Pennie is a Leonberger and has been limping for several days. You can see how she hold up her left rear leg. After I examined her I noted swelling around her knee on the left side and laxity (unusual looseness) of the joint. I believe she has injured her cruciate ligaments in her knee. When dogs limp or hold up their leg they are painful. The often don’t react when the leg is manipulated so often times owners don’t think they are painful. If your dog does not walk on their leg normally, that means it hurts. It may not be excruciating pain but enough pain to not place pressure on the foot. Think about if you sprained your ankle, could you put weight on it without it hurting? Probably not. That’s why it’s very important to get anti-inflammatory and pain medicine from your veterinarian for limping dogs-they hurt. Often times with pain medicine and extended rest (usually 14 days) they will heal. If they don’t they will need X-rays to diagnose what is wrong. Sometimes veterinarians recommend X-rays right away if the limp or pain is severe. As with humans, many of our soft-tissue injuries (like muscle and ligaments) will heal on their own with rest and pain medicine. If more severe, then tests are warranted. Remember our pets rarely complain (like us) so we must be watching for these signs of pin so we can help them. #leonberger
I work out daily. It is where I can ground and connect with myself physically and emotionally and it prepares me for the day. My cat, Fiona, has taken to working out with me! She LOVES when I do my NordicTrack bike because she sits right here and stares at me! Not kidding, the whole time. She somehow enjoys the gentle sway of the bike and we just connect for 30 minutes. Sometimes I have my best conversations with this little gem. Why? Because she is a fantastic listener! She also agrees with me, and I can feel how she supports me. Think I'm a little crazy? Maybe a little...but working out daily and slowing down to connect with friends are important pieces of self-care. You are the only person that will always be with you, learn to take care of you! #exercise #cats #selfcare #Animality
Laughter is the best medicine! Poncho, the Amazon parrot, has figured this one out! He thought either he or me? was funny and kept laughing. He was so much fun! Notice his cheeks, how big they are, this is not normal and he has ruptures of his cervicocephalic air sacs. Those puffy cheeks are filled with air. It is not painful and difficult to correct. Birds not only have lungs but additional air sacs all over their bodies which help in flight-extra air, extra oxygen, extra energy for flight! If birds get an infection, have trauma to this area, or have a blockage in the air sac, they can rupture the air sac. We are not sure how this happened to Poncho but luckily it does not seem to slow him down one bit! #petsareamazing #amazonparrot #animality #petsandpeople
I LOVE this cat! Pumpkin, an 18-year-old calico kitty, really did not want to be at her vet appointment. Our pets communicate loud and clear if we listen. It was evident that Pumpkin wanted out the door. What does your pet tell you daily? Pay attention, often they "speak", and we ignore. Try paying attention and see if you can speak their language. Sometimes it's fun to learn! #Animality #speakpet #petsandpeople
Nature gives us many gifts. We must be open to receiving. This morning while in my backyard I noticed a brown spiky thing in a low tree that looked odd. As I moved closer I found this baby porcupine munching on leaves. What a gift! He’s adorable! At least I think so! #porcupine #petsandpeople #animality
Geckos can have difficulty shedding, especially with their eyes. When geckos shed their skin, they shed everywhere, including the eyes. If the eye caps don't shed, it can build up and then they cannot see. If they cannot see, they cannot eat. I'm helping this gecko by flushing out the eye caps so he can see. Vitamin A is also very helpful for this condition, so please seek medical attention if your gecko is having this problem. #geckos #geckolove
This is what I do everyday-physical examinations of birds. Peanut, the green wing macaw is helping me out. Warning-he’s a little loud! #greenwingmacaw
Meet Gnoff, a sweet little mouse who has the sniffles. His mom was showing me how he loves his scratches-this just shows that so many animals (including us) thrive with connection, touch, and knowing someone cares and loves us. #connection #Animality #petsandpeople
Some of the smallest creatures of the world go unnoticed. Somehow found this little chameleon out for a hunt! Love seeing these in the wild where they thrive! And I caught him eating! Enjoy! #chameleon
Zanzibar Colobus Monkey
Final Stop....Zanzibar!
Zanzibar is a collection of islands off Tanzania and is the home of the Red Colobus monkey. It is endangered and the center of the island provides a conservation area where the monkey is protected and easily seen. We were right off the main road, so you had to be careful driving as these beautiful creatures were actively crossing the road-made me nervous but was happy to see everyone slowed down for them. The Red Colobus is a leaf eater and can even eat poisonous plants. It has a very unique gastrointestinal system. They somehow know to find charcoal to eat after they eat poisonous plants to neutralize the poison. As a vet we give charcoal to dogs and cats that eat poisonous things I had no idea this is a natural thing in the wild! #colobusmonkey #zanzibar
Tongabezi Trust School
Anytime we travel we look for ways to give back to the community we visit. This gives my family the opportunity to learn about other cultures, people, and the global responsibility we all have. I had no idea what a special performance was in store for us on our last day in Zambia when we visited the Tongabezi Trust School in Livingstone, Zambia with donations that we raised via GoFundme. These talented children moved me to tears! The school is supported solely on donations and started 26 years ago by the owners of Tongabezi Lodge Livingstone Zambia to educate the children of their employees. The school has grown in that time from 15 to now 200 students. As luck would have it (or as the stars were aligning for us again) we happened to have lunch with the owner of Tongabezi Lodge while visiting Victoria Falls. We didn’t know he was the owner but shared with him how wonderful Tongabezi Lodge was where we were staying. He then shared he was the owner and told us how he continued to employ all his staff through COVID even though tourism was significantly reduced. He then told me something so profound that I will never forget….that when you take care of people, you take care of nature. I’ve always had the motto for my doctors and staff that when we take care of a pet, we take care of people. It then came full circle for me in this brilliant aha moment! In order to care for any species, whether elephant, dog, or human, you must provide the best environment for it to thrive. Conscious consideration of all species is paramount. All living beings have importance and it all fits beautifully together. The attached is a 3min shortened version of the 10min the kids performed for us. I hope you enjoy all the way to the end❤️Special thank you to Rothschild Safaris for suggesting this school. #consciousness #Animality #petsandpeople #giveback
Nature just works. It's simple and beautiful. The elephants and baboons work together to eat the palm nuts (the fruits on the palm trees.) The elephant loves palm nuts and will shake the palm trees with their heads or wait for the baboons to throw the nuts down. The baboons cannot break open the palm nut until it goes through the elephant's digestive tract and breaks down the outer layer because the nuts have such a hard outer shell. Baboons look for digested palm nuts in the fecal matter of the elephants so they can eat the inner softer matter. This is why the baboons and elephants are frequently seen together. How cool is that! In the video you can see mama elephant and her baby (probably under a year of age because she fits under mama.) Notice the palm nuts falling from baboons up in the trees and mama baboon and baby eating digested palm nuts. #elephants #baboon #animality Rothschild SafarisSausage Tree Camp
They are prehistoric and massive, the Nile crocodile can grow to 20 feet, weigh up to 1000 pounds, and live 80-100 years! It has very few predators once they reach adult size. Cheetahs and lions have been known to take down an adult crocodile but not anything else (except humans of course, which is why in many areas they are endangered.)They lay quietly on the banks of the river or float silently while waiting for their prey to approach the water unknowingly of their presence. Often baboons and Impalas meet their demise when they go to the river to drink sadly:( #crocodile Sausage Tree Camp Rothschild Safaris
Hungry hungry hippos! A large gathering of hippos is known as a pod and can have up to 60 members led by an alpha male. They are the third largest land mammal next to elephants and rhinos with females weighing approximately 3000 pounds and males up to 9000 pounds (that's about 7-8 full sized horses!) Hippos are mostly herbivores and spend 16 hours of their day in the water. It's hard to sneak up on them because they have excellent hearing so getting video was not easy. Check out the scratches on their skin; even though their skin is thick it's very sensitive and easily injured. They are exceptionally loud and make sounds like someone playing a tuba poorly! My husband was able to get some up close photos as well. Look at their teeth! #hippo Sausage Tree Camp Rothschild Safaris
Lucky and grateful x 2! Papa lion made an appearance on our night safari, our safari guide tracked his footprints. The next night he found a medium sized female leopard. The large cats are not often seen because they sleep during the day and wake up at sundown and hunt at night. Sound familiar cat owners? Ever wondered why your cat sleeps all day and then go crazy at night? THEY ARE SUPPOSED TOO! Offer your pet cats enrichment at night and feed them either before you go to bed or early in the morning. Yes, domestic cats are decedents of our wild cats and hold onto many of those characteristics. Another one to remember is that they are true carnivores so feeding only a meat based diet is very important! #lion #leopard Rothschild Safaris Sausage Tree Camp
Meet Yoko, a little (very cute) Guinea Hen who was attacked by a hawk. She needed to have a large laceration closed on her inner leg and a smaller laceration on her vent. Yoko is just waking from anesthesia and her laceration repair in the video. We hope she continues to heal uneventfully. Be well Yoko🙏❤️. #guineahen #gratitute
It’s a New Year and time to feel good and appreciate those moments that bring us joy. These 2 sugar gliders did just that. Mom brought them in in their coconut hideaway but they didn’t want to come out! We coaxed them out with meal worms. Funny how food motivates almost everyone! #feelgood #sugarglider #Animality
Melissa Magnuson Year in Review
Wishing my clients and my followers a Happy New Year filled with joy, abundance and pets. ❤😻🦆🐰🐹🐦🐸🐍🐢🦎🐁🐕
My daughter has a new kitten, I'm not sure who loves who more. ❤️. Merry Christmas!
Rottweiler Puppies!
Some days are true gifts. Ten puppies filled with unconditional love and joy. Thank you to my client for sharing her Rottweiler puppies with us! All ten healthy and ready to go to their new homes. Why do puppies (any baby animal for that matter) give us grace? I think because they are with no judgement. We all long to be accepted by ourselves and others. Puppies melt into our arms without any judgement. It feels good. ❤️ #rottweiler #animality #petsandpeople
baby guinea pigs
One week old baby Guinea pigs! They are born fully functional, haired, and eat solid food! Thankful to see these little ones! The little black one, Blot, has an eye infection. #guineapig
Need some joy today? Watching a hamster named “Bear” eating a piece of American cheese did it for me! Find joy in the little things today and fill up your heart with really good stuff! #findjoyeveryday #hamsters #Animality
Leopards!
What an unforgettable experience! A leopard mama and her baby being playful together in the Serengeti. Our pet cats have the same mannerisms! This is breathtaking! Take a look!!!! We were amazed (and a little nervous!) as mama came close to our vehicle but moved on as we sat quietly witnessing this absolute incredible sighting. So grateful to Nomad Tanzania!! #leopard #Tanzania #nomadlamai #Animality
I can barely believe I was able to witness a baby giraffe and her mama! It was so moving to see mama come over and make sure the baby was okay. A few kisses to comfort her (or maybe herself) and off they went! Mamas are always looking out for their young no matter what their species it seems. #giraffe #animality
Today on safari we came across a hyena den. The moms go out hunting and leave the babies behind. They were so curious and inquisitive-they came right up to the truck. One even tried to crawl onto the hood! Animals learn to fear as they grow, just like humans. As a young child you have to learn to be afraid-the natural thing is to accept and be curious. These hyenas will learn to be afraid of humans as their moms will teach them. Think of the progress we could make if we could learn not to fear and be curious. #hyenas #animality
The elephants in the evening have their dust bath, graze, and then come back to their stalls for bottle feeding. They all know exactly where to go and what to do. It’s such a moving experience to see these baby elephants come running! It’s also so wonderful to see the special bond they have with their keepers. #sheldrickwildlifetrust
This is something I never thought I’d ever see, the great migration of the African wildebeest across the Mara River in the Serengeti. A remarkable sight. They risk their lives crossing (the river is filled with Nile crocodiles) and luckily all were successful today. The most amazing piece, for me, is once they crossed to the other bank, they circle back to check to see their loved ones made it. It’s just an amazing sight. Wildlife is so caring and empathetic for their friends and family. I was amazed❤️ #greatmigration #wildebeest #serengeti
Africa
My adventures in Africa are underway! I can hardly believe I am here and experiencing these spectacular wildlife encounters. This lioness was tracking a giraffe at sunset and I was able to capture the video. For all of you animal lovers, the lioness wasn’t successful and the giraffe ran off! (Whew for me and you!) Meanwhile, I can’t help but stop and see the absolute beauty in nature and how confident and conscious she is with every movement; no wasteful movements, so thoughtful with her steps, and such grace. #animality
