Back Home Again in Indiana

*      Fort Pierce to Melbourne and paused in Indiana  *

We had a great 48-mile cruise to Melbourne, no weather issues.

We just beat the afternoon wind that came a blowing, we were set in our slip in Melbourne Harbor. After a rough few days with lots of weather issues, this was a great night to relax and enjoy the evening on the boat.

The following morning after Remy and Tasha stumbled upon an outside Palm Sunday service in the park, we were visited by a Florida neighbor, Jim, of our hometown friends, whom we met several years ago while visiting Melbourne. After trading boating stories with Jim, our afternoon had us on our bikes exploring the downtown area and going to West Marine for a parts run.

We met up with Freedom for lunch at the local Irish Pub, Meg O’Malley’s. We went back to the boat to work on a few projects and then went to the marina restaurant Ichabod’s with Judy and Dave for an evening appetizer.

We mapped out our upcoming day journey to Titusville with the crew of Freedom. It would be an easy 40-mile trip and good weather was predicted. We were ready for a good travel day and to continue our journey. All was good until it wasn’t.

We returned to the boat and Tasha took Remy for her evening walk. Things were amiss. Remy was stumbling and misstepping. It alarmed Tasha so that she held onto her tight going back to the boat fearful she might stumble and end up in the water. David assisting in getting Remy back on the boat. We observed her further and saw exaggerated tremoring, lengthy blinking, shuddering, and not being able to stand. Her back legs would just give out and she would go down. All was not right with our girl, and we were scared.

Tasha immediately researched emergency care while David hung with Remy. Luckily there were a couple of emergency rooms in the area, and one was just a few miles away. We then struggled with transportation to the clinic. This scenario had never played out in our minds. Strange town, late night, no wheels, sick pup. Things were pretty much shut down everywhere. Gone were the locals on the docks and the marina staff. We sought assistance that just didn’t pan out. We then turned to Uber, though we didn’t know how to use the app. Being from small town America, this is not something we have used, even on our trip. We then realized we had to find an Uber who would haul us and our pup (we didn’t realize there was a difference at first). Luckily in a short bit there was a car on the way. We loaded Remy in our supply wagon and went to the parking lot to wait for our ride.

We were fortunate Melbourne had emergency care and it was close by. The staff at the clinic were compassionate, caring, and thorough with our girl. However, after a neurological exam, observation, and full blood work up, nothing conclusive came back. Without an MRI, we would not know anything more neurologically. The blood work came back with a couple of areas on the high side but nothing too terribly out of sorts.

Remy spent most of her time in the back room being observed. There were a lot of could be’s but no certainties. Could be a stroke, could be a brain tumor, could be a reaction to something she got into, could be  . . .  One conversation with the vet had her asking us if Remy could have gotten into something, something we might have had on board. She gingerly broached the subject of edibles that went right over Tasha’s head at first. The Sheriff was quick to jump on that and indicate there was none in our possession and Remy hadn’t gotten into that with us.

Tasha did start rethinking our last couple of days with Remy. Remy is a huge socialite and greets everyone she sees in the city park, the marinas, and on our walks. Could she have gotten into anything from greeting people. We had also just purchased treats at the farmers market the day before and Remy had several of those. They included an herb or two and Hemp. Hemp is not endorsed or regulated in the veterinary field. There has not been enough research and scientific data and veterinarians are forbidden to advise or recommend on products. With products not being regulated, there is no way to know what exactly in any of the brands. Could this have produced a very harsh reaction with Remy?

After spending almost five hours at the ER, they offered to keep her for further observation or indicated she could go home. This was 2 am and they closed at 7 am, with transportation issues, we opted to all go back to our boat together.

The receptionist offered to take us back to the marina should we not be able to get a ride, what a kind gesture. However, luck was on our side and our 2^nd pet Uber was secured in this strange city for us.

We returned to the boat, hauled Remy down the dock in the wagon, the tremors had stopped but she was so exhausted and weak. David carried her up to the back deck of the boat and then down into the salon to her bed. She crashed right away, and Tasha lay on the floor with her the rest of the night.

Remy was slow to get up in the morning, however the sausage and eggs cooking in the galley motivated her a bit. She was still very exhausted and wasn’t moving too quickly but the major symptoms had faded.

After a less than restful four-hour sleep, we got up, Remy was better but still exhausted and weary. We got to working on our options, a plan for the day, a plan for the near future.

This all was scary, enough that we knew we were going to stay in place a few days or go home. We got to working on our options, a plan for the day, a plan for the near future.

We first met with our cruising mates, Judy and Dave from Freedom to let them know what happened at the vet and to tell them we would not be cruising this day. We knew we needed at least one day to assess Remy and the situation. They so kindly offered to stay with us for the day and help in any way possible. We thanked them but not knowing any our plans, we bid them farewell. So, our buddy boating ended 5 days earlier than expected. They are on a traditional year loop and to get home to the western shores of lake Michigan by September, they need to keep moving. We had decided to slow down for our trek through Georgia and the Carolina’s. We said our goodbyes, Remy rose to the occasion to greet them goodbye, and they were off. Remy loved hanging with the crew of Freedom and will miss them as we will.

Later that day we also contacted the crews of OnLine and Cell Mates, as we had planned to meet up with them again soon and would not be able to. We will stay in touch with all of them and are hopeful we will meet up them again someday.

We spoke with the marina and let them know we would be spending at least one more night here and asked about spending a month. They were very accommodating and after moving some things around, they assured us they would have space for us for a month should we choose to go home. We would have to move the boat to another slip, but we could stay for a month. We liked the marina. It was secured by a locking gate, there was little tidal movement, and the staff was very attentive to the marina and assured us they would keep an eye on our boat. Oh, and it was a very fair rate compared to so many other places we have been.

Tasha sent all of Remy’s medical information from the ER to our vet at home, put in a call to the tech, and requested our vet call as soon as he was available. We wanted to talk to our doctor to hear his thoughts, and to ensure Remy was able to travel home. When we did get a call back a short time later, he was encouraged that Remy was doing better than last night, wasn’t as alarmed by her blood work as the ER vet (they were close to her norms), did not think traveling would be a detriment to her health, and offered support in any way. When Tasha indicated she wanted to come home, he made an opening in is schedule to see Remy and told Tasha to call if anything was needed in the next couple of days.

We both got on the internet searching for rental cars. At first, as usual, we were coming up empty handed or finding cars that were terribly expensive. David suggested we just settle with the $2000 rental to get home. Tasha wasn’t convinced that that was the answer. We searched more. We finally were able to find a car in Melbourne, available in a few hours, though we would need to return it to Indianapolis. That could be workable. Still expensive but better than $2000! We were heading home – that same day!

In record speed (for Tasha), we moved the boat to a different slip, stowed all our gear for leaving the boat, secured the boat to leave it for a month, packed up all of Remy’s gear, gathered items we’ve been wanting to get off the boat for a while, and packed as many of our perishables as possible (we left a full pantry, freezer, and some things in the fridge).

David rode our e-bike to the rental company to pick up our rental car while Tasha completed closing the boat. We loaded the car and headed for Indiana. We left late afternoon with plans to drive all night if we could stay awake. We’re not very patient for a two-day trip and day traffic, so it seems easier for us to drive all night. It was a long drive; Remy rode very well as she was still exhausted and slept the whole way. We were home by 9 am and so glad to be so.

We adjusted quickly to dirt life. Back yard, recliner, car, and room to move. As much as we enjoy the boat and our cruising life, there is no place like home! Remy has continued to gain more strength and flourished back into herself. While we still see a little weakness, most of the alarming symptoms have vanished.

Two days later, Tasha took Remy to our vet. Jack had reviewed the information sent earlier this week from our ER visit. He also compared Remy’s lab work to lab work done over the years. The two areas of concern for the ER vet, were not concern to our long-time vet. Levels were barely over the normal range and had not changed much from the past. Remy’s “normal” in these areas have always been on the high side from the national ranges. He indicated it was he didn’t believe it to be concerned about. Her evaluated her neurologically and saw nothing that we or the ER doctor described.  She was back to almost normal – still a little lethargic and a little unbalanced, signs of being almost 15!

He had reviewed photos of the he treats I bought at the farmers market and was leaning towards Remy just not being able to handle the herbs or the hemp.

We talked about the symptoms coming on quickly and fading in a few days. He ruled out a stroke, or a tumor, as initially feared. He believes we would be having many issues still if this were the case, they just wouldn’t fade away. She just may not be able to handle a change in diet with herbs and hemp. Hindsight shows we may not have needed to come home, but we didn’t know, and we would much rather be in the comfort of our home, with a vehicle, and near our vet, than on our boat, in a strange town, with no transportation and a sick pup. 

We know we’re dealing with an almost 15-year-old and our days together, healthy are a gift. We just plan to make them as comfortable as possible for this pup that has brought us so much joy. Home is where we all feel good.

We plan to stay home a couple of weeks and reevaluate our crew’s future on the boat. Is it safe for all, and are all still having fun?

Loopers say that the best part of the journey is the people you meet along the way. We would have to agree, we are missing our looper comradery, our buddy boat Freedom, and others we’ve spent time along the way with and those we haven’t yet met. We are now behind the typical trek north and may travel in the future with very few loopers. It certainly makes it more fun when you are with the looper crew. It’s true in all walks of life that the people around you make life better. Whether it’s our hometown crew or Ohio River crew of 20+ years, all who we miss and are loving getting to see while home, or our FB and blog friends, some we’ve met and some we haven’t, all have blessed our lives and our journey. Or if it’s an almost 15-year-old golden pup! Y’all make life so much sweeter!

Cheers!  David, Tasha, & Remy

We appreciate all of your warm thoughts, concerns, and prayers for our pup. She is doing very well, thank you!

Follow us on facebook for almost daily updates. Mann Aboard