Pookie's Minions - Pookie's Gone ☹

[hoopyscoop]

A quick Pookie tale (just because I love telling them ):

We visited PetSmart yesterday to see if his favorite kitties were there and to say hi to everyone else. Luckily, his orange/white kitties were there and he was so happy to see them (his beard had on his happy yellow/orange specks). Because we got there so late (after 4pm), most of the cats/kittens were already napping and weren't so interested in seeing Pookie. We sat in front of the orange/white kittens for awhile, with a few kidnap interruptions (employees stealing him for snuggles), then I decided to walk to the back of their cage (where they were curled up) to see who the kittens would react. Well, not only did the one kitten wake up and look at Pookie, but she stuck her nose out of the cage bars and gave him a kiss! YUP! You read that correctly, the kitten licked Pookie! She even stayed nose-to-nose for nearly 10 seconds!

After those kittens left with their foster mom, we went to look at another kitten who was very scared of everything. Again, Pookie took a liking to her and didn't want to leave. He even paced back & forth and scratched at the glass, wanting to get in. I think Pookie has a thing for scared kittens, where he wants to befriend them and make them feel more comfortable.

And we love reading them! :wink:

Loved the part where the kitty kissed Pookie! :mrgreen:

You should get a kitty for Pookie. :wink: :wink:

 

[zandi202]

I agree. Pookie needs a kitten...or two...or three. :lol:

 

[sweetiepie9]

I agree, Pookie needs a kitty for his own, but I don't think that's in the cards, right Gina? The kitty kiss was so cute, I can just imagine what was being told back & forth :lol:

 

[Goonie]

I agree, Pookie needs a kitty for his own, but I don't think that's in the cards, right Gina?

No, that's not in the cards. Zim doesn't like cats, at least not the ones running around the neighborhood. I had never formally introduced a cat to Zim, but I can't imagine that going over well. So, Pookie will just have to admire them from afar.

I can just imagine what was being told back & forth :lol:

I'm curious too, because they did lock eyes for quite some time and was nose-to-nose touching.

 

[Goonie]

Earlier today, I went to visit a beardie who's owner (20-something kid) no longer had time for him and the kid's mom had been caring for the beardie. She had told me that he was about 2 years old and a little bigger than Gianna (the lady's one of the PetSmart volunteers who fosters cats and helps with their adoption events). Trying to be optimistic, I told her that perhaps the beardie was a Rankins.

She originally wanted me to adopt her son's beardie, seeing how well behaved and healthy Pookie is. I didn't promise her yes nor did I turn her down. All I said was that I needed to see how the beardie is, physically and behavior wise. I also told her that I'd test him for parasites and adeno, since most people would be less likely to take an adeno-positive beardie if they already have another beardie at home, myself included.

Well, I was quite shocked to see just how tiny this beardie was, and more so at the condition of his tank. This poor guy was covered in poop, and both he and his tank smelled of holy hell. It took every fiber of my being to not ask for a bucket and sponge to clean it, and it wasn't until towards the end of my visit that I finally said "He needs a bath". Though he was tiny, he had great fat pads on his head and his bone structure was quite good. There were, however, these odd swelling on his hands. One was at the elbow and was hard, the other was at the wrist and was squishy. Since he had never been out of his tank (sigh), injury was out of the question (because he had use of both hands with no restrictions). The only thing I could think of is gout, but I'd never seen a beardie with gout before, I have no idea what it would look like.

Anyway, I took some photos just in case I could have him adopted out from here:

Oh, by the way, he only weighed 218 grams

I wanted so badly to just take him home right there and then, partly because he so needed the love and attention (he was so angry to be picked up at first, but finally warmed up to me and was quite limp lying on my hand) and because he deserved so much more than just sitting in a tank 24/7. Also, he hadn't had a UV light (no clue for how long) because it'd burnt out

 

[beardie parents]

poor little guy. I hope he finds a good loving home. It's more fun to have beardies that like to sit on you.

 

[zandi202]

He looks too cute! I would rescue him if I could!

 

[sweetiepie9]

Are you considering taking him in, just to give him some loving care & testing him. I'd put a post in For Free and also the Rescue section to get the word out. Was the woman considering getting him at least the UVB light he so desperately needs? I'll ask Tracie to check out his picture re: the gout possibility. I hate it when people don't take responsibility for their pets, poor little guy.

 

[Goonie]

poor little guy. I hope he finds a good loving home. It's more fun to have beardies that like to sit on you.

To the best of my knowledge, her son never took the beardie out to play with or snuggle or anything that we do with ours. He pretty much stayed in the tank from day 1, which is partly why the son lost interest. It really is sad, as the beardie did like the attention that I gave him in the hour that I was there.

Deb - I did stress the importance of having a UV over the stupid expensive basking bulb, and she did say "Guess I'll be making a trip to the pet store for lights" as I was leaving, so I'm hoping she bought at least the UV for this little guy.

I'm not going to post anything until I get the fecal and adeno tests back. I don't want people to be asking questions that I can't answer. If both tests are negative, I may consider taking him in as a temporary foster until I can find a suitable new home for him. I also would be looking for local adopters only, as I don't want to stress him out by shipping (and stress myself out from worrying over how he's doing during shipment).
As much as I would love to have another, I really can't justify it. I also don't think Pookie would like another male encroaching on his ladies. It's still a "sleep on it" decision right now.

 

[Drache613]

Hello Gina,

That is most likely gout, it has the tell tale signs based on the irregular swellings.
It is caused by improper temperatures & poor nutrition. That is too bad he is so tiny.
He isn't a rankins though, but he is pretty small.
You are saying that he has never been out of the tank?

Tracie

 

[Goonie]

That is most likely gout, it has the tell tale signs based on the irregular swellings.
It is caused by improper temperatures & poor nutrition. That is too bad he is so tiny.
He isn't a rankins though, but he is pretty small.
You are saying that he has never been out of the tank?

Hi Tracie! I'm so glad that you popped in.

Is there anything that could reverse gout? Or does it look too far advanced to be helped?
That's correct - he had never been out of the tank, not for play nor snuggles nor baths. Hardly been handled either.
I did ask if he ever had a bath, and the mom said no.
His head is a little dis-proportioned to his body, which lead me to believe that he hasn't had proper lighting to allow him to grow. I was quite shocked that he had good fat pads on his head.

 

[Drache613]

Hello Gina,

You can immediately start him on black cherry extract daily, to help start breaking up excess uric acid.
You can also start him on Allopurinol too which is safe to use, for long term. If you take him in I can help with dosing & regime if you need.
The diet should be low to moderate protein with higher vegetation. Use lower oxalate greens for less stress on his kidneys. A daily oral water regime should be followed, too.
I don't think he is too far gone, but he does need to get a regime started as soon as possible.

Keep us posted on him.

Tracie

 

[diamc]

That beardie is so cute Gina. I can't believe the poor thing had never been handled, SO sad. Hopefully with the treatment that Tracie recommended, the gout will clear up so he can start living a normal life. Are you thinking about rescuing him Gina?

How did you make out with the calendar pics, get it narrowed down to 2 each ok?

 

[Goonie]

From what I was able to pry out of the mom, "Squirt" was only fed lettuce and crickets. He has a water bowl in his tank but no one has a clue as to whether he'd ever drank from it

As soon as I get the "all clear" fecal and adeno results back (as soon as I get them sent in for testing, of course), I will be taking him in as a foster until he's well enough to be adopted out. I promise that I won't keep him. :silent:
I do have a dilemma though -- if his adeno is positive, I don't know if they'd be willing to "fix" him to be healthy or just let him be and let it be someone else's problem. I'd be really sad if he stays as a "caged animal" for the rest of his life.

 

[Goonie]

That beardie is so cute Gina. I can't believe the poor thing had never been handled, SO sad. Hopefully with the treatment that Tracie recommended, the gout will clear up so he can start living a normal life. Are you thinking about rescuing him Gina?

How did you make out with the calendar pics, get it narrowed down to 2 each ok?

Squirt was a sweetheart. He tolerated me picking him up, poking at his entire body for bone density, opening his mouth to look at his gums/teeth, bend his tail up to sex him, squeezing his gout , and forcing him to stay on my hand for a little love. He started out with quite a black beard and stress marks all over his belly, but towards the last half of my visit, the black beard & stress marks all went away and he kept looking at me when I talked to him. It broke my heart.


You know, Diane, I have no idea which pics to submit for the calendar. It's so difficult to choose.
How about you? I read that you were having troubles with the macro setting. You have to allow the camera to sort of "pre-focus" before taking the photo, to allow it to determine what is its close-up focus. Basically, you should half press down on the shutter button to allow the camera to focus first, then once it has its subject, press the button down all the way.