Good morning. i just spoke with Anna and she said the Pet scan showed a "spot" on her spine that could possibly be from trauma to her spine in the past, which she can't recall having. She has an appointment for an MRI and a bone density test on April 2nd. She will see the oncologist again on April 17th but will start the pill form of chemo now. The way I see it is that she's not quite out of the woods....yet. I so appreciate the care, prayers and support of my "friends on the forum". Thank you so very much. jude

What great news to hear this evening. Continued good thoughts going out to Anna.

Hello, again. Just thought I'd give you an update on my situation with the neighbors. I had literally just gotten home from taking family members to the airport, after a week's stay with us. We all spent the weekend a few hours away with my mom and the rest of my siblings and got in late last night. Then found out last night that my quadraplegic nephew (whose mother, my oldest sister, just passed away in November) has developed infections from surgery on his spine, and had to be moved to a long-term care facility to recuperate. So,needless to say, I am exhausted, I need to do laundry and put my house in order, am very much on edge because of my nephew's situation, and preparing to hopefully spend a quiet Christmas with my husband. I was on the phone with one of my sisters when the doorbell rang. It was the neighbor who has the kitten, the same person whom I told several weeks ago that I was going to be very busy during the holidays, with company, in and out of town, etc. I answered the door, she saw that I was on the phone, and still insisted that I come to her house. I said I'm on the phone long distance, is there an emergency? She proceeded to tell me that they were going out of town, and it wasn't a big deal, but if the weather got cold, would I put the kitten in the garage! I asked how long where they going to be gone, and she said a week! A WEEK! So, with my sister still on the phone, I calmly yet firmly told her I just couldn't do it anymore, that I was not comfortable doing it, and that it wasn't fair to the other neighbors, who I had also refused to sit their pets (that was a little lie, because they had not asked me, but I'm sure, they will attempt to, in time.) She looked hurt and shocked that I would say no, and said well, I guess I could ask someone else to do it. I said that would be a good idea. Who leaves their pet outside for a week in the wintertime (or anytime for that matter?) I really thought she got the message when I told her a few weeks ago how busy I was, but some people just take more work, I guess. The ironic thing is her religion does not believe in or celebrate holidays, including Christmas, yet I'm supposed to interrupt my time with my family to take care of her business. Nope, won't be happening. To those of you who celebrate, Merry Christmas!

Nope. Until they set universal standards for radio frequencies used and encoding I am not a fan. There are two major companies that make microchips for pets. One does provide a universal scanner and the other does not at least not the last time I checked. Vet offices use one company and the the humane society uses another. In order to scan a dog up a place has to have up to four different scanners in some areas to properly read a microchip in a lost pet. Most don't invest in them. many humane societies don't bother even though they say they do. Not because they are heartless but the sheer amount of animals they intake and all that's really involved. Pets are scanned during intake if there is time. Registries are checked when there is time. Time is not a huge commodity at the shelters. Most people see the nice adopt-a-pet area in the front.They don't see the chaos in the back where the intake, treatment and hospital facilities are. Short staffing is rampant. At night there may only be one person on site if there is anyone at all. If the human society finds one their own chips it's a bit easier. But and it's a big but even if they pick up a code that code has to be registered. Someone has to contact that registry. Those registries are frequently not up to take. Sometimes someone at their end had omitted entering the pet owner's contact information at all. Often owners move and don't contact the registries to update their info. Sometimes they try to update but it still falls through the cracks. Many have complained about the process of getting their contact information updated with some of the companies. One more problem which is extremely rare but does happen is a pet being inadvertently chipped twice, Two chips in one animal cancel out the ability for the scanner used to read them. Chipping in theory is a great idea. But every other detail has to fall into place also. Until there are universal standards for all scanners and registries I won't participate. One more downside is that chipping often leads to owner complacency. Just because an animal is chipped doesn't mean it's ok omit other identification. A dog should always be wearing a collar with updated contact information at all times. Always. I recommend the kind that slides over the collar itself as opposed to tags since it is less likely to fall off and doesn't wear down to the point of being unreadable like most hang tags do. Have a good recent picture of your animal to be able to post just in case. There are lost pet posters available that can be filled out ahead of time just in case. If you lose an animal don't count on the chip or the ID tag. call ALL the shelters in your area. Find out who the animal rescues are and call them. Put your flyers up not just in your neighborhood but but in EVERY vets office and pet food place you can find.