Please help Rufus beat LUNG CANCER

Its not every day you find a friend and comrade that suits your every want and need, but that’s what we have with Rufus. Soft-hearted and loveable; independent and spirited (for those closest to him, you can read that as spiteful). He has more energy at eleven than most dogs at four; needless to say, he keeps us on our toes while comforting us at every turn. You couldn’t ask for better.

We got confirmation last week that he has a large carcinoma in his right lung. We’re lucky because CT scans confirmed that it’s isolated to this one tumor, but the oncologist has made it clear that chemo treatments will likely not work on such a large mass and surgery is likely the best option. This means that a lobe of his lung will need to be removed and we will be shortly meeting with a surgeon to discuss what this means in detail, and outline all the options. If this is the best route, he’ll be having surgery performed on the lung within the week. To further complicate the situation, he was simultaneously diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy, essentially heart disease, so anesthesia is a high-risk event which is obviously necessary for surgery.

As anyone can attest, Rufus is a one-of-a-kind sort of dog. In fact, he is the most un-dog-like dog you’ll come across, as he could easily be mistaken as a person—albeit a Muppet looking one. Typically, this is not a request we would advertise, or even request at all, but where Rufus is seeing specialist after specialist, facing surgery, x-rays, CT scans, and mounting prescriptions—not to mention whatever post-surgery assistance he may need (of which we won’t know until we consult with the surgeon), all within a two-to-three-week period, we felt that the best path would be to reach out to friends, colleagues, and fellow animal/Muppet lovers to help take pressure off of so much accumulated within such a short timeline.

The oncologist and nurses are all shocked that Rufus, who’s tumor is pushing against his lung into his heart, is as healthy looking as he is. He still has incredible energy, friendly demeanor, and honestly provides no indication that he’s as sick as he actually is. We are holding on to this information closely as we believe this means that his strength and perseverance will get him through his surgery and recovery and he can and will in fact beat lung cancer.

We humbly ask for support during this time, as such an incredible spirit deserves the best opportunity possible to beat this disease.