Ruska, an 8 year old Siberian Husky lady & treasured member of the Helwig family, suddenly collapsed during her evening walk with her mom, Susan, on 25 July 2026. Susan was unable to get Ruska back up to support herself as she had become completely unable to bare her weight. With help from her husband, Doug, & a caring neighbor, Susan was able to get Ruska to VCA Arora Animal Hospital. The diagnosis is inoperable lesions on Ruska's spinal cord, even biopsing them for cancer is too risky. So, now the plan is inpatient steroids to get the inflammation down & pain control.

Susan & Doug's goal is to restore mobility as much as possible. They know Ruska's prognosis is very guarded. Their only wish is to care for her as best as they can & to have enough resources to make Ruska comfortable.

Thank you so much.

UPDATE: 8/1026 from Susan

The Rüska Report.

It's been a little over week since we brought our girl home from the hospital. Her medications have been helpful in reducing the inflammation in her spinal cord and opening up some communication to her back legs. Her mobility in her front legs is also improved. Her back right leg will never be fully functional, but we are seeing some improvement in that she is able to hold her foot flat when it is positioned correctly. She is now learning to get up on her own and shift her lying position as well as hobble through the house on her right back paw knuckles, which the vet has agreed is a good idea to keep her muscles strong in that leg. At this point she gets all the way through the living room to the hallway before she stumbles, at which point I then lift her by the back harness to assist her the rest of the way down the hallway to the kitchen. She is able to stand unassisted to eat and drink now. Outside she is assisted with her full body harness and anti-knuckling boot so she does not injure her back paw again by dragging it and I also support her while she is completing her potty, which she still has control over.

Her wheelchair came yesterday and is now fully assembled, though it is not yet adjusted to her due to my work schedule. We will be experimenting with it tonight to make sure that it is correctly adjusted to her frame. We will be practicing in the house until she gets the hang of it as it is indeed small enough to fit through our hallways.

And, of course, it is pink.

Because of her increased needs, I will be stepping away from Alden Gardens salon to devote more time to caring for our girl. I simply can no longer work 3 to 4 days away from her as her condition is likely degenerative and progressive and unpredictable. I will still be working at Alden Rehabilitation Center on Tuesdays, and will be reducing my workload on Mondays with my at-home senior clients. This will impact my income, but there's no helping it.

I want to take a moment here to give heartfelt thanks and gratitude to those who have donated to Rüska's fundraiser.