R.I.P. Mac 2012 – 2019

Mac

A rapid decline, the result of an unexpected onset of liver disease and jaundice, resulted in our much-loved Dogue de Bordeaux, Mac, having to be put to sleep today at the age of six.

He arrived as a rescue in October 2016 and by the sheer force of his sunny personality and devoted loyalty brought joy back into our home and our hearts.

Mac enjoyed having a large garden and being taken on country walks every day. Before long he was an experienced marsh dog, as witness the photograph above.

As John Oaksey succinctly put it, “One of the worst things about being human is you outlive so many good horses and dogs.”

Strangely enough, we never seem to learn from days of sorrow such as this. We always know we will put ourselves through it again and again. Our animals are a major part of our life and it is impossible to imagine things being otherwise.

The years of happy companionship live in the memory long after the acute sorrow of loss fades, which is as it should be.

Farewell, Mac. And thank you.

Veterinary Bulletin

Red is in the final week of convalescence. He is led out to the grass three times a day, both for the purpose of strengthening his fetlock by walking and readjusting his system to a grass diet.

So far this programme's progressing well, though the occasional 'whoopidoo!' bucks are becoming a bit difficult to hold on to. I'm not sure those were, strictly speaking, included in the schedule.

Anyway he stays out up to 30 minutes on at least one of these expeditions per day, weather and midges permitting.

I don't recall a year like this one for midges. Clouds of these annoying beasties are so thick you're almost lucky not to be breathing them in. I expect they'll persist until the frosts put a close to their activities.

On the other hand, once again it proved impossible to cut the winter field for hay, so when the herd moves across from the summer field they'll find the grass still thick, if reduced in nutrition because of the lateness of the season.

Meanwhile, in defiance of strict instructions that only one animal at a time is allowed to be sick, Mac the Dogue suffered a flare-up of infection in his damaged leg. (He has a bald patch resulting from an old operation scar, and since he is a very hashy-bashy-tearing-through-the- undergrowth animal he keeps scratching it.)

So he needed an emergency trip to the vet on Saturday. He's now progressing well on medication but hates having to wear a Buster collar to prevent him licking the wound.

Introducing Mac

Mac

This is Mac. He's a Dogue de Bordeaux, also known as French Mastiff, and four years old.

There is something strangely fortuitous about the arrival of a Dogue de Bordeaux in our home so soon after we'd taken our very enjoyable holiday in the part of the world from which the breed originated.

Anyway, Mac came to us by way of our contact with the breed rescue society. He was an emergency case, since his owners were days from emigrating and his planned re-homing had fallen through, not as a result of any fault of his.

We were allowed to foster him immediately and to convert that into permanent adoption after a home inspection.

Mac has settled in wonderfully well. He enjoys long walks on the moors where he can practise all his doggy skills and run about off the lead. In fact he runs so much he's already building up new muscle in less than a month since his arrival.

In the house he's very well behaved and friendly, but he has a good 'I spy strangers!' bark and a set of jaws that should prove very effective in deterring any trouble.

He arrived with an unhealed wound from a recent operation, but that's now cleared up, leaving him superbly athletic and full of bounce, if inclined to get rather dirty!

Dogue de Bordeaux having fun!