Who is this "Lydia" Anyway?

Say it isn't so!  We have posted blog stories on Chance, Isaac, Jasper, Moses, and Otis, but we've posted nothing on Lydia?!  Gasp!

Let's correct this little oversight, shall we?

Meet Lydia, a wild born or former pet bobcat (we're not quite sure which category to place our Lydia) with a very tragic past. On January 17, 2011, we received a phone call from a Garland resident claiming her son had captured a wild bobcat and the animal was currently in a small dog crate.

Apparently, while the homeowner was at work, her teen aged son captured the bobcat, with the hopes of seeking medical treatment for her wounds.  Fortunately, the adult, realizing that a wild bobcat needed specialized veterinarian care, called us that evening asking for help.

The bobcat was taken to our vet with the hopes of treatment and eventual release back to the wild.  Sadly, we learned during the examination Lydia’s days of roaming wild and free was tragically cut short. 

We noticed that all of Lydia's K-9's had been worn or ground down and she had obvious cataracts in both eyes. After a series of x-rays we discovered that she had been shot in her left front leg. The bullet had gone in and chipped bone off of her elbow leaving her with excruciating pain. Blood tests revealed that Lydia was extremely anemic making surgery a bigger risk at that time. So, after 45 days passed, we were able to complete the surgery and remove the bone chip and the bullet from her leg.

Lydia still has not regained use of her leg since her surgery and she has experienced additional health problems such as vestibular disease affecting her equilibrium (it's not as bad as when she first arrived, but it's still present). 

Isaac (front) protecting Lydia (back)

Today, 16-year plus (guesstimate) Lydia enjoys spending her twilight years with Chance and Isaac!  Lydia receives the royal treatment from the boys as they are often seen grooming our Lydia!

Even though Lydia is not thrilled people and will go out of her way to avoid us (with the possible exception of Vicky whom she will get up and greet her at the fence, hiss; swats the fence; and remain at the fence until Vicky walks away!), we are thrilled to have her part of the In-Sync Exotics' family!

Farewell In-Sync Exotics' Summer Interns!

Well, the last of our summer Interns have either completed or will complete their internship with us.  Sara left us on Saturday  so she could purse a degree in biology from Denison University, graduating in the Spring of 2015; Randi left us this week (Tuesday) so she could purse a degree in Wildlife Biology at the University of Montana, graduating in May 2014; and Jessica will leave us this weekend so she can pursue her degree in Animal Science and Technology with a Minor in Entomology from Kansas State University, graduating in May 2014!  Best wishes ladies in your future career endeavors working with animals!  

Our Fall Interns shall be starting very soon, and we are accepting Winter Internship applications! For information about this exciting internship opportunity, please click HERE!

You will not want to miss tomorrow's blog posting as we have exciting and funny announcements to make!

We hope you enjoyed today's blog posting and will join us again tomorrow for more news and updates on our wild ones!  Don't forget to let us know your reaction to this posting by clicking on one of the reaction buttons below--and share this blog posting with others please ~ Thank you!

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