Rusty's 4th Birthday and Not Good News

[Chuck Holliman]

I have not had time to keep up to date with this site the past few months. My Mom, who is 91, has been in and out of the hospital since May; she lives six hours away. I received a call Tuesday morning that she had fallen again and was transported to the hospital. I rushed over on Wednesday, fortunately she did not suffer any broken bones and I was able to take her home on Thursday and return home on Friday.

We had another Birthday party for Rusty, his 4th, his friends and supporters; in order to include Dr. Macy, we had to schedule it for August 11 rather than his actual Birthday. I will upload some photos from the party; Jan and a neighbor made the cupcakes with the dog decorations. Rusty had a great time seeing all of his human friends and supporters, although he needed a couple of timeouts to recharge during the evening.

Rusty had been doing very well the past few months and then three weeks ago, he went into a tailspin; he began to slow down eating and then stopped altogether; a couple of days later he also stopped drinking water. He started vomiting and developed diarrhea. Dr. Macy was in Alaska fishing, and we took him to our regular vet; they could not find anything in their tests as to what was going on and wanted to wait for Dr. Macy. They gave him several injections to stop the diarrhea, increase his appetite and perk him up; we fed him chicken broth and Pedialyte several times a day using a syringe. Jan and I spent three nights in our recliners with Rusty in his bed between us. Dr. Macy ran a battery of tests on Rusty last week; none of which gave him the answers as to what was happening with his stomach/GI tract. He scheduled Rusty for ultrasound tests.

Rusty underwent abdominal ultrasound scans today; the good news is that there is no sign of cancer! However, Rusty was diagnosed with Microhepatica, which basically means that he is in liver failure. Rusty will be on a special diet and medications for the duration of his life (this has been routine for him over the past 2 ½ years). Dr. Macy would not give us a prognosis until he does a through review of all of the tests, but it does mean a much shorter life. Most likely the liver was damaged by the chemotherapy treatments. We were expecting that the scans would show the return of his cancer, not another problem that he has to battle. Rusty has exhibited all of the symptoms of this disease over the past three weeks, especially not eating. Dr. Macy is going to research what treatment protocol will work best for Rusty and get back to us tomorrow with a plan of action. He has to be on a low-protein diet; Dr. Macy says to give him as much ice cream as he wants.

It seems so unfair as Rusty has battled his cancer to a standstill for 2 1/2 years, only to lose to complications from the chemotherapy that has kept him alive since his amputation.

Chuck & Rusty

[Candice & Bailey]

Aww, :( I'm so sorry to hear of this. Happy Birthday Rusty. (pat pat)

[Deanna & Desi & Cori]

I'm so sorry to hear of Rusty's new challenge.  That just stinks!!

[Janie, Jackson and Jilly]

Happy Birthday Rusty! I am so very sorry to hear of his health issues and will keep you all in thoughts and prayers.

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

You certainly have your challenges and my prayers are with you, Jan and Rusty. He has been such a brave doodle even before the amputation and chemo, and now this. He found you so that you could experience this with him and give him the best quality of the life he has here on earth and although his life is shorter, I'm sure your love for him knows no time or limits. Best of luck to you all as your move forward in dealing with this new issue.

[Sally]

I have been reading Rusty's story hear since the beginning and it's just so overwhelmingly emotional to read...all the ups and downs. I am SOOOO happy that Rusty has no cancer still and SOOOO sad that a chemo side effect is now causing him more trouble. I truly pray and hope that this liver failure can be treated so that Rusty can continue to live and love....which it seems is all he really wants to do. Thanks for sharing your story with us. It makes us realize how precious each moment with our doodles (and human family members too) is. 

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I'm so sorry to hear thus news.  He has proven that he's a very strong boy and quite a fighter which I believe will help him again.  Sending prayers for all of you.

[Jane, Rooney & Stuart]

We will be saying our prayers for Rusty - he is a fighter to be sure and in you has gotten the best care and lots of love.  I'm a big believer that it isn't the number of days that we get but the quality with which we live them, I hope Rusty has many more days but I know that you'll make them the best!  {{hugs to you both}} 

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

Wow, hugs all around ... you, your wife, Mom, and Rusty!  Please keep us updated as you have time and we will continue to hold Rusty in our thoughts and prayers that they can find a treatment that can get him stabilized again.  I hope he at least enjoys eating his ice cream! 

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

First of all, Happy Birthday to Rusty and I am glad your mother was able to return home. It does not seem fair that Rusty has had to go through all of this in his short life. I hope Dr. Macy is able to come up with a treatment that works to slow this newest development down. In the meantime, I would make sure Rusty has as much ice cream as he can tolerate. I am so sorry to hear of this setback and will continue to keep Rusty in my prayers.

[Nancie & Gracie Doodle]

I am so sorry to hear about Rusty's latest complication.  I am keeping my fingers crossed that there is a diet and some type of medication that can slow the process down.  Rusty is a fighter and I know he will fight for every chance he can to remain by your side.  Hugs to you and Rusty!