Rufus Update, 03.23.10

Just got off the phone with the vet’s office this morning – Rufus is doing really well and ate his breakfast this morning, which is always a good sign!

The tech I spoke with said that they will be removing Rufie’s IV pain control drip at 11 a.m. today, and then they’ll be watching him for a couple of hours to see how he does.

My plan is to pick the kids up after school and take them with me to fetch Rufus.

Regarding Rufus’ surgery... anytime one of my loved ones goes under anesthesia, my benchmark for success is “coming out of anesthesia alive” – I consider everything after that pure gravy.

I know our vet and the surgeon did the very best they could with the mess they found (it turned out to be much worse than had been indicated on the initial x-rays), and I have faith that Rufie will be just fine, one way or another.

I received a couple of emails yesterday from greyhound-savvy folks who voiced a few concerns regarding our treatment plan for Rufus.

1. One person asked if they were amputating Rufus’ leg, and whether or not they did a biopsy, since it’s odd for a bone to just break.
2. Another person mentioned that we should not allow the vet to put a full cast on Rufus’ leg, because greyhound skin is so thin. She said the standard procedure is to place a bandage and change it out every three days.

When we took Rufus' food over to the vet's last night, I ran those comments by Dr. Salloom.

Dr. Salloom said they were absolutely correct and valid concerns, and that she and Dr. Everett, the surgeon, were both very aware of them - they both looked over the x-rays with a fine-toothed comb for any bone thinning or weird appearance that might indicate that a biopsy was necessary, and found nothing suspicious for cancer or whatever else.

Dr. Salloom also said because multiple bones were involved, that was another indicator that it was a straightforward break, albeit rather messy and complicated, and not something due to an underlying condition.

Regarding the full leg cast, Dr. Salloom said they didn't really want to put it on, however and I realize this, with all the crushed bones, there really isn't another option, if we want to support those bones and try to help them heal.

The full leg cast will become loose on Rufus’ leg as the swelling goes down. The plan is to bivalve the cast in 2 weeks, cut it down to fit his less-swollen leg, and replace it. Then every 2 weeks after that, the cast will be taken off, cut down, and replaced.

Dr. Salloom fully anticipates that we will have to deal with a cast infection, because of the full leg cast, and because of Rufie's thin skin.

All, after voicing these concerns with her yesterday, and upon hearing her response, I'm more confident than ever that Dr. Salloom and Dr. Everett are giving Rufus the very best care possible.

If you’d like to learn more about Dr. Salloom and the rest of the terrific team over at Mountain View Veterinary Hospital, here’s a link to their site: www.mountainviewvet.com.

Our deepest gratitude goes out to Rufie's care team, and everyone who has sent love, white light, prayers and healing wishes to Rufus – I know that so much positive energy is really making a difference for him, and please know how thankful our entire family is for the love.

We are also truly grateful for all of the kind and generous people and organizations who have shared our story with their friends and offered to help out with Rufus’ vet bills. Janet Steele very graciously allowed us to borrow her crate and x-pen for Rufus’ recovery, and I’m starting to sell more of my work, which will help us to pay off the giant credit card bill we incurred. (Guess that means I need to get busy on the torch and make some more pretty things to post!)

I’ll post another update as soon as I get a chance, either later today or tomorrow morning.

Again, many thanks and much love to everyone!
Chris, Jerry, Emily, Archer, Ivy, Sam, and Goofy Rufie the Gimp-Hound