No News, and Sad News.

No News:  There have been no sightings of London for the past few days.  We're not giving up - we are still hopeful of finding her, still blanketing the area with posters, and walking the trails daily.  As an aside, this has been good experience for Eddie, who has been accompanying me and is quickly becoming an old pro at car travel, hiking trails, and even waiting patiently in the vehicle while I talk with other searchers.  I took today off, as I had some other things to take care of, but tomorrow Eddie and I will be back at it. I'm just hoping the forecasted snow bypasses us - so far this week it has been quite pleasant out, and snow or rain would certainly make the search more difficult.

"London"
1 year old  lost sheltie
Last seen near Stocking Creek Park, Saltair, Vancouver Island

Sad News:  Sadie's medical tests have confirmed that she has an insulinoma - a tumor of the pancreas.  While in people this is often benign, such is not the case in dogs.  Insulinomas are rare in dogs and nearly always malignant.  As Sadie's liver counts were also elevated, the vet fears it may have already spread - as is often the case by the time a canine insulinoma is diagnosed.

While a younger dog might benefit from surgery, the vet is not recommending it in  12-13 year old Sadie's case - the surgery is very invasive, the 'cure' rate is not high (largely because it has usually already spread), and  recurrances within a year are frequent.  The process of having surgery and being confined in the vets office for several days post-surgery would also be very traumatic for Sadie, who has abandonment issues when kennelled.

There are some drugs that may slow down the overproduction of insulin caused by the insulinoma and slow the growth of the cancer  - they have some nasty side effects and we are still researching and discussing these options.

Sadie in healthier times

Please check back tomorrow for another important post about a dog in need.