Farewell Fentanyl!

Rufie, post-surgery, with Fentanyl patch on neck

It's Friday night of one of the l-o-n-g-e-s-t weeks I've ever had - but that's OK, because Rufus made it through surgery (which was my biggest worry) and is now beginning the long road to recovery.

Rufie's spirits are good and he got his Fentanyl patch off today. So far, his toes peeking out of his full cast are still looking really good (we’re watching very carefully to see if they get hot or swollen – we'll need to take him to the vet right away if they do).

He’s getting around better than I’d expected, and tired of the x-pen already, LOL. I think we’re going to experiment with the crate Sunday – I can’t leave him home alone in the x-pen with Ivy & Sam roaming free in the house – there is way too much potential for disaster, so Rufus has been going for a few rides in the car with us. He lays down mostly, but every so often, he’ll stand up while I’m driving – which is not at all good for my stress level, the little stinker.

Rufus is tolerating his cast fairly well – it’s a full cast, because we had no other options – the surgeon put a tension strap on one of the bones he broke, to hold his Achilles tendon in place, but the other bone is basically crushed, with many small pieces, too small to do anything with. We’re hoping the tiny pieces will knit themselves together, if provided enough rest and support with the full leg cast.

Our biggest concerns at this point are keeping him very quiet and doing all we can to prevent any sort of infection...should one develop, hopefully we're watching him close enough to spot it right away and get him in to Dr. Salloom.

To everyone who has sent love, prayers, white light, and healing energy to Rufus - words cannot begin to describe how much this means to all of our family. I firmly believe that Rufus is doing so great because of it. Knowing how many people care about our sweet boy gives our family the strength and courage we need to keep a positive attitude about this challenge.

We are extremely grateful to everyone who has so kindly shared their blessings with us by donating to Rufus' surgery fund. This unexpected generosity has eased the stress we face as a family. We did not expect this sort of help, especially with the economy as it is, but please know that we do truly appreciate it!

I am taking a little break from hound-care tomorrow morning - I'm going up to Pratt Fine Arts Center in Seattle to make glass beads with other Fire & Rain/ISGB members for the Beads of Courage program. Beads of Courage provides artisan beads to children coping with serious health issues; for each procedure or treatment, a child is allowed to choose a bead to add to his or her string. The string of beads gives each child a tangible way to document his or her journey. I'm delighted to be able to contribute what I can to this project! (I just hope my beads turn out pretty for the kids...eeek!)