Critter’s Krib

while the sight of a snake devouring a rat is not a sight a lot of people enjoy seeing. but, i have to say, it totally amazes me everytime i see it. the fact the snake can unhinge it’s jaws, and stretch it’s body to accommodate the food. too cool!

we brought him home from the doctor’s to be with us. just their “monitored” care alone, would have easily reached $1,000 by monday, before they would be able to run any tests and do an mri. his condition did deteriorate rather rapidly, with repeated seizures and labored breathing. i rang up neal and jason around midnite. neal went with me to the hospital while jason stayed at the house to watch talon. the doctors at the unc veterinary clinic, quickly assessed that he was having nuerological issues. his pupils had constricted, which led them to believe there was a possible swelling in the brain.

in his best interest, we had the mighty bear put to sleep at 1:30am. while he is no longer in pain, there is definitely an emptiness we all feel. i dreaded, even moreso, this morning when talon woke up and asked me where saporo was. he cried when i told him. today we will go and get some pictures, like the one above printed out, so that we can hang them in talon’s room so he can always remember and see “his buddy”

this morning when i let brandy out of the garage and into the pen she shared with saporo, she went over to the spot where he last was, then froze and just stared at me, for a long time. it was a very eery moment, almost as if she knew something wasn’t right.

since the unc vet school is just that, they will perform a necropsy free of charge, so at least we will find out what caused him to spiral so quickly.

Not sure what the problem is. He just kind of went lethargic ealy this morning (4am). We are at a specialist hospital with him now. I think the doctors about shit themselves when they saw his size. He is at least 150 lbs. It appears (IMO) to be some thing with his neck, but what do I know… Fingers crossed

Update:
the blood tests came back normal, so it doesn’t appear it is a toxin that is causing it. the doctor says he doesn’t want to rule out meningitis, but there is not much they can do until monday. he is home with us now. he is not doing well, but at least he is home. his condition is continuing to deteriorate. i hope he passes quickly. i hate to say it. if he continues to deteriorate, we will probably have to take him back tomorrow to be put to sleep. poor dog

bollocks!! it figures. yesterday brandy was able to escape from the fenced in area she and saporo share. none of the boards had been loosened, which leads me to believe she has finally realized that she can easily jump the fence.
i figured she would be alright at least until this weekend, when i would do something to the fence.. mind you, i am not sure what. i guess build it higher or just replace it with taller sides. i’ll probably figure out which one gets the vote when i see how much both of them will cost.
anyway, today when i pull up, there was no sign of her. she usually stands along the gate. as i got closer to the pen, i realized saporo was not in there either. but the gate was open. i’m not sure whether it was accidentally left open, or if brandy was able to knock the locking mechanism around a bit as she jumped up and down.
i already have a call into the cary animal control. if they picked them up, it would be the second time (in a month i think) man what a p.i.t.a.
grrrrrrrr

well this bites. jill has developed an abscess that
she wacked against the side of her enclosure. she did not strike it too hard, but it was enough to draw
up a bit of blood. i have an appointment first thing in the morning at the vets, hopefully it is not that
big of a deal and they can get her sorted. i’ll have to drop her off early in the morning and pick her up in
the afternoon due to time constraints. fingers crossed it does not cost a fortune!!

Update:
so far the estimate from jill’s visit is at $161. that is what i had to leave when i dropped her off this morning. after speaking to the doctor, though, it sounds like they are going to sedate her (more $$$) and clean the wound out.

Update II:
just got off the phone (again) with the doctor, total price is going to be around $250. she will come home today, and will be on antibiotics for a month. i will have to give her a shot every 3 days. i actually asked for the shots as opposed to trying to get a liquid in her mouth, since i would be administering it by myself.. a shot will be much easier.