I hate writing this. I am filled with sadness. Rondo had such a hard night last night, coughing and coughing- and just looked worse. When I brought him in for his xray this morning I could not believe how much more congested his lungs appeared- an ultrasound confirmed my worse fears. We had been hoping and praying that Rondo had a bad case of pneumonia, but his ultrasound showed a large, solid mass in his right lung- a mass that the vet felt had been there, growing, since long before he came to me. Surgery would not be curative. There was only one choice, the right choice- to say good bye. Rondo is now free- running with the other great ones who went before him. He is strong and young again. I loved this sweet boy so much and it was my privilege to care for him at the end of his life. I am at peace, and know that no matter what his prior circumstances were, for the last two months he was warm, safe, loved and wanted. RIP little Rondo.

Rondo's not much of a lap dog, but he loves to cuddle with his friends!

As adorable as Rondo looked in his antler ears yesterday, he also seemed a little mortified! But was a good sport as usual. This was taken at our photos with Santa event at the Warwick Petsmart yesterday- Rondo was an angel as usual. And he is lucky enough to have two women interested in adopting him. One met him yesterday, and both are considering adding Rondo to their family. His health, of course, remains theirs- and my- biggest concern. I am so hoping for good news from his vet tomorrow!

I'm sorry the picture is so dark, but I wanted to show Rondo at a really nice event we attended last night- the wonderful women from the GreaterProvidence/Northern RI Women's Realtor's Association were generous enough to designate the Friends of Homeless Animals as the beneficiary of their annual fundraiser, a casino night at the Dueling Pianos bar in Providence. Rondo was one of the featured dogs in attendance and had such a nice time! He met so, so many people and was calm, gentle and friendly with absolutely everyone.

One of the other dogs in attendance was Ginger, a Boston Terrier girl who is often less than friendly towards other dogs, but she had no issues at all with Rondo- he has a submissive temprament with other dogs and I think she sensed that he was no threat to her at all. He returns to the vet on Monday, and I am so hoping his xray shows more improvement in his lung congestion!

We brought Rondo to the local animal coalition's Christmas bazaar today for pictures with Santa- I don't have any pics of the event because I had my hands full with 3 dogs, but I can tell you that Rondo had a great time and made lots of friends. After my dog Pixie peed on the blanket of the massage therapist doing canine massage, I was so embarrassed that I treated Rondo to a 5 minute professional massage- he was in heaven! His eyes were closed and he was practically purring....and she showed me some easy techniques to relax Rondo, and help expand his muscles. 

I'm embarrassed too to tell you that Rondo hasn't had a nail trim since he's been with me- even with my husband helping, he's too squirmy for us to do his nails. He doesn't nip, but squeals like he's being set on fire and disemboweled at the same time and manages to wiggle away. Dr Lord, the wonderful vet from the Mass. Mobile Vet Clinic was at the bazaar and was kind enough to trim Rondo's nails, which were talons by now, for free. He also examined Rondo and reaffirmed what my vet had told me- that treating pneumonia in dogs usually takes at least 2 months, sometimes longer. He had a good suggestion that we consider adding a medication called Mirtazipine to stimulate Rondo's appetite. It's a med I'm pretty familiar with- an anti depressant called Remeron which I use alot at work. It's not greatly effective anti depressant so it's usually used in combination with other meds, but I can tell you that my patients on Remeron certainly tend to gain weight. I'm going to ask Rondo's vet about adding it to his regime at least as a trial.

Rondo's now doing what he does best- chillin' with his pals Pixie and Salty Dog, a long way from the streets!

Rondo came with us yesterday to my mother's home for Thanksgiving- he jumped up and cuddled right next to her, and was so gentle. I was disappointed though that he didn't eat a bite on his own all day, and had to have AD dog food, a high calorie prescription dog food, placed in his mouth to give him nutrition. We've started him on Pepcid in case his antibiotics are upsetting his stomach, but his appetite really hasn't improved- in fact, it may be a little worse. It's hard to be sick! He gets short of breath and coughs with even minor activity....but I'm in it for the long haul with Rondo, and he'll stay until he's better. His next xray is due on 12/3 and I am so hoping to see continued improvement!

What a roller coaster of a day! We received an email this morning from a lovely woman whose Bichon, Robby, went missing in Providence two years ago- Rondo looked so much like her baby that she thought she maybe have found her Robby! She came to meet him, and I'm sorry to say that Rondo was clearly not her dog- his legs are shorter, and Rondo did not have some of the markings that Robby had. I was disappointed too because she was such a nice person, and would be a good mama for any lucky dog. 

I will tell you too that she had brought her adorable 2YO daughter with her, and Rondo was an angel- so sweet and gentle. My two dogs were just awful, embarrassed me by acting like heathens, and had to be put outside because they wouldn't stop jumping on the guests. I wanted to talk her into taking mine! Rondo's behavior around others is definitely a strength of his. He has gotten along just fine with everyone he meets, without a bit of aggression or rambunctious behavior. I made him a plate of shaved steak and he ate several mouthfuls, which I was happy about. He deserves steak!