It's important for your pets to get to know their vet, and vice versa, so we took Thistle in today for his/her first vet visit. We had a few questions for the vet, like what is Thistle's gender and why does he/she favor his/her right side when rolling around? Did you know that a tumbleweed can roll in the wind with a limp? I didn't know either, but they can. Not sure if it's due to an injury or just Thistle acting cool.
Our vet, an expert on exotic pets (like Guinea Pigs, Snakes, and Tumbleweeds) knew quite a bit about our little addition to the menagerie. Living in North Carolina, I didn't think we'd find a tumbleweed expert so fast, but this is a very diverse state with most races, religions and species represented.
Jason: This is Thistle.
Doc: Ah, a Salsola tragus.
Jason: *wrinkles nose* No. It's a tumbleweed.
Doc: That's the scientific name. This one looks to be about two years old and female.
Jason: How can you tell?
Doc: About the age or the gender?
Jason: Yes.
Doc: I'm judging the age at about 24 months based on the diameter.
Jason: And the gender?
(Doc turns Thistle over, something Thistle doesn't like at all)
Doc: Do you see any external genitalia?
Jason: *shaking head* No.
Doc: Girl.
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| Notice the lack of external genitalia |
The vet gave Thistle a full workup (Tasha was not going to be happy about the expense) and uncovered the cause of the limp. Apparently one of Thistle's limbs (arms/legs/tentacles/appendages) on her right side was sprained. He said it wasn't major and probably occurred during her capture when she was thrashing about. Poor thing. She's been injured for two weeks and just now finding relief. I felt horrible.
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| The sprain is mending |
The doc wrapped Thistle's sprained arm/leg/thingy and told me we need to keep her from straining it further, which means she can't roll around in the wind for a couple days while it heals. I guess she'll be staying inside, which should be interesting considering she's not at all house trained. Now Thistle is on the road to recovery and we know what color collar to buy her… anything not boyish and certainly not pink!
