Medical Miracle

Jill Galindo finally got all her permits in place, her enclosures built and her perimeter fence erected.  Now it was time to start the long planned for Ocelot breeding program.  The expectations for the tiny female kit were so high.  She was spunky and pretty enough to model for the French edition of Vogue magazine.  But something was wrong with her development.  She couldn’t really walk more than two steps then she’d have to drag her hindquarters for three.  She might do a little better as long as she was going straight ahead but if she tried to turn a corner, she’d fall over.

Not that these problems dampened her spirits.  She loved to play with the other ocelots in the household to the point of exhaustion.  That soon became a worry as Sierra’s condition deteriorated, yet keeping her strictly separated from her playmates made her unhappy.

Naturally, Jill took her to Veterinarians near by and then farther and farther away.  At  first a calcium deficiency was thought to be the problem, a congenital bone disorder was next.  Jill was advised the baby could never be bred as her pelvis wasn’t developing properly so spaying was recommended.  And still Jill sought answers.  As the bills mounted, what had seemed like such an exciting asset turned into a sad liability.

She sought help from UC Davis Veterinary School in Davis, Calif. But was turned down.  They would no longer treat exotics.  Not to be defeated, Jill persevered by preparing a package of all tests, diagnoses, veterinary opinions, even a videotape of the way Sierra moved.  Davis relented and agreed to see her.  What a shock to learn on attempting to do a spinal tap that there was no fluid in the spinal cord.  Small wonder her motor skills were hampered.

When I called Jill last she sounded a bit leery answering the phone, because Sierra was undergoing brain surgery at that moment.  I couldn’t get the dear little cat out of my mind, but kept telling myself, “No news is good news”.  Today in response to my tentative inquiry, I received this email:

Good Morning,

She is doing great!  Thanks for asking.  She had her surgery on Wednesday and came home on Friday.  Friday and Saturday were pretty rough for her.  Sunday she was able to sit up and this morning she is walking around.  Her rear end seems to be working well considering it didn’t have any spinal fluid in it for who knows how long.  Her main problem seems to be her neck (they did remove one vertebrae and shaved another one in half).  So of course she needs to rebuild those muscles in her neck before she has any strength.  All in all it is truly a miracle.  She looks a little bit like Joan Rivers because of her stitches her skin in pulled so tight on the top of her head and neck.  Her ears point straight up like a Terrier and her eyes look like someone surprised her.  In my opinion she couldn’t be better considering what was done to the poor little thing.  Anyway the name of her problem is Chiari malformation or Caudal Occipital Malformation Syndrome (COMS).

Love,