About three months after we adopted our first Lhasa, Teddi Ann (Ted), a breeder in our city called and said that she had remembered that I had called looking for a Lhasa and wondering if I was still looking. I said not really but what did she have. She said she had a three month old male Lhasa that she had hoped to keep for a show dog but his nose had grown just a little too large so she had decided to find a home for him. I said I really wasn't interested but I was going to be in her part of the city at noon and would drop by. I drove up to the house, rang the doorbell and went into the kitchen where this little Lhasa was in a corner of the room. I picked him up and he put his paws around my neck, looked straight into my eyes and .... well you can guess the rest. Rufus became my best friend from that day on and often I still tell him this very story when we are laying together.

Rufus will be fourteen in March, 2000 and he has had pretty good health with a few exceptions. Rufus was diagnosed with diabetes on December 26, 1999. This diabetes has really taken hold of him and he is not at all the baby we know. We started with one insulin shot in the morning after he ate.  He was still drinking a lot, peeing everywhere in the house, restless, and uncomfortable a lot of the time. He would try to sleep but could only lay for a few seconds and then be up again. We took him back to the vet and the vet decided to try Rufus on two shots a day about 12 hours apart. He gets 6 units each time. The first day was not too bad but after a few days he was back to drinking and peeing a lot. 

We know we are just beginning this journey but I think the thing that is so heart breaking is Rufus is so sad and his eyes are already covering over and he can not tell us how he is feeling. He has trouble getting up to the patio landing so we have to carry him up.

In mid February, 2000 he had his glucose levels tested for hours and his diabetes is getting stable. He even gained a pound after losing all that weight. He is very spoiled now and he will not eat unless we hand feed him. I think part of the problem is that his teeth are bad and the vet plan on removing 3 of them next month if Rufus is still doing well. 

Some good news is that he still knows me and kisses me all the time. He likes his treats and he eats his meals up twice a day. We started making our own food for the two dogs years ago. I make a huge roaster full and then divide it up into servings and freeze it. I make chicken, rice, pasta, peas, carrots and chicken broth. The vet says that is a good mixture. Rufus loved to eat cheese but that is out now. He still has some apple and a bit of banana everyday. We try to take him for a walk every day but sometimes he just doesn't feel like it.

I pray that Rufus will continue to get better and that he will have a few good years on this earth with us.

-- August 2000
Rufus is almost blind now. He has no sight in his left eye and just a bit in his right eye. He sleeps a lot these days. I brought him a large dog bed and it is in our room so at night we can keep an ear open if he needs us. He is still on two shots a day (8 units each time). I think with his blindness, it has aged him a lot. Rufus still enjoys his walks and has a good appetite, so we are so grateful for that. Tedi knows that Rufus is not well so she checks on him during the day and if anything is not right in her mind, she comes into our office, as we have a home based business, and gets us. It is amazing how smart she is.

-- September 2000
We have stabilized Rufus and he is eating good, twice a day, getting 8 units twice a day. He is almost completely blind and I think we could all handle that except he now appears to have Dementia. Rufus needs 24 hour care as we take him outdoors about every 3 hours otherwise he has accidents in the house. He wanders a lot and gets very scared if he gets into a corner. We are scared also as we know that each day he appears to be going downhill. It is so frustrating as we have worked so hard to get his diabetes under control and our Vet is so pleased with all of us... to now have this happen is so very sad. We love Rufus so much and sometimes we are so tired from getting up with him at night. He has given so much to us, we can't think of a time when he is not here.

-- Contributed by Judi & Rufus

Rufus passed away in November 2000

Updated November 2000
Copyright. All rights reserved.
This site is for information purposes only.  Please consult your veterinarian.