Vikki the Vet Treats Taiyo the Tiger
Vikki the Vet is in Thailand.
Vikki the Vet is in Thailand treating Taiyo the Tiger.
Taiyo the Tiger is an Indochinese tiger.
And Indochinese tigers live in Indochina.
Indochina is this area in southeast Asia.
In its strictest sense, Indochina includes the countries of Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam.
In its broadest sense, Indochina includes the countries of Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.
The first thing Vikki the Vet did when she landed in Thailand was have a light lunch.
Vikki the Vet whittled her menu down to three choices:
1. Pad Phuk Tong = stir fried pumpkin
2. Pad Thai = fried rice noodles with vegetables
3. Som Tum = papaya salad
Can you guess what Vikki the Vet ordered?
Vikki the Vet ordered some Som Tum.
After lunch Vikki the Vet took a tuk-tuk to Taiyo the Tiger.
A Tuk-tuk is an auto rickshaw.
We first heard about an auto rickshaw when Vikki the Vet visited Rwanda.
Vikki the Vet was greeted by Tam Turner when she got to the clinic where they took Taiyo.
Tam Turner thinks Taiyo the Tiger might have tularemia.
Tularemia is a bacterial disease that can infect tigers.
But Tam Turner isn’t an infectious disease expert, which is the reason he called Vikki the Vet in the first place.
“Good to meet you, Ms. Vega,” said Tam Turner as he greeted Vikki the Vet.
“Mr. Turner?” asked Vikki the Vet.
“Just call me Tam,” answered Tam Turner.
“Nice to meet you, Tam,” said Vikki the Vet.
“You can call me Vikki or Victoria.”
“So I understand you have a troubled tiger?”
Vikki the Vet dove right in.
“Yes,” said Tam.
“So, what are his symptoms?”
“Listlessness,
laboured breathing,
loss of motor control,
and a lack of interest in eating,” answered Tam.
“Canine distemper disease?” asked Vikki the Vet with an arched eyebrow.
“Yes. I thought of that,” said Tam.
“But Taiyo’s brain is still fully engaged and he still has his innate instincts.”
“Have you eliminated any other diseases?”
“We’ve screened for tuberculosis,” answered Tam Turner.
“Also negative.”
“Well, I’m glad Taiyo doesn’t have either of those,” said Vikki the Vet.
“We don’t know what he has,” said a puzzled Tam Turner.
“I’m thinking tularemia, but I don’t know much about tularemia in tigers.”
“I’d be surprised if it’s tularemia,” said Vikki the Vet.
“I don’t know of any cases of tularemia this far south.”
“Have you done a tick check?” continued Vikki the Vet.
“We did a tick test by eye,” answered Tam.
“But it isn’t easy to check for ticks on a tiger.”
“I think we should sedate Taiyo,” suggested Vikki the Vet.
“That way, we can do a thorough tick check.”
So that is what they did.
And it turns out that Taiyo the Tiger doesn’t have tularemia …
Taiyo the Tiger has tick bite paralysis.
Tick bite paralysis is a tick bite disease.
It is a tick that is making Taiyo sick.
Most tick bites cause bacterial infections.
But not this tick.
This tick is transferring a toxin into Taiyo.
And Taiyo the Tiger could die from the toxin that this tick is transferring.
“I can’t believe we missed this tick,” said an embarrassed Tam.
“Well … like you said, Tam … you can’t exactly hold a tiger by its tail.”
“And besides … this tick is especially well hidden.”
“So, what’s your prognosis?” asked Tam.
“That’s the good news,” answered Vikki the Vet.
“Once we take out this tick, the toxin transfer stops.”
“And then?” asked Tam Turner.
“And then Taiyo will totally recover,” answered Vikki the Vet.
“And he’ll even do it on his own.”
“All we need to do is give Taiyo a thorough insecticide wash to make sure he doesn’t have any other ticks.”
“That’s all?” asked Tam.
“An intravenous drip to bring his fluids up would be helpful,” said Vikki the Vet.
And a couple of days in this cool compound will work wonders,” she added.
“Well, thank you so much for your expert analysis,” said Tam Turner.
“Caring for animals is what you and I do,” Vikki the Vet said sincerely.
“Would you care to join me for a cup of tea,” asked Tam Turner.
“I would,” finished Vikki the Vet.