Here we have an example of what an animal goes through when it comes into the clinic with fish poisoning. When the fish inside the reef consume a certain algae a toxin is held inside of them which affects animals and humans alike. There is more information about this on the main page. Sometimes it can take only a week for animals to recover, whereas other times it can take upwards of two months. Rocko is a lovely dog, and although he has taken to running away now that he has his legs, he does love the attention when you give him a rub behind the ears. Enjoy.
I am sure everyone has heard about the earthquake in Chile. My heart goes out to the victims of this disaster as they search for their families, friends and animals. What you may not have heard, is that because of the earthquake, a tsunami warning was issued throughout the Pacific. Boy did it ever wake us up!
At 3:30 in the morning on Saturday, we received multiple phone calls warning us about the possibility of a tsunami. I called the police to confirm and we were grateful for the five-hour warning. Laura (veterinarian) and I were the only two staying at the EHF residence and it was up to us to get all the patients and other animals in our care to higher ground and to pack the essentials for ourselves.
Blessed as we are, we were caring for fewer animals than usual and could transport the twenty dogs and cats in 12 cages and take a few on leads. I called Nan Hauser, our local whale researcher, who had generously offered her house in the past when cyclones threatened the island. We didn't have a vehicle large enough to move all the animals at once but Nan’s partner, Brown Apera, offered his truck and his help. Kevin Rowell, a local supporter, also kindly joined the effort. It took two trips for all of us to complete the move and we saw many fully loaded vehicles heading up various hills just as we were. (I saw a picture yesterday of the hospital on the hill surrounded by people and their cars.)
By 7am, we had delivered all of the animals to safety at Nan's wonderful home. Craig the clinic cat doesn't like being in cages so he was allowed to stay in the car curled up on our bags. One of our patients, Rocko, a big fish poisoned dog, needed to continue his supportive care no matter where we were located and we set up a drip IV line. Laura did a great job taking care of Rocko in spite of his love of chewing through his catheters. (Fortunately, this one lasted until we returned home.)
Nan was more than accommodating to all her guests. She offered us breakfast while welcoming more people seeking refuge. The plan was to watch the sea from the top of a hill as the tsunami rolled in, but there really wasn’t much to see. We waited for the “all clear” before we decided to take the animals home. We later learned that the tsunami didn't amount to much here and we are definitely thankful for that.
Returning all the animals to the clinic was made easier by the addition of yet another truck and helper, Huw John from Reef Sub, who was also staying at Nan's to escape the possible Tsunami.
This tsunami drill provided the unexpected opportunity to clean behind all the cages and now the area is spic and span thanks to veterinarians Sula and Laura who accomplished this chore (after they too were awakened around 3:30am.) and also worked a full day at the clinic (which was pretty busy for a Saturday) before falling into bed exhausted. Thanks guys for your extraordinary work!!!
A great deal of gratitude also goes out to all those who helped us in the transport and temporary housing of these animals. You have shown a true kindness.
Blessings to those in Chile who will be recovering from this disaster for months and years to come.
Well, Micro-Craig is doing very well here at the clinic and has more than doubled in size since we first got him, in part because of the large quantity of food he eats. Since he has grown a bit too big for his box and the bucket we were keeping him in, he has been moved to the bath tub which has the bonus that it's really easy to clean.
He's got his legs a bit more now and we have weaned him off the bottle. The upside is that it is a lot easier for us. The downside is every time we go into the bathroom now he hears us and screams at the top of his little lungs--wanting to be fed. He isn't quite used to drinking water yet, as the last time we put in a shallow container with him, we later found him pretty wet.
Here's a short video to show our healthy hand-reared kitten, and above is a picture of Micro-Craig with a puppy, called Speedo, we're trying to rehome.
Because of the high number of fish poisoning patients brought to the clinic last December we decided it would be a good idea to remind the community once again about the dangers of feeding their pets fish from the lagoon.
Fish poisoning has been one of the most frequently addressed topics in EHF's animal health care education program. The illness and how to avoid it has been discussed in newspaper columns, articles, on television, radio, in school presentations and in our animal care pamphlets. Still, Rarotonga animals continue to suffer from this debilitating and potentially lethal illness.
Most recently, in January, the local television news ran a spot highlighting some of the victims that we were caring for and we talked about the effects of the disease and how it can be prevented. That piece was followed by a more in depth and longer program that discussed the effects of fish poisoning on animals and humans. We are now working toward creating a public service spot for the island's only radio station with a goal of reaching an even wider audience.
The number of fish poisoning patients has decreased from 20 in December to four in February. I don't know if the decline is because our message reminded people not to feed their animals fish from the lagoon or if the algae thought to be responsible for the toxin that leads to the fish poisoning is at lower levels, but it is a relief to see fewer fish poisoning patients admitted to the clinic.
The three cases currently being treated are all cats (which is a little unusual as we tend to see to more dogs). Blackie (black and white), Esther (tabby) and Robert (ginger) are all at various stages of recovery. Blackie, who has been with us the longest, is up in his feet but still not eating on his own. Esther who came in about a week after Blackie can't even lift herself up off the ground and is still generally very "floppy". Robert, on the other hand is very stiff, and when he's not literally sitting on his head, which I've caught him doing twice now, he eats very well. He just needs to get up on those feet of his.
A lot of volunteer time is required just to make sure these patients are getting enough food, water and exercise. Each patient receives significant attention from our clinic team but it is also the loving owners who come by to visit their pets while they are here recuperating that helps the animal improve.
The complete elimination of fish poisoning cases may only occur when (and if) the toxin and disease process becomes completely understood but until then, the number of cases can be diminished by not feeding reef fish to pets. We will continue to be here for those animals who do get sick and offer our support to the animal and to the community. A big thanks goes out to all the skilled and caring volunteers who have spent so much time helping these patients to get well and return to their families.
We have seen a disheartening rise in the number of car accident victims, but that's a topic for a later post!
In the pictures we have, from top to bottom, Robert, Esther and Blackie (almost escaping now that he's better). The video below is from about a month and a half ago and shows a couple of dogs that we had in with fish poisoning. Casper, the white puppy, was found on our property late one evening with fish poisoning. He was still a little bit wobbly when he left. Toto, an old dog with a blind eye, took a good amount of time to get better as well. He had a really hard time getting his legs back. And as for the last dog, Dags, he was with us for more than two months with bed sores on both of his hips. I was really happy to see him go home. I have another dog which just came in recently whose name is Rocko, but he's hardly moving, hardly breathing. Once he's up on his feet I'll show you what it's like when they walk.
