Mackey came to B.O.N.E.S. from a bad situation in central Massachusetts. He was underweight and limped painfully. X-rays revealed a displaced femur fracture in his right hind leg – it was amazing that Mackey could use the leg at all. The options didn't look hopeful, but with help from the B.O.N.E.S. Medical Director, a carefully-structured exercise program, and a lot of TLC, he can now lead a normal life.
As Mackey recovered from his injuries, long-time B.O.N.E.S. adopter John was mourning the loss of his long-time beagle companion, Hudson, whose "Chronicles" were documented here for many years. John was settling into a new job with lots of driving, and Mackey loved to ride... a great match. John and Mackey will both share their viewpoints with us on this page.
Happy Memorial Day! John and I are home recovering after a busy two weeks, me more than him!
First, we hopped in the pickup truck for a road trip to Knoxville, Tennessee to attend a family wedding. John was staying with his brother and his family.
Their dog, Rex, and I had to spend the weekend at the kennel. I can't understand why we weren't invited to the wedding. I guess, with Rex and me being so adorable, the bride would have been playing second fiddle. I guess I understand now.
John came to pick me up Sunday afternoon. I sure was glad to see him and get away from all those dogs.
The next few days I really didn't feel too well. I didn't feel like eating and just wanted to lie around all day, kind of like John... except he is just lazy, I was sick!
We went for a ride in the boat, but that didn't really get me excited like it normally does. That night, they even gave me salmon... that was when I knew something was wrong, because I didn't want any.
We left for home Tuesday morning. I started throwing up later in the day, so John drove 20 hours straight to get me to the vet to see what was wrong.
The tests didn't reveal what was going on, so off to the emergency hospital for further treatment! I was there for four days. The first thing they did was put a tube in my leg attached to a hose. Then, they started shaving my belly. I'm thinking to myself, John must be getting me a two-piece bathing suit this summer, if I have to have my belly shaved!
Well, the doctors couldn't find out why I was sick, but at least I wasn't throwing up any more. Saturday night, John came to pick me up. The vet loaded him up with lots of pills for me to take over the next few days.
I'm having fun spitting the pills out from the cheese, peanut butter, and other disguises John tries to get me to take the pills! I guess that might be a sign I'm feeling better, and my appetite is coming back.
Good morning. I hope you're having a nice Memorial Day weekend.
I've spent the weekend nursing Mackey back to health. It has been an exciting and stressful two weeks.
It started with a trip to Knoxville, Tennessee to attend the wedding of my brother's oldest daughter. Mackey and I left on Thursday and had a nice, two-day road trip down.
We stopped Thursday night in Virginia and stayed with my sister. Mackey got some play time with their young dog Cody.
We left the next morning and arrived at my brother's house about noon, had some lunch, took Mackey and their dog Rex to the kennel for the weekend, and then off to Knoxville to check into the hotel. It was a nice wedding and a great weekend visiting with friends and family.
Sunday we picked up Rex and Mackey and returned back to my brother's place for a few days of relaxation. That's where things changed.
That evening, Mackey started acting a little "off." The next morning, he was sluggish and uninterested in food. He didn't even want any salmon that night!
Tuesday, we packed up and headed back to Maine. On the way home, he started throwing up, so I pushed up the vet appointment to Wednesday morning instead of Thursday. I had to drive straight through to make the appointment. Luckily, I have had plenty of training after 33 years of driving. Mackey doesn't realize how lucky he is!
We got to the vet. They did all sorts of tests and didn't really have any answers. They suggested an IV and antibiotics over the next 24-48 hours, but that would involve days at my vet and evenings at the emergency vet in Lewiston. This would not work with my work schedule, so "plan B" was to take him to Scarborough, to the 24-hour emergency hospital.
More tests and even a sonogram didn't reveal what was going on with Mackey. They put him on an IV and antibiotics and we took a wait-and-see approach. He still wasn't eating, but his vomiting stopped and he stabilized. I stopped by a couple of times to see if he had any interest in eating if I were there... didn't work.
Finally, he started nibbling at some food a little on Saturday, so I went to pick him up that evening. We all felt that his recovery might go better at home than at the hospital. It would be a lot cheaper as well!
Today, day two, he's slowly getting his appetite back His energy level is up to about 75%. I hope this little drama is almost over!
I am thankful for all the staff from the Topsham Veterinary Wellness Center and the Maine Veterinary Medical Center for their care and concern for Mackey during this adventure.
