Mossy, is 50 lbs of pure enjoyment.  By far she is the hardest working lab in our house.  Mossy aims to please and is the best upland hunter in the Brown Dogs Corps household.  Although her confidence on the dock is hit and miss, we’ve discovered her niche just happens to be the Speed Retrieve discipline of DockDogs.  Since we’ve refocused our energy to doing something she enjoys, she has suddenly blossomed into a more driven and more focused dog. 

Mossy’s strongest forte is her fieldwork.  When we hit the field, this girl is quite the workhorse.  She is a pheasant hunting machine and has a great nose for finding even the tiniest downed quail in the nastiest scrub brush (even when I accidentally drops one out of my pocket).  I have to say that her field work is probably really limited by my lack of knowledge in field training, but together we have come a long ways.   Chris has recently discovered the fun of field tests with her, and I found myself recently looking at remote dummy launchers in hunting catalogs.  Now, if only Chris wouldn’t get so excited and cause Mossy to break at the line!  I take the greatest pleasure in watching her work a field during our hunting trips together.

On February 26th, 2010 (after finding irregularly shaped poop in the yard) a mass was discovered on the right side of Mossy’s rectum.  Due to it’s size and location, despite the opinions of several specialty surgeons, the mass was defined as inoperable.

We were advised that the best course of treatment was to start chemotherapy as soon as possible in attempt to stop the cancer cells from dividing while, waiting to get on the schedule to begin radiation treatments.

Mossy finished radiation treatment on May 5th.  Everyone’s spirits are high, and Mossy is out romping around with us on the property and has been went for a long hike on the beach.  We logged about 3000 miles on odometer by the time we were done.   We should have an idea of the success of radiation after our next  follow-up appointment in mid-June.

June 2010 - Just 4 months after being diagnosed with cancer, we went in for a disappointing post-radiation check up. The mass had grown significantly.  Our little firecracker sadly crossed the rainbow bridge.   Mossy was a unique little lab, and will be missed dearly. 

If you would like to download and print this once a month flyer, click here for the full size PDF image: 

http://www.chaseawayk9cancer.org/downloads/01_DogsHero_CancerCheck_Flyr.pdf

To find out more about Chase Away K9 Cancer, and how you or your organization or dog club can get involved, be sure to check out the Chase Away K9 Cancer website:

www.chaseawayk9cancer.org

Don’t forget to check your dogs on the 14th of each month for anything unusual.  They will love the head to toe rub down, and it’s great for them to experience having you check them out.   

I use the command “let me see” as I peek inside their mouths and ears, and as I examine other sensitive areas (such as between the pads on their paws).    It works great for going to the vet as well....”Let me see!”

It’s important to notice anything out of the ordinary, and even more important to follow it up with your veterinarian.   In Mossy’s case, it was a difference in her stool.  I noticed flattened stools when I was scooping the yard one morning, but didn’t know which dog they had come from.   I spent the afternoon waiting for each dog to do their business, before finally figuring out it had come from Mossy.   That evening our vet agreed to see us, a few days later we had an appointment with the oncologist.

Early detection is the best chance for successful treatment and intervention.

Just remember 10 minutes on the 14th.  Your dog will thank you!