Happy SPRING, Subscriber First Name

First to share sad news…

We said thank you and goodbye to Rusty on Friday the 12th, over two weeks ago now.

Our hearts are full having had an extra 4.5 weeks with him that we wouldn’t have gotten without the non-chemo drug therapies we were able to leverage. We knew they would “wear off” and not continue to be effective but we didn’t know just how many days or weeks we would get.

We are so thankful to have gotten the extra time with him. Each day a beautiful gift.

That Tuesday Rusty caught and killed a rockchuck! This one was massive, a feat to be truly proud of. The next day he was a bit tired and off but by Thursday he was nauseous and miserable. We took him to his oncologist and tried another round of non-chemo treatment. He handled it well but remained nauseous. It was a difficult night.

The next morning I took him to his vet to receive a shot of anti-nausea medicine. It was hard to tell if he was miserable from being nauseous or if he was in pain. The vet found him to be in critical condition, showing signs of shock and severe anemia. His heart was pumping hard to push blood. The cancer mass had returned and was large and thriving: stealing his blood.

The Team at Redmond Veterinary Clinic was able to stabilize Rusty. They gave him fluids, anti-nausea medicine, and a B-Vitamin shot to keep his intestines functioning.

And I was able to bring our Rusty Buckets home.

He was in rough shape. Lethargic. He had to be lifted and carried out of the car. He settled down between our vehicles and I thought he may just die right there. He was heavy and cold in my arms.

Clancy, Nathaniel, and I went on a walk down our driveway in the warm sunshine. I worried we would find that he had slipped away while we were gone.

We had hoped another treatment would give us another week or two with Rusty but cancer had taken its toll on the rest of his body and it had become clear that we weren’t going to be allotted the time to see if it would work for us again. Rusty’s vet from the time he was a puppy was willing and able to come out that night to help us say goodbye to Rusty before his health declined again.

As we slowly made our way back towards the house on the driveway, allowing Clancy to explore blades of fresh grass popping up we saw Rusty standing on the porch watching us. The blanket I had tucked over him was fluttering on either side of him.

We were so happy to see him standing there alive.

Rusty gained strength and came back to us. We knew it was thanks to the B-Vitamin shot perking him up and that it wouldn’t last but what a magical last evening it was.

He ate eggs straight from the coop cracked into my hands, was snatching his favorite ball right out of the sky but he didn’t quite have the energy to go around doing chores with us; he settled right there and watched us.

He sniffed the light wind, taking in the reawakening Earth on a pasture just beginning to come alive. We watched a magnificent golden hour that lit up Big Rock in a pink hue. After all the warmth had left the day and darkness was settling down we went inside, lit a fire, and welcomed our vet and favorite vet tech into our home to help us say thank you and goodbye to our star.

A special thanks to Johnny, my father-in-law, for spending the week helping us maintain all the ditches, split a half cord of wood, and do some tree pruning! It is always a productive time on the ranch when he is here.

Nothing new to see here BUT why not revisit a favorite recipe? We have been very much enjoying these brownies!

We are enjoying the moody Spring weather, staying focused on the many tasks the ranch offers, and have been enjoying time with family and friends. This has been a hard season in our lives; tangible work provides us with a productive way to reflect, grieve, and look forward.

Thank you to so many who have reached out to share photos, memories, and what Rusty meant to them. We so appreciate all the light, love, and prayers we have received.

Until next time…