My sweet boy, Rufus, is in need of a life changing surgery to repair a previously fractured femur bone that was untreated and healed in a way that can cause serious injury and pain throughout his life.

Rufus' Story

Rufus was rescued in August 2023 after being intentionally abandoned in a forest preserve at approx. 8-10 months old. He was picked up as a stray and taken in by Many Paws Global Rescue. When I met Rufus, one of the first things I noticed was his goofy walk. His back legs seemed to bow out and there was very little muscle (or meat) on his bones. He laid down every time we stopped walking - I thought, "what a sweet, lazy boy." Aside from the obvious signs of severe neglect, the thing that stood out the most about Rufus was his massive, gentle heart. You could see in his eyes that he'd been through some things but he wanted nothing more than to be loved and cared for by someone. That someone was me.

Once Rufus came home, I began noticing a lot of other challenges this pup was enduring. The tip of his tail was broken from smacking it on the inside of a crate so many times (they call it "happy tail"). The top of his nose was skinned off from barking in the kennel ("kennel nose"). He was ravenous for food. Within the first month, he was diagnosed with pneumonia and a parasite. The poor boy was so weak. He couldn't use his back legs to get onto a couch/bed for months. The first time I laid on the floor next to him, he army crawled over and slunk his big head onto my chest. So, that's what we did. A whole lot of healing and a whole lot of cuddling.

Rufus eventually started to perk up and show off his silly goober side. He was building muscle and learning some new tricks. He found a new thing to snuggle, his "big" sister, Maisie.

Rufus still suffers from anxiety attacks usually brought on by loud noises and cars. This made living in Chicago with him very challenging. So in the spring, we packed up and headed to the mountains. Once we got to Colorado, I saw a more confident, carefree Rufus. His favorite activity is hiking off leash with me. He's a very good boy and never strays off. Afterall, his biggest fear is being abandoned again.

Rufus has had a few trips to the emergency vet over the last year. His clumsy legs have made him a bit accident prone. Recently, he had a bad case of pneumonia which got him admitted to the hospital for 2 days, and got me a $6k vet bill...

Which brings me to the latest development. Now that Rufus has built up a good amount of muscle in his legs, I've noticed that he still favors his back left. His vet felt a hard lump on the inside of his knee that could be indicative of a previous ACL tear or fracture. So, I had X-rays done. The results were heartbreaking.

Rufus' left femur bone was previously broken and never cared for. How does something like that happen to a 4-6 month old puppy? The vet says any number of things could have happened from being hit by a car to being kicked by a human. Whatever it was, he was left alone to suffer with a broken leg. Unable to walk and in excruciating pain.

By the time I adopted Rufus, his leg had already healed. But the effects of this traumatic injury have affected his health in so many ways. The bone is twisted unnaturally at his hip and his knee. The vet says this will cause other complications for him later in life and poses a threat for other serious injuries. Dogs don't show pain. And Rufus experienced unimaginable pain for a good chunk of his life. It's hard to know just how uncomfortable he might be even now.

My insurance company won't pay for this surgery since the fracture happened before I adopted him. The procedure will cost $4,500. He needs to have the surgery while he's young enough to recover from it more easily and to prevent other painful injuries. If you are able, I would be so grateful for assistance in paying for Rufus' life changing surgery. Any amount is greatly appreciated. I'll be sure to update everyone on his progress. I anticipate having the surgery done at the start of this winter so that he can be fully healed up by next summer.

Please help me give this sweet boy a better life. After everything he's been through, he deserves it!

Thank you for reading and for your support!

-Christie