Rufus Update: His condition is much improved but no diagnosis yet. At this point, given every inconclusive test, probe, and scan he’s had I doubt we’ll ever get a clear diagnosis. There’s still a duck egg sized lump on his chest, he has a pretty severe limp (very weak left leg), and there’s some atrophy of the muscle around the left shoulder. In spite of all that his spirit is good (he is an Airedale after all), he’s eating and drinking regularly, and he likes to spend time outside. For whatever reason he often prefers being outside — all we can figure is because it’s cooler, and he seems to get relief by lying on cool ground. He has occasional (heart-wrenching) episodes of bleating, not sure if it’s because he’s in pain then or what. The absence of speech in dogs can be infuriating.
But oh that we could all Wag More and Bark Less.