Gus Gets a New Family and a New Name!

Gus' journey to his new family was a short one. In fact, the transport was non-existent since he didn't move from his foster home - we adopted him!

Ever since we lost Beener to cancer three months ago, we knew we'd eventually get another rattie and that we'd 'know it' when the right one came along. And then Gus entered our lives and our hearts.

Along with a new family, Gus got a new name - Toby. The name Toby means "God is Good" and is the perfect name for our little boy.

Toby is friendly and confident and will be a great foster brother for future incoming rescue ratties. It'll be interesting to see how he takes to his new role of mentor to the foster kids.

Toby's rehab from his hip surgery is rolling along. He prefers to hop along on three legs and is resisting my efforts to get the other leg working and on the ground. He's continuing his swimming, which is one place he does use his leg. I'm also having him walk on a softly inflated air mattress - it moves so much as he walks across that it's hard for him to "three-leg" it. Lots of treats helps keep him moving and sometimes makes him forget about holding his leg up. Rehab is a long process and any little improvement is encouraging.

We are thrilled to have "Gimpy Gus" as a member of our family and thank New Rattitude for the opportunity to foster, and then adopt, this great little guy! Another dog saved with rescue . . . now on to the next rattie who needs us.

Post-Surgery - Donut neck for "Gimpy Gus"

Post surgery time was not fun for Gus. Besides earning the nickname "Gimpy Gus", 1) he had to endure the pain of both the FHO and neuter (done at the same time); 2) for the first 10 days his view was out the bars of a crate, as he was on limited activity: and finally 3) he ended up with the indignity of having to wear an inflatable E-collar to keep him from licking his incision.

Breaking out of crate-restriction couldn't come too soon for Gus - from day three he was feeling pretty good and didn't think he needed to have all that rest and inactivity. The othe dogs were running around and playing and he wanted to join them. It's hard to keep a good guy down.

The inflatable collar is much better for a dog than the traditional hard plastic cones - it's comfortable and doesn't hinder their vision and sense of space. Actually I think Gus was wondering where the beach was since he was wearing his flotation device.

Now we're into Gus' rehab period of recovery. The main job is to try to get him back to using the leg. In his opinion, he's getting along just fine on three legs, so he sees no reason to put the fourth on the ground/floor. My job of convincing him to use it is proving to be a challenge with this smart little whipper-snapper. Every little 'trick' I try to get him to put his leg down, he comes up with a counter trick to get around it. He's quite adept on only three legs.


One of the things we're doing to help strengthen and build back some muscle on his leg is hydro-therapy - swimming. Even in the water he manages to swim well without using the leg, so we're manipulating and pushing on the leg to get him to push back. We see improvement as he's paddling more with his gimpy leg.


Gus' rehab will take months, but it'll be so worth it when he is finally running again on all four legs!

Our Little "Gimpy" GUS

Poor little Gus has had a hard start in his short life. He was found wandering the streets as a stray. At only one year old, he was diagnosed with heartworms, so underwent treatment and is now HW free. All during the time he was being treated, he was suffering from a broken hip, which nobody noticed. He hid the injury well, as he'd run like the wind with the other dogs and never indicated he was in pain. Sure he lifted one leg occasionally, but other symptoms went unnoticed. A vet examined him and said his limping was due to a short hamstring in the leg.


After his HW treatment was finished, he came to New Rattitude and into our home. What a delightful little guy! He loves all people and most dogs he meets. Big dogs can be intimidating, but Gus is fine with them if they don't tower over him.


A couple of days with us and we noticed that Gus had an odd way of sitting with his hind legs straight out to the back, which told us his problem was more than a "short hamstring". So off to a different vet who took xrays and confirmed that Gus had a broken hip. Poor little guy! To be so loving while in pain - what a dog!


Gus had Femoral Head Ostectomy (FHO)surgery, which involves removing the head (ball) of the femur. In time, new bone will form and he'll be back to normal. Stay tuned for updates on Gus' therapy and recovery.

Bonney is Adopted and Two More have Come & Gone

It's been too long since I've updated this blog. In the time that has elapsed Bonney was adopted and two foster gals have come and gone.

Fiesta came after Bonney. She was a lively youngster who kept the action going at our house. She loved to play with the other dogs in our household and, if she had had her way, they would have been playing almost nonstop all day. Fiesta is now being fostered in Florida.

Our next little girl was Foxy - a sweet calm petite gal and our smallest foster to date at only 8 pounds. Such a loving girl who wanted nothing more than to please her people and snuggle. That was her calm side. Her other side came out occasionally and was polar opposite - she was a masterful huntress!! She so much enjoyed hunting for chipmunks, moles, and squirrels! Foxy was adopted into her perfect family and now has a JRTmix sister and loving mommy.