Wednesday, April 18, 2012

10 Questions and Answers about Dog Cancer

We recently just found out that Foppers mascot and one of the official taste testers, Holly, who is on almost all the packaging, was diagnosed with cancer. She is an 8 year old labrador and loved dearly by so many.Here is an article that we found about dog cancer from WebMD.

Dogs and Cancer: Get the Facts
A vet answers 10 commonly asked questions about cancer in dogs.
By Sandy Eckstein
WebMD Pet Health Feature

Cancer is the leading cause of death in dogs over the age of 10. But half of all cancers are curable if caught early, experts say. WebMD talked to Dave Ruslander, a veterinary oncologist and past president of the Veterinary Cancer Society, about canine cancers and the latest treatments for dogs diagnosed with the disease.

Q: How common is cancer in dogs, and what are some of the common cancers found in dogs?
A: It has gotten to be pretty common, especially in older dogs. Fifty percent of dogs over the age of 10 develop cancer at some point. We see malignant lymphoma, which is a tumor of the lymph nodes. We see mast cell tumors, which is a form of skin cancer. There are mammary gland tumors, or breast cancer, and soft tissue sarcomas. We also see a fair amount of bone cancer in dogs.

Q: What are some of the symptoms of cancer in dogs?
A: The warning signs of cancer in dogs are very similar to that in people. A lump or a bump, a wound that doesn’t heal, any kind of swelling, enlarged lymph nodes, a lameness or swelling in the bone, abnormal bleeding. Those are all classic signs. But sometimes there are little or no signs, at least early on. So any time an animal isn’t feeling well, or there’s something abnormal or not quite right, the owner needs to bring it to the attention of their veterinarian.

Q: What’s causing these high cancer rates in our dogs?
A: I think people are taking better and better care of their animals and pets are living longer and longer, so we’re seeing more animals live to an age where they develop cancer.
Years past, many dogs died from common illnesses or were hit by a car. But now we have vaccines and we keep our dogs indoors, so they’re just around longer.
There also seems to be a genetic component in some cancers, because we’ve seen where some breeds seem more prone to cancers than others.

Q: So some breeds are more prone to cancers? Are mixed-breed dogs less likely to get cancer?
A: Any time you have an inbred population, you don’t know what else is being inherited along with the traits you want. People like golden retrievers because they look like golden retrievers. But what else is being passed through that line? Golden retrievers have a strong incidence of cancer. So do boxers, flat-coated retrievers, Bernese Mountain dogs. All of those breeds, and others, have specific cancers that we see. That’s showing that there are probably specific genetic components to some cancers. But it’s still a question of how much is genetics versus environmental factors. Because mixed-breed dogs come from a much larger gene pool, they would be less likely to get genetic-based cancers. But that doesn’t do anything for spontaneous cancers or environmentally caused cancers.

Q: What can I do to help prevent my dog from getting cancer?
A: The biggest thing is spaying your dog. If you spay a dog before its first heat you’ll reduce the chance of mammary cancer eight-fold, just because of the hormonal influence.
Good oral care can help decrease oral cancers. And if you’re buying a purebred dog, check its line to see if there’s a specific kind of cancer in that breed’s line.
But overall, prevention is difficult because we don’t know the causes of most cancers. I think, rather than trying to prevent cancer, identifying it early and treating it quickly is the better strategy.

Q: If my dog has cancer, does that mean he’s going to die?
A: Absolutely not. Probably the majority of the cancers we see can be dealt with surgically. A lot of the breast cancers, a lot of the mast cell tumors, a lot of skin tumors, soft tissue sarcomas, many of those tumors can be removed surgically and are cured. Even in situations where they have advanced to a lymph node, there are options that can prolong your dog’s life and even cure him.

Q: What kinds of treatments are available for dogs with cancer?
A: We have pretty much all the options that are available to people. There’s surgery, obviously. Radiation therapy is available in about 40 facilities around the country. Chemotherapy has become commonplace. Now some places are even doing research and clinical treatment of patients with immunotherapy tumor vaccines, where we’re using the immune system to stimulate the destruction of the cancer.

Q: The FDA approved the first drug for treating canine cancer in dogs in June 2009. What other advancements will we be seeing in the treatment of canine cancers?
A: There have been several things, like the tumor vaccine I just mentioned. There is a new vaccine against oral melanomas, the most common oral tumor. Radiation therapy and technology is expanding so that the machines that we’re using can now treat brain tumors and nasal tumors and deep-seated tumors that previously we couldn’t access surgically.
Veterinary oncology has progressed amazingly in the past two decades. Twenty years ago, most people didn’t even know dogs got cancer. Today it’s common to find people whose dogs have been treated for cancer. There are so many more facilities for treating canine cancer now, and there are veterinarians who do nothing but treat cancer.

Q: What does it cost to treat a dog with cancer?
 A: It varies. There’s the diagnostic testing that’s needed prior to doing any kind of therapy, and that can range from $200 to $1,000. Then treating the cancer can range from a simple surgery for $1,000 all the way up to $15,000 if we’re dealing with something complicated that also needs radiation therapy and chemotherapy along with the surgery. They’re even doing bone marrow transplants for dogs with lymphoma. That can be very expensive.
(Note: These are costs for top-level treatment at a specialist hospital. Prices for less involved options at a general veterinary practice may be much less. Costs may also vary a lot depending on where you live.)

Q: What’s the cure rate for dogs with cancer?
A: Overall, for all malignancies that we see, it’s probably in the 60-plus percent range. There are a lot of patients out there with just lumps and bumps that are being taken off by their regular veterinarian and they have a very good long-term prognosis.
Now if the cancers are left untreated, we’re talking survival times in the months, not years.

Holly is going to be getting chemotherapy and we will all be praying that she makes a full recovery.

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Wacky Sale Wednesdays!!!


Did you know that Foppers is home of the original iced dog? The owner, Michelle, was the one who designed the decorated dogs first. Any others that look like hers are just copycats. Just a reminder, tomorrow is Wacky Sale Wednesday where you will get 10%  off ANY EVERYDAY DOG (Yogurt, Carob, and Peanut Butter) !!!! Feel free to order whatever kind you want. This offer is only good on Wednesday. You can place your order early, but we won’t put it on the floor till the day of the sale.

For any questions you may have please feel free contact us by phone or email


 81023-Peanut Butter Dogs with Light Blue Collars
               12 per box for NORMALLY $10.00,    
                now only $9.00









42300-Carob Dogs with Red Collars
               12 per box for NORMALLY $10.00,    
                now only $9.00
 42500-Yogurt Dogs with Red Collars
               12 per box for NORMALLY $10.00,    
                now only $9.00

Friday, March 23, 2012

NEW items on The Bon Ton online store

Once again, the bakery is in full force and today they are making cinnamon squares. The smell is delectable. We now have new treats on The Bon Ton Store website. Gift Sets for spring, Easter and Memorial Day. Make sure that your pup has something special to munch on for Easter. Get your gift sets now. 156-158 pieces of delectable gourmet dog treats. Foppers takes pride that all of our treats are hand decorated. Be sure to check all of them out!

http://www.bonton.com/shop/?catalogId=10051&storeId=10001&langId=-1&query=foppers&as_fid=828167393

If rain is headed your way, be sure to keep pets inside or make sure that they have a place to stay dry if they are an outside pet. Have a wonderful weekend.

Thursday, March 22, 2012

NEW at Foppers

Did you miss out on the sale going on yesterday? Well, don't worry. Foppers has decided to have a sale on Wednesdays from now on. Check here on Foppers blog, on Twitter or our Facebook site for information on the sale that is going on. We will update information every Tuesday.

Now get out and enjoy the sunshine and warm weather with your furry best friend!

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Something Smells Good

The bakery department sure knows how to bake treats. From the office, the smell is heavenly. Not that I would ever eat a treat. I have had my fair share of them and they're not that bad. The little wheat-free mini bones with yogurt are the best! They just might break your teeth though. With the smell of delicious dog treats in the air, Foppers is getting ready for spring and Easter.

For today only, we are having 10% off items all spring and Easter. If you haven't gotten your treats yet, now is the best time. If you already have those items, why not get a couple more spring treats? You can email, fax us or call us for your order. Don't miss out on this opportunity.

Call: 574-516-1060
Email: jlkettnich@foppers.com
Fax: 574-516-1061

Jenn

Monday, March 19, 2012

Foppers Treats are 100% MADE IN THE USA

Everyone at Foppers just wanted to take a moment of your time to let you know that Foppers gourmet pet treats are 100% made in the USA. We know that will be a comfort to you with all the recent problems of chicken treats that are made in China. Our treats are baked, decorated and packaged right here in our facility in Logansport, IN. Our ingredients are sourced in the USA as well

You will feel good about feeding your dog a dog treat from Foppers because it's all natural and you know that they aren't going to get sick.

Give your dog lots of kisses and hugs and don't forget about feeding them a Foppers treats, whether they are good or bad.

Friday, March 16, 2012

It's Friday!!!

It's Friday here at Foppers and everyone is ready for weekend! The sun is shining and it's getting warm here in Indiana. We are busy getting the catalog ready. We hope to have it done by this summer. It will be a full catalog instead of just the everyday items so we are very excited about that. Plus, we will have NEW product.

If you haven't already looked at our site, please do. We have different stores that we sell to such as overstock, kohls and walgreens. We just recently have new products for spring and summer on Meijer.com. Here is the link.....
http://www.meijer.com/catalog/search_command.cmd?keyword=foppers

Have a wonderful weekend and take your furry best friend for a walk in the sunshine!