Prayers for Our Furry Friend

I'm scrapping my Five on Friday post, as my furry friend and devoted dog is in the hospital.

Yesterday early evening I noticed that Buddy must still be outside.  In the flurry of bathing kids and readying dinner, I realized he'd been out for about an hour, which isn't terribly unusual.  However, he can hear the oven open from a mile away, and he hadn't been barking at the door.

I called for him out front, then looked in the backyard.  I was beginning to worry, thinking he'd busted out of his invisible fence.   But no, he was just laying there in the back yard, a few front from the back porch.  I called to him again, and he just stared at me.  Then I really became concerned.

Running to his side, I saw a huge gash on his leg.  It was about two inches deep- muscle and bone were visible, and ran the length of his leg from below his knee to his haunch.  Luckily I had left the back door open, so Dell Harper heard me when I screamed for her.  I told her to go inside and grab my phone and bring it to me, as calmly yet urgently as I could.  She did as I bade, thankfully, and went back up to the house to occupy Deeds with a show, a keep an eye on Tommy in his bouncy chair.  My big girl was such a helper and big sister.  It about near sent me over the edge when she came back down to give Bud a picture she had drawn of then two of them to make him feel better.

I called our vet, who is also one of my best friends.  She got the details, and headed my way.  Morgan was my next call- luckily he was almost home from work.  As he readied the back of my car, Tinsley and I carried Buddy up to the garage.  Morgan took him straight to the animal ER.

I thought perhaps an animal had attacked him, but they were no puncture marks, and it was an incredibly clean, deep gash.  Tinsley and I did a cursory check of the porch and area around the playset but didn't see anything sharp or bloody.

As I type this (Thursday night), we are waiting on x-rays and Buddy to be stitched up.  Please keep him in your prayers.  I am just distraught, as well as baffled as to how this happened.  It's so strange.

So I'm chucking the book review and recipe I had planned, as all I can think of is my sweet boy.  Please pray for him, and give your own furry friends some extra love this morning.