Author #FiveSibesMom & Her #FiveSibes
"When you live with Siberian Huskies, you always have a story to tell!"
Purple Day®: Supporting Canine Epilepsy Worldwide Blog Hop & Our New Epilepsy Book Release!
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Today is International Purple Day® in support of Epilepsy across the world. I'm very proud to be an official Amabassador for my fourth consecutive year.Today, we are hosting our first annual Purple Day Blog Hop! Please sure to see how you can join in this very important event at the end of this post!
Each year, Gibson and I join in the worldwide
effort of
bringing awareness, education, information, resources, and
support to people about Canine Epilepsy. We also hope to help dispel
some of the fear associated with seizure disorders and to let folks know
they are not alone. We are here for you and hope we can successfully
steer you in the right direction for assistance.
What is Purple Day®?
According to PurpleDay.org, “Cassidy Megan created the idea
of Purple Day in 2008, motivated by her own struggles with epilepsy. Cassidy's
goal is to get people talking about epilepsy in an effort to dispel myths and
inform those with seizures that they are not alone. The Epilepsy Association of
Nova Scotia (EANS) came on board in 2008 to help develop Cassidy's idea, which
is now known as the Purple Day for Epilepsy campaign. In 2009, the New
York-based Anita Kaufmann Foundation and EANS joined forces to launch Purple
Day internationally" to support Epilepsy worldwide.
Epi-dogs are:
Sled Dogs
Skijoring Dogs
Bikjoring Dogs
Urban Mushing Dogs
Dock Diving Dogs
Show Dogs
Flyball Dogs
Hiking Dogs
Swimming Dogs
Jogging Companions
Picnic Fans
Frisbee Champs
Therapy Dogs
Service Dogs
Treat Lovers
Travel Companions
Couch Potatoes
Our Best Friends
I'd like to once again share my FiveSibes Purple Day® video about Purple Day featuring some of these beautiful Epi-dogs from across the world sporting purple in honor of supporting Canine Epilepsy around the world:
Today also marks the formal release of my latest book, EPIc Dog Tales: Heartfelt Stories about Amazing Dogs Living & Loving Life With Canine Epilepsy (ArcticHouse Publishing). As many of you know, this has been a very special project near and dear to my heart that I've been working on for the past two years. The 264-page large coffee-style book contains 122 stories about, and color photographs of 124, amazing Epi-dogs from across the world, many you may already know! This book also contains an extensive resource list from my own library of research, as well as recommended resources, Canine Epilepsy comparative chart from past surveys I've conducted, informative quotes from veterinarians and fellow Epi-dog parents, and much more. It is my hope that through these stories and the resources included, anyone who is faced with Canine Epilepsy will never feel alone and have a "go to" resource book for helpful hints, tips, and resources.
Gib with first copies hot off presses!
This book had a soft pre-release to those who had Epi-stars
featured in the book and the reviews have been wonderful! My hope is that through this book, I can help others who may be going through what I did when Gibson first became an Epi-dog. A portion of sales will also help support the "Emma's Seizure Fund" through the Epil-K9 Foundation (home of the Canine Epilepsy Resources and Epil-K9 List), which is house at the North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine.
Our Purple Day Epilepsy Awareness episode of "The Sibe Vibe" on Dog Works Radio featured Kimberley Matchem of Alberta, Canada, author of Confessions of a Rescue Momblog, animal advocate, and Epi-dog mom to "Rolo," who is also one of the Epi-stars in my new book EPIc Dog Tales. We talk all about Canine Epilepsy advocacy, awareness, and outreach. You can tune in here any time, or you can also listen to the this episode, as well as all of our past episodes on iTunes. And be sure to listen to the very end of the show when "Rolo" says "hi!"
Another great resource is the Paws to People: Bridges to Cures (P2P) site. This grassroots organization based in New Mexico, is "committed to furthering
comparative studies research in catastrophic diseases (such as Epilepsy, Cancer, etc.)
to save the lives
of humans and pets." Be sure to get on their newsletter, Pulse, mailing list, too! In this month's March issue, check out my article "March Springs Hope for Epilepsy Awareness." Read full newsletter HERE.
Sneak peak at P2P's Pulse
This past September we started a survey to see what, if any, effects solar flares, lunar phases, and weather & atmospheric changes had on Epi-dogs. The results, which will be shared with North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine for possible expanded study, has been bringing in very interesting results. If you have not yet taken the survey, please do take a moment and answer the one question HERE. Your replies are very important to us to get an idea of the type of effects these types of phenomena have on dogs with seizures.
In Honor of Epi-Dogs & Epi-Angels Worldwide
This year again we are featuring a Purple Day for (K9) Epilepsy 2015 Photo Album over on our FiveSibes: Siberian Husky K9 News & Reviews Facebook page, so feel free to share your purple pics!
It's a public community page, so even if you don't "do" Facebook, you
are welcome to come visit and look around. We do hope you'll stop by and
see these beautiful Epi-dogs from across the globe.
Gibson would like to remind anyone who would like to purchase a copy of our What's Wrong With Gibson? Learning About K-9 Epilepsy book,
a percentage of proceeds will be donated to the Canine Epilepsy
Resources "Emma's Fund" through the North Carolina State College of
Veterinary Medicine. To purchase a copy, visit our publishing website HERE. This book is a great tool for helping young children learn about epilepsy in a light, educational manner without any fear. It's also a favorite among Siberian Husky lovers of all ages!
It's All About the Treats, the Treats...
(Update: House Woof is sadly no longer in business).
I'd like to take this opportunity to welcome House Woof K-9 Dog Biscuits
to their second year as Purple Day Ambassadors! Representing Vermont, they have joined
in the "Live Gib Strong" K-9 Epilepsy Awareness effort in many ways,
including their development of our namesake dog treats, "Gibbie Snacks," formulated by House Woof with the Epi-dog in mind - never any salt, rosemary, wheat, or preservatives added and always made bakery fresh! PLUS - they donate $1/bag of "Gibbie Snacks" purchased to the The Wally Foundation for Canine Epilepsy that offers possible financial assistance to families, fosters, and rescues of dogs diagnosed with idiopathic epilepsy.
House Wolf is sadly no longer in business. We do miss their "Gibbie Snacks."
Time to join our Blog Hop & network Purple Day Canine Epilepsy Awareness with others!
Thank you so much for "going purple" with us and joining in our very special Purple Day® Blog Hop! Please post the badge above (go right ahead and cut & paste) and include a link back to our blog here, and don't forget to grab the code below to be sure your blog post is listed in the network! And then be sure to visit all the great blogs participating listed below to see what they are doing this Purple Day! *Blog Hop Open All Week~Join in Any Time!*
Oh boy!!! I forgot it was today, not sure why I was thinking it wasn't for a couple days!!! WIll the hop still be open tomorrow? I can put it with Flashback Fridays if it is. Congrats on your book release too! ღ husky hugz ღ frum our pack at Love is being owned by a husky!
Hi there. Thank you for hosting this blog hop. Epileptic animals can live long and happy lives with a little bit of help. Loving the information and Gibson is gorgeous!
Thank you, Sue and WDA and thank you, too, for being a wonderful resource for others to go to and providing that "bridge." I'm glad we can be in this "fight" for awareness together! The Mighty Quinn is very proud of his momma! Together, we CAN do this!
FiveSibes #Flashback Photo ~ Gibson & His Purple Pumpkin ~ 2014 W oo! Or, should I say Booooo! It's that time of the year when pumpkin hunting and carving is fun thing to do! And, while we are all busy carving and displaying our artworks on the gourds, did you remember to make a purple pumpkin? "Woo! What's in my purple pumpkin? Treats?!" ~Gibson/FiveSibes A Purple pumpkin? What?! If you've been a FiveSibes follower, you know how important the color of purple is to us, and why Purple Pumpkins are a staple here.If you are new to us here at FiveSibes, I initially joined in the Purple Pumpkin Project because we made our pumpkin purple for my Epi-dog Gibson. So, you might be asking yourself, Why was Gibson's pumpkin purple? For Canine Epilepsy Awareness! You can read more about it in our video further down in this post, or by visiting a previous explanatory post HERE. Follow the Purple Pumpkin Project on Facebook! In a pumpkin shell—as many of y
*Updated March 2022 Our Vet-Approved FiveSibes #LiveGibStrong "Cooling Down an Epi-Dog: Where Do I Put Cold Packs?" Informational Poster Poster Is A Great Resource for: ✔︎ Veterinarian Offices ✔︎ Vet ER Hospitals ✔︎ Rescues & Shelters ✔︎ Dog Wardens & Animal Control Officers ✔︎ Trainers ✔︎ Groomers ✔︎ Dog Walkers ✔︎ Dog Parks ✔︎ Pet Supply Stores & Boutiques ✔︎ Dog Friendly Businesses ✔︎ Police Departments ✔︎ Fire Departments To request FREE* printed copies, simply send an Email with #Paws4Purple Materials in Subject line and what you'd like copies of and how many, to: Debra@AKFUS.org of the Purple Day® Every Day as Presented by The Anita Kaufmann Foundation For More Info on Canine Epilepsy, Please Visit Our #LiveGibStrong Online Library & Resource Page HERE. Here's a great tip, diagram and explanation from Tallgrass Acupuncture Institute as to why ice on certain acupressure points can be a relief for a dog with seizures and
Dewclaws. Such an unnecessary evil for a dog. In August, I noticed Harley limping. At 11-and-a-half, she is a bit stiff-legged at times from arthritis, but this was a more pronounced limp and she was having an extra tough time sitting down. She seemed very uncomfortable. She was also becoming a bit snarley, especially when I was touching her paw, which is something that never typically bothers her. Upon further checking, I noticed an odd lump around her dewclaw on her right leg, thinking it was possibly a pulled dewclaw, maybe a splinter, thistle, or even a bee sting , she became extremely agitated when I touched it. (Warning: some photos may be somewhat graphic, but I am sharing for educational purposes). Oddity beneath the dew claw. Off to the vet we went. At the vet, Harley is protective of her paw by hiding it . Harley's paw was shaved and it uncovered a very large inflamed area surrounding the dewclaw and beyond, as you can see in the below photo
Original photo by and courtesy of Lisa Byrd; modified by FiveSibes The Rainbow Bridge must be some (p)awesome place to be for it has so many amazing, beautiful angel animals there. My beloved Gibson is there. As is my Chelsey, Sandy, kitty Smokie, bunny Sunny, my fox Ah, many horses, and so many others pets. We have many furfriends who have also crossed The Rainbow Bridge. All of these beloved animals are there...so healthy and happy, with all the dogs enjoying their zoomies and playing Fetch all day in a land that is eternally beautiful. Sounds perfect. Only catch is when our devoted companions are there, we can no longer physically be with them. So while they are in a place where the spirit soars, our hearts are broken as we are missing them here with us. It is a hurt we all as pet parents now way too well. And today, as unbelievable as it seems as I write this, we have to bid a final farewell to another dear furpal, Buddy, the Christmas Husky , who has now earned his w
Born on March 10, 2005, our beautiful alpha queen, pupster surrogate momma, and my daughter's and our first Siberian Husky, turns 14½ today! You may be wondering why are we celebrating her half birthday? Because, as heartbreaking as it is, we now know she will not be here in March to celebrate her 15th Birthday as I once had hoped. Heartfelt thanks to Ann at Zoolatry for this beautiful badge. Thank you all who are sharing it and joining paws for our girl. As amazing and strong as our queen has been, and how proud I have been of how she still could outrun Pupsters Wolf and Bandit, still splash in her pool like a puppy, tear up a dog bed like there's no tomorrow, and chase her tail until the sun sets, our beloved Husky leader has also been dealing with health issues that we have been treating, but are now slowing her down and, heartbreakingly we are preparing ourselves for her journey, that we as pet parents all dread, to the Rainbow Bridge. “Dogs' lives a
Gibson would like to remind anyone who would like to purchase a copy of our What's Wrong With Gibson? Learning About K-9 Epilepsy book,
a percentage of proceeds will be donated to the Canine Epilepsy
Resources "Emma's Fund" through the North Carolina State College of
Veterinary Medicine. To purchase a copy, visit our publishing website HERE. This book is a great tool for helping young children learn about epilepsy in a light, educational manner without any fear. It's also a favorite among Siberian Husky lovers of all ages!
Oh boy!!! I forgot it was today, not sure why I was thinking it wasn't for a couple days!!! WIll the hop still be open tomorrow? I can put it with Flashback Fridays if it is.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your book release too!
ღ husky hugz ღ frum our pack at Love is being owned by a husky!
Yes! Great idea! 😊
ReplyDeleteHi there. Thank you for hosting this blog hop. Epileptic animals can live long and happy lives with a little bit of help. Loving the information and Gibson is gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteThank you Jessica, for stopping by! It's always wonderful to hear from a veterinarian, and I'm so thrilled you came by. Gibson thanks you, too!
DeleteWonderful information! Your post is filled with hope and light! The White Dog Army is proud to share this blog hop.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sue and WDA and thank you, too, for being a wonderful resource for others to go to and providing that "bridge." I'm glad we can be in this "fight" for awareness together! The Mighty Quinn is very proud of his momma! Together, we CAN do this!
Delete