Sniffing Out Canine Cancer: Early Detection with Moose's March
In this episode, Isabel sits down with Tricia Montgomery, the inspiring founder of Moose's March. Fueled by the loss of her beloved dog, Moose, Tricia established this organization to shed light on pet cancer.
Together, they delve into the heartbreaking reality of pet cancer, discussing early detection, prevention, and the resources available to pet owners. Through their shared love of animals and a commitment to making a difference, Isabel and Tricia offer hope and guidance to those facing this challenging situation.
Listen to Episode #112 Now:
BIO:
Tricia Montgomery is the visionary behind Moose's March, a 501c3 organization dedicated to making early detection of pet cancer accessible to everyone regardless of gender, race or income level.
A senior executive with over 25 years' experience in animal welfare and pet industry, she has the skills necessary to bring leadership, program development and visibility that will generate growth and resources for her mission.
With expertise in proactive strategic leadership, global research & market trends, fundraising and corporate social responsibility as well as public speaking & media relations – plus an innate ability to influence stakeholders – Tricia drives her mission of "Marching for More Memories" towards success.
She is committed to creating a future where early detection of pet cancer leads toward better outcomes for all animals – achieving lasting impact through excellence in leading initiatives with vision and innovation.
Transcript:
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Announcer: This is Pet Life Radio.
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Announcer: Let's talk pets.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Welcome to Covered In Pet Hair, a boozy show for pet lovers on Pet Life Radio.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: I'm your host, Isabel Alvarez Arata, and today I have the pleasure of having a drink and a chat with a lady that is passionate about pets and their people.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: We will be right back after these messages from our sponsors.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Hi, I'm Isabel Alvarez Arata, the host of Covered In Pet Hair.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: You know the expression, cats have nine lives?
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Well, what if you could give them one more?
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: A GiveThemTen movement is on a mission to help give cats an extra life.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: How?
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: With spay and neuter.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Spaying and neutering your cat helps them live a longer, healthier life.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: And it helps control re-roaming cat populations too.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Learn more about the benefits of spay and neuter and meet Scooter, the neutered cat, at givethemten.org, that's GiveThem T-E-N dot org.
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Announcer: Let's Talk Pets on petliferadio.com.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Welcome back to Covered In Pet Hair.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: I'm your host, Isabel Alvarez Arata, and today I have the pleasure of having a drink and a chat with a pet parent, a published author.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: She's an entrepreneur, an adventure seeker, a road tripper and a wine snob.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: She's a world traveler, a fitness fanatic.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: She co-hosts the podcast Pets Are Family with a friend of mine, Jessica Abernathy, who used to volunteer with me on the NAPS board of directors.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: She is originally from Chicago, currently goes between Georgia and Florida.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: She is founder of Moose's March, a testament to her soul dog, Moose's brave spirit.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: It's a way in which she ensures that Moose's memory lives on to help other pets and their families, especially those who cannot afford care, specifically when facing cancer diagnoses.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Her name is Tricia Montgomery.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Welcome, Tricia.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: It's so good to have you on the show.
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Tricia Montgomery: It is an honor to be here.
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Tricia Montgomery: I love you and I am so excited to be here.
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Tricia Montgomery: To give a legacy to Moose and to be part of your lovely podcast.
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Tricia Montgomery: I love it.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Oh my gosh.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Thank you so much.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: I am honored to help spread the word about Moose's March.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: It sounds like Moose was a very special dog.
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Tricia Montgomery: He was.
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Tricia Montgomery: He was my heart walking outside my body, as I say, he was.
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Tricia Montgomery: He was a hot mess, just like his mom.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: All the best ones are.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: All the best dogs.
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Tricia Montgomery: He was my heart dog.
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Tricia Montgomery: You know, you had that one dog that is your soulmate and Moose was mine.
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Tricia Montgomery: And I've had plenty of dogs.
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Tricia Montgomery: I had Louis, who I lost weight with.
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Tricia Montgomery: I had, before there was a Moose, there was a Zeus who passed away of Cushing's.
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Tricia Montgomery: But Moose touched my heart in a way.
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Tricia Montgomery: I don't think any other dog did.
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Tricia Montgomery: And I don't know.
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Tricia Montgomery: I was CEO for Pawsumean Society and it was my birthday right smack dab when the pandemic started March 29th of 2020.
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Tricia Montgomery: And we had rescued him from Columbus Animal Care and Control because at Pawsumean Society and Animal Welfare, they pull animals from animal control agencies.
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Tricia Montgomery: And it was a Saturday.
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Tricia Montgomery: It was my birthday.
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Tricia Montgomery: I'm like, this birthday sucks.
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Tricia Montgomery: It is the worst birthday ever in the whole world.
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Tricia Montgomery: I didn't have any furniture.
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Tricia Montgomery: My furniture was in Chicago.
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Tricia Montgomery: And no friends, no nothing.
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Tricia Montgomery: And so I saw Moose in the background there.
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Tricia Montgomery: And I asked if I could foster him.
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Tricia Montgomery: And they made me go through a whole interview process, even though I was CEO.
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Tricia Montgomery: I still had to go through that same process.
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Tricia Montgomery: And I got to take him home with me to foster him for an overnight visit.
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Tricia Montgomery: And we got a steak.
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Tricia Montgomery: And we kind of snuggled on the couch.
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Tricia Montgomery: And he shared my food.
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Tricia Montgomery: And we just had the best weekend.
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Tricia Montgomery: He was heartworm positive.
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Tricia Montgomery: So we didn't do a lot of exercise.
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Tricia Montgomery: But I woke up in the morning.
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Tricia Montgomery: And he has this pit bull face, you know, that jealous, like, you know, looking at me like, and he never left my side.
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Tricia Montgomery: Went to work on Monday morning.
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Tricia Montgomery: And I brought him back.
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Tricia Montgomery: And I said, I can't do this because I wasn't ready for a dog actor.
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Tricia Montgomery: Zusa passed away.
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Tricia Montgomery: I kept walking back and forth, back and forth there.
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Tricia Montgomery: And the Bissell Pet Foundation event was going on.
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Tricia Montgomery: And at the time, Moose's name was Boss.
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Tricia Montgomery: And so everyone was like, oh, a bus for a boss.
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Tricia Montgomery: And so Paws actually, they wanted me to get a dog.
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Tricia Montgomery: So I'm like, I got to have him.
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Tricia Montgomery: And so I adopted him.
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Tricia Montgomery: And he never, he never left my side.
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Tricia Montgomery: Never left my side.
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Tricia Montgomery: At that time, we were deemed essential workers.
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Tricia Montgomery: And I worked from 6.30 in the morning until like 7 p.m.
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Tricia Montgomery: at nighttime.
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Tricia Montgomery: And he would go with me everywhere.
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Tricia Montgomery: I mean, everywhere.
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Tricia Montgomery: And when I say for, he never left my side.
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Tricia Montgomery: He was with me at work, at home, anywhere I went.
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Tricia Montgomery: Moose would.
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Tricia Montgomery: And he likes to cattywampus.
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Tricia Montgomery: I mean, I would cook for him.
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Tricia Montgomery: I made him have salmon, brussels, and then this dog.
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Tricia Montgomery: And we would pull up to Starbucks and the staff knew him.
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Tricia Montgomery: Everybody knew him.
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Tricia Montgomery: And then at PAWS because he was kind of the dog that people knew.
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Tricia Montgomery: And we would do pet food pantries and I would walk outside with them.
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Tricia Montgomery: And he would be there.
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Tricia Montgomery: And the community knew him.
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Tricia Montgomery: Yeah.
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Tricia Montgomery: And everybody knew him.
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Tricia Montgomery: And it was just, he was amazing.
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Tricia Montgomery: Just an amazing dog.
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Tricia Montgomery: And he liked The Bachelor.
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Tricia Montgomery: Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.
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Tricia Montgomery: It is a fan of Chimidance, you know.
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Tricia Montgomery: You know, it's called anthropomorphism and it's funny.
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Tricia Montgomery: Yes.
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Tricia Montgomery: The people that would dog sit, if I had to be away, I had to be away for an event in Talladega.
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Tricia Montgomery: We were working with a race car driver, so that created a tinkle.
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Tricia Montgomery: And my Kennedy Stone, she's like, you know, Moose is not, he's kind of lethargic.
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Tricia Montgomery: He probably misses you.
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Tricia Montgomery: And I came home and I like rap.
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Tricia Montgomery: You're all right around them.
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Tricia Montgomery: And I'm like, oh no.
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Tricia Montgomery: And he had what?
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Tricia Montgomery: Four nodes.
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Tricia Montgomery: Uh-oh.
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Tricia Montgomery: Two on his legs and one in the back.
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Tricia Montgomery: And I knew, I've been in the veterinary profession, I knew what it was.
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Tricia Montgomery: And my heart just setting.
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Tricia Montgomery: It was a Saturday night and I began calling anybody and everybody that I could possibly call.
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Tricia Montgomery: Auburn University, I called Dr.
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Tricia Montgomery: Crystal White, Dr.
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Tricia Montgomery: Keys, Dr.
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Tricia Montgomery: Brown at Rivertown Emergency Center and anybody.
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Tricia Montgomery: And got a man and it was stage four lymphoma.
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Tricia Montgomery: And he was really gone within two and a half weeks.
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Tricia Montgomery: I will tell you this for your audience.
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Tricia Montgomery: I have never in my life experienced a grief that I experienced with Moose.
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Tricia Montgomery: My father passed away.
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Tricia Montgomery: My mom had passed away.
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Tricia Montgomery: I had changed jobs.
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Tricia Montgomery: You know, there's just a lot of stuff going on.
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Tricia Montgomery: When Moose passed away, I didn't know what to do.
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Tricia Montgomery: I went between crying and sad and upset and wore tears and just couldn't.
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Tricia Montgomery: It was about, it was a lot, a lot.
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Tricia Montgomery: And I had beautiful people around me.
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Tricia Montgomery: And I remember people calling me and I wouldn't answer the phone.
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Tricia Montgomery: I wouldn't get their text.
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Tricia Montgomery: And luckily, you know, my sister and there are two other girls, Courtney and Caroline, who I don't know how I made it through.
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Tricia Montgomery: I really don't because I was that much in grief.
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Tricia Montgomery: And I found, through help, I found my way back.
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Tricia Montgomery: And I went to the Pastoral Institute in Columbus, Georgia.
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Tricia Montgomery: I talked to them.
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Tricia Montgomery: And then I found the Association of Pet Loss and Bereavement.
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Tricia Montgomery: I found my way back, but I still don't have a dog because I just can't, my heart is not ready.
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Tricia Montgomery: I just, you know, I see him, especially in everything that I do right now.
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Tricia Montgomery: Of course.
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Tricia Montgomery: Yeah.
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Tricia Montgomery: It's just hard.
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Tricia Montgomery: And I think that to understand that, know that and deal with grief.
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Tricia Montgomery: But out of that came beauty.
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Tricia Montgomery: And I created a program in his honor.
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Tricia Montgomery: It was at first, it was a program.
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Tricia Montgomery: And then we created our own 501c3.
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Tricia Montgomery: And now the beauty of people around us, the amount of outpouring from just everywhere, that want to know more, that are reaching out to know more, to help more, you know, you, just getting the word out.
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Tricia Montgomery: We are committed to early detection of pet cancer.
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Tricia Montgomery: That's what we are committed to doing.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Absolutely.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: I'm so happy that you were able to share that with us, because I think so many people have experienced what you've experienced.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: And they feel so isolated and alone, like nobody understands it.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: So thank you for sharing that, because I know it's so difficult to relive those moments and to get back in touch with that grief, but you're doing a world of, you're making a world of difference for these people who don't have anybody in their immediate life and in their circle that gets it.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: And they know after hearing what you've just said, that you and other people out there do get it.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: So I want to dig in to how you went from catastrophic loss to founding Moose's March.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: But before we do that, let me introduce our drinking games.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: So anybody participating in our drinking game today, anytime you hear this word.
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Announcer: The secret word is Moose.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Take a drink of whatever you're enjoying.
00:10:00.473 --> 00:10:02.713
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Be over 21 to partake.
00:10:02.713 --> 00:10:05.873
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Never drink and drive and always drink responsibly.
00:10:05.873 --> 00:10:10.673
Isabel Alvarez Arata: And when we get heavy in here, we just want to take a deep breath and say cheers.
00:10:10.673 --> 00:10:12.493
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Thank you for being here.
00:10:12.493 --> 00:10:13.933
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Thank you for being my guest.
00:10:13.933 --> 00:10:15.693
Isabel Alvarez Arata: And what is it that you're drinking today?
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Tricia Montgomery: Sparkling rose.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: I love a sparkling rose.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: That is an excellent choice for an afternoon with me.
00:10:23.413 --> 00:10:25.853
Isabel Alvarez Arata: And one day we'll do this in person, I hope.
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Tricia Montgomery: I would love that.
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Tricia Montgomery: Absolutely.
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Tricia Montgomery: I love you.
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Tricia Montgomery: But go ahead.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: All right.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Well, I always introduced this show with a game.
00:10:33.493 --> 00:10:37.233
Isabel Alvarez Arata: And today, obviously, we're going to talk about so heavy stuff, which we do all the time.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: But we're going to do so in a way that we learn and we become better pet parents in the process.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: So my first game today is called Cancer Care Costs.
00:10:47.133 --> 00:10:54.293
Isabel Alvarez Arata: And I want you to help me kind of put some perspective on a cancer diagnosis.
00:10:54.293 --> 00:10:57.013
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Heaven forbid someone were to face one.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: So if you're ready to play, I've got some questions for you.
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Tricia Montgomery: I am ready to play.
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Tricia Montgomery: Bring them on.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Alright, so you talked about stage 4 lymphoma, is that correct?
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Tricia Montgomery: Right.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: So in cats, lymphoma generally attacks the kidneys or intestinal tract.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: What part of Moose's body was affected?
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Tricia Montgomery: Moose was affected in his nodes, in his neck, in his stomach, in his back legs, in metastasized, really, I would say, over 9.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Oh my goodness.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: That is so traumatic because you have no time to prepare.
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Tricia Montgomery: Grunt.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Yeah.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: I'm so sorry.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: The next question I have for you is osteosarcoma is bone cancer and it affects dogs, especially larger breeds that take longer to grow mature and strong bones.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Are you seeing a lot of osteosarcoma in your community?
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Tricia Montgomery: So I'm not a veterinarian but I know osteosarcoma is one of the common diagnoses within larger breed dogs and that could be your Irish wolfhounds, that could be obviously retrievers, Labrador retrievers, golden retrievers, they have the highest cancer rate, boxers, but those larger breeds tend to have those diagnoses of cancer, right?
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Yes, I as a professional pet sitter saw it a lot, unfortunately, and it was one of those cancers that I was terrified of because the only option was like amputation, and not all dogs are candidates for amputation, so it was one of those diagnoses, just like lymphoma stage 4 that are terrifying.
00:12:34.053 --> 00:12:39.653
Isabel Alvarez Arata: So in order to diagnose cancer, certain diagnostics are recommended.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: Radiographs, x-rays, blood tests, ultrasounds, cytology, biopsy, CT scans, MRIs, PET scans.
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: What was the concluding diagnoses?
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: What concluded the diagnoses for Moose?
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Isabel Alvarez Arata: What was it?
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Tricia Montgomery: Sure, we did a series of blood tests for him.
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Tricia Montgomery: We did all the scans and everything for him.
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Tricia Montgomery: And really, I don't even think we needed to do that.
00:13:02.893 --> 00:13:08.833
Tricia Montgomery: Simply by looking at him, they were able to understand what was going on with him.
00:13:08.833 --> 00:13:13.613
Tricia Montgomery: So the cost that I spent, I didn't really need to do that.
00:13:13.613 --> 00:13:19.413
Tricia Montgomery: But having verified and to re-verify and making sure that you understood what was going on.
00:13:19.413 --> 00:13:20.593
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Absolutely.
00:13:20.593 --> 00:13:30.113
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Surgery is often the first treatment recommended when the cancer is localized to one part of the body, with the goal being to eliminate the cancer cells.
00:13:30.113 --> 00:13:33.073
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Was surgery an option, obviously, in lymphoma?
00:13:33.073 --> 00:13:35.113
Tricia Montgomery: No, not at all, not at all.
00:13:35.113 --> 00:13:42.013
Tricia Montgomery: And in fact, I'm so grateful to the veterinarians that I spoke with because they were very honest.
00:13:42.013 --> 00:13:48.353
Tricia Montgomery: And I know how difficult that was for them, you know, to say that there really isn't anything that you can do.
00:13:48.353 --> 00:13:53.733
Tricia Montgomery: Because first of all, you have to look and evaluate an animal and where they are.
00:13:53.733 --> 00:13:55.433
Tricia Montgomery: Moose was heartworm positive.
00:13:55.873 --> 00:14:11.053
Tricia Montgomery: Moose had a lot of strikes against not only cancer, but other things, as well as having that breed of the pit bull breed and having that kind of the bully breed that is predisposed to cancer too.
00:14:11.073 --> 00:14:12.273
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Oh, understood.
00:14:12.273 --> 00:14:12.993
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Okay.
00:14:13.493 --> 00:14:24.653
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Hemotherapy can range from $150 to $600 a single dose to a treatment reaching as much as $3,000 to $10,000 according to care credit.
00:14:24.753 --> 00:14:27.453
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Is that about the cost you're seeing too?
00:14:27.453 --> 00:14:28.053
Tricia Montgomery: I am.
00:14:28.053 --> 00:14:29.253
Tricia Montgomery: I definitely am seeing that.
00:14:29.253 --> 00:14:34.033
Tricia Montgomery: That is the cost and that's where you really need to work with your veterinary.
00:14:34.033 --> 00:14:36.933
Tricia Montgomery: You need to understand what are the options.
00:14:36.933 --> 00:14:40.793
Tricia Montgomery: You have to look at things in terms of quality of life.
00:14:40.793 --> 00:14:43.873
Tricia Montgomery: A caregiver, what can you do?
00:14:43.873 --> 00:14:44.733
Tricia Montgomery: What are the options?
00:14:44.733 --> 00:14:46.773
Tricia Montgomery: How old is your dog?
00:14:46.773 --> 00:14:48.493
Tricia Montgomery: What's the prognosis?
00:14:48.493 --> 00:14:52.653
Tricia Montgomery: We want to do anything to save them and help them and working with them.
00:14:52.673 --> 00:15:02.353
Tricia Montgomery: One thing that I find interesting, and I just want to point this out, there are 6 million dogs diagnosed with pet cancer every year, 6 million.
00:15:02.353 --> 00:15:04.433
Tricia Montgomery: Guess, I'm going to give a game to you.
00:15:04.433 --> 00:15:07.493
Tricia Montgomery: How many veterinary oncologists are there in the US?
00:15:07.493 --> 00:15:08.313
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Not many.
00:15:08.313 --> 00:15:09.713
Tricia Montgomery: 450.
00:15:09.713 --> 00:15:10.313
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Okay.
00:15:10.313 --> 00:15:11.513
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Well, that's more than there are.
00:15:11.733 --> 00:15:14.733
Isabel Alvarez Arata: There are veterinary behaviorists, there are like a hundred.
00:15:14.733 --> 00:15:16.653
Isabel Alvarez Arata: So I just assumed that it was not a lot.
00:15:16.653 --> 00:15:17.253
Tricia Montgomery: Yeah.
00:15:17.253 --> 00:15:17.673
Tricia Montgomery: Right.
00:15:17.673 --> 00:15:18.593
Tricia Montgomery: There's only four.
00:15:18.593 --> 00:15:19.293
Tricia Montgomery: But think about that.
00:15:19.293 --> 00:15:25.753
Tricia Montgomery: You have 6 million dogs getting diagnosed every year, and 450 veterinary oncologists.
00:15:25.753 --> 00:15:26.833
Tricia Montgomery: Early detection.
00:15:26.833 --> 00:15:27.733
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Early detection.
00:15:27.733 --> 00:15:28.933
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Exactly, Eb.
00:15:28.933 --> 00:15:33.573
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Another option, and this is my last question for the game, is radiation therapy.
00:15:33.573 --> 00:15:46.173
Isabel Alvarez Arata: And radiation, when doing radiation or undergoing radiation, pets typically receive 15 to 20 treatments over a period of six weeks, with the cost ranging from $2,500 to $7,000.
00:15:46.173 --> 00:15:47.813
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Is that about right?
00:15:47.813 --> 00:15:49.353
Tricia Montgomery: That is about right.
00:15:49.353 --> 00:16:03.833
Tricia Montgomery: And I will say that some pet insurance companies now are actually charging more to cover and to get a pre-cancer kind of policy, especially if you have a breed that is predisposed to cancer.
00:16:03.833 --> 00:16:04.473
Tricia Montgomery: Yes.
00:16:04.473 --> 00:16:04.813
Tricia Montgomery: Yes.
00:16:04.813 --> 00:16:05.133
Tricia Montgomery: Yes.
00:16:05.133 --> 00:16:06.093
Tricia Montgomery: Spot on.
00:16:06.093 --> 00:16:06.913
Tricia Montgomery: Spot on.
00:16:06.913 --> 00:16:08.693
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Well, thank you so much for playing that game.
00:16:08.693 --> 00:16:12.933
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Shout out to Healthy Paws Pet Insurance, where I got all this information.
00:16:12.933 --> 00:16:17.793
Isabel Alvarez Arata: I think it's so important for people to hear a firsthand experience from a pet parent.
00:16:17.793 --> 00:16:21.453
Isabel Alvarez Arata: We're not veterinarians here, but you have invaluable experience to share.
00:16:21.933 --> 00:16:27.633
Isabel Alvarez Arata: And I want to know, so now we know that you lost your best friend.
00:16:27.633 --> 00:16:34.953
Isabel Alvarez Arata: How long after did you start working on Moose's March and making this huge difference?
00:16:34.953 --> 00:16:35.773
Tricia Montgomery: Sure.
00:16:35.773 --> 00:16:41.673
Tricia Montgomery: I lost Moose May of 2022, and it took me quite some time.
00:16:41.673 --> 00:16:50.133
Tricia Montgomery: And I think it was probably, I'm going to say, I started working on it September of last year, and then really to have it fully evolved to now.
00:16:50.133 --> 00:16:55.693
Tricia Montgomery: So about almost a year ago is when I started it, or a little bit over a year ago.
00:16:55.693 --> 00:17:00.673
Isabel Alvarez Arata: And you were fueled by that grief and that sadness, really?
00:17:00.673 --> 00:17:01.533
Tricia Montgomery: I was.
00:17:01.533 --> 00:17:06.533
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Was the goal to help others in the position where you found yourself at that time?
00:17:06.533 --> 00:17:17.533
Tricia Montgomery: I think my goal was to honor Moose, and I always thought that he was always like this loopy, crazy dog, and you know, the kind of the always the down smile on his face.
00:17:17.533 --> 00:17:20.193
Tricia Montgomery: But I never had a bad day with Moose.
00:17:20.193 --> 00:17:25.833
Tricia Montgomery: There was never a bad day, and nor am I going to have bad days because of him.
00:17:25.833 --> 00:17:36.253
Tricia Montgomery: And I thought I wanted to do something in his honor, that when I said his name, it wasn't one of just like sadness, it was one of like hope.
00:17:36.253 --> 00:17:47.173
Tricia Montgomery: And that because of you and your love and the love, that love that I experienced that I am getting back, and that we are getting back together.
00:17:47.173 --> 00:17:48.113
Isabel Alvarez Arata: That is wonderful.
00:17:48.113 --> 00:17:48.873
Isabel Alvarez Arata: That really is.
00:17:48.873 --> 00:17:50.873
Isabel Alvarez Arata: It says so much about you.
00:17:50.873 --> 00:17:57.673
Isabel Alvarez Arata: So many of us experience grief and don't know what to do with it, and you channeled it to something so positive.
00:17:57.673 --> 00:18:04.393
Isabel Alvarez Arata: So how does Moose's March help families facing similar diagnoses to what you and Moose experienced?
00:18:04.393 --> 00:18:05.433
Tricia Montgomery: Absolutely.
00:18:05.433 --> 00:18:15.413
Tricia Montgomery: What we do is we provide early detection kits to veterinary clinics and shelters in underserved communities with our partner, Volition Veterinary.
00:18:15.413 --> 00:18:18.153
Tricia Montgomery: So there are early detection tests.
00:18:18.153 --> 00:18:27.333
Tricia Montgomery: And so imagine if Moose had been diagnosed early, if other animals were diagnosed early, there's something that we can do.
00:18:27.333 --> 00:18:36.233
Tricia Montgomery: We can provide hope and we can provide quality of life, and perhaps even going into remission or a cure for that cancer.
00:18:36.853 --> 00:18:40.733
Tricia Montgomery: So if I can help one animal, I've done my job.
00:18:40.733 --> 00:18:43.533
Tricia Montgomery: Obviously, I'm here to change the world.
00:18:43.533 --> 00:18:46.833
Tricia Montgomery: I'm here to make a difference in pet cancers.
00:18:46.833 --> 00:18:56.653
Tricia Montgomery: There are so many other beautiful organizations like Moores Animal Foundation that focuses on research, Live Like Roo that focuses on financial support for pet parents.
00:18:56.653 --> 00:18:59.593
Tricia Montgomery: I'm focusing we, not me, I.
00:18:59.593 --> 00:19:02.953
Tricia Montgomery: We are focusing on the early detection of pet cancer.
00:19:02.953 --> 00:19:03.853
Tricia Montgomery: That's what we're here to do.
00:19:04.433 --> 00:19:06.833
Tricia Montgomery: And again, that quality of life and hope.
00:19:06.833 --> 00:19:12.573
Tricia Montgomery: Next year, we're going to be offering grants to shelters, and that's going to be going out.
00:19:12.573 --> 00:19:20.073
Tricia Montgomery: And so they can use those funds to help pets and people in need with cancer diagnosis.
00:19:20.073 --> 00:19:21.833
Tricia Montgomery: We're going to be doing walks.
00:19:21.833 --> 00:19:29.173
Tricia Montgomery: We're looking to be pairing with some major organizations in 2024, working with some human organizations.
00:19:29.173 --> 00:19:29.893
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Wonderful.
00:19:30.633 --> 00:19:34.233
Tricia Montgomery: Yeah, but really spreading because cancer is not exclusive.
00:19:34.233 --> 00:19:35.433
Tricia Montgomery: Cancer wants in.
00:19:35.433 --> 00:19:36.393
Tricia Montgomery: We want them out.
00:19:36.393 --> 00:19:36.933
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Yes.
00:19:36.933 --> 00:19:37.693
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Absolutely.
00:19:37.693 --> 00:19:39.093
Isabel Alvarez Arata: I completely agree.
00:19:39.093 --> 00:19:41.353
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Well, I want to take a break right here.
00:19:41.353 --> 00:19:50.513
Isabel Alvarez Arata: We're going to listen to our sponsors, and when we come back, we're going to dig in a little deeper into these early detection kits, what they do, what they're looking for.
00:19:50.513 --> 00:19:53.393
Isabel Alvarez Arata: I'm going to be sipping on my espresso martini.
00:19:53.733 --> 00:19:59.593
Isabel Alvarez Arata: You enjoy that bubbly rosé, and we will be right back after these messages from our sponsors.
00:20:02.533 --> 00:20:05.013
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00:20:45.753 --> 00:20:46.913
Announcer: Let's talk pets.
00:20:47.813 --> 00:20:48.873
Announcer: On PetLife Radio.
00:20:50.173 --> 00:20:52.353
Announcer: petliferadio.com.
00:21:01.933 --> 00:21:03.433
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Welcome back to Covered In Pet Hair.
00:21:03.433 --> 00:21:26.633
Isabel Alvarez Arata: I'm your host, Isabel Alvarez Arata, and today I'm having a lovely conversation with Tricia Montgomery, who lost a dog, her sole dog, the dog, to cancer, and has taken that grief and that pain and made something that honors her dog, Moose's memory, and also helps dogs and their families moving forward.
00:21:26.633 --> 00:21:30.973
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Taking that darkness and making it light is always a story I want to share.
00:21:31.433 --> 00:21:38.593
Isabel Alvarez Arata: So Tricia, I want to play a game with you and pick your brain about these early detection kits you talked about, early detection in general.
00:21:38.593 --> 00:21:41.693
Isabel Alvarez Arata: And this game is called The Sooner, The Better.
00:21:41.693 --> 00:21:46.313
Isabel Alvarez Arata: So if you're game, I'm going to give you one minute on my handy-dandy clock.
00:21:46.313 --> 00:21:53.513
Isabel Alvarez Arata: And I'm going to ask you to just give me some signs, early signs that require a veterinary visit.
00:21:53.513 --> 00:21:57.673
Isabel Alvarez Arata: We are not veterinarians, but you obviously work alongside them.
00:21:58.293 --> 00:22:02.533
Isabel Alvarez Arata: What is it that we should see and see as a red flag?
00:22:02.533 --> 00:22:03.733
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Are you ready to play?
00:22:03.733 --> 00:22:04.513
Tricia Montgomery: I'm ready to play.
00:22:04.513 --> 00:22:05.353
Tricia Montgomery: Let's do it.
00:22:05.353 --> 00:22:06.033
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Here we go.
00:22:06.033 --> 00:22:08.393
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Three, two, one, go.
00:22:08.393 --> 00:22:12.333
Tricia Montgomery: Lumps, bumps, things that you haven't noticed before.
00:22:12.333 --> 00:22:16.793
Tricia Montgomery: If these are prominent, get in to see the veterinarian.
00:22:16.793 --> 00:22:18.033
Tricia Montgomery: Lethargy.
00:22:18.073 --> 00:22:25.673
Tricia Montgomery: If your dog is normally spry, running around, got the zoomies, all of a sudden he's suddenly lethargic, get him in to see the veterinarian.
00:22:26.333 --> 00:22:31.233
Tricia Montgomery: If he has a loss of appetite, get him in to see the veterinarian.
00:22:31.233 --> 00:22:36.493
Tricia Montgomery: If he is displaying signs of any weakness, get him in to see the veterinarian.
00:22:36.493 --> 00:22:50.533
Tricia Montgomery: If there are signs of bloat, if there are signs of a bloody stool, if there are signs of vomiting or even the gums, that bluish, that kind of whitish blue, get them in to see the veterinarian.
00:22:51.113 --> 00:22:58.593
Tricia Montgomery: Anything that you feel may be out of their norm, get them in to see the veterinarian.
00:22:58.593 --> 00:23:00.593
Tricia Montgomery: That's the most important thing.
00:23:00.593 --> 00:23:01.733
Tricia Montgomery: Loss of appetite.
00:23:01.733 --> 00:23:02.633
Tricia Montgomery: Anything.
00:23:02.633 --> 00:23:03.593
Tricia Montgomery: It was a one minute.
00:23:03.593 --> 00:23:04.193
Announcer: You did it.
00:23:04.193 --> 00:23:04.873
Announcer: That was last.
00:23:04.873 --> 00:23:06.653
Isabel Alvarez Arata: You did it at 55 seconds.
00:23:06.653 --> 00:23:07.533
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Fantastic.
00:23:07.533 --> 00:23:08.473
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Good job.
00:23:08.473 --> 00:23:10.413
Isabel Alvarez Arata: I put you on the spot there, didn't I?
00:23:10.413 --> 00:23:11.613
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Well, okay.
00:23:11.613 --> 00:23:13.093
Isabel Alvarez Arata: So I have questions.
00:23:13.093 --> 00:23:13.553
Tricia Montgomery: Sure.
00:23:13.553 --> 00:23:17.533
Isabel Alvarez Arata: The early detection kits, what do they do?
00:23:17.533 --> 00:23:18.113
Isabel Alvarez Arata: What do they do?
00:23:18.113 --> 00:23:18.853
Isabel Alvarez Arata: What do they look for?
00:23:19.513 --> 00:23:19.733
Tricia Montgomery: Sure.
00:23:19.733 --> 00:23:22.513
Tricia Montgomery: Now, these are provided by Volition Veterinary.
00:23:22.513 --> 00:23:25.373
Tricia Montgomery: They're called NUQ, N-U-Q.
00:23:25.373 --> 00:23:27.593
Tricia Montgomery: They are for canines only.
00:23:27.593 --> 00:23:36.253
Tricia Montgomery: Currently, they will be coming out, I believe, with a white paper next year for felines and then working on the studies.
00:23:36.253 --> 00:23:38.273
Tricia Montgomery: It is a test.
00:23:38.273 --> 00:23:50.013
Tricia Montgomery: You can request it through your veterinarian and it is a simple blood test that finds the markers for early detection and so they're measuring biomarkers.
00:23:50.013 --> 00:23:52.633
Tricia Montgomery: They're measuring different– again, I'm not a veterinarian.
00:23:52.633 --> 00:24:08.873
Tricia Montgomery: I'm not going to get into the most of things, but it is NUQ test and so they're measuring and then they have a, I believe, it's a 97% accuracy rate, lymphoma and hemangioceratoma and the other cancers as well.
00:24:08.873 --> 00:24:21.893
Tricia Montgomery: So again, finding those early and again, recommending that dogs, senior dogs over the age of any– because remember, they have a 50% higher rate of cancer.
00:24:21.893 --> 00:24:43.613
Tricia Montgomery: So I'd say dogs that– if you have a dog predisposed to cancer, a Golden Retriever, a Boxer, we talked about those, the Irish Wolfhound, all those breeds that are predisposed to cancer, get them checked out at the age of 4 years old, start early, and then especially if you have a dog over the age of, I want to say 7, they say 10, I want to say 7 years old, get them checked out.
00:24:43.613 --> 00:24:44.373
Tricia Montgomery: Get them checked out.
00:24:44.373 --> 00:24:45.653
Tricia Montgomery: It's a civil blood test.
00:24:45.653 --> 00:24:53.933
Tricia Montgomery: I think they run maybe $120, a very small price to pay for peace of mind with your– yes, a pet parrot.
00:24:53.933 --> 00:24:55.273
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Absolutely.
00:24:55.273 --> 00:24:58.793
Isabel Alvarez Arata: I think that that is such good money well spent, right?
00:24:58.793 --> 00:24:59.933
Isabel Alvarez Arata: That's such a great way.
00:25:00.773 --> 00:25:06.073
Isabel Alvarez Arata: And I know most people, when it comes to our own health, we prefer not to know.
00:25:06.073 --> 00:25:09.193
Isabel Alvarez Arata: But when it comes to pets, I think the earlier we know, the better.
00:25:09.193 --> 00:25:14.373
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Remembering that they have fewer therapies for pets, they have fewer things they can do.
00:25:14.373 --> 00:25:23.413
Isabel Alvarez Arata: It's usually more costly for pets, so it's just in everybody's best interest, as well as yours and your family's, to find cancer early.
00:25:23.413 --> 00:25:36.473
Isabel Alvarez Arata: And that's one of the things that really affected everybody in the pandemic that people were not going to the vet, people were not going to the doctor, and then all of the cancers that could have been caught early were not, so they became a much bigger deal.
00:25:36.473 --> 00:25:38.533
Tricia Montgomery: Absolutely.
00:25:38.533 --> 00:25:41.453
Tricia Montgomery: During the pandemic, you couldn't get in to see the veterinarian.
00:25:41.453 --> 00:25:47.233
Tricia Montgomery: There was a rise in births, because you couldn't spay, neuter, all these different things going on.
00:25:47.973 --> 00:25:49.233
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Absolutely.
00:25:49.233 --> 00:25:53.253
Isabel Alvarez Arata: So how costly is a cancer treatment?
00:25:53.253 --> 00:26:07.713
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Now that we know that it's $120-ish for this prevented, not preventative, but this kind of test that arms us with information, what are we facing once we find out that there is a cancer diagnosis?
00:26:07.713 --> 00:26:14.493
Tricia Montgomery: So I think that's where you would work with your own veterinarian to find out what are the options if there is an early marker.
00:26:14.493 --> 00:26:16.333
Tricia Montgomery: Is there something that you can do?
00:26:16.333 --> 00:26:19.313
Tricia Montgomery: Do you need to go down the road if you have a marker for that?
00:26:19.313 --> 00:26:22.433
Tricia Montgomery: Do you need to go see if there's chemotherapy?
00:26:22.433 --> 00:26:23.693
Tricia Montgomery: Is there radiation?
00:26:23.693 --> 00:26:30.373
Tricia Montgomery: Because now that you caught that early, you're able to make educational and informed decisions when you're a veterinarian.
00:26:30.373 --> 00:26:39.553
Tricia Montgomery: If you need to go see a veterinarian on college, if you need to see Auburn University, the zoo or whoever it is, any teaching hospital, absolutely.
00:26:39.553 --> 00:26:42.513
Isabel Alvarez Arata: And it's also hard to get into these kinds of specialists.
00:26:42.513 --> 00:26:42.773
Isabel Alvarez Arata: It is.
00:26:42.773 --> 00:26:45.313
Isabel Alvarez Arata: So the sooner you know, the better.
00:26:45.313 --> 00:26:47.173
Tricia Montgomery: Better, correct, correct, yeah.
00:26:47.173 --> 00:26:51.433
Tricia Montgomery: There's a waiting list and even me, it's like, I'm Tricia Montgomery.
00:26:56.353 --> 00:26:56.873
Isabel Alvarez Arata: I agree.
00:26:56.873 --> 00:27:00.253
Isabel Alvarez Arata: I understand that it's, you know, you'll do anything at that point.
00:27:00.253 --> 00:27:12.653
Isabel Alvarez Arata: So what tips do you have for any family that actually has received some kind of marker in this, you know, early detection test or some kind of diagnosis, straight up diagnosis?
00:27:12.653 --> 00:27:14.733
Isabel Alvarez Arata: What first steps should they take?
00:27:14.733 --> 00:27:17.553
Tricia Montgomery: I think first of all, they need to talk about it as a family.
00:27:17.553 --> 00:27:20.093
Tricia Montgomery: They need to understand, you know, the diagnosis.
00:27:20.693 --> 00:27:22.533
Tricia Montgomery: They need to talk to their veterinarian.
00:27:22.533 --> 00:27:24.013
Tricia Montgomery: They need to do their own research.
00:27:24.013 --> 00:27:31.773
Tricia Montgomery: They need to figure out what are the steps that they want to take and what do they need to do to have that quality time with their pet, talk to the experts.
00:27:31.773 --> 00:27:33.573
Tricia Montgomery: It's really a family decision.
00:27:33.573 --> 00:27:37.353
Tricia Montgomery: I think also I mentioned the Association of Pet Loss and Bereavement.
00:27:37.353 --> 00:27:40.953
Tricia Montgomery: I think that if you have, I think it's called, I forget the exact word for it.
00:27:40.953 --> 00:27:48.593
Tricia Montgomery: It's whenever you know a diagnosis is coming, that to have, to repair if you know something is coming.
00:27:48.593 --> 00:27:53.633
Tricia Montgomery: If you have a child, to have that knowledge, to understand what might be coming down.
00:27:53.633 --> 00:27:59.293
Tricia Montgomery: And I think just enjoy that life, enjoy that time together and make it quality.
00:27:59.293 --> 00:28:03.173
Tricia Montgomery: I think what I want to talk about is that cancer is not this big C word.
00:28:03.173 --> 00:28:09.053
Tricia Montgomery: There is hope and there are things that we can do if we catch it early.
00:28:09.053 --> 00:28:11.513
Tricia Montgomery: If definitely, but that's the whole thing is catching it early.
00:28:12.413 --> 00:28:13.073
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Absolutely.
00:28:13.073 --> 00:28:17.193
Isabel Alvarez Arata: So how did you spend your last days with Moose?
00:28:17.193 --> 00:28:19.873
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Did you do anything memorable?
00:28:19.873 --> 00:28:22.633
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Did you get to do anything memorable?
00:28:22.633 --> 00:28:25.113
Tricia Montgomery: We actually took a road trip to Florida.
00:28:25.113 --> 00:28:26.873
Tricia Montgomery: We went to the beach, we hung out.
00:28:26.873 --> 00:28:34.353
Tricia Montgomery: And then because Moose had been so part of everyone's lives at Pawsha Main Society, everybody wanted to come and say goodbye to him.
00:28:34.353 --> 00:28:49.673
Tricia Montgomery: And so like all the veterinary technicians who took care of him, all of the chemo staff, Sheekha and Kennedy and all of his people who came to love him, the neighbors, I had people who had met him at Paws who wanted to come say goodbye.
00:28:49.673 --> 00:28:56.553
Tricia Montgomery: So my house was like a constant revolving door the last week and he was tired.
00:28:56.553 --> 00:28:58.913
Tricia Montgomery: He was just really tired.
00:28:58.913 --> 00:29:07.733
Tricia Montgomery: And so I remember Kennedy brought all of her girlfriends over because they wanted to say goodbye and he walked away from them and just came over to me and he just sat there.
00:29:08.233 --> 00:29:10.493
Tricia Montgomery: We actually taped a book.
00:29:10.493 --> 00:29:18.913
Tricia Montgomery: We did a video book called Dog Breath, The Horrible Story of Halitosis, The Dogbreath, we did that for a children's series.
00:29:18.913 --> 00:29:20.793
Tricia Montgomery: And so Moose and I did the story together.
00:29:20.793 --> 00:29:27.873
Tricia Montgomery: And so that was his legacy for kids that it showed the story of Halitosis, the horrible dog breath.
00:29:27.873 --> 00:29:29.873
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Oh, that's so great.
00:29:29.873 --> 00:29:31.493
Isabel Alvarez Arata: I love that so much.
00:29:32.193 --> 00:29:34.733
Tricia Montgomery: I've got beautiful memories of him, beautiful memories.
00:29:34.733 --> 00:29:35.833
Isabel Alvarez Arata: You really do.
00:29:35.833 --> 00:29:41.873
Isabel Alvarez Arata: And it's so wonderful that you're taking that love that you shared and doing so much wonderful work.
00:29:41.873 --> 00:29:50.613
Isabel Alvarez Arata: How can my audience learn more about Moose's March and everything that you're involved with, with the Pets are Family podcast, everything?
00:29:50.613 --> 00:29:54.413
Tricia Montgomery: You can go to moosesmarch.com or they can go to petsarefamily.net.
00:29:54.413 --> 00:29:57.713
Tricia Montgomery: Moose's March is our charity at petsarefamily.net.
00:29:58.513 --> 00:30:01.653
Tricia Montgomery: You can find me on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.
00:30:01.653 --> 00:30:11.713
Tricia Montgomery: And so, yeah, I'd encourage, I hope this message leaves people knowing that for the diagnosis of cancer again, that there is hope and there is quality of life.
00:30:11.713 --> 00:30:13.233
Tricia Montgomery: Early detection is the key.
00:30:13.233 --> 00:30:20.073
Tricia Montgomery: And I just want to thank you for having me on, allowing me to have this platform to educate and to talk about Moose and his honor.
00:30:20.073 --> 00:30:25.493
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Oh, I'm so excited and happy and grateful that you came to talk to me and share this story.
00:30:25.773 --> 00:30:29.133
Isabel Alvarez Arata: I was on your show as a guest.
00:30:29.133 --> 00:30:30.193
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Yeah, I was, right?
00:30:31.973 --> 00:30:32.693
Isabel Alvarez Arata: I was.
00:30:32.693 --> 00:30:35.753
Isabel Alvarez Arata: And I had so much fun catching up with you.
00:30:35.753 --> 00:30:38.653
Isabel Alvarez Arata: And Jessica, I'm so happy that we got to do this.
00:30:38.653 --> 00:30:50.873
Isabel Alvarez Arata: I want to propose toast to you for your dedication, that fire in you and that just joy that you share, even in the darkest theme that we've been talking about.
00:30:50.873 --> 00:30:52.253
Isabel Alvarez Arata: So much joy comes from you.
00:30:52.253 --> 00:30:53.053
Isabel Alvarez Arata: So cheers.
00:30:53.053 --> 00:30:53.813
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Thank you for that.
00:30:54.113 --> 00:30:55.373
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Thank you for sharing it with me.
00:30:55.373 --> 00:30:56.373
Tricia Montgomery: Thank you.
00:30:56.373 --> 00:30:59.273
Isabel Alvarez Arata: I also want to propose a toast to my executive producer, Mark Winter.
00:30:59.273 --> 00:31:00.013
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Thank you, Mark.
00:31:00.013 --> 00:31:04.173
Isabel Alvarez Arata: And to our audience for joining us for these awesome conversations.
00:31:04.173 --> 00:31:17.633
Isabel Alvarez Arata: I just want to share the love and the education to help everybody be a better pet parent and face these inevitable things that come with pet parenting with a little more joy, a little more love and a little more peace.
00:31:17.633 --> 00:31:19.273
Isabel Alvarez Arata: So thank you all for listening.
00:31:19.273 --> 00:31:22.873
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Here's to a life covered in pet hair because there's no better way to live.
00:31:23.933 --> 00:31:24.673
Tricia Montgomery: Cheers!
00:31:24.673 --> 00:31:30.793
Isabel Alvarez Arata: To learn more about Covered In Pet Hair, please visit coveredinpethair.com or petliferadio.com.
00:31:30.793 --> 00:31:32.873
Isabel Alvarez Arata: Thanks for watching and I'll see you next time.
00:31:33.693 --> 00:31:39.633
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