by Abby Deuel
Mandy was confident in her incisions but she didn’t want such untamed energy from her recovering patients.
“We better let you guys take your four-legged children home before we have to sew them back up. I know when they first see you, they cannot contain their excitement. However, please try to keep them from doing too many acrobatic feats until it’s been at least ten days,” said Mandy.
“Too right, Dr. Bell. We’ll get Charlie home and let her sit in front of the fire,” said Noelle.
“Duly noted,” said Mrs. Garrison.
“And thanks again for your yummy contributions. I feel it’s been non-stop around here. Those were a God-send,” said Mandy.
“You’re welcome,” Noelle and Mrs. Garrison said in unison as they bounded out the door with their pets in tow.
Mandy locked the door behind them, returning to see what Gillian had found online about Phil’s connection to the Pointer Club. Anna and Lyle had made themselves at home in the office, sprawled out head to tail. They looked as if they were resting in case they would be asked to be on duty in the near future.
“How goes it?” asked Mandy.
“It’s quite interesting. Every time O’Mally attended a meet, Phil went. If O’Mally missed one, Phil missed it too. It’s almost as if Phil was attending meets to see O’Mally rather than to pursue any interest in dogs. It all started when Phil bought a dog from O’Mally and then blossomed from there. The blogs reflect that Phil was becoming close to O’Mally on a long-distance basis,” said Gillian.
“What is O’Mally’s birthday?” asked Mandy.
“Let’s see if I can find that on the Internet. Here. He was born February 12, 1962. He’s an Aquarius, like Hamish,” said Gillian.
Mandy didn’t even register what Gillian said after the birth date. She was on the phone to Gerry immediately.
“Can you tell me Phil’s birthday?” asked Mandy. “Just as I suspected. Can you do a DNA sample to compare O’Mally and Phil to confirm? OK. I think they are the twins. Call me with the results asap.”
“Wow. That’s remarkable. So we know that they knew each other and now we think that they are twins. Do you suppose O’Mally knew?” asked Gillian.
“I doubt it. He would have mentioned it. I think that Phil sought out O’Mally because he either knew or he suspected that they were brothers. Then, he wanted to find a way to get to know his own flesh and blood without being arrested for being a stalker. The Pointer Club was the perfect cover. What I can’t figure out is who or why anyone would kill him. There must be a deeper plot we haven’t seen,” said Mandy.
“What do you suppose we should do next?” asked Gillian.
“Well, I’m tempted to drive out to the O’Mally farm. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to check out the rest of the dogs out there to make sure no others are showing signs of parvo,” said Mandy.
“That’s a pretty lame excuse to find a reason to interview O’Mally. In this weather, we should not even be on the roads. Why don’t we wait until there is a break in the snow. Phil’s dead so there is no rush to find the solution while risking our own safety,” said Gillian.
“I’m afraid we’ve reached a dead end then,” said Mandy, dejectedly.
“There has to be another angle we can check from the safety of our clinic,” said Gillian. “Let’s think more about how Phil was supposedly murdered. How could someone have gotten him to have an anaphylaxis-type reaction?”
“He was on all kinds of medicine. Maybe somebody spiked one of his bottles with something else?” offered Mandy.
“That seems rather unlikely. He was a nurse and was well-versed in his own treatment. Knowing that he was methodical enough to keep such detailed journals, he doesn’t seem like the type to not notice that a pill looked different,” said Gillian.
“True. It would be a little far-fetched. What about why someone would want to kill him?” asked Mandy.
“He was a loner. He hadn’t found any of the rest of his family that we know of. The competitors in the Point circuit would’ve had to be slightly crazy to kill a human over the prestige of a dog competition. Stranger things have happened, though,” said Gillian. “Why don’t we take a break from this case and check the patients. We are only down to three now. I’ll start with the cat if you want to check on the parvo puppies.”
“Deal,” said Mandy.
Chapter 37
The parvo puppies had kept down their meatball from earlier. The first puppy that had been admitted pulled out the IV catheter. The other one was working on ripping out her catheter.
“Guess you guys are feeling better,” said Mandy. Generally, when the animal starts feeling well enough to take the IV line out, it’s time for them to do without it. Mandy got the bandage scissors and cut the tape that held the catheter in place. She put a softer bandage on to protect the small hole left from the catheter from infection. Both puppies were excited to not have a tube restricting their movements. Mandy offered each a small bowl of water which they lapped at. She knew that puppies like this could show an improvement only to be followed by a crash. They were not out of the woods yet. She decided not to switch them to oral medications yet. Their digestive systems would need time to ease back into functioning. Instead, she would continue injectable medications.
She offered each of them a frozen probiotic treat as their next test morsel. They each proceeded to devour the offering. Parvo puppies were fun to watch as they got better. It was as if a light went off in them. One day, their bodies were under siege, fighting just to stay alive in the face of dehydration and starvation. Then, one day the pendulum would shift. Their bodies could once again absorb nutrition and fluids. They showed a life in their eyes again after such periods of despair. The improvements became exponential after the first change in tides. As their bodies got stronger, they craved more and more nutrients. Where once their appetite was non-existent in the face of nausea and vomiting, they start to become ravenous. In fact, some would eat to quickly so as to cause vomiting from over-eating once their appetite had returned. These puppies were not there yet, Mandy thought. They were at least starting to show signs of reaching safe ground after the perilous storm.
With the puppies situation, Mandy went to check on Oscar and Gillian. Oscar too was looking better. He was tolerating the nebulizer like a champ. It was unclear whether he liked the attention or consciously understood that the nebulizer was helping him. Many animals are not amenable to having a soft steam facial delivered through an over-sized face-mask. Through the slightly labored breathing, he was starting to purr again. Even if he might object to being in the hospital, his improvement was indisputable.
“Now that we have everyone under way, what shall we do?” asked Mandy, hoping that Gillian would agree to go to the O’Mally farm.
“Cup of tea, I reckon,” said Gillian.
“I suppose,” said Mandy. The phone rang in the background. “I’ll get it. Hello. Oh, it’s no bother. I’ll head out shortly. Try to get her into a barn while you wait for me,” said Mandy.
“What was that about?” asked Gillian.
“There’s a cow having trouble out at the Wallace farm. Sounds like she might need a C-section or a fetotomy. Do you want to come?” asked Mandy.
“That’s out by the O’Mally farm. I can see right through this,” said Gillian. “You are not leaving without me. I know you will swing by and we still don’t know who to be afraid of.”
“We can call Gerry on our way. I don’t want him to go with us. No one ever gives answers when they think they’re being interviewed by a cop,” said Mandy.
“I will go along with this on one condition. If anything starts to go South, we get out before anyone gets hurt,” said Gillian.
“I agree whole-heartedly. Where is Hamish?” asked Mandy.
“He is staying with his Godmother. I told them that we had a crazy bunch of patients and the car was in the shop. We decided that was the safest place for him in case the blizzard gets nasty. I’ll collect him when
we get back,” said Gillian.
“Let’s get this show on the road, then,” said Mandy.
Anna and Lyle refused to stay behind so they all shuffled into the Jeep to brave the roads in the name of a struggling cow. The ride was breathtakingly beautiful. The snow had been falling in playful wisps, providing a puffy white blanket on anything that stood still. The cold air had frozen some of the moisture into iridescent tendrils. It was truly a winter wonderland. The snowplows had created a drift of snow deep enough to make the side of the road invisible. Luckily there was no traffic on the roads so they made the drive as slow as need be to stay safe. Being in the Midwest, there were not hills or mountains to contend with.
“Will you give Gerry a call?” asked Mandy.
“I am not a very good liar. I think he will know our motivation behind taking this call. How about I hold the phone up and put it on speaker. You can be the one to tell him the news,” said Gillian.
“Fair enough, baby, baby, pee-your-pants,” said Mandy.
“Now that I’ve never heard before. At least I’m coming with you,” said Gillian. “I wouldn’t push it.”
“I’m just joking. That’s just some silly little phrase I picked up somewhere along the way. Do we have good enough reception for a phone call?” asked Mandy.
“Actually, not really. At the very least, we better text Gerry. He will freak out if he goes to the clinic and doesn’t find us there. I’ll leave out the O’Mally farm for now and just tell him we are servicing a cow a the Wallace farm,” said Gillian.
“Clearly you can lie more effectively in a text. That’s good to know,” said Mandy.
“It’s an easier medium in which to stretch the truth. I know that from having a teenage son,” said Gillian.
“That sounds like a story worth hearing. I didn’t know Hamish had a dishonest bone in his body,” said Mandy.
“It will have to wait for another time. Their place is just up here on the left. My angel is in fact growing up. He is mostly a good kid but does succumb to some of the normal trials and tribulations of being a teenager. You’ll know someday what I mean,” said Gillian.
“Maybe. We’ll see. I will live vicariously for now,” said Mandy.
Chapter 38
“Thanks ladies for making the trek out here. I wouldn’t have bothered you if it wasn’t this particular cow. We inseminated her with some pretty pricey stuff and have high hopes for this calf. It was even sexed semen so we are pretty excited to see if we got what we paid for. It’s always luck of the draw. But we can’t risk losing the cow or the calf. She’s just in here,” said Mr. Wallace, pointing to the barn door.
“We were happy to help. It’s eerily quiet right now in town so we were ready to take a little drive,” said Mandy. “Let’s have a look at this little lady and get her squared away. Is your priority the cow or the calf?” Lyle and Anna trailed along behind them.
“That’s a tough one. They are both rather important for us,” said Mr. Wallace. He was wearing bib overalls made of thick brown canvas. There were worn spots on both knees that nearly showed the flannel lining beneath. He was a big burly man with rosy cheeks and white facial hair, resembling a modern-day, farmer version of Santa Claus.
Mandy donned the appropriate gear to examine the cow while Gillian held calf ropes and a pulley ready for a hopeful calving. Mandy felt around, using her whole body to get the right position to figure out what was happening inside. The cow was moaning in a deep, low voice. She was clearly ready for the problem to be solved. Gillian worked with Lyle and Anna to let them know where they could sit to observe without getting in the way.
“It seems that she has a twisted uterus. That means that the whole body of the uterus had flipped, causing a blockage. I can’t get my hands beyond about here,” Mandy said, pointing at her forearm. “We have to get it untwisted before I can determine what will become of the calf. She is a huge cow so I am not sure that we will be able to do the skateboard method.”
“Pardon?” asked Mr. Wallace.
“Well, you get the cow on her side, get a big piece of wood or plank to stand upon the calf while you roll the cow. When the cow rolls, you prevent the calf from following by standing on the board. It works great when the cow is a tad smaller than this. We would need far more people than just the three of us.”
“I see. What’s the next option?” asked Mr. Wallace.
“If I can get enough momentum going inside her uterus, I can try to flip it like it’s a pendulum. It’s quite a big calf so I am not sure if I can get that accomplished,” said Mandy.
“And the third option?” asked Mr. Wallace, gulping.
“A C-section. Time is of the essence here in order to try to get a live calf out of this. I think I can feel it moving so we are still in the clear,” said Mandy.
“What can I do to help?” asked Mr. Wallace. Gillian, meanwhile, was gathering more gear from the truck for what could turn into a messy calving.
“I need a step-stool. It needs to be really sturdy so I can put use my whole body to help try to swing the calf back over. It may not work but it’s work a try,” said Mandy.
Mr. Wallace brought out an old trusty scaffolding that had multiple rows of rails surrounding the platform.
“Will this work? I can adjust the height to whatever you need,” said Mr. Wallace.
“That’s ideal. Can you put it about this high?” Mandy asked, pointing to about eighteen inches above the ground. Mr. Wallace helped her up to the scaffolding platform while Gillian handed up the calving gear. Mandy inserted her arm again, bracing herself against the railing. “Here goes.” She swayed her body, using the rails to help go from a high position to a low position as she moved her body. It took her several attempts to get enough traction on the platform while having enough strength in her arm to get the uterus to start flipping. She alternately gritted her teeth and stuck her tongue out, clearly in deep concentration. Finally she could get her arm in slightly further.
“So?” asked Mr. Wallace.
“I can’t get it completely flipped. I did manage to get enough pressure off of the twist so that I could get the calf’s legs through. Now we can use the detorsion rod to flip the rest of the way,” said Mandy. Gillian handed Mandy the Medieval-looking device. Mandy attached one chain to each foot, while keeping the main frame steady. The chains attached to a prong that kept the legs in position while the rod could be rotated. “Alright, let’s see if this does it,” said Mandy. “Can you come up here and give me a hand, Mr. Wallace?” Mr. Wallace joined Mandy on the platform.
They made sure to twist the rod in the correct direction to ensure that they were undoing the twist and not creating another twist. It took both of them to have enough strength to provide the torque needed to get the calf finally flipped over. The uterus expelled a shower of fluid in celebration of finally being untwisted.
“That is miraculous. Now what?” asked Mr. Wallace.
“She probably won’t push now. She’s run out of steam. Let’s hook these chains up to the pulley and help her with the last of it,” said Mandy. “We need to scaffolding out of the way so we can pull down to follow her pelvis.”
Mr. Wallace and Gillian got to work removing the heavy scaffolding. They helped Mandy affix the pulley to a stable center beam in the barn. Mandy meanwhile got the chains hooked up to the device. Mandy started to engage the pulley slowly. She kept checking inside the cow to ensure that the calf was presenting correctly. She did not want to untwist the uterus just to cause a rip in it. More of the calf appeared with each advance of the pulley until finally with one giant expulsion, the calf appeared.
Mandy immediately started stimulating the calf to breathe by rubbing it vigorously. She cleared it’s nasal passages and mouth to help promote breathing. She finally resorted to whacking it’s chest until it took an initial deep breath. Gillian took over helping the calf while Mandy checked inside the cow for a tear, more calves, or any retained placenta. It was all clear inside. The cow was ready
to help with her calf and wanted to be released from the stanchion. Mandy wanted to check the calf over thoroughly before letting the cow take over. Mr. Wallace sneaked a peak to see what the calf was.
“Brilliant. The pricey sperm worked. We have ourselves the next winning bull of the Midwest,” said Mr. Wallace. “You are a talented gal, Dr. Bell. This could have ended wildly differently.”
Blushing, Mandy graciously accepted Mr. Wallace’s compliment while returning the sentiment. “You were wise to call for help. Had this cow waited much longer, she or the calf, or both, would have been lost in the struggle,” said Mandy. Gillian was cleaning the ropes, chains, pulleys, and apron. She wanted to have it all packed away as quickly as possible so they could get on the road before dark. Mandy worked to clean herself off in the warm bucket of soapy water that Mr. Wallace had provided. He even gave the dogs a fresh bowl of water.
Mr. Wallace was watching his new calf with a child-like grin. He was brimming with happiness. Lyle and Anna were standing off to the side, watching everyone obediently. They seemed to know that they had witnessed something extraordinary and didn’t want to mess it up.
“Let’s hope none of the others have this problem,” said Mr. Wallace. “No offense but I hope I don’t need to see you girls for a while.”
“No offense taken. This is a pretty uncommon problem in cows. Some believe that it has something to do with a big cow who has calved many times before having lots of room in her abdomen combined with a big calf. However, I have seen it when neither of those variables are present. It seems to just happen,” said Mandy. Mr. Wallace nodded.
“We better head on before there is more snow and no light,” said Gillian. “It was great to see you again, Mr. Wallace.”
“You too. Thanks again girls for a perfect day,” said Mr. Wallace.
Chapter 39
“Are we still going to try to go to the O’Mally farm?” asked Gillian.
