Misha BARC's A Lot

The Bark is Silent

2010-05-14T05:52:00.000-05:00

On March 13th I had to say goodbye to my best friend.

The cancer that invaded her body was just making things more difficult for her & I didn't want her to suffer anymore. It was a heartwrenching decision to make & I still get upset 2 months later trying to write about it.

She was everything & such a good dog, that is what everyone said that met her.

My special girl I will always miss you.

Not eAting well

2010-03-04T15:41:00.000-05:00

SHE REFUSED A HOT DOG AT LUNCH TODAY AND REALLY SEEMS TIRED

week 6

2010-03-01T10:09:00.000-05:00

well we are in our 6th week now after the initial diagnosis.
she is holding her own & happy & barking
food is still an issue, I don't think she can smell or taste right & that is what is causing her pickness w/the food

We started PT Hydro again because of her leg. It is back to where it was in August. Hopefully the little bit of hydro will help her get that muscle back so she isn't hopping around on it. Need to keep the good right leg healthy!

Kibble

2010-02-18T18:12:00.000-05:00

well she is back to eating kibble, out of my hand.
She won't eat off a plate, bowl or salad dish, only out of my hand while sitting up.
There is something she doesn't like or that is painful w/having her head hang down & eat....

Don't know if I should jinx us or not, but we are now 2 weeks since the last nose bleed, the ACE is doing the trick........

2-6-2010 out in the snow

2010-02-08T20:11:00.000-05:00

Misha loves to lay by the gate & watch all that goes by....

yawn

slurp...misha licks'a lot

serious girlie

posing

howling is what she does best

peg leg

resting after fun in the snow

Fungal NEGATIVE

2010-02-08T20:01:00.000-05:00

so the $180 blood test I sent out .....hoping it would come back positive for fungal, that would mean she did not have cancer.....came back NEGATIVE for fungal infections.....so we are stuck w/the damn cancer.

so now I guess we just wait the days out.

She doesn't really want to eat, but tonight she ate Iams Bicuit encrusted potatoe & burger balls, she just ate a few, but at least she ate.....she loves to eat the Iams treats all by themselves.

This tummy thing she had, now has moved to Flurry's tummy, nothing like a big huge pile of shit to come home to & liquid shit at that......then to come home to it again after you just got done cleaning it up......ugh....
I sure hope Kelsey doesn't get it too!

Misha Is Home!!!!!

2010-02-05T16:46:00.000-05:00

She is back home.
They stopped the nose bleed w/acepromazine, so she will be on a low does of that.
Fingers crossed we have this kicked!
I paid to send off a blood test to make sure it wasn't a fungal infection, slim to none chance it is, but I want to be sure.......my bank account does not like all these vet visits!

Off to get dinner ready for the pups.

Glad my special girlie is home!
She is happy & tail waggin'

Misha is back at the hospital

2010-02-04T14:37:00.000-05:00

Misha is back at the hospital

She has a bleed that I could not stop when I came home & found her at lunchtime.

They are trying to get it to stop & will be keeping her overnight.

clots

2010-02-04T07:38:00.002-05:00

ever since Monday at 3am, we have had clots break loose all week in the morning
I manage to get the bleeding stopped, it's not major.
Then she just has some clear pink runny noses.

She is happy & barking, eating like normal, that is what makes this all so difficult, she doesn't look SICK!

Ugh.......I hate to leave her in the morning to go to work, I could bring her to work w/me, but I think she is more restfull at home. I check on her everyday at lunch time for a quick trip home, then I'm usually home at 4-4:30pm from work.

I wish the blood would stop!

too quick to report good news

2010-02-01T07:24:00.002-05:00

we had a 3am wake up to a drop of blood on her bed.
She was so upset & came over to me all worked up.
It was nothing like last weekend, called Valley Centeral ER & they said to put ice on it.
So I did. She is OK this morning.

ugh......

Happy Face

2010-01-31T19:40:00.001-05:00

Nose is all clear, not more bleeds in the week & she is all smiles again

resting on my bed w/her peg-leg shave job!

Napping on her bed

One Week Later

2010-01-31T19:37:00.000-05:00

and we have not had another nose bleed!
She is eating well & a happy pup. Fingers crossed for another good week.

Last Thursday we went to visit Dr. Draper at Saucon Valley Animal Hospital for a holistic consult.
We have a 50/50 shot trying these chinese meds, so I'm giving it a try:
1-chinese powder 2x's a day
2-Yunnan Paiyao 2pills 2x's a day
3-Lin Qiao Wan, 2 pills 3 days: 5 days on, 2 days off (starting this tomorrow)
The above I give her all in some cottage cheese before she has her meals.

Then I made her a meatloaf mixture of:
1lb frozen spinach
1.4lb fresh broccoli
steamed both of the above & chopped them up in a blender, food processor would work better but I don't have one of those.
6.25 pounds 80/20 hamburger
4 raw eggs
8oz shredded sharp cheese
I mixed this all together to make these:

in the oven for 45 min at about 450degrees

each meatball is about 3 oz.

She needs to get 3lbs of cooked food a day.

Right now I'm feeding her kibble, Orijen 6 fish w/a hardboiled egg & yogurt in the morning

Then this cooked meal at night witht he following supplements also added to her food

the meatloafs are each 1.5 pounds, the meatballs she needs to eat about 6 of them at a time.

4-Dasuquin 1 pill 2x's day

5-Cranberry Caps for her bladder issues

6-Canine Senior Plus 1am, 2pm

7-Easy C 2 pills 2x day

8-Fish Oil Caps 1pill 3x day

9-Bioflavanoid 1/2 pill with the cooked dinner at night

10-Cardiac med & pain meds for knee cocktail.....

She is doing well & happy. That is all I can ask for. She loves her new home cooked meals & is taking the new meds very well. Let's hope they buy us some more quality time together.

This is Misha's favorite spot in the kitchen. She claimed this spot 9 years ago when she came home.

She has gotten much bigger in 9 years hasn't she?

Bright Eyed

2010-01-27T21:21:00.000-05:00

Well today Misha is back to "normal" as she was before the nose bleed.
The ace. seems to be all out of her system & she is bright-eyed & bushy tailed again.

She is barking & doing that propellar tail, letting everyone know she is in charge.
She even started in with a sing along w/the boys when they started to howl at the mail man!

I do notice things that I don't know if they were there before or not.
Like in the morning now I take her out on the flexi so Flurry won't bug her.
I hear her sneeze, did she do this before when the cold air hits her nose?
I just panic because when I did notice her sneeze on Sunday it was a shower of blood.

Let's hope the nose bleeds are done.

I talked to Misha's dr. She can't tell me how many days we have left, she would like to tell me two months, but that might not be. Time will tell. Day by day......inch by inch....
She gave me a name of a eastern medicine vet that is local, I will call there tomorrow if there might be some supplements he suggests we give Misha that will be safe w/her heart condition & may keep the bastard cells of the cancer from growing.
She did tell me that there have also been some studies of NSAIDS & slowing the growth of the cancer, it's early research with dogs w/bone cancer. So we will continue to give her the ZUBRIN, just a 1/2 dose for now, as this can thin the blood & we make get another bleed.

I bought Misha a $70 bag of dog food today, 30 pounds! They say the no grain food will help starve the cancer. So this is a fish based no-grain. I also found some receipes to make her a meat-loaf, feed her cottage cheese, keep her away from carbs, because they turn to sugars & the cancer feeds off of that.

Off for a flexi potty break before bed, I'm sure she will sneeze w/the cold air of the night.....

Misha is Sick

2010-01-26T14:22:00.000-05:00

Sunday afternoon I found Misha with a terrible nosebleed in the living room.
Not what I wanted for her planned 9th birthday celebration that night.

I was so afraid, blood was all over. I called my friends Bob & Meg & they came to help.
Bob drove Misha & I too the ER & Meg stayed w/the boys.
I sat with her in the back of the Pilot trying to keep the bleeding undercontroll.
Now I know why dogs can get carsick, that sure is one bumpy ride in the back!

We rushed her off to Valley Central ER. They ran testing.
Her blood work was on the "normal side" with her liver & spleen levels a bit elivated.
The main problem was found in the chest xray. She has a mass in the top portion of her left lung.
This mass was not there last May when she was at Metro ER for her heart issues.

She spent the night & had a exam by Dr. Carter in the morning & we talked through options & decided on a ultra-sound. Good news it has not spread else where, but she did cofirm that it is a mass, most likely cancer in her lung.

I opted not to do a biopsy. With Misha's heart condition she could have not made it through that & I couldn't forgive myself for that. The biopsy would just tell us what "type" of cancer. With it being in the lung I am not going to put her through any type of operation for removal. So there was no reason to know what "type". We just know it's cancer & it sucks.

They do not have an answer for the massive nose bleed as of now. I just hope we do not have another one.

Most likely it is a form of histio from what I read & the elevated liver levels would point to that also.

She didn't get to have her birthday dinner on Sunday, but I brought her home yesterday & she got it then, some today for breakfast & more tonight for dinner!

Now we just spoil her rotten, lover her like we always have & cherish the time we have.
She will tell me when it's time & she is ready to leave.

Thank you all for your well wishes & I will try to update this blog daily w/Misha's progress in this terrible time.

Hug those pups!

Misha's Hydro Therapy Visit

2009-08-22T12:35:00.003-05:00

Misha saying "get me the hell out of here"

Water up to her chest & she was off & walking w/Beth & Gail to guide her

going the wrong way as the water comes in.
I had to stand at the front of the tank to the left to get her turned around & keeping going in the correct direction. She hates water, but did well with this.
Her heart rate started out at 150 & then after the walk was 160, so she held her own!

She has been going now for 3 weeks for cold laser treatments on her left knee & hips.
It has helped, she is putting more weight on her left foot now.

Next weekend we will try again for the hydro therapy.

Snow Days in December

2008-12-23T18:32:00.003-05:00

Sera thinking Misha wants to play with her, but Misha is giving her that evil eye...the youngin' just doesn't get it.....

Now Misha is really telling Sera to "BUG OFF".....but Sera still doesn't get it & runs off on her merry way...

Misha's Holiday Portrait Doing what she does best "B A R K "

Berners look best in the snow

Misha Rally Advanced!!

2008-10-25T17:28:00.003-05:00

Misha earns her Rally Advanced Title in 3 legs!
BMDCW 2nd place

Vintage Misha

2008-02-17T09:16:00.003-05:00

Playing with some texture layers & blending modes...gives it that old tintype feel I think

Misha's 7th Birtday!!!!

2008-01-24T18:40:00.000-05:00

The Birtday Girl

Misha BARC's A Lot 7 years young today!

Flurry really wanting to eat some cake

Misha digging into the cake that grandma baked her

what a good girl!!!

nosey girl!

2008-01-08T09:48:00.001-05:00

Mishie Izzummmsss

2007-10-24T20:11:00.001-05:00

playing around w/the camera tonight & over the weekend & came up w/some of Misha & her unique white markings...

Misha the model

2007-06-30T21:09:00.001-05:00

Misha modeling for a test shot w/the new camera

Canon 30D

Misha at Lock Ridge

2007-05-03T08:41:00.000-05:00

March 16 Snow Storm. . .Happy Birthday Gift!

2007-03-19T11:00:00.000-05:00

The regal old girl, turned 6 in January. She is having some stiffness issues with her back legs, hopefully it's just the weather & things will get better soon. . .

Misha is sidelined

2007-03-06T19:08:00.000-05:00

On Sunday Misha came in from outside a 3 legged dog. She hurt her left rear leg.
Had her to the vet & he feels it is a bad sprain or a strain on her ACL or a partial tear.
She is on pain meds & rest & leash walking.

Tonight we went to the doggie chiropractor & she did adjustments on Misha & she found her femur to be out of wack both in the hip & the knee. Misha seems to be putting a bit more weight on it.

Time will tell & hopefully my crazy girl will be back to normal soon

Misha is a nurse . . . .RN

2006-05-28T06:44:00.000-05:00

Last weekend at the Allentown Dog Trainig Club's trial Misha earned her last leg towards her Rally Novice title, RN
Now it's onto advanced rally-o

Drafting with your Bernese

2006-04-25T18:44:00.000-05:00

Drafting(carting) is what the bernese were bred to do.

They are the family farm dog of the swiss alps & would

take their owners goods to market by pulling them

in their cart or wagon.

Pretty much any dog can be taught to draft.

The BMDCA welcomes all breeds to their draft test.

BMDCA Drafting Info:

www.bmdca.org/pages/Drafting.php

Looking for a nice handcrafted cart or wagon:

www.wilczekwoodworks.com

Some other drafting sites:

www.dogworks.com

www.cartingwithyourdog.com

Tonka & Rowdy pulling a wagon with a brace set up

with a single shaft

Photo by Meg Schwartz

Misha and her Titles

2006-04-25T18:03:00.000-05:00

Here are some photos of Misha earning her

AKC Companion Dog Obedience Title (CD)

BMDCA Novice Draft Dog (NDD)

BMDCA Open Draft Dog Titles (DD)

Misha is the 1st BARC Rescue dog to earn the above titles.

Misha also passed her Canine Good Citizen Test (CGC)

Therapy Dogs International Testing (TDI)

March 2002

1 year after being rescued by BARC

Misha is a rescue dog that I adopted from

www.barcinc.net

She was imported from Russia under age & sent to a puppy mill auction in the mid-west USA

There BARC rescued her & her littermates from going to a puppy mill to be

bred to death.

Misha came home with a bag of pills for her sinus infections & took over he house.

She recouperated very well from that & hasn't stopped since!