Friday, June 22, 2012

stem cells for Kumba

Kumba, a 13-year-old Rott-weiler/Labrador mix, has had trouble moving for the past five years because of severe arthritis in his hips.

But that could change with medical technology.

"He thinks like a puppy, but can't act like one and it has taken a real toll on our family," said owner Rumi Hospodar of Kapolei. "Kumba is on the older side, but he still has much more life in him."

Thanks to a new stem cell therapy procedure offered at Surf Paws Animal Hospital in Hawaii Kai, Kumba might be able to act like a puppy again without pain, Hospodar said.

Hospodar and her children, Kelsea, 16, Kian, 7, and Kyra, 3, went with Kumba to the procedure Thursday at Surf Paws.

More than 2,000 animals, mostly dogs, have received the therapy to treat a variety of pains, developed by MediVet America, said Carol Spangler Vaughn, a Honolulu representative for the Kentucky-based company.

The drug-free procedure was originally intended for racehorses, but research showed dogs also responded, said Bob De Witt, a spokesman for MediVet. He added that he knows of one goat that was treated, and racing camels in the Middle East are the latest animal to benefit.

The procedure, which lasts no more than five hours, starts with the removal of blood and fat cells, De Witt said. Stem cells are separated from the fat in a process using an LED, and are then injected into the animal's affected areas.

The stem cells then grow into new tissue.

They are not embryonic stem cells, De Witt said.

Hawaii veterinarians have been performing stem cell therapy on dogs for more than two years, but the earlier process is lengthy because the extracted stem cells need to be sent to the mainland for further processing, De Witt said.

"With this new in-house method, it cuts costs and visits to the vet," he said.

Surf Paws was the first clinic on Oahu to perform the procedure, with Kumba patient No. 3, said Dr. Cristina Miliaresis of Surf Paws.

In April, Miliaresis administered the therapy on her 8-year-old American pit bull, Ipo, who suffered from torn ligaments in her legs.

"She was the test subject and after such positive results from her procedure I thought, ‘Hey, I need to start doing this for real,'" Miliaresis said.

She said the recovery time for dogs is about a day or two on average, and improvement in their movements can be seen anywhere from two to three weeks later.

"After two months, they're pretty much back to normal," Miliaresis said. "It's like going back in time."

Stem cell therapy for dogs runs from $1,500 to $2,000.

But Miliaresis said the results far surpass anything that costly drugs might do.

"Many dogs who receive the procedure are already on medication to ease the pain, but that only acts like a shield," she said. "More and more money has to be spent for the medication and it adds up for the owner and lessens the quality of life for the dog."

Hospodar said that she and her husband, Paul, decided to hold off on a family vacation to help with the costs of Kumba's procedure.

"He is a companion and protector to the kids," she said. "He takes care of all of us. A better quality life for Kumba is far more important than a trip somewhere."

FIND OUT MORE
For more information on stem cell therapy for animals, visit Medi-Vet.com. To set up a consultation with Dr. Cristina Miliaresis, call Surf Paws Animal Hospital at 395-3647.

HAWAIINEWSNOW VIDEO »
Stem cell therapy in Hawaii going to the dogs

RELATED PHOTO GALLERY »
Island Images: First pet in-clinic stem cell surgery

-- By 'Alohi Bikle, Star-Advertiser, June 22, 2012

Monday, June 18, 2012

dog and chimp

Don't know how true this is (it might be), but the pictures are pretty neat:

After a mother chimpanzee who lived in a zoo died, one of the zoo's employees took the baby chimp home to care for it. It never crossed his mind that his dog, who had recently given birth would adopt the chimp and raise it with her pups.

Monday, June 11, 2012

My Bookshelf

Well, they're not all on my bookshelf, but kind of scattered on different bookshelves.  But here's the list of books that I own (and where I got 'em IIFC.  I haven't read all of them complete yet though.)


Tammy Bailey - Adopt the Perfect Dog (paperbackswap)

Kevin Behan - Natural Dog Training (eBay, this guy fails English 101)

Gerilyn J. Bielakiewicz - The Everything Dog Training and Tricks Book (Donna, Sam's Club?)

Jack Canfield - Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul

Suzanne Clothier - Bones Would Rain From The Sky (Donna got this at some rummage sale)

Stanley Coren - The Intelligence of Dogs (BookOff)

Carla DeVito - The Everything Puppy Book (Donna)

Ian Dunbar - After You Get Your Puppy (bought at BookOff)
Ian Dunbar - How To Teach a New Dog Old Tricks (bought at eBay)

Jan Fennell - The Dog Listener (from paperbackswap)

Tammy Gagne - The Happy Adopted Dog (BookOff)

Tamar Geller - The Loved Dog (eBay)

Temple Grandin, Animals In Translation (from Donna from Sam's Club?)

Patricia McConnell - The Other End of the Leash (eBay)

Jim Milio and Melissa Joe Peltier - Dog Whisperer The Ultimate Episode Guide (bought on eBay)

Cesar Millan - Cesar's Way (Donna gave me this, Sam's Club?)
Cesar Millan - Be The Pack Leader (Donna gave me this too, Sam's Club?)
Cesar Millan - How to Raise the Perfect Dog (bonus when I bought Mastering Leadership series on eBay)

Desmond Morris - Dog Watching (BookOff)

Karen Pryor - Don't Shoot The Dog

John Ross - Dog Talk (bought this at Saver's, old school, the author used to write a newspaper column)

Jack and Wendy Volhard - Dog Training for Dummies (Donna from rummage sale?)

Sophia Yin - How To Behave So Your Dog Behaves (ebay)


On My Wish List at paperbackswap

Brenda Aloff - Canine Body Language
Kevin Behan - Your Dog Is Your Mirror
Stanley Coren - How To Speak Dog
Pamela Dennison - Bringing Light To Shadow
Pamela Dennison - How to Right a Dog Gone Wrong
Jane Killion - When Pigs Fly!: Training Success With Impossible Dogs
Patricia McConnell - For The Love of a Dog
Leslie McDevitt - Control Unleashed
Cesar Millan - A Member of the Family
Cesar Millan - Cesar's Rules
Emma Parsons - Click To Calm
Brad Pattison - Brad Pattison Unleashed
Turid Rugaas - On Talking Terms With Dogs: Calming Signals
Alana StevensonTraining Your Dog the Humane Way
Victoria Stilwell - It's Me or the Dog: How To Have the Perfect Pet

***

And what about my DVDs?

Dog Whisperer Season 1
Dog Whisperer Season 2
Dog Whisperer Season 3
Dog Whisperer Season 4, Volume 1
Dog Whisperer Season 4, Volume 2
Dog Whisperer Seaon 5

Mastering Leadership Series

In The Dog House (Brad Pattison) (ebay)

The Loved Dog (Tamar Geller) (ebay)

Natural Dog Training (Neil Sattin) (ebay)

Train Your Dog (Nicole Wilde and Laura Bourhenne) (swapadvd)


Not to mention all the TV shows I recorded

Dog Whisperer
Good Dog U
Divine Canine
It's Me or the Dog
DogTown
Dogs In The City
etc.

Not to mention Stanley Coren's show Good Dog available on hulu.

And the dog documentaries

Saturday, June 9, 2012

Without a dog


Have you ever asked yourself where you would be without a dog?

Without a dog, any time you accidentally dropped a piece of food on the floor, you'd have to bend over to pick it up.

Without a dog, squirrels won't have any reason to come into your yard to taunt.
Without a dog, you'd never have anyone in your life who thinks you invented bacon.
Without a dog, a lot of people will know you by your name instead of knowing you as your dog's parent.
Without a dog, you'd have to hump the neighbor's leg yourself.
Without a dog, you'd never have anyone demonstrate how important it is to stop every day and smell the roses ... and then lift your leg on them.

-- Bruce Cameron, Midweek, November 30, 2011

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

pulling knots

Kimo seems to be free of fleas for now, but still scratches and licks some.

Maybe because of the licking there's some knots of hair on his underside.

I was trying to comb them off without pulling them, but some were so knotted that I had to pull them.  I grabbed the bottom of the hair and held it while pulling from the top, so Kimo wouldn't feel the hair pulling off him.  Of course, he probably feels a little and every once in a while would raise his head to lick the area.

So having been bitten by in the past, I would reflexively move my hand away.  But no incident.  And after a little while, Kimo surprised me by just lying his head down as I continued the operation.  So I'd say he's become pretty comfortable and trusting with me.

I remember the days when someone would just touch him on his flank and he would go wild.  He still might do it with a stranger, but seems to be OK with me.  Only took like five years..

Final season of Dog Whisperer

After more than 150 episodes, thousands of audition tapes and hundreds of successful rehabilitations, the final season of Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan will premiere Saturday, July 7, 2012, with back-to-back episodes beginning at 8 PM ET/PT on Nat Geo WILD. The ninth and final season features 12 all-new episodes and is jam packed with the biggest stars, most exciting destinations and the fastest cars ever featured on the series. And, of course, there will be dogs. Lots and lots of dogs.

Encore airings of the entire Dog Whisperer catalogue of episodes will continue on Nat Geo WILD and Nat Geo Mundo in the United States and around the globe. Cesar is currently in production on his new Nat Geo WILD competition series Leader of the Pack, due to premiere in early 2013.

[12/13/12] Sneak preview of Leader of the Pack

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Taylor wants to come too


take Kimo out for early poop

Duane coming with Coco / Gerald comes with Hershey
 retrieve Hershey, retrieve Tuffy, retrieve Fifi

Jake Kahoa Akaka (sister Taylor) wants to come with us
RMAS comes out and see Kahoa walking Tuffy

Jojo arrives and Fifi wants to play, Tuffy wants to chase too, pulls away from Kahoa, hurts his arm

Duane treats dogs / Nalu comes with Taylor (she wanted to see the dogs too)

take home Hershey, leave Kahoa with him

take Jojo, Tuffy, Fifi in back, but some ointment on Tuffy’s tail
take dogs home

take mom to dentist, take Jojo home first / Janice coming home and he runs to her

[6/5/12 - posted 6/27/13]