And you can see Kady's segment on the local news right here . If the clip isn't there, type "vaccine" into the search box and it will come up.

vaccine info

Here is more information on Kady's vaccine.

Inspired

I think my long-dormant artist self — my serious artist self — is stirring with these photos. I've found a form that intrigues me in the same way the primary forms used in my senior comps intrigued me.

I am also interested in the implied communication in these images (just a few of which are shown here.) I've seen it in my Chicago Art Institute North Garden flower portraits, too. Perhaps it is my message? I need to go back to school and do an MFA. Not because I need an MFA, but because I need some structure to get back to doing life work.

Sophie as Will 'O The Wisp

Sophie

Sophie is a big girl. She has a very short attention span, except when she finds something to chase in the woods. She means well, for the most part, but she is just so big and gangly and young. She definitely needs a playmate.

Photoshop vs. the camera

On the left is the unaltered image from the camera. On the right is the same image with the selection "auto levels" chosen in Photoshop. Interesting. I think the untouched image is closer to what I saw.

Weekend at the Lodge

Sophie has a new post-skunk haircut. They even trimmed her ears so she looks like she has a fashionable bob. So she has now been porcupined and skunked, and she treed a bear. What's left? Britt says, "Start over again at porcupines."

I kept Kady and Sasha apart, so there was no grumpiness. Kady and Sophie get along fine. When Sophie gets too beligerant, Kady rolls her over on her back, jumps on top of her and play-growls in her face, her little stump wagging the whole time.

There was only one Cujo incident and I saved myself by sticking the magazine I was reading in Sophie's mouth. She forgot all about biting me. At the start of a possible second incident, I yelled for Kady to help me, and she looked concerned but didn't come to my rescue. I guess she knew I wasn't really in danger.

All's Well

Kady did just fine at the Vet School Monday. She received her first treatment via a new transdermal device and everything went well. Kady has a little shaved patch on her inner thigh and a tiny red dot in the middle of it. She was very sprongy yesterday, she seems a little more sleepy today, but overall she is her normal self!

Dr. Lawrence says Kady looks great, that she is more mobile than the last time she saw Kady and she seems to have less joint effussion.

Meanwhile, I talked to the press officer at Merial, the maker of the vaccine, and she sent me some additional literature on the vaccine. It explains how the vaccine works and cites the studies--which I plan to read, also.

Here's how the vaccine works: Tyrosinase is a protein present on canine melanoma cells, but the immune system ignores it because it's also present on normal cells. The vaccine is made with a human gene for tyrosinase that is inserted into a small ring of DNA (not sure if it's dog or human DNA--probably dog). The human protein is different enough from the dog version that an immune response happens, but similar enough that the immune response attacks the protein on the canine melanoma cells.

Pretty cool, huh? So, as a reminder, it is NOT a sure thing, but it's the best course of action available, and I am trying to generate positive, healing vibes for Kady, so please take a minute to do the same.

The Big Day

Kady will receive her first treatment of the brand new Merial melanoma vaccine today. This is the first therapeutic vaccine for the treatment of cancer — in either animals or humans — approved by the U.S. government. Kady is the first dog to receive it at the UW. The UW Vet School had been making their own vaccine, but only as a sort of "home brew," it wasn't approved for sale, and patients made donations to a research foundation to receive it. The UW discontinued their vaccine when the Merial one became available because the Merial vaccine has proven more effective in clinical trials.

It's not a sure thing; melanoma is a very aggressive cancer. But clinical studies demonstrated vaccinated dogs had significantly longer life spans, even dogs with advanced stages of melanoma. The median survival rate of the initial study was 389 days.

I'm not positive, but I think Kady is only Stage 1, because the tumor was entirely removed with clean margins and metastasis to lungs and/or lymph nodes has not occurred.

It's a lot easier to deal with this by being very clinical and scientific :)

Kady and Cecil

I should note that Cecil weighs about 150 pounds. He is an American bulldog. There's another one who lives on the square.

Cecil

This is Cecil. He is JD and Brynn's boy. He is just the sweetest thing -- calm, stoic. Kady wasn't so impressed. I think he freaked her out.

Some odd pictures of Kady and Sophie. Some of the pix from my cell phone have great rez, but these are teeny and grainy. Hmmm.

Mobile modality

I finally figured out how to download pix from my cell phone. OK, there wasn't much to figure out--just plug the USB cable into the phone and then into the computer.

At the Riviera in Las Vegas, one of the last standing old school smoke-filled, ass-nasty casinos on the strip is a Long Island diner style coffee shop called Kady's.

I love and hate Kady's. I love the breakfasts I had with Allan from Predator, feeding the sparrows, early mornngs during the BCA tournament. I hate the service, the other patrons. It was sort of a game to try to get the wait staff to accomodate you.

Anyway, they spell the name right.