11/8/26 Happy Fall ya’ll. I know it’s been a while. If you follow us on YouTube, then you’re pretty much up to date. I seem to have less energy these days when it comes to necessary computer work.
Max celebrated his 15th birthday on May 4th. He looks wonderful for his age. We had a veterinary appointment for rabies and bloodwork which we get every three years. Not so good news is that he now has stage 2 chronic kidney disease in addition to his already exocrine pancreatic insufficiency. By looking at him, you would never know. We struggled to determine our best course of action. My vet is an expert in domestic cats but not exotics. There are few that are. I reached out to Max’s zoo momma and she suggested adding a urinary diet regime to his reduced meat. Max doesn’t like the dry food but will eat it if hungry. The can is okay but he’s not a fan of that either. This diet doesn’t need a prescription so I have the option of finding the best prices. It isn’t cheap. I also talked with several colleagues about their exotics. One with a serval gives them a amino acid treat which is suppose to help the kidneys. I don’t give Max the full dose and he really likes them. Because he is a Canada Lynx, there isn’t any information I could find about what to do. The USDA inspector says that most times no course of action is taken. I believe that’s because when zoos and sanctuaries find out their felines have CKD, it’s already in stage 4. We get bloodwork every 3 years and therefore caught it early. I don’t plan on doing nothing. His weight has maintained and even gained but then again, he gains weight every fall in preparation for winter. My concern is muscle loss and so far, he looks good. The CKD diet for felines has a lot of fillers in it and I’m not sure if that’s the course to go. I’m also not going to continue the urinary diet as I don’t want it putting any strain on his kidneys if he’s urinating a lot. I have test strips and my vet instructed me to what values to look for. So, that’s Max.
We were quite busy this summer presenting a Monday program every week for 10 weeks. We also did a few others and our normal wildlife festival. I love reaching out to people educating about wildlife but it’s exhausting.
Little Charlie hedgehog passed on September 13. She started passing a little blood in her stools but was still eating and wheeling. Then came little squeaks and she was never vocal. Charlie stopped eating on Saturday, and sleeping outside her heated box. I knew the time was drawing near. Sometimes it’s a guessing game to whether let them pass naturally or get veterinary assistance. The later is more difficult because clinics are busy and most times you cannot get in for an appointment. I decided to hold her even though she was not a fan of human touch. Some can be like this. If you don’t know, Charlie was a female hedgie that was surrendered to me from a family who didn’t have time to give her. I was told she was aggressive. No, just a typical hedgehog who didn’t want human companionship. In her final moments, she allowed me to stroke her but I suspect that like Frannie Ferret, she went inside herself and didn’t comprehend that I was present. She’s now buried next to Frankie and Frannie in the front garden. She was 3.5 years old and their average life span is 3.
Porkchop hedgehog started developing dry skin and losing a few quills in a spot where she previously had quill loss in May. I didn’t give it too much thought but then it got worse and I was working 6 days a week and couldn’t take time off to bring her to the vets. Well, she was diagnosed with a serious yeast skin infection on September 30. We started with a spray, followed by oral medication. I waited a couple weeks before adding a mite solution to her skin and oral antibiotics. She is a difficult patient. Scruffing her is hard because of her size. I feel bad because I’m sure the skin irritation is annoying for her and new quills coming in is painful. She is dropping skin and quills like crazy. I’m sure before it’s all said and done, she will have lost all her quills but I keep moving forward doing my best at keeping her as comfortable as possible. She’s another hedgie that doesn’t prefer human companionship and is 3.5 years old. Hedgehogs do not make good pets and I only have her for wildlife education. However, they are remarkable animals and I like educating about them.
Burt Parrot who is roughly 43 years old has been on occasion passing a bit of blood in her stools. The doc thought he felt a polyp. There is nothing to do at the moment except to monitor her. Should there come a time where she is having difficulty going the bathroom, I will discuss surgery.
I know it sounds like we are all in rough shape but that is my home of old age animals. I, myself, have a few issues too. I see a cardiac electrophysiologist on Tuesday to discuss ablation for my AFIB. I’ll keep you updated.
In spite of everything, we had a really good spring, and summer. Here’s hoping fall is a good one! I’m not looking forward to winter but Max is!!
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