmet food-delivery service that cooks up “human quality food” for Fido. The company boasts promises of a happier, healthier dog, including fewer allergies, stomach upsets and brighter, softer fur (in case that’s a big key problem for your pet!). The food arrives in cardboard containers just like human take-out food. Meals are prepared by hand, portioned in zip locked bags, and come in flavors like lamb or turkey and brown rice with ingredients like carrots, peas and eggs – because the company believes natural foods are as important for Fido as they are for humans. Menus are planned with the veterinary team at Cornell and are delivered fresh to your door within 36 hours. One catch – they only operate for now in in the New York Metro area, so suburban doggies in the Midwest will have to wait awhile for their expansion.
Gerrard Larriett Aromatherapy Pet Care was created to provide “a natural, healthy and therapeutic in home spa experience” for our four-legged friends. The founder applied his years of experience in the cosmetics industry to find an aromatherapy solution to relax and de-stress anxious pets – a real challenge given their superior sense of smell. The doggie spa product line includes candles, grooming aids and treatments for fresher breath, healthier teeth and cleaner ears. With such scents as chamomile and lavender, you may be tempted to borrow Fido’s shampoo! Prices range from $10 to $14 for individual products, plus gift set bundles for $19 to $29. The line is distributed at a variety of pet service providers and retailers throughout the U.S., plus Canada and London. You can also buy from pet web sites, Amazon and the manufacturer’s own site. Sales of the line are projected to exceed $1 million this year. Watch for the newest line extension next month – doggie sunscreen!
TailTalk is promoted as the first emotion sensor for dogs made by a company called DogStar Life. The gadget is a small band attached to the dog’s tail, and it interprets his feelings from the tail’s position and movements. The theory is that the tail is the dog’s social interface, much as humans reveal their emotions by their facial expressions. A wag to the right signals Fido’s happy or positive feelings; to the left indicates anxiety or stress. The device connects via Bluetooth to a phone app that translates the movement into messages for the owner, and can help you stay in touch with Fido’s emotions even when you’re not together. The app’s dashboard creates graphs and scores of your dog’s happiness status for the day, week and month. The goal is for the device to help owners identify patterns for people, toys, environments and experiences that make the dog happy, and help owners avoid those that tend to generate negative feelings and stress. Here’s a video that demonstrates the product. TailTalk is still in development, but is expected to be available in stores next year. Pricing will be under $99 – a small price to pay for Fido’s happiness!
Here’s a link to the article in the Wall Street Journal: “For New York Pets, A Slew of New Services.” Don’t show Fido unless you hide his credit cards!
Fun New Electronics for Entertaining Pets
Posted on February 16th, 2016
We’ve been reading about some creative products being introduced on the market that help keep Fido entertained while their owners are away at work or out buying dog food. Here are a few:
PetChatz Paw Call – This is a two-way videoconferencing system for pets with a new addition – the Paw Call button that let’s Fido intiate the call! When the dog presses the “I want to speak with you button,” the owner’s smartphone or computer gets alerted with a quick woof sound. The videoconferencing system – complete with an app-controlled treat dispenser – sells for $380. The Paw Call accessory is an additional $100. Looks like Fido may need to get a few modeling jobs to help pay for these fun tools!
Petcube Camera – This is another videoconference system for pets, but with a different twist: You can remotely watch, talk to and play with your pet. Using the Petcube App, your voice is broadcast from a speaker strategically placed in the animal’s favorite play area. If the owner sees that Fido is in need of some constructive exercise (and a distraction from destroying the couch!), they can swipe a laser dot across the floor for Fido to chase. Not sure how Fido feels about chasing a ball-like object that can’t be caught! The camera system sells for $199 (discounted at $149 through February 2016).
CleverPet – Think of this gadget as a brain teaser for Fido: It works to stimulate the dog’s mind and body while the owner remotely monitors their progress. The concept is a bit like Pavlovian theory: The dog learns how to get treats by first seeing that the CleverPet machine dispenses them when they slap the machine’s buttons. Next they learn to only slap the button that’s lit, and so on. The challenges start out easy and progressively get more difficult while Fido learns how to optimize his treats. Seems like a really smart dog could eventually get pretty obese, as slapping buttons doesn’t work off many treat calories! The team behind the product is still fundraising on Kickstarter, but you can sign up now to be notified when it’s available on the market (planned for April) selling for $299, plus the cost of Fido’s treats.
PupPod – The idea for this product appears similar in concept to CleverPet – the dog interacts with a bobble toy and learns when treats will be dispensed on the other side of the room, so there’s some exercise involved to keep Fido trim! The product is still in production after meeting its fundraising goal on Kickstarter this past fall. Deposits are now being accepted to reserve a PubPod for $99, but the final price is still TBD. I’d be a bit leary on this one, as the web site takes forever to load and the video on both the site and Kickstarter pages didn’t operate for me.
It appears Fido has a lot of options for staying occupied, but I can’t help but think the best part of his day is seeing his owner walk through the door at zero cost!
On the Pie Fund’s Wish List!
Posted on December 12th, 2015
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if Santa could deliver on this puppy’s wish? Maybe someday…but until then, the Pie Fund will continue to do the next best thing, which is to help needy families obtain quality medical care for their dogs in need of cancer treatments.
Won’t you please play Santa and help us in our mission to extend the life of these wonderful dogs? It’s the true meaning of the holiday season to give the gift of life!
Your donation will bring happiness and the priceless gift of time to these dying dogs and those who love them.
Shop Amazon and Support the Pie Fund
Posted on November 22nd, 2015
As we enter the holiday season, wouldn’t it be great to support our cause every time you shop for friends and family? Good news, you can!
AmazonSmile offers a simple and automatic way for you to support the Pie Fund every time you shop, at no cost to you. And it’s as easy as shopping on Amazon, just go to the AmazonSmile site for the first time, type in “Pie Fund” in the “other” charity choice box as your selected non-profit organization, and 0.5% of the price of all of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases will now go to benefit the Pie Fund. Once the Pie Fund is set as your chosen charity, we’ll automatically benefit every time you shop at AmazonSmile.
When you shop at smile.amazon.com, you’ll find the exact same low prices, vast selection and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price to our cause.
If you use this link, our organization will already be selected for you! Tens of millions of products on AmazonSmile are eligible for donations, and there is no cap on the amount Amazon will donate.
Everything else about the Amazon online shopping experience stays the same, including the shopping cart, wishlists and shipping options. The prices will also be the same, so there’s no up-charge to buyers for these donations. Remember to bookmark the page so that you continue to help needy pets and their families with each Amazon shopping trip!
A Case for Pet Bereavement Leave
Posted on November 15th, 2015
We recently found an article in the Wall Street Journal that brought up some very tearful memories. The title is “A Sense of Loss That’s Hard to Explain to the Boss,” and its about the painful experience of losing a furry loved one when duty calls at the office – what do you do?
While pet lovers identify with their dogs and cats being an important part of the family, bosses and co-workers don’t always understand the sense of responsibility involved in caring for pets with serious ailments, the time required to take them back and forth to clinics for treatments, and the grief we feel when it’s time for them to leave us.
The article lists several pet-friendly employers, like Kimpton Hotels and pet food manufacturer Mars, Inc. who offer such benefits as pet insurance, bereavement leave, flex hours and work-at-home policies in these situations. While other employers are willing to consider individual cases, many pet owners are reluctant to open up about their grief, fearing peers and bosses won’t understand.
Warning: This article may bring tears to your eyes as you read personal stories about owners and their last moments with their pets. Keep a tissue handy…
Here’s the full story.