Reveille VII, a retired “first lady of Aggieland” died Thursday after an emergency surgery at the Small Animal Clinic at the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.
Tina and Paul Gardner acted as caretakers of Reveille after she was retired in May 2008. Tina said she noticed something was wrong with Reveille and immediately took her to the Small Animal Clinic the previous Tuesday.
“She looked ill and I had her at the vet clinic within 30 minutes. I just threw on clothes and ran out the door,” Tina said. “[Reveille] had been on anti-inflammatory medication for her arthritis. That medicine can cause bleeding
ulcers in the stomach or intestinal tract. She had gotten a small, ulcerated rupture in her small intestine and that was the cause for the emergency surgery.”
Dr. Stacy Eckaman, Reveille’s primary caregiver and Class of 2001 veterinary medicine graduate, told the Gardners that the rupture occurred moments before arriving at the hospital.
“We knew there was a chance she may not make it through the surgery,” Tina said. “There really was not a lot of choice though. The vets did caution us that the first 72 hours were critical and that Rev was in grave condition. When we finally were able to see her for 20 minutes on Wednesday, you would not have thought she was in critical condition. She knew who I was and she knew she was still the queen.”
But Reveille’s condition worsened. Tina said complications from pneumonia forced the veterinarians and she and her husband to make the decision to have Reveille euthanized.
“We are very grateful to the small animal clinic at A&M,” Tina said. “They could not have been nicer. I saw them taking care of all kinds of animals in all kinds of situations. They are so considerate and so helpful, we have been very lucky about that.”
Since 1990, the Gardner’s have been associated with E-2, “The Mascot Company” of the Corps of Cadets that cares for Reveille. Their son Todd was a member of the outfit.
“The guys of E-2 really know us and they come over to the house all the time,” Tina said. “When my husband and I would be up here in the summertime before we moved here permanently, E-2 would bring Rev over. They knew we had dogs of our own and that we loved them and took good care of them.”
Since Reveille’s death, the Gardner’s have had time to reflect about the memories they shared with Reveille. The Gardners recalled memories like the night Reveille was sprayed by a skunk and despite her stench was still the main attraction at the HEB where they were picking up groceries.
“She had a few bad days, but the rest of her life was magical,” Paul said.
Funeral arrangements are still being made, but Tina said the service will probably be held in September so all students can attend. She said the first meeting to discuss funeral arrangements will be on Tuesday.
“The funeral has always been at Kyle Field and is a full military funeral,” she said. “The last Reveille had around 10,000 people in Kyle Field.”
Senior yell leader Ryan Crawford, who is living with the Gardner’s for the summer, said the family took great care of Reveille for the past 5 years.
“Reveille’s retirement was well deserved,” Crawford said. “The Gardners are incredibly compassionate people and took great care of Reveille VII.”