In Remission: A Family’S Struggle to Save Their Beloved Dog
()
About this ebook
In December 2009, Pennye Lentes and her husband, John, received devastating news: their beloved rescue dog, Miss Piggy, was diagnosed with lymphoma. Just seven years old, Miss Piggy received a grim prognosis. She would be gone within a month without any treatment. Lentes and her husband could not imagine life without her. There was no question that they would do whatever they couldphysically, emotionally, and financiallyto save their four-legged princess.
Lentes relies on notes from her journal to share details of her life leading up to Miss Piggys diagnosis as she and John moved across the country, adopted Miss Piggy and her playmate, Kermit, and became acclimated to life with two furry, rambunctious children. As life presented struggles and challenges for Lentes, she chronicles how her two dogs provided her with unconditional love, even during the toughest of times. But it is only after Miss Piggy was diagnosed and began receiving grueling chemotherapy that Lentes was able to give back to her beloved pet and fight for her survival through hope, natural remedies, and a new diet plan.
In Remission is the heartwarming story of one familys journey to save their dog from the ravages of lymphoma and give her the happy life she deserved.
Pennye A. Lentes
Pennye Lentes lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and two dogs, Kermit and Ms. Piggy, and Monty, a six-foot python. After spending twenty years in the marketing field, Pennye has recently become an advocate for utilizing diet and care methods to keep dogs healthy and in remission from disease.
Related to In Remission
Related ebooks
The 17 Day Kickstart Diet: A Doctor's Plan for Dropping Pounds, Toxins, and Bad Habits Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Living All the Way: How Hospice Care Informed Three End-Of-Life Journeys Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLost Souls: Found! Inspiring Stories about Chihuahuas Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAmerica Can Live Happily Ever After: Creating Good Citizens Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSee Me Hear Me Know Me: The Heart of a Caregiver Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBorn for a Reason: Finding Your True Purpose and Living Your Abundance Dreams Using Quantum Techniques Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRecalculating: Travels Along the Road Through Crisis Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSkinny, Livin' The Dream: Journey to a Second Chance in Life Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLaughter and Tears “A Veterinarian’s Memoir and Advice” Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMinimalist Living for a Maximum Life: The Joys of Simple Living Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Senior’S Experiences and Observations: Moving, Health, Caregiving & Conflicts Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCancer, My Bff :) ! Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsImmortal: How I Learned There Is Life After Death Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFeed the Tiger, Free the Dragon: Create the Passion, Freedom, and Respect You Deserve Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Various Faces of Grief Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSunshine: A Quick Guide and Story for Busy and First Time Moms Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDog-Gone Good Cuisine: More Healthy, Fast, and Easy Recipes for You and Your Pooch Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLive. Save. Spend. Repeat.: The Life You Want with the Money You Have Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTaking Control: My Journey of Alternative Healing Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMy Porcelain Doll Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHealthy Food, Healthy Dog Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsQuest for Hope Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHell & Back: Wife & Mother, Doctor & Patient, Dragon Slayer Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsProvidence Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Carried: A Story of Faith, Hope, and Love Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDo You Get It?: A Journey of a New Mom with Brain Cancer Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMy Story: Don’t Argue with God Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Medical For You
What Happened to You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Vagina Bible: The Vulva and the Vagina: Separating the Myth from the Medicine Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Women With Attention Deficit Disorder: Embrace Your Differences and Transform Your Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Gut: The Inside Story of Our Body's Most Underrated Organ (Revised Edition) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Adult ADHD: How to Succeed as a Hunter in a Farmer's World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Diabetes Code: Prevent and Reverse Type 2 Diabetes Naturally Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Song of the Cell: An Exploration of Medicine and the New Human Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Mediterranean Diet Meal Prep Cookbook: Easy And Healthy Recipes You Can Meal Prep For The Week Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Living Daily With Adult ADD or ADHD: 365 Tips o the Day Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Butchering Art: Joseph Lister's Quest to Transform the Grisly World of Victorian Medicine Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5ATOMIC HABITS:: How to Disagree With Your Brain so You Can Break Bad Habits and End Negative Thinking Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The People's Hospital: Hope and Peril in American Medicine Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Herbal Healing for Women Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Letter to Liberals: Censorship and COVID: An Attack on Science and American Ideals Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5As Nature Made Him: The Boy Who Was Raised as a Girl Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tight Hip Twisted Core: The Key To Unresolved Pain Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Period Power: Harness Your Hormones and Get Your Cycle Working For You Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hidden Lives: True Stories from People Who Live with Mental Illness Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Complete Guide to Memory: The Science of Strengthening Your Mind Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSummary of Dr. Gundry's Diet Evolution: Turn off the Genes That Are Killing You and Your Waistline Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Holistic Herbal: A Safe and Practical Guide to Making and Using Herbal Remedies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Amazing Liver and Gallbladder Flush Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Reviews for In Remission
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
In Remission - Pennye A. Lentes
In Remission
A Family’s Struggle to Save Their Beloved Dog
Copyright © 2014 Pennye A. Lentes.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
iUniverse
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
www.iuniverse.com
1-800-Authors (1-800-288-4677)
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.
ISBN: 978-1-4917-5153-4 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-4917-5154-1 (hc)
ISBN: 978-1-4917-5155-8 (e)
iUniverse rev. date: 12/04/2014
Contents
Chapter 1 Move After Move
Chapter 2 Becoming A Pet Owner
Chapter 3 The Adoption
Chapter 4 Settling In
Chapter 5 Making Them Part Of Our Family
Chapter 6 Growing Up
Chapter 7 Part 1 Personalities: Ms. Piggy
Part 2 Personalities: Kermit
Chapter 8 Health Problems
Chapter 9 The Diagnosis
Chapter 10 Understanding The Treatment
Chapter 11 The Diet And Supplements
Chapter 12 Chemotherapy
Chapter 13 Another Minor Health Crisis
Chapter 14 Admitting Defeat
All-Natural Diet Preparation
Travel Tips
Bibliography
Dedication
To my husband, John, whose compassion and continued dedication to keeping Ms. Piggy in remission was integral in her staying strong and in our lives for as long as possible.
And to Kermit, who seemed to know how sick she was and always took a backseat instead of wanting the same amount of attention from us.
To my readers and fellow dog lovers. Enjoy the book and our stories. Here’s a picture of Piggy enjoying her favorite place on the deck.
176.JPGAcknowledgments
Dr. Annie Theissan, DVM (and the devoted staff at Chambers Creek Veterinarian Clinic in Lakewood, Washington). Her caring nature, confidence, and support made it possible for us to weather the toughest of times while Ms. Piggy endured six months of chemotherapy. Annie knew Piggy from the time she was eight weeks old and saw her through a variety of health problems.
I want to publicly say thank you to Betty, my mother-in-law, for everything she did as I tried to recuperate from painful surgeries. She helped take care of not only me but her grandpups
too. And, as you can see, she loves both of them very much.
Many thanks to Cindy at REI (Recreational Equipment, Inc.), who spoke up and led us in the right direction in a time of confusion, sadness, and turmoil! And to Rhonda, who knew and understood the kind of love we had for Piggy.
Many thanks to the manager at the Sumner, Washington, Feed and Grain Store for turning us on to this food! He stayed late to help me that night and told me some success stories surrounding this particular brand of food that gave me reasons to believe we could save our Piggy.
Dr. Sarah Gillings, DVM, DACVIM, of Summit Referral Center. It seemed like a sign from up above that Dr. Gillings and her associates moved to Tacoma from Seattle to open up a center full of specialists devoted to canine and feline cancer within a couple of weeks of Piggy finishing her chemo at Chambers Creek.
Introduction
As I sit here on the deck, my mind drifts back to December 5, 2009, and the tremendous fortune we have been blessed with over the past three years. Our dog, Ms. Piggy, had been diagnosed with lymphoma. Doc Annie (our favorite veterinarian) said, She will be gone within a month if you decide against any further treatment.
We believed this, because one day she just stopped eating and continued to have no interest in food. (Remember this if your pet suddenly makes a major change in eating habits; get to the vet as soon as possible.)
Some people might not understand our deep feelings for Ms. Piggy, but she was our four-legged princess and meant the world to us. The veterinarian stressed to us, There are no guarantees. Even with aggressive treatment, you might buy only an additional year of quality life.
But Ms. Piggy was only seven years old. She still had so much life left to live, even if some people would consider her just a pet.
We barely had enough money to make our mortgage, let alone start chemotherapy that might run as much as $6,000. We were just starting to get caught up on our credit card bills. We didn’t think more than a moment before making the decision. Within two days, we began six months of intense efforts to save her life.
I had a credit card called Care Credit that I had used for some major dental work; to our surprise, it was for vet bills too. The terms of this credit card can be negotiated based on the doctor’s, dentist’s, or veterinarian’s office. Working with Chambers Creek, we were able to use this card without interest if it was paid off in less than twelve months. We eliminated all expenses that weren’t absolutely essential. We even reduced the size and frequency of our trash pickups (with only two people, we never filled our containers up anyway) and changed to bimonthly versus every-week pickup. It turned out this was all we really needed anyway, so we have kept it this way.
While taking Pigs for her weekly blood tests and chemo, I met more and more people in the same situation. I enjoyed sharing information about Piggy’s progress. I’d start conversations to pass along any helpful details we might have discovered during our research with the hope of receiving some new ideas in return. I realized how many people needed support and help in dealing with this illness. I met men who were reduced to tears when they realized their longtime pet—a real member of the family—had some form of cancer.
I kept a journal of our struggles, successes, and failures. The addition of a great all-natural diet helped keep her in remission and in our lives for almost three more years. I’m sorry to say she came out of remission and passed on December 4, 2012, but we relished every single day we were given. Our initial expectations were gaining an extra year with her, but instead she was healthy and full of life for almost three more years. It was worth every single sacrifice we made.
With this book, I hope to give others a reason to believe in