November is right around the corner, and with it people begin to think about the fun and exciting winter holidays we wait all year for to return complete with turkey and stuffing, visiting family and friends, Christmas decorations, lights, candles, lots and lots of food, and in some areas - snow! But I'd like to take today's Blog the Change for Animals (#BtC4A) and talk about celebrating something else - the canine epileptic, also known as the Epi-dog. As many of my readers and "The Sibe Vibe" listeners are aware, one of my Siberian Huskies, Gibson, was diagnosed with Canine Epilepsy shortly after his third birthday in 2009. We have since embarked upon a #LiveGibStrong awareness campaign that dogs can -- and DO -- live full, happy lives with Canine Epilepsy. Over the years, through our campaign, my first children's book What's Wrong With Gibson? Learning About K-9 Epilepsy (ArcticHouse Publishing), and through social media, I've met so many wonderful pe...

 

Wolf samples a taste of the cool, yummy white stuff. The Pupsters ~ Wolf, Chloe, and Bandit ~ were just three years old. Puppies still, actually (especially if you are Siberian Huskies). It was quite a surprise when the FiveSibe kids heard the ping-ping of snow hitting the brightly colored Autumn leaves here in the Hudson Valley. Was that rain? A tip of a head looks quizzically at the tree. Ping. Ping. Ping-Ping-Ping! And then it came...the soft quietly falling snowflakes that can enter our world so peacefully and beautifully. Seeing the snow sprinkled about the warm colors of fall was a site to behold! We only had four inches, but oh, it was a fun time at the FiveSibes homestead! What made me think of Snowtober 2011 for today's Flashback Friday? I was reading a post this morning over on a friend's Facebook page that stated today Whiteface Mountain in Wilmington, NY received their first dusting of snow yesterday...so it's not too far away! Will we have another ...

Last night's sky was a scene of beauty with the full Blood Moon, followed by a lunar eclipse. The moon was so large and bright, it cast a beautiful glow across the land and bathed our our Sibe kids in golden light. We hope you had a chance to see this night vision! "May you have warm words on a cold evening, a full moon on a dark night, and a smooth road all the way to your door." ~Irish Blessing

Think Purple! As many of you know, my wooly Husky Gibson was diagnosed with idiopathic Canine Epilepsy five years ago shortly after his third birthday. We've been on an awareness campaign ever since to bring information, resources contacts, and support to other folks who have Epi-dogs, or those who are just experiencing this very scary disorder for the first time. In conjunction with November being National Epilepsy Awareness Month , #FiveSibes have teamed up with AFA - Auctions For Animals for the first ever #LiveGibStrong K-9 Epilepsy Awareness Online Auction! Profits from the auction will benefit the Canine Epilepsy Resources Epil-K9 Foundation AND The Wally Foundation- canine epilepsy !   Bidding has not yet begun (not until November 1st at 10 AM and closes November 15th at 8 PM), but we are looking for donations of new items, services, or goods for the auction (they don't have to be Siberian Husky, or dog-related. While we do, of course, have some of those, ...

Update on Gibson: Today was Gibson's in-home K-LaserUSA therapy treatment and he had lots of kisses for one of his fave vet techs. After a little rest, we took a brief walk and relaxed together on the front lawn. He can only walk a very short distance, but this is such a huge achievement, it just swells my heart!  Back story for folks who may not know: Gibson lives with weak hind end issues as a side effect of his epilepsy meds, and Christmas Eve he slipped on ice during a snow storm and went down, became lame, and has CCL tears. He was on meds, in a leg brace, a lift harness, supplements, and continuous in-home laser treatments. After a month-and-a-half, the leg brace came off (okay, he chewed it off), and we have continued with the lift-harness and laser herapy sessions. To view previous posts on Gibson's journey, visit HERE , and a little later on HERE . Just a few weeks ago we hit a big milestone as he was ready to start on brief solo walks sans harness! ...

Just recently, my heart swelled with joy to see 20 paws back on the ground at the same time. The last time all FiveSibes were running together freely like in the above flashback photo was the summer of 2012 before our Chloe blew out both her legs due to CCL and meniscus deformities her vets and we suspect she had since birth due to poor genetics. As many of you know, her brother Wolf underwent the same imbrication surgeries - twice - as both of his over the course of a year also blew out. And big brother Gibson, who diagnosed with Canine Epilepsy at age three and has lived with hind end weakness as a side effect to his medication, had a bad fall on the ice during a sudden snow storm last Christmas Eve that caused him to become lame. I had been rehabbing him since, and he is now miraculously walking brief distances on his own! So to once again see them "20 paws on the ground" is indeed a joy. While I know they will now not be able to all run wild and carefree again like in...