It doesn’t get much lower than this.  A  very brave little boy, Ryan Morgan,  who has been fighting cancer for four years is now fighting to get his puppy back.

The Dachshund puppy was given to Ryan for his 10th birthday. Two weeks ago thieves broke into his Barrow County (GA) home and stole the puppy.

Even worse is that detectives think the culprits know Ryan Morgan and are aware that he is sick, according to Channel 11 Alive News in Atlanta.

Ryan was diagnosed with neuroblastoma four years ago and has been battling the illness since then, the station reported.

For his 10th birthday in July, his parents bought him a miniature dachshund to cheer him up. He named her Dixie.

“Whenever I went to the hospital or something, I would always think of her, and it would make me happier,” Ryan told the station. “I really like her. She’s cute.”

This is a despicable act, the offenders need to arrested and punished accordingly.  Let’s help bring Ryan’s puppy home. Anyone with any information about the case is urged to call the Barrow County Sheriff’s Department at (770) 307-3084.

Recently Dogster and the Morris Animal Foundation joined forces on a fundraising campaign to fight canine cancer.  Since this devastating disease is so prevalent, killing 1 in 4 dogs, it is imperative to keep raising money for canine cancer research. Hopefully, eventually changing this statistic.

I’m always looking for relevant articles on canine cancer research and I came across an article about NC State University.  Their Veterinary Medicine department is going to start offering bone marrow transplants on dogs with lymphoma.

The university’s College of Veterinary Medicine plans to begin performing the procedure within about four weeks, said Dr. Steven Suter, an assistant professor of oncology. Suter arranged for N.C. State to accept three donated leukophoresis machines from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

The costs for this procedure are not going to come cheap. You can expect $15,000 alone on just the bone marrow transplant. On top of that there will be vet bills and chemotherapy, needed to send the disease into clinical remission.

Many dog owners already spend a huge amount of money for treatment, in excess of $10,000, with a survival rate of only 12-16 months.  This new procedure will at least give them a 50% chance of survival.

The process of extracting the stem cells is painless for dogs, though it might not be so for owners. Consequently, NCSU is seeking donors to help underwrite the cost of treating ailing pets.

“We really understand this is a lot of money for a lot of people,” Suter said. “We’re looking for some corporation or some person to step up and help these clients.”

The university will start off treating about one dog a month.  However, not all dogs will qualify for this treatment.  The dogs must be at least 55 lbs. and the procedure is specifically for those dogs with lymphoma.

With standard treatment about 80-85% of dogs will eventually die. Dr. Steven Suter, an assistant professor of oncology, stated “I got tired of watching that happen. I decided the time had come to try something different.”

The picture that I chose today is in memory of one of our very own Dogster angels.  Maxie, a beautiful girl, was diagnosed with cancer in the fall of ‘07 and crossed over Rainbow Bridge on July, 14, 2008.

Great news from the top dog! The Cure Cancer fundraiser has been so successful that it’s being continued through September. For those that have been thinking about joining Dogster Plus now would be the time to do it. Anyone who has a subscription coming up for renewal in September we appreciate your continued support.

We’re so happy with how much money is being raised for Cure Canine Cancer so far thanks to our new annual subscription drive in August, we’re going to continue it all the way through September. AND from September 1 through September 30th we’re also going to donate $2 for each annual Plus subscription renewal. So in September, whether you renew or start new, we’ll donate $2 to Cure Canine Cancer for each annual subscription payment.

Cure Canine Cancer

Cure Canine Cancer is an amazing endeavor do what it names says: “1 in 4 dogs die of cancer. Many more suffer from the terrible effects, together we can cure this disease in the next ten to twenty years - the lifetime of a dog.”

Cure Canine Cancer is a project of the amazing Morris Animal Foundation whose research protects the animals we love. Morris Animal Foundation is the world’s largest nonprofit foundation 501(c)(3) dedicated to funding research studies to protect, treat and cure animals. See what they have done for dogs alone.

Thanks to everypup that has been a part of this! We love you right back!

Hot off the presses comes this announcement straight from the big dog at Dogster…

We are happy to announce the launch of a new campaign: for each new annual Plus subscription purchased from today until the end of August, Dogster will donate $2 to help save dogs.

All funds will go to Cure Canine Cancer, an exemplary medical research effort being run by the excellent Morris Animal Foundation. The more folks that join Plus during this time period, the more money will be donated to these important causes, and the more we know you are with us for the long haul.

Get those paws moving,  sign up for Dogster Plus and get great member benefits plus help donate money to some great causes. Now, that’s a win win situation.

Finding out your dog has cancer, or as we call it in our house “Madge”, is one of the greatest fears pet owners have. If you’re wondering why we call it “Madge”, the answer is simple, doesn’t it sound a lot less intimidating.  Plus, I bet it made you smile.

I came across an interesting article to help alleviate some fears and/or answer some of your questions.

DENVER, July 11, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ — Dog owners and lovers in the United States view canine cancer as the greatest health threat to their beloved pets. They are correct. One in four dogs die of cancer. Cancer is the number one cause of death in dogs over the age of 2. Morris Animal Foundation (MAF) has posted on its Web site, http://www.MorrisAnimalFoundation.org, a canine cancer exclusive of special interest to dog owners and dog lovers everywhere.

We can also give our support to help fight this disease.

MAF has launched an unprecedented global campaign to raise funds to cure canine cancer in the next 10 to 20 years, and while seeking the ultimate cure, to develop more effective treatments for dogs suffering from cancer today. MAF is funding canine cancer research at many of the top veterinary colleges in the world. Learn more about the campaign at http://www.CureCanineCancer.org.

If we all put our paws together hopefully we will beat this disease once and for all.

Our new Daily Dog and Cat Tip writer, the author of the amazing books The Dog Bible and The Cat Bible, wanted to make sure we knew about the amazing 2,400 mile walk of Luke Robinson and his dogs Hudson and Murphy, known as 2 Dogs, 2,000 Miles. Luke is true salt of the earth, a real person simply and passionately dedicating years of his life to our canine companions. He’s not doing it for fame, notoriety or something to do. Heck, I dare you to find Luke’s first and last name in the same place on the site. It’s not about him at all. He’s doing it for dogs, and all of humanity.

After losing his beloved Malcom to canine cancer in 2004, Luke Robinson decided it’s time we stop trying simply to cure canine cancers, but to learn why they are happening.

There are many cancer foundations which work towards finding a cure, and while we applaud their efforts, we want to know what’s causing it. The funds raised from the walk will finance the first ever nationwide epidemiological canine cancer study.

They are currently in Little Rock, AR on their walk from Austin, TX to Boston, MA. On their blog you can follow along on the whole trip, which is much much more than a solitary walk. They are stopping at every pet, shelter and rescue event along the way to help raise awareness and both for canine cancer and the local organizations. And every step of the way they are sharing the stories of loss with other pet owners. Finally, after each day Luke and the dogs are sleeping under the roofs of starngers who every day come forward to help the pack in their great journey.

Here is an interactive map with all the way points to date.
CommunityWalk Map - 2 Dogs 2000 Miles
[Click here if you do not see the map.]

Tracie has posted a great correspondence with Luke and his team.

If you can handle the tears, there’s a loving yet heart squeezing Memorials page on Luke’s site dedicated to every doggie who has been beaten by cancer. There’s also a flickr photo memorial group they made open to anyone.

Here’s a great video explaining what they are doing:

[Click here if you do not see the video.]

We’ll be following Luke and Pack from here on out!

[Photo copyright Mark Vogel, 2008]