Dusty's Melanoma

Alayne brought blind Dusty home from the vet clinic in Helena today after surgery for melanoma.  During her recent visit to the ranch for our annual health day, our small animal vet, Dr. Brenda Culver, had noticed a growth on Dusty's lip during the exam.  This took a sharp eye, because it wasn't much of a growth and in fact, it looked so much like part of his lip that we hadn't even noticed. 

It was an excellent call, because it turned out to be melanoma.  Brenda successfully removed it and the pathologist's report said she had good, clean margins all the way around the excised tumor, so the entire cancer should be gone.

After a week in the hospital, Dusty was glad to be home!

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In the background trying to get their photos taken are Patches, the Paint mare on the left, and Lilah the white mare on the right.  Patches came to us several years ago from an animal cruelty case in the Bitterroot Valley of Montana.  The court turned Patches over to us for safekeeping while the case went to trial, and when the owner was finally convicted and the case settled -- nearly a year later -- the judge awarded us custody.  (We weren't involved in the case at all until the court asked us to pick up Patches.)  She can't be ridden but is otherwise in good health.

Lilah is one of the non-blind "blind" horses we agreed to take, only to find out they're not blind.  <sigh>  We learned she actually only has congenital stationary night blindness, so she has trouble seeing at night but during the day she's the boss horse in the sighted herd.  (Well, she's the boss of everybody except the Belgians!)  Neither one of these two girls is listed on our Web site because we don't consider them disabled!

Comments

[Boundforglory]

Welcome back home, Dusty!

I'm so happy that Dusty's cancer was found early, removed and he's now doing well.

Nice to meet Lilah and Patches too.

[Carla Polastro-Nigro]

Welcome back, Dusty! I wish you many more years of good health & joy at the RDR!

[ginger & Tobias (the greythound)]

Welcome home, Dusty & so glad that your surgery was successful.
I didn't realize that you have other horses in addition to the ones listed on the website...that's interesting! More good deeds going on at the RDR! You & Alayne are just fantastic! Thank so much for all that you do.
Big hugs,
ginger, Tobias & Tlingit

[Janet]

I know Patches and Lilah may not be disabled, but I'd love to know about them, too. Please share.

I'm so glad that Dusty has the good life. The life of sled dogs, as you've already mentioned, is not pretty.

[Debbie]

I am so thankful to you all for taking in both boys and allowing them to stay together....having been a working pair, I doubt the younger would have had a successful re-pairing. What a lovely story....except, of course, for the stockyards. If only others knew what intelligent, noble creatures they were .

[Shirley & James, Portland, OR]

So glad Dusty had GOOD NEWS!!!! RDR didn't need another bad outcome.

[Nina]

Sooo glad that Dusty is going to be just fine and cancer-free. You have an amazing and gifted vet team to look after the precious critters at the ranch!