Happy Tails Books

Happiness on a Horse Farm

From "Lost Souls: Found! Inspiring Stories about Great Danes":

Nine-month-old Achilles was in rough shape when he was surrendered to a shelter. He was underweight at approximately 85 pounds, and his lower right eyelid was turned inward (called entropion), which required surgery. Various vaccinations depleted his immune system, and the evening after he arrived in foster care, he began to cough. At first my vet thought it was kennel cough and gave him antibiotics, but instead of getting better, Achilles became dehydrated and lost weight rapidly—eventually dropping down to an emaciated 72 pounds. X-rays revealed severe pneumonia and canine influenza.

Though his chances for survival were slim, we treated Achilles with antibiotics at home and subcutaneous fluids at the vet. We also put Oxy-drops in vaporizer water to kill any bacteria, fungi, or viruses and then directed the vapors towards Achilles to help him breathe. The results were surprising, and after four months of intensive care and rehabilitation, Achilles was finally ready to get his eyelid and neuter surgeries.

Things were going much better until shortly after his neuter, when Achilles managed to tear out his stitches by falling off the deck while being a silly boy. We rushed back to the vet for emergency surgery to redo his stitches, which meant that Achilles had to be anesthetized twice in a two-week period. His kidneys were tired, so Achilles had to stay at the vet to receive fluids and have his blood work monitored to make sure that everything returned to normal, which it thankfully did. But the vet was still concerned about Achilles’ kidney function, so he prescribed food that was no more than 21% protein.

With lungs that were 10% compromised and likely to get worse over time, a low-protein diet, and a laundry list of special instructions, Achilles was finally listed for adoption. A young university girl expressed an interest in him, and after being told about his issues, including that anesthesia should be avoided if possible, Achilles would need a coat in the winter so as to avoid further respiratory issues, and if she saw a hint of a medical problem she would have to rush him to the vet, she still wanted to adopt him.

He now lives on a big horse farm in Michigan with a horse that looks like his twin, right down to the same mismatched blue and brown eyes. He’s a healthy, happy boy who has found a great home. Achilles’ return to health was made possible by a network of wonderful people who helped with his care; I couldn’t have done it alone. Between the encouragement and ingenuity of our vets, who thought to give Achilles antibiotics that were normally reserved for large animals like horses, the support of Great Dane Rescue, Inc., and the attention from my husband and his care-worker, who spent each day encouraging Achilles to eat and patting his back like a child to make him clear his lungs (my vet actually laughed that he was the first dog who would cough on command until he actually cleared his lungs), Achilles was able to thrive. Of course, Achilles’ strong will had a hand in it too!

When I think of Achilles, my eyes well with tears because of the rollercoaster we rode together on his track toward good health and a better life. I loved him so much, but I couldn’t keep him. He was meant for another. My consolation is that I do keep in touch with Achilles’ forever mom, which is the next best thing.

By Donna Petrie, Great Dane Rescue, Inc.

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