Me and You and a Dog Named Boo!

• Hey everyone, it's October 1st and y'all know what that means.  It's Breast Cancer awareness month.  Our cause is being shouted from the roof tops.  BTW I stumbled across this article and thought you'd find it very informative!  They're making so much progress in methods used to treat and cure this disease.  Who knows, my blog may become as obsolete as the dinosaur in the not to distant future. I may be singing Happy Trails to me before long...and oh, how I will love that song! :))

P.S. For those of you old enough to remember this song by LOBO, I'm posting the words at the bottom of this post...just in case you want to sing along with me! "You gotta get away and get back on the road again".

Pretty in Pink: How Pets Are Helping the Fight Against Breast Cancer

As the leaves outside turn orange and gold over the next couple of weeks, we will see everything from skyscrapers to sneakers turn pink to promote breast cancer awareness in October. For nearly three decades, we've marked National Breast Cancer Awareness Month with fundraising and awareness efforts, all aimed at encouraging early detection and finding a cure. The global success of the campaign has hugely increased our understanding of the disease, but there still remains a side to the story that goes largely untold; breast cancer also affects our pets. Many are surprised to learn that mammary tumors can make our pets sick, and that the research and development of treatments for our pets can unlock clues about helping people beat breast cancer.

Here in Philadelphia, the University of Pennsylvania's School of Veterinary Medicine runs a Shelter Canine Mammary Tumor Program with the dual mission of providing care to homeless dogs afflicted with the disease and advancing our knowledge of breast cancer biology. It turns out that mammary tumors in dogs and breast cancer in women have many similarities, and the program collects data that could lead to more progressive treatment of both canine and human breast cancers. Because dogs have 8-10 mammary glands capable of producing tumors simultaneously, doctors are able to observe the entire spectrum of cancer development and search for patterns that could provide valuable insight into its progression. Since similar disease processes take place more quickly due to dogs' shorter lifespans, canine breast cancer research produces faster results, which could have promising implications for human cancer research.
When it comes to breast cancer, dogs are slightly better off than their feline friends; 50 percent of canine mammary tumors are malignant, while 90 percent are typically malignant in cats. Like cancer in humans, breast cancer that affects our pets can metastasize to other areas of the body in both species, often spreading rapidly to the lymph nodes and lungs.
Despite ever-improving methods of diagnosis and treatment, cancer still represents one of the most frequent causes of death in both humans and dogs. But a breast cancer diagnosis doesn't have to mean the end for your pet. In fact, you can take steps both to help prevent the disease and to give your pet the very best medical care should she ever need treatment. Follow this simple advice to stay a step ahead of cancer:
For more information on this subject, click on the link below.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/natasha-ashton/animal-breast-cancer_b_1920260.html

Natasha Ashton

Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer, Petplan

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I remember to this day, the bright red Georgia clay How it stuck to the tires after the summer rain Will power made that old car go, a woman's mind told me that it's so Oh, how I wish we were back on the road again
Me and you and a dog named Boo Travellin' and livin' off the land Me and you and a dog named Boo How I love bein' a free man
I can still recall the wheat fields of St. Paul And the mornin' we got caught robbin' from an old hen Old Mac Donald made us work, but then he paid us for what it was worth Another tank of gas and back on the road again
Me and you and a dog named Boo Travellin' and livin' off the land Me and you and a dog named Boo How I love bein' a free man
I'll never forget that day we motored stately into big L.A. The lights of the city put settlin' down in my brain Though it's only been a month or so, that old car's buggin' us to go You gotta get away and get back on the road again
Me and you and a dog named Boo Travellin' and livin' off the land Me and you and a dog named Boo How I love bein' a free man ...

Read more: LOBO - ME AND YOU AND A DOG NAMED BOO LYRICS