Best Laid Plans

Well, today's blog posting was supposed to be about the tigers enjoying their pools.  Needless to say, our "best laid plans" did not work out as the tigers refused to cooperate with us today!  Vicky tried to get video of Stryker in the pool, but he only wanted to play with his ball in the water fall area.  Go figure.

Next, Vicky tried to get Harley into the pool, but he was more interested in watching her pointing at the pool instead of actually going into the water!

Franklin and Vicky

Then it was time for Vicky to take little Franklin to vet.  Franklin has not been feeling too good lately and he lost some significant weight, so it was important for him to receive a thorough physical exam yesterday.  As it turned it out, Franklin has a bad heart murmur and this has Vicky and the vet worried.  So worried in fact, the vet took x-rays of the boy to see what else was going on with him.

The x-rays revealed that Franklin's heart is enlarged enough to put pressure on his trachea causing him to gag and turn away from food.  We also discovered that Franklin has the early stages of congestive heart failure (CHF).  CHF is a condition in which the heart's function as a pump is inadequate to meet the body's needs.  Sadly, this condition is not reversible--all we can do is maintain his present health with medication.

Please keep Franklin in your prayers as he is very much loved by our staff and volunteers--especially Vicky as he is her little "baby."

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