The Last Antarctic Amateur Vet (continued)
During March, Max became unwell. He was listless, not eating and very lame in one leg. We started him on Brufen in an attempt to dampen down his arthritis. The next day he was found lying on the span shivering. We brought him into the vets and I gave him a good look over. I hated it when the dogs were ill, medicine had not prepared me for this. Where do you start? You can’t take a history from a dog. Here my paediatrics training came into its own: “Mother is always right, ask her”. I turned to John Sweeny and Brian Hull for clues!
All that an examination revealed was a temperature of 39°C and a very tender left hip. Thinking the worse, I feared septic arthritis and started him on intra-muscular antibiotics. Two days later he was much better, but still tender and his temperature, to my great concern, was 38°C. I sent a fax to Bob, via BASMU, marked “Medical Confidential, Priority”, asking what could be done and whether we should consider putting Max down, if things did not improve.
The reply came back from my predecessor, Dr Dick Hobson. I read it at the morning smoko table:
“Sorry to hear of dog problems, have been in touch with Bob….. ..Septic arthritis unlikely, he has never seen it in a hip, but if that was the case (a) the joint would be rigid and (b) there would be evidence of a deep bite wound which would have caused it. He was unimpressed by the pyrexia, 38C being normal for a husky.
..In any case, induction of acute plumbism deemed too drastic.
Yours, Dick.”
There was a red-faced doctor sitting at the table, surrounded by the entire base! Max made a good recovery, although his rheumatism continued to give trouble at times.
Interestingly, three of the other older dogs had similar episodes during the winter of lethargy, lameness, with an acutely tender joint, and a temperature of 39°C. They were all previously slightly arthritic and all made adequate recoveries after a course of antibiotics. In the end I wondered whether these episodes were due to a viral infection that caused the dog’s arthritis to flare up. Most likely the antibiotics had nothing to do with their recovery. It was probably simply due to the dogs being in the warmth of the vet pens for a few days that allowed them to get better.
In September, Pris became generally off colour at the end of her heat. She had no enthusiasm for sledging and during the rests showed no signs of wanting to play with her brother Roy. This was unheard of, the two would always play, even after hours of sledging. She was constipated and not eating.
We brought her into the vets and I examined her. Her abdomen was swollen and she had palpable bowel. She also had a temperature of 39.5°C and had lost 10% of her body weight. We took an x-ray to see whether she had an obstruction or a lodged foreign body in her bowel. There was neither. She did however, have a purulent vaginal discharge. I started her on our “cure-all” of Amoxycillan, and delved into the veterinary books. They all seemed to confirm the diagnosis of pyometritits; an infection of the womb. This was particularly depressing as treatment is hysterectomy, although in a few rare cases may recover with antibiotics.
During the next month Pris waxed and waned as courses of antibiotics started or stopped. Both teams left for winter trips, leaving Pris behind. She became a pet around base. Finally, as the winter came to a close she relapsed once again. I decided to send a fax for advice, desperately hoping that my diagnosis may be wrong. Bob was away, but the reply from another vet confirmed our worst fears, it was hysterectomy or the bullet. An operation by a vet highly trained in poodle obesity would be experimental, at its very best. The whole base agreed it was not an option and with heavy hearts we realised that our new pet would have to go.
That afternoon the winter isolation was ended by the arrival of two American Twin Otter Aircraft, en route to McMurdo via the Pole. Now was not the time, we would have to wait. Two days later the planes left and we were on our own again. Pris, to our delight, had made a full recovery. She never looked back. Along with her playmate Roy she proudly led The Huns during the huskies last trip; Operation Tabarin.
Charlie Siderfin – Rothera – Medical Officer 1993
Post Script:
At the end of the summer of ’94 the last of The Admirals and The Huns left the Antarctic. A few months after their arrival in Hudson Bay a number of them died, possibly from a virus. All the dogs that died had been ill the previous winter, either with acute, severe attacks of arthritis or, in Pris’ case, pyometritis. The one exception to this was Wendy, the lead dog of the Admirals, she was in pup.