Simply put, if you are a dog musher, you know Dr. Tim.
Dr. Tim is many things to many people.
A veterinarian. Bayshore Veterinary Hospital.
A purveyor of canine eats.
And, a nice guy.
Dr. Tim helped us find peace with a mystery illness of our boy, Hans.
Hans came to us from Iditarod Veteran Al Hardman many years ago.
Al still has Han’s brother, Whiskey, who is also an Iditarod veteran of several races.
Years after we bought Hans, he developed a cough.
It started one spring, coming off a hard winter several years ago.
We treated Hans with our local vet, Dr. Dale. It took several courses of antibiotics and Hans taking up premium space in our tiny cabin for about a month. However, the cough refused to cease entirely.
X-rays were sent to MSU (Alma Mater of both Dr. Tim and Dr. Dale) but nothing conclusive came about.
We tossed around ideas. Megaesophagus, laryngeal paralysis, etc.
I even “kidnapped” Dee Dee Jonrowe’s Alaskan vet, Jo Rehn of All Creatures Veterinary Clinic, while in Michigan on the way to the airport from a Win-Some Women’s retreat on Mackinac Island, medical file of Hans in my hand.
While riding in car from Mackinaw City to Pellston airport, Jo tossed out the idea of asthma.
It wasn’t until this past summer, the busiest week of the summer ~July 4th~ that I realized something had to be done.
We had just moved our dog yard into the woods by our cabin.
Some of our dogs had never been anywhere but the original dog yard so I figured I would just stay with them the first night and save us all some sleep.
I plopped a tent in the middle of the dog yard, turned on the lantern, and snuggled up with my current read by the Collin’s twins.
The dogs did fine. However, listening to Hans cough every so often prompted me to call Dr. Tim in the morning.
The next day Hans and I headed up to Marquette. For us a 5-6 hour drive. (I’m known for my propensity for blue highways.)
Upon examining Hans, it was concluded. He would join me in the ranks of the Asthmatic.
Depo injections would be in lieu of an inhaler for the boy.
Hans is very special to us.
His father, Kiwi, who was the best lead dog we had ever owned, also came from Al.
Unfortunately, Kiwi, who we had undergo a kidney removal due to cancer, finally succumbed to the disease years later. He ran lead until his final days.
And now, we are watching a different battle.
One of determination and skill.
Dr. Tim versus the Iditarod Alaskan terrain as one of this year’s rookies.
For the last week I’ve felt like a Border Collie in front of a field full of sheep. My eyes have been darting from website to website, trying to figure out the best angle. Mary Hunt’s Blog is a keeper.
Read Mary Hunt’s Blog “Northern Plights”. Guaranteed to educate, inform and truly entertain.
Thank you Mary ~ and I’m sure Dr. Tim thanks you. Click HERE.
Until tomorrow ~ more Iditarod ~ God willing,
Woodswoman (Be sure and check out our new calf in the Blog below.)
