This is really sad.  On Friday, Monte had trouble "peeing" so Steve took him to the vet.  He was told that there was a blockage in the urinary tract, and that Monte was too little for them to do the catheter so he needed to take him to the emergency vet in Jenks.  He did this, and they said he would need to stay overnight for some IV fluids and they would do an ultrasound and check for what the blockage was.  OK.  They call Friday evening and say the catheter was working and they flushed his bladder and Monte is resting comfortably, but he wasn't urinating on his own... they had to "express" it...(push on his bladder) So, the next day, (Saturday) they call and say the ultrasound showed some kidney stones and they could do the surgery there, but there was a 5% chance that there was a stone lodged in the Pelvis and he may require a second surgery if that was the case.  So he had the surgery Saturday, and it was successful, but there was a stone in the pelvis, so we would need to have the specialist do surgery on Monday, which was ok, because he needed time to gain his strength and recover from the first.  All wnet well until Monday morning when Steve noticed he had gotten a call just after 11pm Sunday night (the Blackberry was off and we were in bed) saying that Monte had been vomiting and has "aspirated" and he had fluid on his lungs (pnemonia).  They had him in an oxygen tank and he was doing well.  So Steve call them, and he can't get the doctor to answer.  The doctor calls in about an hour to say that Monte had "crashed" and they brought him back.  Steve had a horrible cold, and was on all kinds of medicines, so Liz and Christie took him to the Vet Hospital, and I went in from Coweta to visit The Little Guy.  He was responsive to our voices, although his eyes weren't as bright as we would've liked.  He sure was tiny and frail looking with the IV and the breathing tube, and the heating pad and oxygen blowing on him.  But he seemed strong, and we could only hope that we would be even stronger in a few more hours.  Well, he crashed again, and they brought him back again, but before too long, he crashed a third time, and they were not able to revive him.  Poor little guy.  Steve was totally grief stricken, and came home from work.  He had a really rough afternoon, but I am sure he is doing better now.  The Little Guy was HIS dog, and was his best pal for almost 9 years.  He went almost everywhere with his Daddy, including RV trips to Florida, and motorcycle rides to and from work.  Steve misses him VERY much, as do I, and yet we are also grateful to have had the time we did sharing the love and joy that our Montezuma gave to us.  Rest in Peace, Little Guy.  We sure do Love and Miss You!

Today Rufus went to be with the angels.  After his spleen and the large tumor on it were removed in May,
it looked like he would be alright.  But In July, the girls convinced me that he was losing weight, and the
vet confirmed that he was sick.  He had an ultrasound which in comparison to the one done in May showed
that he had cancer affecting his liver and kidneys.  I tried to keep him comfortable, but his decline was swift,
and Thursday afternoon I knew he had reached  his limit.  This morning I had to take him in, and he went
peacefully to sleep with his head on my lap. We will all miss him greatly, but are thankful that his pain and
suffering has ended. He was a very good dog, and my faithful companion for over twelve years, and yes, he
did smile for the girls at the clinic, and made one final attempt to snip at Dr. Hooley.  That’s my Rufie!

Here I am again!