Friday, February 1, 2013

Generous Gifts Made on Behalf of Aramis!

Aramis!
 
Thank goodness it's Friday!  Today's blog posting  will be short but sweet as we share information on Aramis, our finicky eating lion plus a special surprise you can send your sweetie(s) on Valentine's Day--for free!

On January 27th, we posted on our Facebook page a special request for elk meat!  Aramis is very finicky when it comes to taking medication; he'd only take the medication if we hide them in elk meat.  Apparently, no other type of "meat" will do!  The problem is, you just can't go to the local supermarket to buy "elk meat."  This type of meat must be special ordered or donated. 

Our Facebook request was shared 99 times with folks volunteering to "find" elk meat for our handsome boy!

As luck would have it, Aramis' first donation of elk meat was made by YO Steakhouse, located in Dallas, on Monday, January 28th.  Tomorrow, the owner of YO Steakhouse will visit Aramis to see how our boy is doing!  Thank you so much for wonderful donation, YO Steakhouse!  We are very excited by the restaurant's kind donation!

A second Dallas dining establishment stepped forward yesterday, donating about 50 pounds of elk meat!  The Twisted Root Burger Company heard about Aramis' dilemma via an e-mail.  As luck would have it, the owner just received a fresh shipment of elk meat that needed to be grounded up into hamburgers; instead he decided that "[he] needed to help my brother out!"

 
Thank you very much, owner and chef Jason Boso of The Twisted Root Burger Company, for making this kind donation towards our lion's health care!  Your wonderful donation should last about two weeks!
 
We are truly blessed to have two wonderful Dallas dining establishments willing to donate elk meat for our precious lion!  Not many businesses would put profits above a sick lion's health, so your donation has truly touched the hearts of our donors--and we are truly grateful for your generosity! 
 
Happy Valentines Day Free E-cards!
 
We have a special surprise to share with you today!  We have three Valentine's Day e-cards, free, on 123greetings.com this year!
 
Coincidentally, we have an e-card featuring handsome Aramis, which you can find HERE; an adorable e-card featuring Issac, which you can find HERE; and an e-card featuring our cutie girl, Aasha, which you can find HERE.
 
All three cards are animated and you can add your choice of music and text to the e-cards!  We hope you enjoy this free service.  They are so cute, you'll want to send all three to your special sweetie(s)!
 
If you like to send cards through the mail, we have several beautiful Valentine Cards (featuring Aramis, Issac, Aasha, Sheila, and Sam), plus key chains, notebooks, and an adorable teddy bear available in our on-line gift shop!  Click HERE to see all our beautiful items from our Love and Romance Shop!

We would love to see you this weekend!  We are open for tours (click HERE for tour information) and no doubt Aramis would love all the attention given by his well-wishers!
 
We hope you found today's blog posting fun and uplifting! Be sure to check back next week for more news on our exotic cats and their friends of In-Sync Exotics! 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!

>^..^<
 

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Big Cat Challenges

Welcome back to another edition of In-Sync Exotics' Cat Tales!  We have lots of exotic feline news to share with you, so let's get right to it!

Aramis Update

We are pleased to announce that Aramis is slowly returning to his regular diet, eating about 4 1/2 pounds of meat at dinnertime, and of course, tasty snacks throughout the day!  Hooray Aramis!

You may recall we were very concerned with his extreme change in diet (click HERE for past Aramis posting), taking him to Texas A&M Veterinary School to find a solution to his eating disorder.  We never learned what caused Aramis' change in diet; we're just so grateful he is doing much better.  We'd like to thank you for keeping Aramis in your prayers!

Right now we have Aramis on Sam-e Liver Protectant and Milk Thistle to promote liver health since his previous blood work in December 2012 showed elevated liver enzymes.  We are testing his blood this week to see if his liver enzymes improves; hopefully, we should have the results back next week.

Mercedes

Our grand dame of the cougars, Mercedes, was recently diagnosed as renal.  We noticed our girl was not looking her best on January 18, 2013, so we took some blood and had it tested to find out what was wrong with her.  In the meantime, we gave her subcutaneous fluids to see how she would respond; thankfully, she seemed to improve after the treatment.  On January 21st, we received the news that she is indeed renal, but we do not know if she is suffering from acute or chronic renal failure at this time.

Chronic vs. Acute Renal Failure
 
Acute Renal Failure (ARF) is characterized by an abrupt shutdown of kidney function, most often accompanied by reduced urine production. The primary causes of ARF in cats are: urinary obstructions, infectious diseases, trauma, and the ingestion of toxins. Our vet can treat Mercedes if she has ARF.

By comparison, Chronic Renal Failure (CRF) is a progressive, irreversible deterioration of kidney function. Because cats hide their illnesses and the very early signs of CRF are subtle, this disease may only be recognized once the cat reaches the 70% deterioration level and more dramatic symptoms are observable. CRF is one of the leading causes of illness and death in older cats today. 

Diagnosis

The only way to know for certain whether or not Mercedes has acute or chronic renal failure is to redo her blood tests in two weeks to see if there is any improvement to her creatinine and BUN levels.   In the meantime, we've been giving Mercedes subcutaneous fluids on a daily basis since January 21st; already she seems to be doing much better and has returned to her old lovable bossy self and is eating very well.  Please keep Mercedes in your prayers as we hope her creatinine and BUN (blood urea nitrogen) levels significantly improves within the next couple of weeks.

Tacoma Update

You may recall that Tacoma went to Texas A&M Veterinary School to have his back legs and hips examined (click HERE for his past posting).  While he was sedated, the vets took the opportunity to perform a bottom-right root canal on our boy.  This was Tacoma's second root canal as he had the procedure performed once before on his upper right tooth! 

After reviewing all the medical test results, we were told by the veterinarians that Tacoma has severe osteoarthritis and hip dysplasia. Before returning home, Tacoma received a steroid injection into his hip joints, with the hopes that the injection would improve his mobility.  It normally takes a couple of days for the steroids to take affect; unfortunately, we saw no improvement. 

Tacoma was also placed on Tramadol (a narcotic-like pain reliever used to treat moderate to severe pain), but the unintended side-effect of this medication was that Tacoma stopped eating.  So we switched him to Gabapentin, a different kind of pain-relief medication. 

Unfortunately, there is no permanent cure to severe osteoarthritis or hip dysplasia. 

Our main concern at this point is keeping Tacoma mobile (walking, running, playing).  If he does not stay mobile due to excessive pain, Tacoma may eventually lose muscle tone and control.  While the pain medication helps a little, Tacoma is still in pain and keeping him on pain medication long term is not a viable option as it can damage his internal organs. 

Fortunately for Tacoma, there is a surgical way to relieve his leg and hip pain--the surgical bilateral denervation of his coxofemoral joints.  This surgery has been successfully performed on five tigers in Canada (this surgery has not been performed on any big cat in the United States) with positive results, successfully ameliorating [make or become better, more bearable] the signs of osteoarthritic pain in the five tigers.

We are in contact with the Canadian veterinarian, with the support and assistance from Texas A&M Veterinary School and the Parker Road Veterinary Hospital, and are hoping to set-up this type of surgical appointment within the next two weeks or so.    While this surgical procedure will not cure Tacoma , it will help to relieve him of the pain he's feeling right now, thereby allowing him to become more active and improve his muscle tone and bone strength.  We are hoping that by giving Tacoma Meloxicam (a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) after his surgery, we can slow down his bone osteoarthritis deterioration.

We'd like to give a huge thanks to Drs. Kerin, Wallise, and Hoppes for supporting us through this unique surgery process. We will keep you apprised of Tacoma's surgical date as the information comes available!

We hope you found today's blog posting informative! Be sure to check back tomorrow for more news on our exotic cats and their friends of In-Sync Exotics! 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!

>^..^<

Monday, January 28, 2013

Farewell, Sweet Jynxie...

On Thursday, January 23, 2013, our precious Jynxie passed away.  At this time, we are still waiting for her necropsy tissue and blood test results.  Preliminary necropsy report showed she had a small nodule on her left lung and a number of tan colored nodules in her liver; however, the cause of her death is still inconclusive and it may be a week or so before we learn the results of all the tests.

On Tuesday, January 15th, Jynxie started to go off her food, which in it self is not unusual, as Jynxie often skipped a meal during the week. On Wednesday, Jynxie enjoyed her bones, so we were confident that she was okay.  On Thursday, Jynxie skipped a meal, but ate her treats, but then on Friday, we noticed she had vomited   By Saturday, Jynxie had stopped eating and could not be enticed to eat anything, including her meaty treats, so Vicky gave her a shot to settle her stomach. Sunday night she refused her bone treats and when Vicky tried to obtain a blood sample from our feisty girl, she refused.  So on Monday, January 21st, Jynxie was sedated so a blood sample could be taken from her.  The vet checked her over and she was administered antibiotic shots.  

Later that evening, Vicky noticed that she was shivering, so an electric blanket was placed over our girl.  She seemed to be doing okay with the electric blanket and several comforters covering her body.  Our lead keeper, Mak got up every two hours during the night, to check on Jynxie to make sure she was warm and comfortable throughout the evening and early morning hours.

The next day, Jynxie was still lethargic and refused to move around.  Blood test revealed that Jynxie's white blood count was low, possibly from an infection, and her kidney levels were up (off the charts), so she was given another dose of penicillin, in the hopes of eliminating the infection.

At this point, Jynxie was kept hydrated with subcutaneous fluids every eight hours and she was given additional penicillin shots; unfortunately she was still wobbly on her legs. Mak continued to checked on Jynxie throughout the night, trying to get Jynxie to move around.

On Wednesday, January 23rd, Jynxie got up and went to lie down in her den.  While we were thrilled that Jynxie was moving around again, it did make it a little more challenging for the staff to administer fluids and her shots. Later that evening, Jynxie seemed more alert and she was drinking water on her own, giving Vicky a "stinky" face.

She appeared to look much better compared to Tuesday night; moving around outside her den.  She even "barked" at Vicky when she tried to administer her four shots and another round of fluids. Jynxie was kept bundled up because her body temperature dropped below normal of 101-102 degrees earlier in the week.  On Wednesday, her body temperature climbed to 97.7 and continued to improve.

Karin and Robert volunteered to stay overnight with Jynxie so Mak could sleep through the night with instructions to call her if Jynxie threw off her blankets or seemed to be in any distressed.  Vicky and Mak were called to Jynxie's side at around 3:00 a.m. when Karin and Robert noticed that Jynxie became unresponsive and her eyes looked cloudy.  Shortly thereafter, Jynxie had her first and second seizure.  While the vet was en route, Jynxie had her final seizure as she passed away about 4:30 a.m. just as Dr. Kerin arrived. We had all noticed noticed that Jynxie showed signs of having had a full-body hemorrhage, or she could have thrown a blood clot to the brain. 

Vicky, Karin, and Robert departed with Jynxie's body to Texas A&M Veterinary School that morning where a necropsy was performed and tissue and blood samples were taken in the hopes of learning why our precious lioness passed away. Not wanting to leave Jynxie behind, Vicky stayed overnight with our girl until Jynxie's body was released to Pet Memories so her body could be cremated.

On Saturday, January 26, 2013, a memorial service was held at Pet Memories at Rockwall, Texas.  Over 35 people with flowers attended her memorial service to say goodbye to our special lady and to share wonderful memories of fun times spent with our girl.  Some of the flowers were placed with Jynxie's body and some of the flowers were held back so they could be scattered into the lake from the bridge in her memory. Since we were not allowed to view her body, Robert and Karin had a large 16 x 20 poster made up of Jynxie which Vicky placed at the ceremony, so we could gaze upon her beautiful face.



Jinxie's ashes were placed in this beautiful urn and it was placed in between Malikai and his brother, Dinari's urns.  




Her physical body may be gone, but her loving spirit will live on at In-Sync Exotics.  As new volunteers arrive at our sanctuary, they will learn from Cheymn, how unique and beautiful Jynxie was to us all.       

In Memory of JynxieJune 12, 1998 - January 24, 2013

May you find peace and happiness with your brother Jambo, and your special lion companions, Dinari and Malikai, Jynxie!  You were loved by all and you will never be forgotten...

If you would like to make a donation in Jynxie's honor, you may do so by clicking HERE.  Thank you.

>^..^<
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Friday, January 25, 2013

Our Beloved Jynxie Is Beautiful

We are very sorry to end the week with devastating news...

Jynxie
June 12, 1998 - January 24, 2013

Jynxie, our beloved lioness, passed away yesterday morning around 4:30a.m. At this time, we do not know the cause of her passing.

We are absolutely devastated at the loss of our beautiful girl.  We transported her body to Texas A&M Veterinary School of Medicine for a necropsy yesterday morning and we should have some preliminary test results hopefully by this weekend.  A more detailed account of what happened to our girl will be provided on Monday's blog posting.  

If you are new to this blog, may we present a short video of the lioness who touched our hearts:  



Jynxie was a very beautiful and special lioness. 
We pray she's been reunited with her brother, Jambo, and her new love, Dinari, at a special place we call the Rainbow Bridge...

We love you so much Jynxie girl...God bless you!

>^..^<

Friday, January 18, 2013

Feline Updates!

Greetings from In-Sync Exotics! Today's blog posting has a lot of new information, so let's get right to our first story...

Update on the Baby Bobcats!

Do you remember Matthew, Mark, and Luke, the three baby bobcats from Frisco, Texas?  We first reported on the baby bobcats' plight on December 19, 2012 and you can read their story HERE.

Well, the three babies are doing well at the Plano ISD Holifield Science Learning Center and we've received a couple of photos of the wee-ones! 




We'll keep you posted on their progress as information and pictures comes available! 

We Miss You Spike

Last Friday, we reported on the passing of Spike, our beloved cougar.  We wanted you to know that we received the veterinarian's report on Spike's blood test taken at the time of his passing and learned, that within the last 30 days since his last trip to Texas A&M, Spike took a severe nose dive into renal failure.  When we noticed that Spike was no longer enjoying his life with his favorite duck and female cougar friends, we knew it was time to let him go.




The decision to have the vet gently release Spike from his ailing body was a tough decision to make, but Spike chose to take that decision out of our hands.  He quietly passed away before any drugs could be administered to him. 

We want to thank everyone for their outpouring love and support for our handsome Spike.  His body was cremated last Friday and we placed his ashes in this special urn featuring his favorite toy.  He may be gone, but our fond memories of this very special boy will live on forever at In-Sync Exotics.



Tacoma's Road Trip

Yesterday, 13-year old Tacoma traveled to Texas A&M Veterinary School of Medicine to have his back legs and hips examined.  We noticed that Tacoma was limping (more on the right side than his left) and often sat down to relieve the discomfort in his hips and/or legs.


Tacoma has had a slight limp for about two years--so slight that you probably wouldn't have even noticed it while he was playing.  However, once his limp became more pronounced, we knew it was time to take our boy to the vet to be examined.  While he was under sedation, we asked the vet to also examine his teeth as he requires dental work.  You may recall, Tacoma requires one tooth extraction and two root canals because he was just a little too enthusiastic playing with his Jolly ball in the pool last year!  Thanks to our kind supporters of the "Big Cats Need Dental Care Too" RAZOO fundraiser, we were able to raise enough funds to pay for major dental surgeries for two big cats.  Thank you very much, kind donors!

We should have more details on the results of Tacoma's medical test results available to you on Monday, so stay tuned for the latest update on our handsome tiger, Tacoma.

We close today's blog with pictures taken by Janis, a dedicated volunteer, who helps care for our exotic cats in all kinds of "fun" weather, like rain and snow!  Now that's cat-lover dedication!




We are open for tours this weekend, so bundle up in warm clothing and bring your family and friends to see the frisky exotic cats at play!  For tour information, including our exciting "Nighttime Feeding Tours" click HERE!

We hope you enjoyed today's blog posting! Be sure to check back next week for more fun and informative information about our exotic cats and their friends of In-Sync Exotics! 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!


>^..^<

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

It Snowed? Again?

Well, it's a good thing your blog writer is not a meteorologist because she would have lost her job this week!  For you see, on Monday, it was predicted on this blog that we wouldn't see any more snow until next year...then it snowed the very next day!

Some of our cats enjoyed the snow and others wanted nothing to do with the "wet stuff."  We hope you enjoy this short little video of the cats in (and out of) the snow!  


Can you guess the names of our snow-loving and den-loving cats?  Show off your In-Sync Exotics' cat knowledge by entering your guesses below in the comment box!  Good luck!  Answers will be posted at the end of the day.

As of Tuesday evening, there is no more snow predicted.  However, that may change tomorrow with this blog writer's luck!   In the meantime, it should be warmer today, around 48 degree (high) and 32 degrees overnight (brrr).  

We'd like to thank our staff and volunteers for providing wonderful care to our cats--snow or shine!  You guys are real troopers braving the elements as our cats watch you from their warm toasty dens...thank you!

Looking to save some money on In-Sync Exotics' tee-shirts (gotta love the irony, huh?), sweatshirts & hoodies, and aprons?  Cafepress is having a sale and we have a coupon for you!


YOUR CAFE PRESS COUPON



Don't forget to search for your favorite In-Sync Exotics' gifts by entering "In-Sync Exotics" in the Cafepress' marketplace search box so you can see our full line of products--some items are on sale and some are not...

Check out the sale before it ends soon!

Looking to lose some weight this winter in time for SPRING?  You'll want to check out iGive for weight loss programs (like Nutrisystem  who will give back 6% cash back to In-Sync Exotics).  Or how about purchasing something special for your canine or feline from Petsmart?  3.2% of your purchase benefits In-Sync Exotics if you buy from Petsmart using iGive!  So far, we have received $818.99 from iGive thanks to folks who made their purchases on-line using this website -- thank you kind shoppers!

We hope you enjoyed today's blog posting! Be sure to check back tomorrow for more fun and informative information about our exotic cats and their friends of In-Sync Exotics! 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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Monday, January 14, 2013

Aramis and Chance Love to Play!

Happy Monday to our loyal blog reader--you!  We hope you had a safe and dry weekend!

When you live in Texas, you never know when it's going to rain, nor for how long.  Last Saturday, we received quite a downpour, but it didn't stop us from performing our usual animal-related chores.  Rain or shine, we are here for the cats!  Thankfully, we had a beautiful Sunday, which allowed us to dry out some  and the animals got to enjoy their enrichment toys!

Since our last "Aramis" update on Thursday, we are pleased to announce that Aramis ate his Friday meal plus his treats!  Then for some reason, he decided not to eat his Saturday treats or meal (Rain related perhaps? Probably not, but you never know!) and on Sunday he enjoyed about a pound of turkey.  Despite Aramis' on again-off again appetite,  he still loves, loves, loves his enrichment!


We are very happy that Aramis attitude has not changed throughout this entire eating ordeal--he's still as adorable as ever!

Now that the snow is gone, and rain has taken it's place, we thought you might enjoy this winter remake video featuring Chance playing in the snow for the first time ever!  Chances are, we probably won't see any more snow this winter, so we'll have to wait until next year for another chance of filming Chance playing with his little red ball in the snow... so enjoy!


We hope you enjoyed today's blog posting! Be sure to check back tomorrow for more fun and informative information about our exotic cats and their friends of In-Sync Exotics! 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!

>^..^<

Friday, January 11, 2013

Farewell Spike -- Run Wild And Free Forever...

Dear In-Sync Exotics Family:

It is with a very heavy heart to announce the passing of Spike, our beloved former Poetry cougar. 

Spike let us know yesterday evening that his body and spirit was tired and he was ready to cross the Rainbow Bridge to join his companions, Kane and Howard.  Even though we are saddened because the Lord called our Spike home, we are comforted in the knowledge that he will not cross the Rainbow Bridge alone--he has Kane and Howard waiting for him on the other side. 

Spike at the 2012 Christmas Party
As you know, Spike was challenged with a serious health condition.  On May 3, 2012, we took Spike to Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine to learn why he was having difficulty walking. At first, we thought he might be having some age-related issues seeing how he is 17 years old at the time. While Spike had no problems running and playing, we noticed that he did have problems walking at a normal pace, sort of like he had inebriated hind legs. 

Preparing Spike for his MRI
MRI images showed us that Spike had two ruptured discs, one found on his neck and the other on his upper spine. We were presented at that time with two options: bed rest and recovery or surgical treatment. We opted bed rest for Spike, hoping that surgery would be the last resort and recovery from this type of surgical procedure may be difficult for our senior cougar. 


For months, we limited Spike's movements in the hopes that his spinal issues would resolve themselves. Unfortunately, several months later, we have noticed Spike walked in an unusual manner once again. Video was taken of Spike's movements and sent to Texas Texas A&M for review. After watching the video, the veterinarian agreed to examine Spike in the hopes that there was something we can do for his back and legs.

So on November 13th, Spike went back to Texas A&M for more tests.  He received a Convenia injection and was placed on several other medications. Sadly, there was nothing they could do to repair the damaged to his two ruptured discs.

Here's looking at you, kid!
Ever wonder how Spike got his name?  Well, believe it or not, Spike used  to behave aggressively towards us--especially when we first met him in Poetry, Texas.  He was like one of those gang members that just dared you to touch him.  As soon as we brought him home, his attitude changed.  He quieted down and starting seeking attention from us.  He definitely was  the alpha male of the cougar group as he loved to chase after the “ladies” causing them all sorts of grief.  When he stopped causing trouble, we knew his time with us was coming to an end.

Spike, is survived by Chloe, our last Poetry cougar, and she shares her enclosure with Cerella, Cherokee, Sierra, Crimson, and Lassiter.

We invite you to attend Spike's memorial service at Pet Memories located in Rockwall, Texas.  His service begins at 11:00am today.  For directions, please click HERE.

If you would like to make a donation in honor of Spike's memory, please click HERE.  Thank you.

July 19, 1995 - January 10, 2013
Run Wild & Free, Sweet Spike…
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Thursday, January 10, 2013

Aramis, Aasha and Sabu Update!

Hello again!  Did you miss your weekly blog updates?  Yes?  Well, let's see if we can't get you caught up on the latest In-Sync Exotics' news...

Aramis: 




As many of you know, it's been a challenge to get Aramis to eat his meals.  But for those who are just joining us, let's start from the beginning of our lion's medical story...

Back in November, we noticed that Aramis had difficulty holding down his meals on a consistent basis.  Some days he could hold down all or part of his meals, others he simply could not hold down any food at all.

We thought that maybe he had an intestinal blockage, but since we was "popping" (albeit not as much) on a regular basis, we believed there was no blockage.

We tried various remedies during this time--petroleum jelly to help move the food along, Prilosec (in case of excess stomach acid), Metronidazole (antibiotic used to fight bacteria in the body) and Sucralfate (an oral gastrointestinal medication) with the hopes that Aramis' apetite would improve and he would be able to hold his meals down.  All of this took place within the first two weeks of November.

During the second half of November, Aramis would eat, but some days it would be only be about 10% to 50% of his regular diet--with no vomit.  Not optimal!

From Nov. 27th through Dec. 9th he ate well, took his treats and did not vomit. We hoped Aramis was on the mend. Then another setback; Dec. 10th, Aramis refused to eat.  For the remainder of that week, Aramis ate only about 5% to 10% of his meals, then vomited all of it up once again. 

What was going on with our precious boy?  On the 14th we started on his medications again and the next day his vet came out for a visit to see what was happening with him.  We planned on sedating Aramis so we could take some blood samples but unfortunately it  rained and the air temperature was too cold to knock him out, so we formulated a new plan.

For the next two days, Armis was feed small amounts of meat, four times per day, with the hopes that he would be able to hold down smaller amounts of food. Sometimes he would eat and sometimes he would not.  Sadly, there was still some vomiting going on, so we made another appointment to take him in to the vet on December 19th.

Our hopes soared when eat ate all four of his small meals the next day!  Did he still need to go to the vet, we wondered?  Absolutely!

So we were off to the clinic the next day.   His vet decided not to sedate him until we can get a better weight on him. He had been trying to weigh him for a month with no success.  So instead, we took him off the Metronidazole but kept him on the Sucralfate, and switched him to Famotidine.

During Christmas week, Armis took a turn for the worse...he was still producing stool, so we figured his intestines were functioning properly.  He wasn't missing any toys or toy parts from his quarters or playground, so we didn't think he had a "toy" blockage problem.  Amazingly, Aramis' attitude was fine--he still roared at night, appeared alert, and moved around his quarters, until the last couple of days before his big trip to Texas A&M Veterinary School of Medicine.

On December 27, Aramis and crew traveled to Texas A&M where he underwent a CT scan, sonogram, and some blood was drawn for testing. 

Blood work showed elevated liver enzymes. Aramis appeared to be dehydrated and was given 14 liters of IV fluids.  Other test showed some inflammation of the liver. All other findings were normal for spleen, kidneys, adrenal glands, abdominal lymph nodes. No evidence of biliary (relating to the bile tract) obstruction were seen. Upon waking, Aramis up we gave two types of anti-nausea drug.

It took almost six hours for Aramis to wake up. He was very drunk and unresponsive.  The elevated liver enzymes were blamed for this and was recommended that we do not sedate him again in the near future until we are able to get him well and recheck blood work.

On Dec. 30th we were able to catch Aramis in our vet chute to give three liters more of fluids and redraw blood for more tests. Thankfully, we were able to get him to eat one pound of liver. It had been seven days since his last bit of food and we were VERY worried about losing our Aramis!!

We ran the following blood tests:  CBC, CHEM, FELV,FIV,FPL,T4, Toxoplasma, Ehrlichiosis, West Nile, Distemper. All these test have come back negative. The liver biopsies have come back negative for culture and histopath--it just showed he had some inflammation, but no cause. He is also acting very lethargic for a couple of days.  Everyone was stumped--what in the world was happening to Aramis?

On Jan. 2nd, we caught Aramis in the vet chute again and gave 6cc of B12 IV. The very next day he was singing again for the first time in a week and seemed more alert. He even showed interest in food by smelling it, but still would not eat the meat. 

On Jan. 4th, Aramis still refused to eat. We talked with vet again and decided to try Valium for appetite stimulant. Usually Valium needs to be given IV in order to work really fast. Once the medication was administered, Aramis began eating within three hours -- and he ate about 4 pounds!

The next morning, Jan 5th, he did vomit a small amount of white foam and a small piece of meat, but at least he held down the majority of his meal!  We gave him 10cc of DEX which is a big dose of steriods hoping we would eat that night. ...[sigh]...sadly, he did not.

Then lo and behold, the next day ( Sunday, Jan. 6th), Aramis ate 41/2 pounds and began singing and playing once he finished his meal!  A miracle?!  We started him on another medicine called Ursodiol for gallbladder issues and darted him again with the Cerenia 11cc's.

The next day, Aramis ate about five pounds of meat throughout the day (yay!) and thankfully we took his medicine (pills) instead of us having to administer shots!  Baby step improvements!

On Tuesday of this week, Aramis ate about 4.5 pounds of meat. And then last night, Aramis ate his treats but refused to eat his regular meal and take his pills.

All we can do now is keep trying to get Aramis to eat his meals, take his medications, and pray that our vets will figure out what is ailing our boy--and soon!

We want to thank everyone who extended prayers for our boy's improved good health.  We truly believe in the power of prayers and we hope you will continue to hold Aramis in your thoughts today!  Thank you!

Aasha:


We noticed that our beautiful tigress was having trouble getting up and laying down.  Her legs seem to be out of alignment with the rest of her body, so we decided it was time to have her back legs and hips x-rayed to see what is going on with our girl.

So on January 4th (Friday) we took Aasha to the vet.  It didn't take long for the vet to render a diagnoses as to what ailed our young tigress--Aasha has juvenile arthritis in both her hips.

Arthritis is caused by inflammation of the joints.  It causes pain, swelling, stiffness, and loss of motion.  Sadly, this explains why Aasha has difficulty laying down and getting up.  While we cannot pinpoint for certainty the cause of our tigress' juvenile arthritis, we cannot help but wonder whether or not her stunted growth as a cub may be a contributing factor to her current health situation.

Unfortunately, we cannot place our tigress on strong arthritis medication because of the long-term side effects of the drugs.  Humans and dogs, for instance can take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), painkillers that reduce inflammation in the joints.   Unfortunately, cats lack an enzyme system in the liver to metabolize most NSAIDs, and are extremely prone to toxicity from them.  There are some NSAIDs we can give our older cats, like Sabu, but because Aasha is so young, there is a greater risk of liver damage if she remains on a NSAID for many years; we have to use non-medical treatment options.

So for now, we are using Cosequin and keeping an eye on her weight because overweight cats suffer greater arthritis symptoms than their thinner counterparts. By keeping her active, providing her with muscle strengthening activities, we hope to decrease the pain and stiffness in her joints.

Aasha has overcome so much in the last two years that we pray we can help her live a normal and fulfilling life with arthritis.  Please say a special prayer for our special tiger, Aasha.

Sabu:



Sabu was seen sporting a red lipstick-like stain on the side of his face last week.  How did he get the obvious red smear on his face? Did he receive a big smooch from one of our volunteers?

Well, apparently, this was not the first time Sabu was seen with the red smear on his face...  Hmm... the mystery thickens...  We know that Sabu is loved by many of the ladies, but this is crazy!

Turns out, Sabu sometimes loses one of his liquid Vitamin A pills, rolls on it, and viola!  The red smear appears!  Did you know that Sabu takes 10 Vitamin A pills in the morning and 10 more at night?  Pills are given in a special treat for our maneless male lion and sometimes he gets a little excited that he drops a pill now and then.  So if you happen to see a red smear on our handsome boy's face, you now know where it came from!  Sabu's next Vitamin A blood draw test is set for January 18th. 

Don't Forget!  World Wear Project

We are helping our community "go green!" By partnering with World Wear Project, we can raise money for the animals when you bring to In-Sync Exotics your used items and place them in our new bin!  Since World Wear Project collects many and varied items that can be placed in the bin, it's time to clean out your closets, garage, and attic (if you have one) and bring to us the clothes and shoes you know that you'll never wear again.  Let's face it, the 70s, 80s and 90s are over and the odds that your old clothing will come back in fashion is slim to none, so let's surrender those old clothes for a great cause!

Items they accept:  Clothing, shoes, belts, purses, wallets, hats, caps, backpacks, hard toys, stuffed animals, and pots and pans. 

Items they do not accept:  Furniture of any kind, knives, kitchen appliances, appliances with cords, and items made of glass.

Almost 100% of our donated household items and clothing can be recycled, regardless of its condition.  By recycling your items, you will help In-Sync Exotics (we receive a check based on the amount donated), reduce solid waste, and provide employment to Texans!  Win-win!  So come out this weekend with your donated items, load up our bin, and then visit our cats. Two great causes all at the same site--you can't but help feel good about that, right?

Please help support In-Sync Exotics by bringing in your items today ~ we thank you for your kind donation!




We hope you enjoyed today's blog posting! Be sure to check back tomorrow for more fun and informative information about our exotic cats and their friends of In-Sync Exotics! 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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Monday, January 7, 2013

Very Sorry!

The blog will be off-line due to medical reasons of the blog writer.  
Please stay tuned of the latest In-Sync Exotics news on our Twitter & Facebook pages.

Thank you for your continued support!

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