Manny: The Little Dog That Could

No gallbladder, no spleen, half a pancreas, and no toes on his right front foot — but he’s still acting 10 feet tall when the neighbor’s dog roams into the backyard.

Manny, a 12-year-old miniature schnauzer, is recovering at home in Columbus, Ga., after spending 126 days in and out of Auburn University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. His story of dogged determination has led to his being named the Critical Care Program’s Case of the Year.

“He’s doing great, considering what he has overcome,” said owner Wanda Morpeth. “We first thought, if he survived, he wouldn’t have much energy and would just lie around. He’s acting like a puppy and comes running to the back door.”

But Manny has more than enough reasons to kick back if he so desired.

In March, he was admitted to AU’s Small Animal Teaching Hospital for a diseased gallbladder that had to be removed. Three weeks later, he was readmitted with an infected spleen that had to come out. Within three days, an ultrasound showed a pancreatic abscess and peritonitis, which meant removing half his pancreas.

“During that surgery he went into cardiac arrest,” said Dr. Dougie Macintire, AU critical care professor. “Our surgeon massaged the heart by hand to start it pumping again.”

Dr. Macintire and Critical Care Instructor Mary Tefend recounted Manny’s ordeal during a recent ceremony marking the first anniversary of AU’s Critical Care Program. Manny was presented the Case of the Year Award from among sixteen pets and their owners who came from as far as South Carolina.

“All of these pets are really fighters, but Manny’s battle has been the toughest,” Tefend said. “We’ve had many people at the college shed a lot of tears for him.” 
So has the Morpeth family.

Fred and Wanda Morpeth got Manny when he was four months old. Their children, Preston, 4, and Brice, 7, have never known life without their little dog. “It’s been a complete roller coaster,” Wanda said. “One day we would be encouraged and think, ‘Okay he’s through the tough part,’ then something else would happen.”

She says the two most trying days were when Manny had the heart attack and when his head swelled to three times its normal size, due to a blood clot in the large vein running from the head to the heart.

“Both times I thought, ‘This is it. He’s not going to make it,’” she said.

One of the happiest days occurred when Manny was discharged on Mother’s Day. Yet the “good news, bad news” scenario continued: 10 days later the toes on his right front foot had to be amputated because of another blood clot, and he suffered acute renal failure.

The list of ailments and symptoms goes on and on: cardiac arrhythmias, tension pneumothorax, anemia and more. The treatments administered by the AU veterinarians, technicians and nurses is quite a lengthy list too: blood transfusions, cardiac monitoring, chest tubes, oxygen therapy, and much, much more.

Manny is still returning for checkups and so far is getting good reports. “Everyone at Auburn has become like family to us,” Morpeth added. “We can’t thank them enough for their care and devotion. They are wonderful people.”