Suicidal Hedgehog!

I've fallen in love with hedgehogs... or at least one in particular-- our hedgehog, China.  She's prickly and a bit moody but has quite an amusing little personality. 

Look at her go!

China recently got an addition on to her cage (okay, okay... so the addition has been there for almost a month but the angle of the ramp to the upper section was too steep for her to climb without some form of tread-- figured out a solution and now she can explore.  Shouldn't have found it as amusing as we did when we first put her on the upper level and she slid down the ramp). 

Hedgehogs have very poor vision and, if there are no railings or safeguards, they will walk right over the edge of the surface they're on.  The platform that was added to her cage had about a two inch lip that she could not easily walk over.  Thought it was perfect and felt better that she'd have more space to romp and well... do all things hedgehogs in captivity like to do...

Once the tread was added, we woke her up and placed her on the upper level. 

She sniffed around a bit and scurried down the ramp straight to her wheel.  Ran for a bit, ventured up the ramp... and then... well... 

....yeah... she jumped.  Ran on her wheel, ran up the ramp and jumped over the edge again.  (It's about a 1' drop... scary to witness, but she's unharmed-- and actually tried to do it again)

We now have a barrier that extends to the top of the cage so there will be no possibility for hedgehog suicide in the future....

Photo Shoot!

Felt like bustin out the camera and snappin a few shots....

   Junior-- working on my Masters....

Happy Birthday to Me

Yesterday was my birthday and, overall, I've had a good birthday weekend.... It was full of good times with great friends and also some time spent with the love of my life-- lots of laughs and a few tears.

Every year I take a moment on my birthday to reflect upon the things that have happened over the past year...  It's funny how life has a way of giving you what you hoped for in a way you never could've expected.  This time last year I never would have guessed that I would be where I am now-- part of an amazing family, living in a completely unfamiliar part of the state, and accepted to vet school.  I am an extremely lucky girl.

I've reached a lot of goals this past year and have started a lengthy list of things to accompish over the next year (we'll see how well that list goes when school starts!!)

I'm thankful for all of the opportunities I've been given and look forward to the continued journey of life.

Why Should PETA Neuter you?

I understand some of PETA's beliefs and desire to promote better care for animals.  I get that.  Who wouldn't?  Some of their bizarre antics (and even more-so the issue of where all their donations and funding goes) rub me the wrong way.  It's the whole animal rights vs animal welfare arguement (of which I could spend hours of my time arguing where I stand with my beliefs.... but I won't... at least not today)...

Their radical movements and beliefs are huge points of discussion-- from Breast Milk Ice Cream to their Sex with Vegetables Superbowl Commercials (couldn't find Youtube video, sorry!) to Ingrid Newkirk's will... now, a contest that takes balls... Literally!  Win a Vasectomy from PETA

Any takers?

Wound-up Wednesday

My first wool arrived the other week!!!  Super excited about it (although I have a feeling that I ruined some of it.  Oh wool, why must you felt?)

Our bathroom smelled like a sheep barn.... mmmm...

After wash #3.... still dirty

 

What it looks like all brushed out

...and the yarn!  Have been blending it with a little of the fiber from my Jersey Wooly rabbits :)

I now understand the joy and excitement that follows when you are able to take raw fiber and turn it into something other than pillow stuffing.

Never a Dull Moment....

This past weekend, we ventured to Columbus to do some yard work at my house.  Got to the house just before dark, put the dogs in the fenced-in backyard and unloaded the truck.  Wanted to do a survey of what all needed done so we joined the dogs in the backyard.  I don't precisely remember who noticed what was going on, but the dogs were barking and trying to attack something in the corner of the fence.

Got the four dogs in the house, grabbed a flashlight and went to investigate.

That's what the dogs were 'playing' with.  I'm quite respectful of animals that could be potential carriers of rabies (and upon discovering the opossum, my mind flashed back to the zoonotic disease class I had taken for my Masters....). 

I look back at various situations in my life and wonder how I didn't get rabies (e.g. removing the bat in our fireplace with no gloves on.... chasing a raccoon around my parents' front yard when I was about 10--ended up calling the police who came out, shot it and then told me to dig a hole and bury it with copious amounts of bleach poured on the carcass....).  Rabies isn't something to mess around with and upon further investigation of the opossum-- his tail was bloody.  Great.  The dogs somehow had gotten a hold of the thing.

The fence in my backyard is a 6' privacy fence... the boards are close together so there was no option of shooing this guy through the fence (plus, he was playing dead... so I don't really think we would have been successful in getting the thing to move). 

Could have let it go till morning but our fear was that he would hide out under the deck and become a permanent resident in the yard.

Unacceptable. 

Enter: creative problem sovling.  Went into the garage and grabbed my snow shovel and a rake.  Luckily the opossum was terrified and "playing 'possum" so he was easy to push onto the snow shovel with the rake.  The girls were standing on the deck and asked if they could see the critter.  With the fear of it running away being slim-to-none, we paused for a moment to show them the opossum.  After a few seconds of "gross!" and "that thing is so ugly!", we carried him to a wooded area near the house and 'released' him. 

My Dog, The Train Wreck...

I will never understand how veterinarians or veterinary students end up with animals that have major health issues.  I didn't go searching for a dog with health issues-- I actually had hoped that we wouldn't have any major health problems until at least mid-way through (if not completely through) vet school.... Maggie apparently didn't like that plan.

Yesterday we visited Dr. G at RASCAL Unit.  She's an amazing veterinarian that had allowed me to volunteer/shadow at her practice for the previous year-- it's that experience that brought me back to apply again after the frustration of rejection #2 from vet school....

I absolutely love the fact that she allows me to watch surgeries (and has extended an open invitation for me to come back whenever I have time....) and is super-informative with explaining procedures.  Yesterday, when I arrived, Maggie got kenneled and I found Dr. G-- standing over what looked to be a rottie/pitt mix that was having surgery to remove a mass from its rectum.  Talk about a real pain in the.... well... you know. 

We got to talking about my dog and what's been going on.  Between surgeries, she stepped out and did an exam on Maggie.  She explained what she was looking for and what to include/exclude.... (early ortho lesson!)  If I didn't have such a good relationship with Dr. G, I think I would've broken down in tears about the entire situation. 

Left rear leg: luxating patella-- ~grade 3

Right rear leg: tear in her cruciate ligament

My options: surgery on both legs at once or one at a time.  Since I didn't think making her completely immobile was a good option, we're spacing them out.

Surgery: April 25 on whichever leg appears worse at the time.  Surgery for leg #2 to follow.  In the mean time, a healthy supply of Novox and some Glucosamine....