Happy Monday! 

I'm excited to share that me and Soph have entered a photo contest supporting the Baypath Humane Society of Hopkinton (baypathhumane.org):

Baypath Humane Society of Hopkinton is dedicated to providing shelter, care, humane treatment and loving homes for stray or unwanted companion animals. We seek to serve our community by fostering relationships, promoting education and making a positive impact on pet overpopulation.

Check out this year's entrants my.360photocontest.com/baypathhumane and vote for your favorite fluffy friend.  I hope that I snag enough votes to make it in the calendar and if I do, perhaps my costume will secure my October spot! 

Until Next Time,
-Sam (your friendly court jester)

Three years and counting with one full year completely off all medication.  Its been another good year - I'm still in remission and I feel amazing.  I have been going every 4 months or so to get some bloodwork just to keep an eye on things.  At this point its being more cautious than anything because we won't know when it may hit again.  However, on this last check up my doctor thinks we can start doing every 6 months or longer.  I'm all for waiting longer because I HATE THE VET. I'm sure I'm not the only one out there who feels this way.  I really appreciate everything they did for me because I wouldn't be here BUT that doesn't mean I want to see them.  Anyway, that's my update.  

Until Next Time,
​-Sam

…to me! It’s been 2 years since I was first diagnosed with IMHA and I’m happy to report that I’m still in remission.  Things have been going so well that my doctor recommended that I stop my last medication (immunosuppressant).  In 2-3 weeks, I go back to get my blood checked to make sure that I’m continuing to hold steady.  I don't remember what a day is like without having some form of medication so it’s very exciting.  I’m hopeful that I will continue to remain in remission for many, many years!

Until next time,
-Sam

The makers of iFetch designed a fun ball launcher that requires these small, blue tennis balls.  Our mom thought it would be a good idea to get the ball launcher.  Most dogs like to play fetch, and we are no different.  The launcher is a blast except we don’t drop the ball into the hole.  We just bring the ball back for mom to put it in.  If either Sophie or I choose to do it instead, the other one is just waiting to snatch it away.  That’s no fun!  
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Originally, Sophie was the one who was all about the ball and the launcher.  Of course, I got a little jealous of my sister because she was getting all the attention.  So, I decided to join in the fun.  Now it’s all about me and the ball.  I cannot get enough of it.  The size, the color (blue is one of the colors we can detect), smell, etc. is unique to the iFetch balls.  Any other ball just won’t do.  Believe me, mom has tried.  I don’t know why I love them so much but it’s like my safety blanket.  I have one in my mouth most of the time and will even fall asleep with it.  I especially love a new one.  The smell drives me wild.  Mom restricts new balls to once a week or maybe twice if I go to the vet.  There’s always one in her pocket for after we are done with the visit.   It is officially my favorite toy and there’s no substitution for it!  

Until next time,
-Sam

I put my paw to paper and began outlining my vision for the children’s book once I returned home from the hospital.  Who shall be the star?  Me of course!  What is the storyline? That is where I got stuck. I had to solicit some help from mom (no surprise).  After some good brainstorming, we landed on a story centered around my favorite toy.  It took us about a month to put the story together.  In parallel, we were researching illustrators.  We knew we needed a professional, as I am not a very good artist. We were fortunate enough to find a very talented illustrator willing to work with a first-time author.  It was a lot of work (but fun) tweaking the story, reviewing the illustrations, deciding on the cover art, etc.  It took just over 3 months to get the final book completed.  It was an aggressive schedule, but we wanted it available for the holidays and it kept my mind off all the monthly check-ups.

Now that we had a book, we needed to publish it.  There are so many decisions that go into self-publishing a book that it can be overwhelming.  Do we want hardcover or softcover?  What kind of quality of paper, size, jacket cover, etc.?   Some of these decisions we needed to make when the book was being designed as it influenced the layout.  It took time to land on a service that worked for us.  We went with IngramSpark based on the options and cost.  After uploading the book, it took less than a week for their internal QC process.  Once you sign off on the proof, it's available for sale.  There is some work happening behind the scenes to prepare the book for distribution, including setting the prices for all the markets.  They do have a helpful guide that goes through what is needed and you can always research best practices.  I ordered a copy before releasing it just to make sure it was perfect.  It was such an incredible feeling seeing it all come together. 

I learned so much during this process about writing and publishing.  Never underestimate what you can do when you put your mind to it. 

Thanks for stopping by!
-Samantha

People have asked how I got into writing children's books. Well, when you spend 2 weeks at the animal hospital, you have a lot of time on your paws.  I saw the cute faces of all my fellow inmates (I mean patients), all relieved they were getting their treatments.  I wondered how I could help.  So began the journey of writing my very first book.  I plan to help furry friends in need through the sale of these books.  I’ve sold just over 200 copies of both books.  It’s not a lot yet, but enough money was made to donate to a local humane society to provide vaccines to pets eagerly awaiting adoption.  Sure, I can just ask my mom to donate but we can have a bigger impact through these books.  Not only by raising money but by entertaining adults and children through the stories.  At least that’s the hope!
 
Until next time,
-Sam      

Many people may not be familiar with Pekingese dogs unless you like to watch dogs shows.  We are part of the Toy Group and always make an appearance.  Pekingese have even won Best in Show - Go Wasabi!   We are not usually out and about, unless its Winter time. With our fur coats and smooshed noses (technical term - Brachycephalic), its best we stay inside or we may overheat.  Not that we don't like to go outside year round but we will last much longer in the Winter. 

We created a fun little Ode to Pekingese highlighting some of our signature traits.  While not every Peke is equal, you'll probably recognize some of the behaviors if you had a Peke as part of your family or know someone who does.  

Best,
Sam & Sophie

Hi! I'm Samantha.  If you haven't read my story, I encourage you to do so.  It provides a little background on why I am here.  I never thought IMHA would affect me at such a tender age.  One minute I was going for a walk and enjoying life, the next minute, I started having seizure like symptoms due to the reduced amount of circulating red blood cells (not enough oxygen).  Other than that, I was displaying no other clinical symptoms.  I was eating and playing just like I normally do.  Thankfully my vigilant care-taker (aka mom) knew something was not right and off we went to the emergency vet.  All looked well to the doctors who reported out that I may have a pinched nerve.  Being the ever so cautious mom that she is, she asked the doctor to go ahead and perform blood work to be 100% certain nothing else was lurking.  It was a good thing she did as my packed cell volume (PCV) was at 23%.  Normal is between 35-55%.  Needless to say I was not as healthy on the inside as I looked on the outside.  Several blood transfusions later, I was still not stabilizing.  It was then that the TPE treatment was offered as a potential option.  TPE was successful in removing all the "bad stuff" from my plasma, allowing my body to recover.  It wasn't an easy battle but almost two years later, I am going strong and still in remission.  I am down to my last immunosuppressant but I'm keeping my paws crossed that I will be able to wean off this last one.  Here's some good reading on the process in case you're interested in learning more about TPE.

https://www.mspca.org/angell_services/therapeutic-plasma-exchange-an-emerging-treatment-strategy-for-canine-imha/

Thanks for stopping by!
-Sam