DAD Vets’ Earthquake Relief Stories: MiRey’s Story

By Michelle Green, DAD Earthquake Relief Team:

The care of MiRey was taken on by a young American girl when she discovered that he was not being properly cared for by his previous owners. During the earthquake, the girl fled to the highlands and was uncontactable for many days. Her family back in the US desperately tried to get word from her and were very worried for her safety. Once found safe, the girl decided to return home to be with her family who needed to see her in person. She left MiRey in the care of a young surfer boy until she could return. The boy was trying his best to look after the dog but with little experience was unsure of what to do and noticed that MiRey was not really eating, had red, irritated eyes and generally seemed down.

On hearing that our vet Jochem had returned to town, the girl quickly contacted the team and asked that the town’s trusted visiting vet go and see the dog, as she was worried for his health and did not know what to do from far away in the USA. Jochem met with the young surfer boy and gave MiRey a general check up. As had happened to many dogs, MiRey was suffering from basically a sort of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, dealing with the fear of the earthquake as well as the plethora of changes that had occurred since, including his owner no longer being around. Jochem was able to talk to the young boy about MiRey’s need for extra love and attention and play to help him move past his stress from the earthquake. He also treated his eyes which were red and irritated from all constant dust cloud in town evident since the rubble had fallen.

Jochem showed the young boy how to put the cream in MiRey’s eyes, explained the importance of love and play, and treated other small wounds that the dog had. The boy was extremely grateful for the help and advice to know how to best care for the dog, and the girl in the US was relieved to hear that her dog was safe and sound until she could return for him. Later the following day, the team saw MiRey playing happily on the beach, evidently improving already.