I wanted to give everyone an update on our dear sweet BRUNO.  His regurgitation was becoming a problem so we got the surgeon and decided we had to go in and figure out exactly what was going on.  Once we got him sedated it became very apparent that his tongue had been so destroyed by the shotgun that what was left was badly mangled and partially dead.  That part of his tongue was flipping back when he would swallow and he was choking on it for most of the time.  A lot of his regurgitation was caused by that.  We had no choice but to remove the part of the tongue that was so damaged and necrotic. Over half of his tongue had to be removed.  The inside of his mouth had to be debrided to get rid of the dead tissue that had been badly damaged to prevent further infection.  While Bruno was sedated, we put a feeding tube in to supplement his food while he learns to eat and drink without his tongue.  We still have a lot to do in his mouth but that is going to have to wait until we get him stable and comfortable.  

Our sweet boy would not lay down for the life of us.  He was so tired but would lean against a wall and would not lay down without us giving him something.  Everyone had been showering him with love and kisses to assure him that he was okay but he would still not lay down to sleep.  Late this afternoon, he finally laid down and went to sleep. We all breathed a sigh of relief.  Bruno does not realize yet that most of his tongue is missing.  He still acts as if it is there.  It breaks our heart to see him try to get water his old way.  Animals do adapt to not having a tongue, they just need time to figure it out and come up with a new way to drink and eat.  We are giving him canned food made into balls which we are teaching him how to eat by holding his head up and allowing them to roll to the back of his mouth.  He is eager to learn since he really wants to eat food.  Once he begins to feel better, we will then be doing more scans and x-rays of his head and chest to see if we have any buckshot that needs to be removed.  

I am still shocked that someone discarded this absolutely amazing dog.  He is so loving and sweet and would not hurt a fly.  He has been an Angel and allows everyone to work on him without any problems.  We have posted some new pics of him on his web page.  The graphic ones are blocked to protect people that do not want to see them.  You have to click on them several times before they show up.  Be warned, some are very graphic.   Thanks for helping us with this beautiful dog.  A lot more has to be done but for right now we are getting him comfortable with his new circumstances and out of pain.  

We do not have any idea what has happened to the person that did this to him.  We have asked and have still not gotten further information.  As we get it, we will pass it on.  There is no way anyone could ever think Bruno was a threat.  He is the sweetest dog.   We are heartbroken this has happened to Bruno and are going to make sure the rest of his life is going to be filled with unconditional love.  No one will ever hurt or abandon him again