Mayor Max will be back to his mayoral duties beginning Wednesday, March 4. The canine mayor was on bed rest after a health scare sent him to the emergency veterinary hospital on Feb. 16.
At first, it was a mystery as to what was ailing Max, but after time, and trial and error, the conclusion was that he had kennel cough. Once the diagnosis was made, Max was quarantined at home.
According to the American Kennel Club, kennel cough (also known as canine infectious tracheobronchitis) is a highly contagious respiratory disease. Dogs commonly contract kennel cough at places where large numbers of canines congregate and can produce the following symptoms: strong cough, runny nose, sneezing, lethargy, loss of appetite and low fever.
While being quarantined at home, Max had many human visitors contributing to keeping his spirits up.
“Max has had at least 50 people visit him since he’s been home,” Chief of Staff Phyllis Mueller said. However, no canine visitors came to visit as they didn’t want to spread the illness.
Deputy mayors Mikey and Mitzy have also been separated from the canine mayor while at home to make sure they didn’t catch kennel cough. So far, they have stayed healthy.
While it’s been a little over two weeks since the initial scare, Mueller kept Mayor Max home longer than the average recovery time. His cough had previously subsided but reappeared last week.
After antibiotics and rest, Max has made a full recovery.
“A week was the longest time frame we heard from vets and other boarding facilities to keep him quarantined,” Mueller said. “While Max has stopped coughing, we wanted to play it safe and wait until Wednesday to bring him back into town.”
While the deputy mayors have been out greeting the public, everyone wants to see the mayor. Max, according to Mueller, has missed meeting and greeting in town and will be back in front of Wooley’s at 4 p.m. on March 4.
