Osprey

Ok, no, we're not starting to get in to the exotic pet medicine business. But sometimes we like to donate services to non-profit groups, including those that take care of wildlife or exotic species. Dr. Grafinger in particular enjoys working with these species, and he has plenty of experience.

Recently, there was a tornado in Person County. Apparently an osprey was caught in this tornado and was found amongst some downed trees. Unfortunately, the bird had a broken wing. Local officials transferred him to the care of CLAWS, a licensed wildlife rehabilitation group. CLAWS asked us to help them care for the osprey.

Above: 'Oz' has a bandage on the injured wing. Notice the heavy gloves on her handler? The claws are the dangerous bits; the beak is not nearly as dangerous (although still capable of inflicting serious injury).

Above: Try not to let a raptor get those talons in your arm, face, hands, etc!

Due to the severity of the injury (the radius was broken in one place, the ulna was broken in 3 places, and the skin was lacerated), the decision was made to amputate the limb. This is a serious decision, because it means that 'Oz' (get it? - tornado, Wizard of Oz, OZ -prey?) will not be able to be released back into the wild. But, amputation will save her life. Fixing the limb would have been theoretically possible, but this is not an easy process for the patient, nor is a satisfactory outcome guaranteed. Complications are frequent (and uncomfortable for the bird) when trying to fix a complicated fracture such as this one. Amputation was the most humane option available.

Above: Dr. Grafinger evaluates the wing while Oz is under anesthesia.

Above: The arrows point to the fracture sites.

Oz is thought to be a female due to her relatively large size for an osprey (females are larger than males in many bird species). She will live a life of education - CLAWS helps to educate people about wildlife, and seeing a raptor up close and personal can be a very educational experience!

Above: Oz begins to wake up from anesthesia. Her handler will have his gloves on before she wakes up!

Thanks CLAWS, for helping Oz and all of the other needy animals!

Moving update

Construction is underway! Well, actually it's DE-struction first, but soon we will begin to reverse the effects of entropy.

View from the outside (above).

Dr. Grafinger enjoys the view from his future desk (above).

View from the back corner (above).

Not quite ready for patients yet, but progress is progress!

Lily Toxicity

We've already had our first case of Lily plant ingestion of the year. Lily plants can be very toxic, even fatally so, for cats. Consider this your yearly reminder to keep the cats away from the pretty flowers!

We have a more in depth discussion here.

Lions, Tigers and.. Binturongs, Oh my!

The Conservator’s Center came to visit TVEC recently. The Conservator’s Center, or CCI, is home to mostly carnivores - although a few lemurs have snuck in, too! They have numerous lions, tigers, servals, and binturongs, just to name a few. The center is known worldwide for the care it provides. When no one else is able or willing to rescue these animals, the center does. Many of these animals are taken in from closing zoos, private collectors or government agencies. Quite a few of their animals are the geriatric, the malnourished or the abused. However, they all seem to be happily settling into their new forever home!

CCI is a multifaceted organization - they strive to educate as well. The center offers tours to the general public, as well as volunteer and internship options. Your child can even have a birthday party there! Many of the TVEC staff are planning a group tour sometime in the near future, and maybe some volunteer time, if we can work out our varying schedules. You can visit CCI, as well - just check out their website to see when you can arrange your tour to see these amazing animals!! Just remember to arrange it ahead of time, they are unable to accommodate surprise visitors.

Oh, and if you’re wondering what a binturong is.. A binturong, also known as a bearcat, is actually an omnivore that has a prehensile tail. They are an arboreal species that is nocturnal. It smells like popcorn too!! They are not well studied in the wild and the center has three breeding pairs. If you are interested in “adopting” one of these riveting creatures, please contact CCI at (336) 421-0883. (Article courtesy of Sarah Ignelzi, TVEC technician)

Update: Raw diet recall

Update to this previous post. Now the recall effects more products.

Moving!

TVEC is moving!

We've grown from an emergency clinic, only open on nights and weekends, to a 24/7/365 Emergency and Referral multi-specialty hospital. We've added Surgery, Internal Medicine, and Radiology, and we've gotten busier. That means it's gotten a little tight in here! The staff is great at making things work, but we know that we need more room in order to continue to provide more and better services. Our new facility will enable us to grow in terms of number of patients, as well as services offered.

We're moving to a 13, 000 square foot facility on Morreene Road (#608 to be exact) in Durham. It's a warehouse that has been empty for a long time. This site has been the subject of some debate in the past, but the neighborhood seems excited that we're moving in, and we are happy to become a part of the neighborhood!

Here's a picture of what the site looks like today...



And here's what it should look like when it's completed...



The estimated date of completion is August of 2010. We can't wait! Check back here for more updates in the future.

A Heavy Topic

Has your veterinarian ever told you that your cat needs to lose weight? Here are some visual aids to help you see what overweight looks like. Here's an example of an x-ray (radiograph) of a relatively normal cat.


Notice the small amounts of fat just below the liver, surrounding and just behind the kidneys, and in the skin between the body wall and the skin surface. Some fat is normal and healthy. Now look at this patient...
Look at the huge amounts of fat surrounding all of his internal organs, and in between the body wall and the skin surface. This pet's heart is working extra hard to pump blood, the joints have to carry around more weight than they are designed for, the pet is more prone to diabetes and other endocrine diseases, etc.

If your veterinarian says your pet needs to lose weight, pay attention! But make sure the weight loss regimen is supervised by the vet, especially in cats. Weight loss in cats can be dangerous, so don't design a plan by yourself. Follow your vet's advice, but get that weight off those pets!