Labradoodle & Goldendoodle Forum
Another Rusty Update!
I did not realize that it has been a couple of months since I have updated Rusty's cancer. Here are my chronicle posts for the past couple of months.
Thursday, March 25th
Our lives have returned to some normalcy over the past few weeks; we are adjusting to Rusty’s treatment schedule and needs while catching up on all of the things that we pushed off the first four weeks of Rusty’s ordeal. Rusty continues to improve daily and amazes everyone how well he gets along on three legs. I found an online support group, Tripawds.com, whose members have either been or going through what we are dealing with. I have been posting pictures of Rusty and blogs on DoodleKisses and Rusty has a lot of fans and supporters on that website.
After the February 7th visit and suture removal, Rusty has been able to move around the house more comfortably; to give him some exercise we began with short walks and are now up to ½ to ¾ mile daily walks. Rusty will let us know when he is getting tired and wants to return home. I am trying to do some jogging with him as it seems to be easier for him to run than hop, however at 71 I need to work on my conditioning.
After seeing him slipping on our polished tile floors we decided to put down indoor/outdoor carpeting in our hallways, master bath and family room. We also added three area rugs to our master bedroom, which Jan was wanting anyway, which allows Rusty pretty much solid footing throughout the house. We purchased the “Ruff Wear” harness w/lifting handle that was recommended on the Tripawds website which facilitates getting him in and out of our SUV. We also purchased elevated feeding bowls which seems to help him in eating. His appetite is generally pretty good, although it suffers after the twice monthly Chemo treatments; he usually does not eat for a day or two after the treatment. Occasionally we have been giving him a special treat of going through the “In & Out Burger” drive through where he gets a plain meat patty. Dr. Macy sort of frowns at us but it is so special for Rusty that we will continue with it; as soon as we pull into the drive through line Rusty gets so excited he can hardly contain himself.
Rusty was looking longingly at our bed, which he used to be able to jump up on, and after looking at what was available online, I designed a set of stairs that allows him access to our bed. Because of our bed’s height, 30 inches, I added sideboards to prevent him from falling off the steps and a side exit which allowed for a shorter length and fits bedside the bed. I stained it to match our bedroom furniture and Jan had me add carpeting from our left over scraps. It only took Rusty a couple of times to master using it and now he flies up and down it; he is so proud of it that when we have company he takes them into our bedroom to show how he can navigate the stairs.
Rusty has had a slew of Dog Park parents stop by for visits which he really enjoys (he must get very tired of seeing only Mom & Dad) but he really misses his dog park buddies. On March 3rd we had a luncheon for several of the dog park Mom’s who have been so supportive of Rusty with visits, new toys, etc. Rusty enjoyed seeing all of the Mom’s but was very tired when they left. We are very fortunate in Sun City that we have two off leash parks, in addition to many green belts and lakes that we can walk on leash. Rusty will not be able to return to the dog park until he is off Chemo, and Dr. Macy says maybe not at all. As a result, boredom is our biggest issue with him now; we play games in the house and with the return of warm weather we hope to get the okay for him to get in the pool after his next Chemo treatment on April 5th. Rusty and his cat brother, Oliver, play and run through the house the same as when Rusty had four legs. We purchased a fabric tunnel maze for Oliver when Rusty was confined after surgery as he was feeling neglected and wondering what was happening to his brother; both of them play cat and mouse in the maze and it has been good for both of them.
We have season tickets to several performances at the McCallum Theatre in Palm Desert and were fortunate that we did not have many shows during the past two months; one of the dog park Mom’s offered to stay with Rusty last weekend (March 20th) which allowed us to have a leisurely lunch with some friends and take in a performance; our first “date” since the middle of January when all of this started. We are looking forward to being able to get out some more knowing that Rusty will be in good care. As you can see from the photos that were taken in early March his hair is growing back nicely; we had him groomed on Monday, which was eight weeks to the day from his amputation, to even out his coat from where he was shaved for the operation.
I give him nightly massages which he really enjoys, particularly in the area where his leg was removed and scratch the areas that he cannot reach because of his amputation. I am also checking for any lumps or growths that might be developing; of course there is nothing I can do to detect anything internal. When he is through with his Chemo treatments in August, we may take him back to the imaging center in San Diego for more scans and Ultrasound views to see if the cancer has metastasized to his lungs. The Colorado State pathology reports gave the cancer a 50% chance for metastasis since it was a grade 3 tumor.
His super personality has not changed and he is such a happy dog that it has been worth every minute of our time, the extreme stress on both of us and the changes in our lifestyles to accommodate Rusty's needs. We just hope and pray that he will be with us the full 1 to 3 years of his prognosis, knowing it could be much less, and cherish every moment with him. No regrets on our decision for surgery and Chemo! Rusty will see Dr. Macy on April 5th for his third IV treatment.
Tuesday, April 6th
Rusty went to see Dr. Macy yesterday for his monthly Chemo treatment; he received the usual IV dose of Vinblastine and the anti nausea injection and pills. Dr. Macy continued the Metacam for another month; we discussed the diarrhea issues that Rusty is having and he suggested we add Imodium as needed. If that does not help he may put him on a prescription anti-diarrhea medicine but would like to avoid taking that if possible. Rusty’s blood work was again very good, A-, only because his platelets were a little low. Rusty had a restless night and was up twice to go potty, which was again diarrhea. He has been taking it easy today which is his normal reaction; his appetite was normal last night and today. There are a couple of spots, about the size of a dime, on Rusty’s back where the hair was much darker than the surrounding area; Dr. Macy did a needle biopsy and they are benign! He thinks that it may be some sort of skin infection that has irritated the hair follicles’ causing the color to change. Every change in Rusty causes us to pause and hold our breath. Dr. Macy gave the okay for Rusty to start swimming and a possible visit with my mother in June. Rusty seems to have a need to chew on his paws, not sure if it is from boredom or a need to chew; we asked Dr. Macy if we could give him raw bones and he said no because of his compromised immune system.
We have noticed on our morning walks that the warmer weather seems to affect Rusty more, as he seeks out the shady side of the street. Also during the day he pretty much stays in the house lying on the cool tile floor. We asked Dr. Macy if this is from the Chemo treatments and he said it was; that the chemo impacts a dog’s sensitivity to both heat and cold temps. I guess we will keep Rusty in the pool a lot during our torrid summer, and look for a cool location for a getaway after he is through with his Chemo in August. Rusty’s activities are fairly normal and he seems to accept his new routine better than he did in the beginning; we notice that in the evenings his rear leg must get tired as his hops are less energetic. His next appointment with Dr. Macy is May 4th.
Sunday, May 9th
Rusty has had a very good month! We got off to a slow start after the April Chemo treatment with the continuing diarrhea issues and nausea; Dr. Macy prescribed Budesonide twice daily for the diarrhea and an additional week’s worth of anti-nausea pills. After a couple of days the diarrhea stopped and his normal appetite returned. Rusty’s energy level has returned to pre-surgery levels and we added an evening walk to help him use up the new energy. Our friends who knew him before surgery can’t believe how much he has regained his previous energy and enthusiasm; his three month Ampuversary was April 25th. It certainly seems that it has been a lot longer than three months since his surgery! For the first time his mid-month oral dosage of Lomustine did not slow him down this month. He still has trouble understanding why he can’t lick us or his brother for 24 hours after the pills. Jan gives Rusty his daily pills in “dog food meatballs” which he eagerly gulps down.
We have been taking advantage of the cooler weather to catch up on our outdoor projects that were put on hold for the two months that Rusty required 24/7 care or we were preparing the inside of the house to accommodate his “Tripawd” needs. Rusty has enjoyed supervising the projects unless he has to be in the sun as the Chemo makes him much warmer and he avoids the sun whenever possible. We did not cover all of the tile floors when we installed the indoor/outdoor carpeting, and he seeks out the exposed tile to lie on to be cooler. We will be keeping his coat to a summer cut to help him keep cool this summer. We ordered a “cool mat” for him to lie on when he is on the patio and he has his “swamp cooler” vest from last summer that we will begin using for his walks when the heat arrives.
Between our continued unseasonably cool weather & winds, we still have not been in the pool. Rusty did take a pre-swim dip a couple weeks ago; he is our “Cabana Boy” in keeping the pool clean of debris that the wind blows in. He was walking on the wall that separates the spa the pool, which is about an inch above the pool water level, and slipped and fell into the pool. He immediately swam over to the steps and climbed out like he was trained to do; we met him with towels and dried him off. He seemed a little shook up but was fine and continues to perform his daily pool cleaning duties. We are now taking him for early morning walks around the lake; several of his dog park friends have been meeting us for the walk and Rusty really enjoys seeing some of his old dog park buddies!
Rusty went to see Dr. Macy Monday for his monthly Chemo treatment, his 4th with 2 more to go; he received the regular IV injection of Vinblastine and the anti nausea injection and pills. This time he seemed to do much better, however he is still on the anti-diarrhea pills which may have made the difference. Dr. Macy said when the prescription runs out next week not to refill it until we see if the diarrhea returns. He slept most of the afternoon on Monday and all day on Tuesday, but has been very active since. His appetite has been almost normal this week, with only couple of meals that he refused to eat. His blood work results were not quite as good as before, but Dr. Macy said that they were all still within acceptable levels. Rusty has lost a pound since last month’s visit and Dr. Macy was concerned with the loss; we are hoping that it is the extra evening walk. I am weighing him at home and he has been the same weight for two months. He had a mild cough for a few days which made Jan very concerned; he has not coughed for several days and we are hoping it was allergies, as the pollen levels are much higher than normal because of the extra rain this year.
Tuesday, May 25th
4th month Ampuversary! Rusty is getting around better than ever and his appetite has returned with a vengeance. He had his monthly dose of Lomustine Chemo last Monday and has handled it better than in previous months; last week he finished his Budesonide which he was taking twice daily for the diarrhea. Dr. Macy asked us not to refill the prescription and see how he was without the medication; unfortunately the diarrhea returned full bore this week and he is back on the Budesonide. His appetite is still good but he seems so exhausted after going potty so many times, including 3AM last night.
Rusty was due for his Bordetella Booster shot last week and Dr. Macy gave us the okay to continue with his normal preventive care treatments. As Dr.’s Huber & Macy are referral Vets only, they do not provide regular preventive care for their patients; we introduced Rusty to a new Vet, Henry Randazzo, on Wednesday. He is highly recommended and has several other vets practicing with him. He spent a lot of time examining Rusty and is hopeful that Dr. Macy’s treatment will give us more than the 1 to 3 years of our original prognosis. We just did not have the level of confidence with our previous Vet that we need at this time. She may be correct that the growth on his leg was possibly benign for the several months that were observing it and asking her about it, before being diagnosed as malignant in January. However, we will never know if an earlier more aggressive investigative approach would have changed the final outcome for Rusty.
Rusty seems to be more apprehensive the past couple of weeks and will not let us out of his sight; not sure if this is a phase of a 22 month old puppy, we certainly hope so, or if there is something going on such as the cancer returning. He seems to have a need to be able to lick us every chance that he has, and gets upset if we don’t let him get in several licks. This really makes it tough for the 24 hours after Chemo when he is not allowed to lick us or the cat; he just doesn’t understand why he can’t lick us.
Thursday, March 25th
Our lives have returned to some normalcy over the past few weeks; we are adjusting to Rusty’s treatment schedule and needs while catching up on all of the things that we pushed off the first four weeks of Rusty’s ordeal. Rusty continues to improve daily and amazes everyone how well he gets along on three legs. I found an online support group, Tripawds.com, whose members have either been or going through what we are dealing with. I have been posting pictures of Rusty and blogs on DoodleKisses and Rusty has a lot of fans and supporters on that website.
After the February 7th visit and suture removal, Rusty has been able to move around the house more comfortably; to give him some exercise we began with short walks and are now up to ½ to ¾ mile daily walks. Rusty will let us know when he is getting tired and wants to return home. I am trying to do some jogging with him as it seems to be easier for him to run than hop, however at 71 I need to work on my conditioning.
After seeing him slipping on our polished tile floors we decided to put down indoor/outdoor carpeting in our hallways, master bath and family room. We also added three area rugs to our master bedroom, which Jan was wanting anyway, which allows Rusty pretty much solid footing throughout the house. We purchased the “Ruff Wear” harness w/lifting handle that was recommended on the Tripawds website which facilitates getting him in and out of our SUV. We also purchased elevated feeding bowls which seems to help him in eating. His appetite is generally pretty good, although it suffers after the twice monthly Chemo treatments; he usually does not eat for a day or two after the treatment. Occasionally we have been giving him a special treat of going through the “In & Out Burger” drive through where he gets a plain meat patty. Dr. Macy sort of frowns at us but it is so special for Rusty that we will continue with it; as soon as we pull into the drive through line Rusty gets so excited he can hardly contain himself.
Rusty was looking longingly at our bed, which he used to be able to jump up on, and after looking at what was available online, I designed a set of stairs that allows him access to our bed. Because of our bed’s height, 30 inches, I added sideboards to prevent him from falling off the steps and a side exit which allowed for a shorter length and fits bedside the bed. I stained it to match our bedroom furniture and Jan had me add carpeting from our left over scraps. It only took Rusty a couple of times to master using it and now he flies up and down it; he is so proud of it that when we have company he takes them into our bedroom to show how he can navigate the stairs.
Rusty has had a slew of Dog Park parents stop by for visits which he really enjoys (he must get very tired of seeing only Mom & Dad) but he really misses his dog park buddies. On March 3rd we had a luncheon for several of the dog park Mom’s who have been so supportive of Rusty with visits, new toys, etc. Rusty enjoyed seeing all of the Mom’s but was very tired when they left. We are very fortunate in Sun City that we have two off leash parks, in addition to many green belts and lakes that we can walk on leash. Rusty will not be able to return to the dog park until he is off Chemo, and Dr. Macy says maybe not at all. As a result, boredom is our biggest issue with him now; we play games in the house and with the return of warm weather we hope to get the okay for him to get in the pool after his next Chemo treatment on April 5th. Rusty and his cat brother, Oliver, play and run through the house the same as when Rusty had four legs. We purchased a fabric tunnel maze for Oliver when Rusty was confined after surgery as he was feeling neglected and wondering what was happening to his brother; both of them play cat and mouse in the maze and it has been good for both of them.
We have season tickets to several performances at the McCallum Theatre in Palm Desert and were fortunate that we did not have many shows during the past two months; one of the dog park Mom’s offered to stay with Rusty last weekend (March 20th) which allowed us to have a leisurely lunch with some friends and take in a performance; our first “date” since the middle of January when all of this started. We are looking forward to being able to get out some more knowing that Rusty will be in good care. As you can see from the photos that were taken in early March his hair is growing back nicely; we had him groomed on Monday, which was eight weeks to the day from his amputation, to even out his coat from where he was shaved for the operation.
I give him nightly massages which he really enjoys, particularly in the area where his leg was removed and scratch the areas that he cannot reach because of his amputation. I am also checking for any lumps or growths that might be developing; of course there is nothing I can do to detect anything internal. When he is through with his Chemo treatments in August, we may take him back to the imaging center in San Diego for more scans and Ultrasound views to see if the cancer has metastasized to his lungs. The Colorado State pathology reports gave the cancer a 50% chance for metastasis since it was a grade 3 tumor.
His super personality has not changed and he is such a happy dog that it has been worth every minute of our time, the extreme stress on both of us and the changes in our lifestyles to accommodate Rusty's needs. We just hope and pray that he will be with us the full 1 to 3 years of his prognosis, knowing it could be much less, and cherish every moment with him. No regrets on our decision for surgery and Chemo! Rusty will see Dr. Macy on April 5th for his third IV treatment.
Tuesday, April 6th
Rusty went to see Dr. Macy yesterday for his monthly Chemo treatment; he received the usual IV dose of Vinblastine and the anti nausea injection and pills. Dr. Macy continued the Metacam for another month; we discussed the diarrhea issues that Rusty is having and he suggested we add Imodium as needed. If that does not help he may put him on a prescription anti-diarrhea medicine but would like to avoid taking that if possible. Rusty’s blood work was again very good, A-, only because his platelets were a little low. Rusty had a restless night and was up twice to go potty, which was again diarrhea. He has been taking it easy today which is his normal reaction; his appetite was normal last night and today. There are a couple of spots, about the size of a dime, on Rusty’s back where the hair was much darker than the surrounding area; Dr. Macy did a needle biopsy and they are benign! He thinks that it may be some sort of skin infection that has irritated the hair follicles’ causing the color to change. Every change in Rusty causes us to pause and hold our breath. Dr. Macy gave the okay for Rusty to start swimming and a possible visit with my mother in June. Rusty seems to have a need to chew on his paws, not sure if it is from boredom or a need to chew; we asked Dr. Macy if we could give him raw bones and he said no because of his compromised immune system.
We have noticed on our morning walks that the warmer weather seems to affect Rusty more, as he seeks out the shady side of the street. Also during the day he pretty much stays in the house lying on the cool tile floor. We asked Dr. Macy if this is from the Chemo treatments and he said it was; that the chemo impacts a dog’s sensitivity to both heat and cold temps. I guess we will keep Rusty in the pool a lot during our torrid summer, and look for a cool location for a getaway after he is through with his Chemo in August. Rusty’s activities are fairly normal and he seems to accept his new routine better than he did in the beginning; we notice that in the evenings his rear leg must get tired as his hops are less energetic. His next appointment with Dr. Macy is May 4th.
Sunday, May 9th
Rusty has had a very good month! We got off to a slow start after the April Chemo treatment with the continuing diarrhea issues and nausea; Dr. Macy prescribed Budesonide twice daily for the diarrhea and an additional week’s worth of anti-nausea pills. After a couple of days the diarrhea stopped and his normal appetite returned. Rusty’s energy level has returned to pre-surgery levels and we added an evening walk to help him use up the new energy. Our friends who knew him before surgery can’t believe how much he has regained his previous energy and enthusiasm; his three month Ampuversary was April 25th. It certainly seems that it has been a lot longer than three months since his surgery! For the first time his mid-month oral dosage of Lomustine did not slow him down this month. He still has trouble understanding why he can’t lick us or his brother for 24 hours after the pills. Jan gives Rusty his daily pills in “dog food meatballs” which he eagerly gulps down.
We have been taking advantage of the cooler weather to catch up on our outdoor projects that were put on hold for the two months that Rusty required 24/7 care or we were preparing the inside of the house to accommodate his “Tripawd” needs. Rusty has enjoyed supervising the projects unless he has to be in the sun as the Chemo makes him much warmer and he avoids the sun whenever possible. We did not cover all of the tile floors when we installed the indoor/outdoor carpeting, and he seeks out the exposed tile to lie on to be cooler. We will be keeping his coat to a summer cut to help him keep cool this summer. We ordered a “cool mat” for him to lie on when he is on the patio and he has his “swamp cooler” vest from last summer that we will begin using for his walks when the heat arrives.
Between our continued unseasonably cool weather & winds, we still have not been in the pool. Rusty did take a pre-swim dip a couple weeks ago; he is our “Cabana Boy” in keeping the pool clean of debris that the wind blows in. He was walking on the wall that separates the spa the pool, which is about an inch above the pool water level, and slipped and fell into the pool. He immediately swam over to the steps and climbed out like he was trained to do; we met him with towels and dried him off. He seemed a little shook up but was fine and continues to perform his daily pool cleaning duties. We are now taking him for early morning walks around the lake; several of his dog park friends have been meeting us for the walk and Rusty really enjoys seeing some of his old dog park buddies!
Rusty went to see Dr. Macy Monday for his monthly Chemo treatment, his 4th with 2 more to go; he received the regular IV injection of Vinblastine and the anti nausea injection and pills. This time he seemed to do much better, however he is still on the anti-diarrhea pills which may have made the difference. Dr. Macy said when the prescription runs out next week not to refill it until we see if the diarrhea returns. He slept most of the afternoon on Monday and all day on Tuesday, but has been very active since. His appetite has been almost normal this week, with only couple of meals that he refused to eat. His blood work results were not quite as good as before, but Dr. Macy said that they were all still within acceptable levels. Rusty has lost a pound since last month’s visit and Dr. Macy was concerned with the loss; we are hoping that it is the extra evening walk. I am weighing him at home and he has been the same weight for two months. He had a mild cough for a few days which made Jan very concerned; he has not coughed for several days and we are hoping it was allergies, as the pollen levels are much higher than normal because of the extra rain this year.
Tuesday, May 25th
4th month Ampuversary! Rusty is getting around better than ever and his appetite has returned with a vengeance. He had his monthly dose of Lomustine Chemo last Monday and has handled it better than in previous months; last week he finished his Budesonide which he was taking twice daily for the diarrhea. Dr. Macy asked us not to refill the prescription and see how he was without the medication; unfortunately the diarrhea returned full bore this week and he is back on the Budesonide. His appetite is still good but he seems so exhausted after going potty so many times, including 3AM last night.
Rusty was due for his Bordetella Booster shot last week and Dr. Macy gave us the okay to continue with his normal preventive care treatments. As Dr.’s Huber & Macy are referral Vets only, they do not provide regular preventive care for their patients; we introduced Rusty to a new Vet, Henry Randazzo, on Wednesday. He is highly recommended and has several other vets practicing with him. He spent a lot of time examining Rusty and is hopeful that Dr. Macy’s treatment will give us more than the 1 to 3 years of our original prognosis. We just did not have the level of confidence with our previous Vet that we need at this time. She may be correct that the growth on his leg was possibly benign for the several months that were observing it and asking her about it, before being diagnosed as malignant in January. However, we will never know if an earlier more aggressive investigative approach would have changed the final outcome for Rusty.
Rusty seems to be more apprehensive the past couple of weeks and will not let us out of his sight; not sure if this is a phase of a 22 month old puppy, we certainly hope so, or if there is something going on such as the cancer returning. He seems to have a need to be able to lick us every chance that he has, and gets upset if we don’t let him get in several licks. This really makes it tough for the 24 hours after Chemo when he is not allowed to lick us or the cat; he just doesn’t understand why he can’t lick us.
Comment
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Comment by Adina P on May 27, 2010 at 3:43pm
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Thank you for updating us Chuck. It's so great that dogs don't get down about being tripawds. If only we were as upbeat as they are when we have physical battles. I'll keep your family in our prayers!
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Comment by Penny, Comiskey & Beemer on May 27, 2010 at 3:31pm
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Having just gone through a tough time with our Beemer, my heart goes out to you. We found, as have you, that there is nothing that we wouldn't do for our beloved doodles....with your strength and love ....Rusty will overcome this...I continue to pray for all of you...blessings
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Comment by Kathie and the gang on May 27, 2010 at 9:56am
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Thanks for the update. I was hoping everything was going well. They are really amazing with three legs; they can do just about anything they want. There are times when you forget that what is happening is being done by a dog with three legs. Moving faster is easier for them; it was for my Moe (95 pound Rottweiler). He would run around the lawn, and we jogged, not walked and our nightly walks. We were just never able to return to 3 mile walks. I'm keeping Rusty in my thoughts, and I hope he exceeds everyone expectations.
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Comment by Kathy Spyker on May 26, 2010 at 9:01pm
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I think about Rusty all the time and wonder how he is doing. Thank you for the updates, I pray Rusty continues to improve. What a wonderful family he has.!
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Comment by Kyoko on May 26, 2010 at 8:41pm
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Thanks for the up date. You and your family will continue to be in my prayer...
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Comment by Adrianne Matzkin on May 26, 2010 at 8:15pm
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I am thrilled to hear that things are going well. It can't be easy on any of you but watching him run around and play with his brother must be just a thrill to see! Our paws are crossed that Rusty surpasses everyone's predictions! Give him hugs from us!
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Comment by Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie on May 26, 2010 at 6:39pm
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Thanks so much for the update. I have been thinking of Rusty a lot lately and wondering how he was doing.
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Comment by F, Calla & Luca on May 26, 2010 at 8:49am
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I am glad to hear that overall Rusty is doing well. I hope his progress will continue and yhay he has a long, happy life ahead of him with his wonderful family.
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Comment by Nina, Phil, Harlow & Lacey on May 26, 2010 at 8:46am
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Chuck Thanks so much for the update. You all have been in my thoughts a lot.
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Comment by Michele, Biscuit & Mo on May 26, 2010 at 8:39am
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Chuck, you guys are the angels in Rusty's life. My heart aches for you, but also fills with joy that you are treasuring every moment with this very special pup. Sending lots of prayers your way!
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