Staff Photo by Angela Lewis/Chattanooga Times Free Press
Dr. Melissa Mays gets an oxygen box ready for Macy, a Chihuahua, at the RIVER emergency animal hospital. Macy's owner brought her to the clinic when she choked on a large piece of steak. Macy recovered and returned home the next day.When a Chihuahua pup named Macy made a grab for table scraps late Jan. 14, she bit off more than she could chew. Her owner rushed the choking dog to the Regional Institute for Veterinary Emergencies and Referrals in Chattanooga.
Dr. Melissa Mays pulled a 3-inch piece of steak from Macy's esophagus half an hour later.
Mays, who joined the RIVER practice six months ago, said she loves her job because "you never know what's going to walk in the door." As an emergency doctor she gets to practice internal medicine, critical care and surgery. "There's never a dull day," she said.
The clinic handles emergencies after other veterinary offices have closed. On a busy night, doctors may see 20 to 30 animals, often with vomiting and diarrhea, conditions that can be difficult to diagnose because there are numerous potential causes.
Frequently, such cases are caused by dietary indiscretions, including table scraps, but recent canine patients have consumed $20 bills, toys, chocolate-covered peanuts and part of a salt block, Mays said.
"I can't count how many towels, sheets, fabric material that we've removed from dogs' stomachs and intestines," she said.
The 29-year-old Pensacola, Fla., native and University of Florida graduate knew by the third grade that she wanted to be a veterinarian. Dogs are her first love and the reason she became a vet. She sees her three dogs as family members and her best friends.
As an emergency doctor, "you definitely see a lot more interesting people, especially at 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning. It always keeps you on your toes -- that's why I love it."
MOMENT is a weekly column by the Times Free Press photo staff that explores the seldom-told stories of our region. To hear this story in their own words, go to timesfreepress.com/moment.