Ruffin had a brush with death. He's home now and he is OK.

Thursday night I made a stupid mistake. We had a rotisserie chicken for dinner and I put the bones in the garbage bag and then took the bag out of the can but I forgot to take it outside to the trash bin. I did this because the last time I dumped chicken bones in the garbage can I saw Ruff push up the lid with his nose. I didn't think he would tear open a tied up garbage bag to reach the bones. This was my fault and I am very glad it came out OK but I thought his fan club would want to read the story about his close call.

Yesterday morning after he had his breakfast and I had left the kitchen, Ruffin ate through the garbage bag and gobbled up all of the bones. I found the mess on the floor and got him to our Vet's office, Ft. Wright Pet Care/Noah's Ark, right away.

Our Vet tried to get him to throw up with no success. Ruffin didn't enjoy the experience of having a quart of peroxide solution poured down his throat but he never complained. Considering that he was bigger and weighed more than the Vet herself and was stronger than the two people holding him made that a good thing. But Ruff loves the Vet's office and all the people there. The Vet said Ruff needed to see a specialist and made a phone call and referred us to the Greater Cincinnati Veterinary Clinic. We drove there right away. Dr. Joseph Bruner an Internal Specialist examined the X-Rays from Noah's Ark and told us Ruff should stay the night while he tried to get him to vomit the bones he ate. The X-Rays showed Ruff's stomach was full of food along with the bones so they couldn't go in and remove the bones through the esophagus with a scope because they couldn't see inside with all the food. Getting him to throw up was his best chance and they administered apomorphine to induce vomiting.

Two hours after we came home Dr. Bruner spoke to me on the phone and said Ruff had vomited the larger bones and he would try to get more up with a second dose.

This morning Dr. Bruner called again and said new X-Rays showed nothing left in Ruff's stomach and he had a bowl movement during the night and everything looked good.Ruff was up and around and barking and wanted to come home.

When we arrived to pick up Ruff, the receptionist apologized for taking so long bringing Ruff to the waiting room. She said Ruff had to give everyone kisses. Now as I think about that it may have been that all of the girls had to give Ruff the kisses goodby. But it could be a matter of both, he has that affect on girls. 

This is the way Ruff reacts to everyone so I knew he must be feeling better.

On the way home we stopped at the drive-thru window at the local Kroger Pharmacy to pick up a prescription and Ruff had his head sticking out the car window. Ruff loves the drive-thru's because he always gets a biscuit. When the lady working the window saw him she remembered his photo on our Christmas card and asked me which Rottweiler he was and she spoke to him by name. And Ruff watched the drawer come out with the medicine that had his treat and was leaning over my shoulder while I picked it up.

When we got home his buddy Axl and Sassy were very glad to see him. Needless to say last night wasn't a happy time around here with all the worry. I sent out an email to all of my contacts asking everyone to please say a prayer for Ruff and I got responses from New Zealand and Great Britain and a phone call from someone I had only previously contacted by email who had to look up my number and a lady in England forwarded my message to another list for more prayers.

In the end I can't say Ruff learned any lesson from this but I can surely say that I have. The smell of food, even coming from inside a sealed garbage bag is too much for them to resist. Never leave it alone. Never.