Rudy – Farewell on June 18, 2021 

Rudy came to us as part of a large County of San Diego Department of Animal Services neglect case in May 2016. He came with Sonny, Bumper, Blondie, and his BFF Ray. Ray and Rudy were so bonded that Animal Services housed the together at the shelter. We
were so fortunate to be able to keep these two boys together until Ray passed away suddenly in September 2019. Since Ray’s passing Rudy has proven to be quite popular with the girls. He shared his corral initially with Blondie, but more recently with Gypsy Rose. After a few weeks when Cinnamon arrived, she became smitten with Rudy, her neighbor. It was wonderful to see those two flirting, although Gypsy Rose didn’t share our enthusiasm.

 

Farewell – June 18, 2021

Yesterday we had to say an unexpected, heartbreaking farewell to Rudy. If you follow our veterinary posts, you know that he has been prominently featured for the last couple of months. His issues started with his hind legs. His left hind leg was terribly atrophied and his right had significant thickening.

Dr. Harlan identified the central issue as Rudy’s sacroiliac (SI) joint. Dr. Harlan treated Rudy pretty aggressively with pain and anti-inflammatory medications. Then two weeks ago he injected Rudy’s SI joint. Sadly, none of the treatments lead to improvement in his hind legs. In the meantime, we were becoming increasingly concerned about his front feet.

Rudy had chronic issues with his front feet as his soles are terribly thin. We’ve tried to protect his soles with a variety of supplements, shoes, boots, and clogs over the years. X- rays a month ago showed that his coffin bone did not show any rotation. This is what allowed us to move forward with Rudy’s steroid treatments. Yesterday’s re-check confirmed that the SI injection were unsuccessful at offering relief. More concerning was that his front feet were far more painful. Dr. Harlan was very concerned that Rudy was compensating for
his hind limb issues by bearing more weight on his front feet. He was so concerned that he called Dr. Oman and asked him to drop the x-ray off at the ranch so that we could immediately x-ray Rudy’s front feet.

While X-rays showed that Rudy’s coffin Bone remained in a good position, it also showed a very deep hoof abscess in his left front hoof, an abscess so deep it went down to his coffin bone. While we regularly deal with hoof abscesses, the location and depth of this abscess was particularly problematic given the condition of his hind legs and a year-long recovery required for this type of abscess. Since both of his front feet were sore, Dr. Harlan suspected that he was also experiencing inflammation in the lamina of both feet. All of these conditions combined to provide a very poor outlook Rudy’s potential for recovery. In order to save Rudy from worsening pain and further deterioration, the decision was made to say goodbye.

Rudy was twenty-seven years old and we were fortunate to have him at the ranch for five years, but he has still left us far too soon. As we said our good byes to this tall, handsome boy, we let him know that his buddies were waiting for him, Bumper, Blondie, and of course his best friend Ray. Through our tears and heartache, we find consolation in knowing that Rudy and Ray are once again playing together. And now, they’re play sessions are not limited by the aches and pains of old age. We love you both boys and we hope you play
together for all eternity!

Here is a link to a short Rudy and Ray play session from 2018:
https://www.facebook.com/112763885471140/videos/1975908092497336