A Gunshot Destroyed Rufus’s Elbow

Rufus can walk But every step loads an elbow destroyed by a gunshot.

At first, seeing Rufus walk was a relief.

Then we saw his X-rays.

They changed the meaning of every step we had watched him take.

More than 100 shotgun pellets are still embedded throughout his body. One lies very close to his eye. His femur had been broken in the past and had since healed.

But his elbow was destroyed by a gunshot.

Rufus had been walking on it.

“He was walking because he had learned how to keep going despite the pain.”

That is difficult to take in. He was not walking because it did not hurt. He was walking because he had learned how to keep going despite the pain.

What makes this even harder is the kind of dog Rufus is.

He is gentle, affectionate and extraordinarily polite. He still does not understand that he is finally with people who are not going to hurt him. He does not yet know that our hands are there to help.

Even so, he allows us to examine him, touch him and handle his injured leg. He remains calm and kind while we do everything he needs. After all that human beings have done to his body, he is still willing to place a little trust in us.

Animals cannot explain where it hurts. They adapt. Sometimes what looks like recovery is simply an animal learning to live with something that should never have been left untreated.

Every time Rufus puts weight on that leg, he loads an elbow that can no longer move normally. He can stand and walk, but each step hurts.

An orthopedic specialist has determined that Rufus needs an arthrodesis. The name is technical, but what it means for Rufus is simple: during surgery, the destroyed elbow will be fixed in a stable position so that it can no longer move painfully.

The operation cannot give him a normal elbow again. It can give him a stable leg and the chance to live with far less pain.

Rufus is stable, and we are controlling his pain while we prepare for the operation.

Your donation will help pay for his surgery and everything he will need around it: tests, anesthesia, hospital care, medication, follow-up examinations and rehabilitation.

Rufus has trusted us enough to let us help him. Now we need to be worthy of that trust.

Please help us give him a stable leg and a life in which every step does not have to hurt. We will continue documenting his operation and recovery here. Please donate.