Hello's and Goodbyes

First, I want to thank you Ali for taking over and helping with the blog since I've been nutso and too busy to even feed myself! I want to also thank Ali and Christine for helping out at the Petco Fundraiser in Milford (which didn't raise much, but we still got to talk to people!) and for just constantly helping the Hollow. Today was a crappy day as far as things go. We took in a chinchilla named Oliver a few weeks ago that was misdiagnosed with a neck tumor, and after hearing he had been bought twice and brought back due to fighting, I was positive it was a neck abscess. I took him in to Dr. Pieper at Barnum Animal Hospital (who rocks!) and he drained the abscess and sent him home with meds, then when Christine (who wanted to adopt Oliver aka. Spooks) came by on Friday, we noticed a little drooling from him and also another lump that had come up on the right jaw. This time it was an abscess due to a poor diet and miss-aligned teeth, his teeth were white instead of the orange-red that a healthy chin (or Degu) should display. He went in again on Saturday morning for another surgery, he had a bad tooth that was going to need to be pulled, and things looked like they might go septic. We had full hope of him pulling through. I had him on Baytril and Metcam, and force fed him Critical Care last night. I went down at 6:30 this morning to give him and Bugsy (a bun that just lost a lot of use of his hind legs) their meds, and Oliver was dead. I am so upset, he had a possible awesome home with Christine if he had gotten better and gotten along with her totally layed back chins. It just sucks. Now Bugsy is not only having hind-leg weakness, but his front legs are splaying. He had fluids tonight, and he's on Metacam, Baytril, and Reglan. I had to express his bladder last night because he's not peeing on his own. He's not attacking his pellets like he usually does. He's in a crate next to his bond-mate Moody tonight so I can see if he uses the bathroom, but the are close enough to nose each other. I hate to separate them, but it has to be done to see what he is producing. On a good note, Addie, the bunny from one of the Easton dumps that I didn't even think was going to make it throught the first night, is doing amazingly well, one of her hind legs seems to be regenerating, so she will probably only have to have the one hind leg removed, and after having Martin's removed, I have high hopes, he was so much happier not dragging that dead leg around. Animals don't get depressed about appendages being removed like people do, they cope and make up for it. Addie is also going all over the place now, and constantly following me around the kitchen, especially if I'm opening the fridge, she knows that's where the goodies are. It's been a long, long weekend for both Linda and I, and we need a couple of quiet days. I currently have a very sweet black and white Guinea Pig and 2 white male chins up for adoption, and also a Degu here that rocks and they are all up for adoption. I also have the 11 rats that Nora has been coming over to work with to make sure they are socialized when going to new homes, 4 males and 7 females (I want them to atleast go in pairs! OK... Done and going to bed. Thanks everyone... Brandee p.s. Pictures should follow...